For over 35 years, the Idaho Falls Arts Council has been working to fulfil its mission of providing art and culture to the Idaho Falls area. Striving to continue that mission, Gray Augustus is the new executive director of the Idaho Falls Arts Council.
“I really prioritize trying to understand what our patrons and those coming to the theater want to see in our area, of what kind of art they want to take in,” Augustus said. “We want it to be an experience that you really, you don't get in other venues. We have a unique opportunity because we're a small space with high-end, high-level art. So, it's a cool, unique opportunity for those in the community.”
The Arts Council hosted a meet and greet on Jan. 15 for Augustus in conjunction with the gallery opening showing new exhibitions.
“We had some really fantastic art on the walls,” Augustus said. “And then it gave me an option to really kind of discuss and chat. We have a really good sponsor base and a lot of them came out and you wanted to kind of understand what our plans going forward for the future were going to look like.”
The Idaho Falls Arts Council owns and operates the Artitorium, a venue that houses interactive and educational art exhibits that children can experience firsthand. Augustus aspires to reach more youth through art education.
“We're really looking into this next season on how we can get creative and how we can multiply that educational piece,” Augustus said. “We really want to figure out how we can get to as many youth as possible from full K-12 experience. And some of that, I think, is going to take us figuring out how to take art out into the community more.”
Information on the Idaho Falls Arts Council, their exhibitions, shows and events can be found at Home | Idaho Falls Arts Council