ABOUT US

MISSION STATEMENT

The Springfield Area Arts Council enriches the community by promoting and supporting all art forms and providing creative opportunities to participate in and enjoy the arts.

OUR HISTORY

Founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1976 as a private, nonprofit organization, the Springfield Area Arts Council (SAAC) serves the greater Springfield area within Sangamon and Menard counties by providing community arts excellence through programs, events, and outreach to underserved populations. SAAC is governed by a Board of Directors.

Our mission umbrellas the many aspects of SAAC’s programming. We foster cooperation among arts organizations, encourage development of arts services and programs, provide economic opportunities to artists, enhance school curriculum through Arts-in-Education, and re-grant designated funds. In these, our mission is achieved.

Over its 48-year history, over 200 individuals have served on the SAAC Board of Directors, more than 6,000 individuals have volunteered for SAAC programs and events, and countless artists have benefitted from SAAC’s commitment to enriching the community through the arts.

RECOMMITMENT TO EQUITY

In the sweep of pandemic and protest, the Springfield Area Arts Council renews our commitment to encourage, embrace, and celebrate diversity. SAAC affirms our pledge not to discriminate in any way by reason of race, color, religion, national origin, income, mental/physical ability, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression and to listen to those who know better than we do where discrimination lingers in our society.

The visual, performing, and literary arts in the greater Springfield area should encompass all creative efforts. Therefore, SAAC stands ready to ally with those who seek to educate and to find community-led solutions. As SAAC nears our 45th anniversary, we will endeavor to help the community imagine, engage, heal, and move forward.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

The Springfield Area Arts Council is partially supported with funding from the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, Illinois Arts Council, and City of Springfield.

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Bella Szabo is a visual artist, curator, and arts administrator. She studied Art and Global Cultures & Languages at Southeast Missouri State University.

Bella Szabo

Executive Director

Bella Szabo is a visual artist, curator, and arts administrator. She studied Art and Global Cultures & Languages at Southeast Missouri State University.

Man in yellow t-shirt smiling while standing in front of green foliage.

Jay Shanle

Program Director

SUPPORT STAFF

Sheila Walk has worked with the Springfield Area Arts Council for over 16 years. She is a former teacher at Ursuline Academy and continues to educate the community in her role as Education Director.

Sheila Walk

Education Director

Sheila Walk has worked with the Springfield Area Arts Council for over 16 years. She is a former teacher at Ursuline Academy and continues to educate the community in her role as Education Director.

Jodie Owen, an independent accountant specializing in nonprofits, began her career as a bookkeeper at the Illinois State Museum Society. She now serves several nonprofits in Illinois, including the Illinois Audubon Society, the Illinois State Academy of Science, and the Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.