DIVA has Initiative
by Carolezoom

The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) celebrates its second anniversary this month. DIVA has grown in these last two years to an organization with more than? 200 paying members, 90 volunteers, and 1000 visitors a month. All of this has been accomplished with a lean staff of one and a half employees.
     This week alone DIVA has sponsored the following list of activities: 1. Come As You Art, a gala masquerade fund raiser. 2. An independent film called Haunters about haunted houses with discussion led by the film’s directors. 3. A discussion of Japanese culture framed around the film Godzilla King of the Monsters. 4. Four classes, one each night of the week in clay, acrylic, drawing and Tibetan watercolor. 5. An interdisciplinary installation piece by a newarts organization featuring dance, original music, art and lighting tailored to each of DIVA’s galleries. 6. A new series of visual arts exhibits installed that will run from now to the end of the year. Who’d have ever imagined we’d be so busy when we thought of starting a downtown center for the visual arts!
     In concert with Lane Arts Council, DIVA has expanded First Friday ArtWalk with both ArtFest, a sidewalk art show and sale, and? ArtTalk, a forum for local issues in the arts community.
     The Jacobs Gallery and DIVA have just held the first-ever  behind-the-scenes look at the Salon des Refuses and the Mayor’s Art Show jury process.
     DIVA has embraced Maude Kerns Art Center’s providing them with added downtown gallery space. In turn, Maude Kerns runs youth classes downtown within the DIVA space.
     DIVA is also exploring establishing an after-school arts program for the homeless youth on the downtown mall with social service agencies and other partners.
     DIVA also received a grant from the Lane County Cultural Coalition to assist other arts organizations in broadening their constituencies to include more individuals with disabilities.
     Success hasn’t come without some difficulties. One local arts leader lodged an appropriate concern that “DIVA’s doing so much that nobody knows who to go to about what.” DIVA’s staff responded by creating administrative structure.
Mary Unruh is the Executive Director. She is an artist, businesswoman, and experienced nonprofit fund raiser, so she handles the administrative side of DIVA as well as public speaking, financial management and the web site.
     As Program Manager, I am responsible for events, rentals, and presentation of independent films, classes, multimedia programs and all scheduling of the space.
   We are fortunate to have a diverse and dedicated leadership team to divide duties in managing exhibits, running the space, and recruiting volunteers. Hallis runs the organizational committee. Judy Alison is responsible for artist services. Anna Hults updates the web site and manages exhibits. Hank Weintraub runs the Odd Sunday Film Seminar and works with groups using the space. Becky Hayes assists with PR and special projects. Eric Ostlind is liaison to the board for multimedia events, and Chrys Royall recruits and manages volunteers.
    DIVA has benefited immeasurably from the support of Conner Wooley, owners of our partially donated space. In turn, we have brought an unprecedented vitality to the mostly vacant downtown.
Visions for DIVA’s future include expanding our scope and facility —assembling a collection of local art through donations and purchase awards at the Mayor’s Art Show, the Salon des Refuses, the Lane County Fair. To do so DIVA must find a suitable downtown facility to house the collection with sufficient space for galleries, classes and films.
On the horizon is an effort to develop an endowment for visual arts similar to the Hult Center Endowment for the Performing Arts. Moving from a grass roots startup to an established player in the Eugene arts scene is our next challenge..
I frequently hear from arts lovers how much they like what DIVA is doing. Our hope is that they will join DIVA, making us stronger with their contribution of service and money. DIVA has already contributed enormously to Eugene’s arts scene and the culture of downtown, but it is a work in progress. Keep checking back to see our picture come into focus.
     Carolezoom writes for the quARTerly and is the Program Manager for DIVA: Downtown Initiative for the Arts. Photos by Carolezoom