The Vermont Arts Council (VAC) is pleased to announce a new staff team to focus on four key outreach functions: advocacy, fundraising, communications, and marketing. The Outreach Team is led by Zon Eastes, director of outreach and advancement, and includes Susan McDowell and Kira Bacon.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to integrate several Council roles into one cohesive team,” said Eastes. “We believe this structure will provide new opportunities to effectively reflect the broad range of arts and culture activities throughout Vermont. Our goal is to be a dynamic mirror for our state’s rich artistic community.”
Bacon recently joined VAC as communications manager, bringing more than 25 years of public relations and corporate communications experience. In addition to managing corporate communications for several publicly held companies, she was most recently director of communications for Vashon Allied Arts in Washington State. Bacon holds master’s degrees in business and theatre.
McDowell has been with VAC since 2007, serving primarily as a grants administrator. Her experience with the Council has given her an in-depth understanding of constituents' stories and data. This knowledge, combined with a strong background in sales, marketing, and content development in the private sector, position her well to succeed in her new role as content manager within the Outreach Team.
"With the Vermont Arts Summit as the springboard, the Council is launching a new era of communications showcasing the vast array of artistic and cultural resources and opportunities in Vermont," said Executive Director Alex Aldrich. "Our goal is to shine a bright light on the arts in Vermont, demonstrating the positive impact the arts have on communities throughout the entire state.”
The Vermont Arts Council was founded in 1964 on a simple and powerful premise: that the arts enrich lives, expand minds, and form a vital thread in the fabric of Vermont community life.
The Council fosters classical, traditional, and emerging forms of artistic expression. It finds enduring ways to make the arts a part of all Vermont communities, bringing inspiration to Vermont citizens and visitors in every corner of the state. It advocates for and supports the arts as a central part of education for all people.
The Council functions as a community partner and a catalyst for artists and organizations. It offers professional development opportunities and technical advice, collects and disseminates arts information, and acts as the state's foremost arts advocate. It is a grass-roots organization with statewide trustees elected from and by its membership. As the only not-for-profit state arts agency in the country, it is uniquely qualified to unite both public and private resources to serve the following mission:
to advance and preserve the arts at the center of Vermont communities.
