New Member Profile: Springfield Arts & Culture Awards

The Springfield Arts & Culture Awards is hosting their inaugural event at the Wildish Theater on April 8th, 2023. To welcome them as a new community event and a new member of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, we recently spoke with Dan Egan, President of the Wildish Theater’s Board of Directors, to find out more about him and this event.

Tell us a little about the Springfield Arts & Culture Awards.
The Springfield Arts & Culture Awards (SACA) is set for its inaugural event on April 8th, 2023. The event will honor and celebrate artists and arts organizations in Springfield. We’ve been thinking about doing this for about three to four years now. Cities all across the country have similar ceremonies and events to recognize the importance of art in their communities, and with the absence of anything like that here, we thought we should do this for Springfield.

Where and how did you get started in the arts?
When does anyone first get a start in the arts? It starts as a young child, when you first put your hands in paint and do your first finger painting, hear music for the first time, play an instrument. Art is present in so many ways in our lives, and I’ve always had a great appreciation for it. I’ve worked with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce for more than 20 years and have been heavily involved in the arts in Springfield. After my tenure with the Springfield Chamber, my connection with art in Springfield really deepened when I had the opportunity to manage the fabulous Wildish Theater. Currently, I serve on the theater’s Board of Directors.

Why is it important to have a presence of arts and culture in a community?
It defines the community and adds to its distinctiveness. As we know, there are many cities in the country named “Springfield.” How can you be distinctive? We have a large amount of public art all over our city, and we can take it for granted as we drive by so many times. I often think about what visitors feel and see when they drive through for the first time … I think they can feel that distinctiveness. I can see it when there’s a family taking a photo in front of the Simpsons Mural and the other great murals around our community. The arts help tell the story of the community. It’s a window into history and the current condition of the community and its people.

What are some of the ways this awards event is celebrating the arts in Springfield?
The event on Saturday, April 8th, will celebrate the impact of art and recognize multiple people and organizations that were nominated for awards. The award categories are Arts Advocacy/Business Arts Supporter, Arts Organization of the Year, Culture Connection, Lifetime Achievement, Public Art Award, and Young Artist of the Year. Also, on Friday, April 7th, we are hosting an invitation-only event with artists and arts leaders of the community, which will be an important opportunity to give people a chance to introduce themselves, meet new people, and get to know one another – a great generator for arts synergy!

This inaugural event will also launch and support the establishment of an Arts Scholarship to be made available each year to a Springfield High School senior pursuing an arts career at a center of higher education.  This Scholarship fund will grow with the event over time.

How can the community get involved or help?
I invite everyone to buy tickets to the show! On top of the arts awards, the event will also feature performances by jazz singer Halie Loren and Ballet Fantastique. Outside of the event, I encourage everyone to pay attention to the arts in the community. Look closely at the murals and appreciate how unique it is to have all of this in Springfield.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Like all inaugural events, we are hoping this will grow in the future and continually add to the community to illustrate what makes Springfield, Oregon, a special place.

The Springfield Arts and Culture Awards (SACA) is an event that honors and celebrates artists, art organizations and distinctive culture that enriches the Springfield community.

Tickets for SACA 2023 are now on sale at the Wildish Community Theater or contact Theater Manager Greg Hopper-Moore at the ticket office call 541-868-0689.