Many people know about the DragonflyArtGallery, located on Caroline Street in downtown Milton.
Although well known, many do not know the organization behind the glass.
Designated as the Local Art Agency of Santa Rosa County by the County Commission, the Santa Rosa Arts and Culture Foundation (SRACF), a nonprofit organization was organized to support a variety of artistic avenues in Santa Rosa County, including individual artists, public art organizations, and local ethnic cultural groups.
Although the primary work of the SRACF has been the operation of the Dragonfly Gallery, according to Foundation officials, it is moving in new directions this year.
The Dragonfly Gallery is described as “a mission of the Santa Rosa Arts and Culture Foundation.” The Dragonfly February newsletter lays out several classes at the gallery taught by such artists as Elaine Woodward, Laura Keith King, and Jean Norris. SRACF members get a discount on these. The newsletter also notes children’s art classes taught by Sally Miller from 10:30 a.m. to noon two Saturdays most months.
While the Gallery may be the most standout element of the SRACF, President Jerry Cummings wants others to know the Foundation is more than the Gallery.
New for the SRACF this year is the group’s partnering with Don Norris to put on the Milton Cruise-In car show. Aside from being a self-described car show fanatic, Cumings said automobiles fall under both culture and art.
He said, “To me, they’re a cultural event. I’m not talking about selling cars, but letting the public know the automobile is part of our cultural heritage…Don Norris and Claude Duvall are experts and if we can be involved with them, that’s great because cars are a part of culture.”
He also noted their look alone can classify them as artistic. “I personally love the British car shows.”
Officials with the SRACF also note the organization will bring thematic elements to the monthly event. March 26’s show will be a racecar theme with local racers taking part. In the works are future shows with a “sock hop” and “muscle car” theme.
Cummings also stressed the lesser known educational mission of the SRACF. The SRACF’s education committee, he said, is headed up by Toni New. “She is the art teacher at Rhodes Elementary. She emphasizes the different art shows we have. We have a show for art teachers at the Dragonfly Gallery. She also does different shows for students that we showcase at the Dragonfly Gallery.”
Stagecraft is another artistic medium the SRACF supports, which can blend with cultural history.
For example, Cummings said, “I’m hoping to revive something we called Moonshine Creek. It’s a series of plays emphasizing our history, our local culture.”
According to Cummings, the SRACF does not just promote art for art’s sake alone. Cummings said, “Art means business. Art and culture is part of the solution.
We’re here to show a quality of life that attracts new commerce. One of the first things a company looks for, the first thing, when moving into an area, is quality of life. And where do they look for that quality of life? They look to see what sort of an art and culture community is in that area. We struggle at this, to project that quality of life that attracts new businesses.”
However, Cummings noted the very fact the county has an arts and culture foundation shows potential businesses its overt and upfront effort to foster a culture of creative expression through various artistic means.
Cummings said, “I believe the city and county view us in a positive light. We want a board of people who wants what’s best for the county. A board that can take the reigns…and create a vitality within the city and the county built on art and culture.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: More than the Dragonfly Gallery