with SPA’s Newest Board Chair: MARK JODON
BY JORDAN DRUM Q: How did you first get involved with Society for the Performing Arts? A: My wife, Kris, and I moved to Houston in 1985. We both enjoy the performing arts. Soon after we arrived in Houston, we discovered SPA. The seasons offered such a variety of performances. We have been attending performances for more than 35 years. Q: Why do you believe it’s important to support the arts? A: There has not been a day when I have not sung a few lines of a song, hummed a tune without thinking about it, snapped
my fingers or tapped my foot to some rhythm. I suspect many people have the same experience to some degree. The arts are an essential part of life, an essential part of spirit and soul, a piece of something divine in all of our hearts. I support the arts because they are essential to life and living in community. They are essential to the human experience. A performance may be the thread that connects us to what we have in common, creating space for new conversation and perhaps even room for new friendships. Q: What has it been like serving on an arts board through COVID-19?
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A: It was a time when we saw the passion and commitment from so many people who love the performing arts and SPA step forward and offer their presence, their talents and their gifts to ensure this organization would emerge from the pandemic and be in a position to thrive once we were ready to return to the stages. This outpouring of support did not come from only current and past board members, but from SPA visionaries, community partners and so many people who are part of the SPA family. I saw how creative and responsive the SPA staff was to pivot quickly to virtual performances at a time when stages were shuttered
