Five stories from 2017 that show growth in Columbus art scene

The year of 2017 brought numerous changes to Columbus, and the fine arts were no exception. From arts education to record-breaking theater seasons, this year has seen prosperity for the arts across the board.

Here are our top five picks of 2017. Each of the events we’ve chosen have created a positive ripple effect in our community in one way or another, and we’re convinced that they merit a second glance.

In June of this year, RiverCenter and Synovus created the Arts Education Challenge and successfully raised over $30,000 for arts education in Columbus. The money was raised via donations made through a GoFundMe page, and Synovus matched donations up to $10,000. All proceeds raised have been put directly back into arts education programming in our community.

Over the course of the next year, RiverCenter will have used the funds to increase the number of matinees and add two new teaching artists to its “On the Road” programs. The Muscogee County School District will also receive another “Teacher’s Institute” underwritten by Kinetic Credit Union. In addition to these improvements, the RiverCenter Readers program will be expanded to include two more schools. The money continues to impact local students and teachers in our community.

Georgia Repertory Theatre made history in 2017. A collaboration between the Springer Opera House and Columbus State University’s Department of Theatre, it completed its second season this summer and its collection of five productions played to over 3,000 people in 52 performances in 10 weeks.

The productions of “Hairspray” was Georgia Repertory’s first mainstage show to surpass 1,200 in ticket sales. The show played to an average crowd of 200 each night, while “What the Butler Saw” set a new attendance record for a play and dinner theater. Additionally, the summer company was the largest yet, with 80 people participating in 2017.

Only 75 places in America have been chosen for the inaugural Collections Assessment for Preservation program, and the Columbus Museum is one of them.

The initiative, known as the CAP program, is a new venture from the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artist Works. The program works to gauge the strengths and needs of individual institutions in the area of collection care. This is achieved through a thorough examination of each collection, site and interviews with staff members.

In August, the Liberty Theatre and Cultural Center launched a new arts immersion initiative for young men in Columbus. The Robert Lamar Anderson Academy of Excellence is an after-school program open to 50 male eighth graders at Baker Middle School this year.

RLA Academy was been named after longtime Liberty Theatre Board Chairman Robert Lamar Anderson, who has served on the board of the Liberty for 12 years. The program continues into 2018 and is expected to thrive for years to come.

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra honored its maestro in true Columbus fashion in 2017 at the ensemble’s final concert of the season. George Del Gobbo has been the conductor of the CSO for 30 years.

To honor three decades of Del Gobbo’s leadership for the CSO, patrons teamed together to provide a new endowment in his honor. He was also presented with a portrait by local artist Garry Pound of him conducting the symphony in concert.

This story was originally published December 30, 2017 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Five stories from 2017 that show growth in Columbus art scene."