Arts & Culture: New Direction
A wave of change has come to Springfield. Not only has new development generated a groundswell of excitement and activity, new directors have taken the helm of three organizations that are the mainstay of Springfield’s artistic and cultural landscape. The Emerald Art Center, Springfield Museum and the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater have all welcomed new leadership during recent months…
name: Diana Wunderle
title: Executive Director
started: September 2018
In fitting fashion on the evening of September 1st, Diana Wunderle was introduced as the new Executive Director of the Emerald Art Center. The occasion was an opening reception for the Center’s third annual Photography at the Emerald exhibit, welcoming artists from across the country. While Ms. Wunderle, a working artist since 1991, has spent more than 20 years in the Pacific Northwest, during the past seven she’s “lived in three states, published a regional A&E magazine, and assisted in 3 galleries, 3 cooperatives and 4 regional marketing projects.” Additionally, and most encouragingly, she has made a priority of building arts communities.
Ms. Wunderle’s own art is thought provoking, exploring the intersection of the lived human experience and our underlying state as beings of energy, which she refers to as “systemic wholeness”. This deep contemplation, inherent in her work, bodes well for the Emerald Art Center. As the community drives forward, there is enormous opportunity for the Center to take a lead role in the ‘Springfield experience’. It will take someone with an eye to the ‘whole system’ to bring that to fruition.
Emerald Art Center is the hub of Springfield’s fine art community, fostering local talent while also drawing highly accomplished artists from around the country. Classes and workshops are offered year round for people of all ages and experience.
name: Clare McDonald
title: Theater Manager
started: July 2018
Since opening in 2006, the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater has been the heart of Springfield’s cultural and performing arts scene. The 283 seat theater is home to four area arts organizations, with more than 20 other arts and business groups regularly using the space. On July 1st a new Theater Manager took the reins, Clare McDonald.
Ms. McDonald is a recent graduate of the University of Oregon’s theater program, with a minor in arts management. She is a local stage actor who worked as Assistant Director at the Wildish prior to the new appointment. Additionally, she worked as Director’s Liaison for The Pocket Playhouse, a highly regarded student-managed theater company at the university. In a press release Ms. McDonald said of her new role, “I am excited to take on this position at the Wildish Theater as it enters its second decade as Springfield’s premier performance center.”
The Wildish Theater was the defining project of Richard E. Wildish Community Theater Name: Clare McDonald Title: Theater Manager Started: July the Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation (SRDC). With award winning architecture and a robust performance schedule, the theater pleases audiences of widely varied interests year round. The upcoming schedule includes film screenings, an original local play spotlighting social justice issues, multiple children’s theater productions and classical music performances. The Wildish was built to be downtown Springfield’s cultural showpiece, at which it has more than succeeded. Under new direction expect the Wildish to play an even greater role as the community’s cultural hub.
name: Madeline McGraw
title: Museum Curator
started: May 2018
Springfield enjoys a rich heritage, which is reflected and celebrated throughout the community. Sharing and safeguarding this heritage is the job of the Springfield Museum, located in an historic brick building in the heart of downtown. As stated in the organization’s charter, “the mission of the Springfield Museum is to foster an awareness of the history of Springfield, provide a link between our past and present, and promote an appreciation of the diverse communities that call Springfield and rural east Lane County home.”
In May of this year, a new Museum Curator was announced – Madeline (Maddi) McGraw. Ms. McGraw received her Masters in Museology and Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University and went on to work as a Curatorial Assistant at Wittenberg University, then as a Collections Intern at the Heritage Center of Clark County in Springfield, Ohio. Most recently Ms. McGraw spent two years as the Curator of Collections and Exhibits at the Seward Community Library and Museum in Seward, Alaska.
McGraw’s appreciation for ‘smaller’ museums and the relatively large role they can play in the community fabric is a welcome approach. With the city’s renewed commitment to the organization and Ms. McGraw’s passion for a historically informed community, Springfield stands to thrive not only as a result of new investment, but also due to this ongoing commitment to our cultural foundations.
