New director of Arts Council of Southeast Missouri settling into job

Amy Pool had a busy Wednesday morning, and the afternoon wasn't looking any better.

She'd already waited hours for Charter Communications to show up, only to find out that an Internet upgrade wasn't possible because of a lack of cable lines.

While waiting, she worked on labeling art, fielding phone calls and talking to artists who either wanted to get their work displayed or musicians who wanted to perform at exhibits.

And she still had the big fundraiser to put the final touches on, scheduled for that evening at Wente Manor on Broadway with about 75 potential donors on the invitation list.

"This isn't a typical day," Pool said during a brief break. "But a lot of what I do, I'm doing today."

Pool seems to be settling into her role as executive director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, a job she assumed Aug. 17. In her job, the 40-year-old Cape Girardeau resident will oversee council events and its programs.

Pool may not seem to the layman the ideal choice to run an arts organization. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor's in elementary education. She taught third grade at Franklin Elementary for nearly a decade before she made a career move to the university, where she was a grant coordinator, helping faculty members put together and submit grant applications.

"I'm not an artist at all," Pool said, laughing. "But I have always felt that the arts are foundational to learning. Children sing, dance and act creatively before they start learning other things."

Pool loves art and music, as well. She and her husband, Brad, live on Spanish Street in downtown Cape Girardeau, and a year ago they opened LoDo, a bar across the street from the arts council office.

"This job is a great family move," she said. "I really feel like I'm immersed with downtown now."

The arts council board members who hired her said she's a perfect fit for what the council needs right now, which is a background in grant writing and fundraising, small-business experience and a passion for the local arts scene.

"She's very efficient, friendly and the public face to represent the arts that we've been looking for," said council board member Linda Bohnsack, owner of Garden Gallery. "She truly was the strongest candidate that we interviewed that had the knowledge of grant writing. We felt like, as a nonprofit, we needed to concentrate on this issue."

The annual budget is about $120,000, said Bohnsack, the board's treasurer, and more funds are needed to provide more programs.

"That's the way we could grow the arts in the Southeast Missouri region," she said. "We'd like to expand and do more things cooperatively with other arts councils in our area, like Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and Kennett."

Craig Thomas is a well-known local artist, gallery owner and board member. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have known Pool for years.

"Amy is very poised and together," Thomas said. "She's a hard worker. We've gone through two or three directors, and this was just a good fit to get some continuity for us. It's a good fit."

Pool sees her role expanding, and she wants to grow the council's membership from the roughly 200 where it is today. She does have some grants in mind to apply for. The council's strategic plan is up for review next year, she said, which sets the council's goals.

"There's been a lot of turnover lately," she said. "People have been working hard to keep the arts council going. At the same time, we're looking at what we can maybe do differently."

She wants the council to be more regional, not just for Cape Girardeau.

"We want to really serve the communities in a more efficient way," she said. "It just takes time."

But the time for chatting is over. She has a fundraiser to prepare for.

"I still have to put up signs, label some more of the artwork, run down to the arts council to print out some artist bios," she said, sighing. "Never bored. Somewhere in between there my husband is going to have to pick up our son from school. But I love it. Every day is something different."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

32 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO