PORT ANGELES — Carolyn “Sam” Calhoun, a longtime member of Port Angeles arts community, has been appointed executive director of Arts Northwest, the 350-member nonprofit network of performing artists, presenters and agents across the United States and Canada.
The organization’s board of directors, whose members are spread across the Northwest, named Calhoun the chief following a conference call last week, said Ray Solley, board vice president and the director of the Tower Theatre Foundation of Bend, Ore.
Calhoun, 48, comes from San Diego, Calif., and is a pastry chef with a background in dietetics, but after moving to the North Olympic Peninsula in 2002, she got involved with the local music and art scene. That turned into coordinating volunteers for the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts, the cavalcade of music, dance and visual art that comes to Port Angeles each Memorial Day weekend.
Five years ago Calhoun began at Arts Northwest as an administrative assistant to then-director Karen Hanan. Together they produced the Northwest Booking Conference, a multi-day event connecting performing the region’s performing artists with bookers from around the country.
Hanan and Calhoun also worked on Arts Northwest’s online directory of members: bands, dance ensembles, agents, theaters and festivals.
Hanan stepped down in March 2014 when she was appointed executive director of ArtsWA, the Washington State Arts Commission; Robin Mullins of Portland, Ore., succeeded her at Arts Northwest. Earlier this year, though, Mullins opted to return to Portland, and Calhoun was tapped to be interim director.
“It’s just been me since March,” she said, adding that she and her team of volunteers hosted the 35th annual Northwest Booking Conference last month in Boise, Idaho.
Back in her office in Port Angeles, Calhoun is making plans for the new year. She’ll hire a part-time administrative assistant in January, while exploring ways to grow Arts Northwest’s membership.
“I love this organization,” Calhoun said.
“We’ve been in transition for the past two years,” though, so “I’m looking forward to getting out there,” to promote the network, both online and at the next Northwest Booking Conference in Spokane next October.
The convention includes juried artist showcases, Calhoun noted, so performers and their agents are encouraged to apply for those starting in January.
When a dance company such as the Eugene Ballet or a Canadian bluesman such as Matt Andersen comes to Port Angeles, it’s probably because a presenter such as the Juan de Fuca Foundation saw them at the Arts Northwest Booking Conference. Such performers might also travel to the North Olympic Peninsula as part of a block booking — a date tacked on to others in Seattle, for example — which is something else Arts Northwest facilitates.
As executive director, Calhoun will do a lot of networking on the road: She’ll attend the Association of Performing Arts Presenters convention in New York City in January; “that’s the granddaddy of them all,” she said.
Calhoun has a big job, said Solley — and she’s equipped for it.
“What came through about Sam is her understanding and dedication to the performing arts across the Northwest,” he said, “and her desire to see [Arts Northwest] not only succeed but also grow.
“The economy has been rocky to say the least . . . How do we create a membership organization that serves the Northwest and adjusts to national trends?” Solley asked.
It’s time for Arts Northwest to increase its membership and funding base, he said.
Abundant details about the organization can be fund at www.ArtsNW.org and 360-360-457-9290.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
