The Vermont Arts Council Board is pleased to welcome four new trustees. Stacey Glazer, Lee Krohn, Nicole Nelson, and Edmond Strainchamps bring a wealth of experience to the important role of stewarding public funding of the arts in Vermont.
“These four new trustees contribute to the board diverse skills and rich professional backgrounds,” said Irwin Gelber, Vermont Arts Council chair. “Most importantly, they each bring a passion for supporting and promoting the arts in Vermont. As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of public arts funding in Vermont, Stacey, Lee, Nicole, and Edmond are well suited to the task of ensuring that the arts continue to play a central role in Vermont communities.”
Stacey Glazer manages the Leadership Upper Valley program and the website for Vital Communities, a White River Junction non-profit. Vital Communities engages citizens, organizations, and communities to create solutions to regional challenges. According to Stacey, "Living in Vermont, my family has been blessed with many opportunities to engage in and enjoy the arts. I would like to ensure that citizens across our state have access to a life enriched through and inspired by the arts."
Lee Krohn is a senior planner for the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and pursues his passion for photography in many different dimensions. He is a volunteer firefighter with the Shelburne Fire Department. Lee believes that "The arts add joy, depth, and perspective to our lives. Art helps us breathe, smile, reflect, and be grateful, while challenging each of us to explore our own creativity."
Nicole Nelson is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and recording artist. With her partner, Dwight Ritcher, she performs in the popular indie band "Dwight & Nicole." Nicole is passionate about promoting a balanced, healthy lifestyle and is a proud ambassador for the environmentally conscious global nonprofit One Percent for the Planet.
Edmond Strainchamps is professor emeritus of music history and theory at S.U.N.Y./Buffalo and holds an appointment as visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. His publications include five books and a number of scholarly articles. Edmond states that “The arts provide consolation and clarification in our lives as nothing else can. They are, furthermore, the gateway to reasoning and intelligence and are vital to each of us for our growth to full maturity.”
Since 1964, the Vermont Arts Council has been the state’s primary provider of funding, advocacy and information for the arts in Vermont. It strives to increase public awareness of the positive role artists and arts organizations play in communities and to increase opportunities for Vermonters to experience the arts in everyday life. The Council is the only designated State Arts Agency in the U.S. that is also an independent, not-for-profit, membership organization.