Lively arts

Cynthia Cooper of the Fresno Coalition for Art, Science & History passes along some news from the recent California Arts Council conference. She says Fresno and the Valley got plenty of attention at the meeting.

"There were over 400 people from around the state and of all the cities and communities represented, Fresno by far got the greatest recognition. John McGuirk, the Program Director for the Arts for the James Irvine Foundation mentioned Fresno and the Central Valley several times; when Carlos Martinez was introduced Fresno made a fuss over it; [actress and state council member] Annette Bening gave the keynote speech and opened her talk by reading the editorial you wrote for The Bee, and then Muriel Johnson, the director of the CAC mentioned Fresno several times. Your editorial was a great hit."

(Carlos Martinez is the executive director of the Fresno Art Museum and a recent appointee to the state council -- the Valley's first representative in 30 years, according to Cynthia.)

This is great news. The arts are more than a source of enjoyment and enrichment, though they are cherished for that. They are also part of the economic engine that drives the Valley. The more help we get, the better things will be for all of us.