Welcome Rena _Winter 2014:Layout 1
1/17/14
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WELCOME TO
art&culture
“Synergy” is one of those words that just sounds good when you say it. To paraphrase Shakespeare, it rolls trippingly off the tongue.
fromtheceo
Look it up on the Internet, and the first definitions that pop up talk about “combined effect that is greater than the sum of individual effects” and “cooperative interaction.” In my mind, it suggests action, progress and collaboration. In Palm Beach County’s cultural community, we’re fortunate to find synergy all around us. One of the best current examples is Art Synergy, an initiative designed to introduce patrons of the season’s four major international art shows in West Palm Beach to the exceptionally wide range of cultural opportunities that exist outside the walls of the Palm Beach County Convention Center. With support from the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the organizers of Art Synergy are reaching out to the thousands of people attending ArtPalmBeach, inviting people to six distinct arts districts where special arts events will be taking place. It is our hope at the Council that similar synergistic events will ultimately be organized around other fairs such as the American International Fine Art Fair, the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show and the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show. The fundamental message is that whether you live here or you’re visiting from out of town, we encourage you to explore, sample and taste the ® arts throughout Florida’s Cultural Capital. Visit www.palmbeachculture.com/artsynergy for details. We see synergy in action even closer to home, of course – right here in our Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Lake Worth. Remarkably, as we begin 2014 we are marking our second anniversary in our new headquarters. It’s impossible to list all of the terrific things that we have been able to accomplish thanks to our centralized location
Michael Price
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art&culture
and the wonderful spaces we have within this building, but all of them make us very proud. As we envisioned, we now mount exhibitions by local artists on an ongoing basis. We host professional development sessions for cultural organizations and events for the community. Our Cultural Information Center and Uniquely Palm Beach Store bring people through our doors who might otherwise have no exposure to art and culture in Palm Beach County. This truly is a dream come true – and we continue to be grateful to the Montgomery family and everyone else who made it possible! As we move into the new year, we’ll be looking at many more opportunities to create synergies for the Cultural Council and the larger community. For example, we’re developing a number of exciting new marketing concepts that will build awareness of the vast array of cultural opportunities that exist here and help visitors to understand how to tap into them. We know that we have the largest and most sophisticated cultural offerings in the southeast. We’re going to spread that word more aggressively and creatively than ever before. Much of the credit for the Cultural Council’s success in encouraging and achieving synergy belongs to all of you. We are grateful for your generous support and active participation. We’re looking forward to another great year ahead – and we wish the same for you!
Rena Blades President and CEO Cultural Council of Palm Beach County