Columbia Basin College Arts Center: Remaining strong and dedicated to our educational mission
Columbia Basin College Arts Center students— they are in our plays, our concerts, our gallery events and our debate tournaments. The students are the focus of the mission of the CBC Arts Center and the focal point of what we do. These same students are active as artists in our community; involved in community productions, playing at wineries and eating establishments and working with community partners. They are the CBC Arts Center and make our community a better place to live. We, the faculty and staff at the CBC Arts Center, are very proud of them and are here to assist them in achieving their individual goals. The list of CBC student success in the arts is long and impressive. I only wish I had the print space to personally applaud each one.
CBC Arts Center full-time and part-time faculty- they are working professional artists and educators, academically prepared and passionate to bring their personal experiences and expertise to the classroom. The energy and excitement they create in the CBC Arts Center is infectious. Over the past three years, there have been new faculty appointments to the CBC Arts Center. The visual art department has two new faculty, Rachael Smith and Cozette Phillips, who bring a wealth of instructional expertise and innovative ideas to the visual arts. The new music department faculty include Bruce Walker and, currently on a one-year faculty appointment, Dr. Collin Wilson. The Columbia Basin Concert Band is under the baton of Russ Newbury, a well-known local band director and Pasco School District arts administrator. The communication department’s new faculty include Julie Bacon and Kori Thornburg, who also heads up the debate activities. Our other full-time faculty and part-time faculty, who are familiar faces in our region, are very present in area arts organizations, commissions and productions.
The CBC Arts Center is grateful for the support and encouragement we receive from our President, Dr. Richard Cummins and our Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Virginia Tomlinson. Additionally, our relationship with our own ASCBC provides us funding, which is so important to achieve our mission. We thank the students of the ASCBC for their support and recognition of the importance of the arts in these evolving times.
Our region is growing rapidly. As a result, the arts are growing and expanding across our community. Arts organizations are finding their niche and continually reframing their missions. The CBC Arts Center is always reflecting back and moving forward at the same time. The arts are the means by which we may define who we are as a culture. The arts make us laugh, cry, debate and think. The CBC Arts Center provides a unique training vehicle by which future artists can make an impact on society and entertain all at the same time. It is a powerful voice in our culture and needs nurturing and support. Columbia Basin College provides this foundation for our students, faculty teaching artists and community.
The CBC Arts Center challenge is simple and complex at the same time; to continue to provide educational and thought-provoking events for our students and community, to remain flexible and creative in a time with uncertain elements which need artistic response, to ensure our students are well-prepared for the professional world or to successfully transfer to a baccalaureate institution to continue the artist path. Finally, we thank our donors who share our passion and mission: the Hoch family, Don and Barbara Wood and others to be announced at a later date. We are fortunate to have community members like them who provide their support and encouragement.
This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Columbia Basin College Arts Center: Remaining strong and dedicated to our educational mission."