Kansas Arts Councils Symposium
The Symposium was developed by the Arts Council of Johnson County to bring together emerging and established arts councils and organizations from around the state of Kansas to facilitate professional development, partnership, and celebration of the arts in our communities.
Creative Conversation Series
Creative Conversations started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to bring people together and highlight local artists, entrepreneurs, arts professionals, and community leaders. These talks helped people stay connected and learn about different programs, organizations, and projects in the arts.
The series featured live video interviews on ACJC’s Facebook page, with recordings later shared on YouTube. Over two seasons, we created 39 episodes that are still available to watch and enjoy today!
Creative Conversation Series
Resilience, Reflection, Rebuilding: Artists Respond to COVID-19
In July 2020, local artists were invited to share their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were also asked to think about how the pandemic could inspire change. Their artwork became part of the exhibition Resilience, Reflection, Rebuilding: Artists Respond to COVID-19 (RRR), which ran from August 2020 to January 2021 at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center and online.
To support the community, the exhibition led to a series of programs focused on building resilience, including take-home art kits.
Take-Home Art Kits
Engaging in the arts can reduce stress, improve emotional well-being, and help people cope with challenges. To bring these benefits to families, take-home art kits were created in partnership with the Johnson County Mental Health Center and Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center.
Survey results showed the program had a meaningful impact:
- 65% of participants found the mental health discussion questions helpful in talking about current events.
- 100% of participants felt good or great after completing the art activity.
- 100% said they would participate in the art kit program again.
The Arts Council of Johnson County is grateful to the Johnson County Museum, JCPRD Fine and Performing Arts staff, and the JCDS Emerging Artists Studio artists for their help in assembling the kits. A special thank you to our partners at the Johnson County Mental Health Center and Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center for their support in developing this meaningful community program.