The Johnson Center for the Arts will host the quarterly meeting of the Alabama State Council of the Arts Sept. 3 and 4, at which time the ASCA will vote to approve recommended grants to arts organizations that were submitted under the June 1 deadline.

Vicki Pritchett, Johnson Center executive director, said she and the Center’s board of directors are thrilled and honored that ASCA has chosen the Johnson Center for the Arts for its quarterly meeting.

“This meeting is extremely important to arts organizations around the state that benefit from grants award by ASCA,” Pritchett said. “ASCA has been very generous in awarding grants in support of the Johnson Center and also our Art Bridges program. Other arts organizations in Pike County have also received grant funding from ASCA. The Troy Arts Council, the Pioneer Museum of Alabama and the Brundidge Historical Society have received grants that made it possible to offer arts opportunities that, perhaps, would not have been possible without the support of the state arts council. The same is true of the Johnson Center.”

In a countywide show of appreciation, Pritchett said the Johnson Center for the Arts will honor the members of the Alabama State Council on the Arts with a reception from 5:45 until 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at the Johnson Center.

“We wanted to offer all of those who have benefited from ASCA’s support in recent years the opportunity to come, meet the members of the Council and express their appreciation to them for their support of the arts in Pike County,” she said. ‘All Pike County is invited because there are very few people in the county who have not benefited, directly or indirectly, from the generosity of the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

“The big thing about this reception is that it’s for everyone. It’s a time for all of us who have received funding from ASCA to come and say ‘thank you’ for supporting us and caring about Pike County.”

Pritchett said many people don’t realize the scope of what the arts organizations contribute to the community.

“The Johnson Center for the Arts provides art education programs in every school in Pike County – city, county and private,” she said. “ASCA grant funds make these programs possible. ASCA supports the annual TroyFest juried arts and crafts festival and, of course, the Art Bridges Program is big part of what we do.”

The Johnson Center annually sponsors a three-day teacher workshop during the summer months that is designed to share innovative ways to integrate art into the classroom. Teachers from all schools in the county have an opportunity to attend. Master teachers and artists facilitate the workshops and follow up with visits to the teachers’ classrooms in the fall.

“Through these classroom visits, the students have the opportunity to work with and learn from those who are masters of their art,” Pritchett said. “So, the funding we receive from the state arts council impacts the lives of our students, not only in art classes but across the curriculum.

“ Participation in the arts is a wonderful opportunity for our students. It has been proven that students who are involved in arts — whether it’s music, dancing, the performing arts or the visual arts — do better in school.

“The ASCA members help us make a lasting impact in our schools and in our communities. We are greatly appreciative and we invite the community to join us for the reception on Sept. 4 as we say a collective ‘thank you’ to Al Head, ASCA executive director and the Alabama State Council on the Arts for all they do to enhance the quality of life for the people of Pike County and all Alabama.”