Arts Commission Welcomes New Staff and Commissioners, Begins Goal-Setting for 2027
The Salina Arts and Humanities Commission introduced new staff and commissioners and began preliminary discussion of its 2027 goals during its October 21 meeting.
Staff introduced Heather Mettlen, who joined the team as program assistant about three to four weeks earlier and will support programming for Salina Arts and Humanities, including coordinating with the Artyopolis committee for the Smoky Hill River Festival. Mettlen said she previously worked at the public library doing programming and had been teaching preschool.
Two new commissioners were introduced: Vanessa Cortes, a student from Salina Central serving as a student liaison, and Karen Brassea, a theater and performance professor at Kansas Wesleyan University. Current commissioners introducing themselves included architect Douglas Bailey, photographer Tanner Colvin, Megan Ayers of Superior Contracting and Manufacturing Services, production company owner Dean Klenda, and Amy Adams, who said she had become marketing director at First Bank Kansas.
During goal-setting discussion, commissioners raised advocacy for more music spaces for local musicians and interest in reviving a community concert series. Staff recalled a prior program guaranteeing live events every Friday during warmer months, noting it had relied partly on parks and recreation funding that did not continue, and that any future effort would likely require securing new funding, sponsorship or partnerships.
Commissioners also discussed supporting buskers, spreading awareness of community events, and potential staff-led educational segments at meetings. Staff raised the possibility of a partnership focused on emotional and mental health, citing the recently completed Collective: Our Stories of Cancer events, which included a collaboration with the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Staff said goal-setting would continue in November, with no meeting in December, and that goals are typically finalized around the February meeting. The next meeting was set for Wednesday, November 18 at 4 p.m.
