Art center director resigns.

LUDINGTON — The Ludington Area Arts Council announced today that the executive director of the Ludington Area Center for the Arts, Corrin VanWyck, is resigning, effective Sept. 30. The council board has no immediate plans to replace VanWyck, according to board president Brad Reed. Instead the board will undertake a strategic planning process and to seek long term funding for its programs, Reed said in a statement.

VanWyck has served as the executive director since July 2013. 

“After three very challenging and gratifying years, I am thankful to have the opportunity to refocus my energies on the needs of my family, while still supporting arts and culture in our community. I have been truly honored and humbled by my experience serving as executive director for the arts center,” said VanWyck.  “I am very proud of the tremendous growth, accomplishments, and community impact the arts center has realized over the past three years. This new chapter offers a great opportunity for passionate people, who value the arts, to become more engaged and find new ways to take part in the arts center.”

VanWyck is the center’s third director in the its eight year existence.

VanWyck will continue to assist the arts council as it develops and implements programming. “Corinn has been such a tremendous asset to the arts council,” Reed said.  She has taken us to a new and national level of programming and success.  Corinn is a national-level arts director.  We are very pleased that she will continue to contract with the council to build on these successes.

“Under VanWyck’s leadership the arts council and the Ludington community were recognized as one of only four communities – along with Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo – to be chosen for a pilot program called Youth Driven Spaces.   Also, under VanWyck the West Shore Art Fair became one of the 100 best and most successful juried fine art fairs in the nation.  Furthermore, VanWyck developed very popular youth programs that provide a much-needed creative outlet for area students.”

In the interim of replacing the executive director’s position, the arts center office will be staffed part-time by Marion Riedl, former board secretary.

“The art center has been around for eight years now. We have learned a lot about what works in our community, and what does not.  We want to build on what works and what the community wants.  We can only offer that which the community supports”, said Reed.

The assessment process will proceed immediately with a decision about the future direction of the organization coming in early October.  “When the assessment process is completed, we will offer sponsorships for programming and building costs”, Reed said.