Friday, January 08, 1999
Center director debuts tonight
Wehrend has strong background in arts
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — The Carnegie Center for Visual and Performing Arts will introduce its new executive director to the public at tonight's opening reception for the “Kentucky Made” exhibition.
Mary Anne Wehrend comes to the Carnegie after a 10-year stint as director of Gabriel's Corner, an arts center in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati.
At the inner city outreach program, Mrs. Wehrend was instrumental in attracting new performing groups, writing grants for financial support, and forming educational collaborations with groups ranging from City Arts and Cincinnati Community Video to the Cincinnati Ballet.
“If there's one philosophy that I bring to this job, it's that every dream is possible,” Mrs. Wehrend said. “I don't say, "I wish, or I want, or I would like.' I look at what is positive and doable, and I find ways to make it happen.”
By March, Mrs. Wehrend plans to map out a strategic plan for the Carnegie that includes input from its staff and board members.
“Without a vision, I can't raise money, and I can't expand the program,” she said.
Mrs. Wehrend replaces Jeff Baum, who did not exercise the third year of his contract.
The Carnegie's new executive director brings a varied background to her job. Besides her work at Gabriel's Corner, she is a painter spe cializing in water colors, and she recently resigned as an adjunct professor of art at Mount St. Joseph College, after 15 years.
A dynamo who thinks nothing of working 60-hour weeks, Mrs. Wehrend said she left her college post to devote her full attention to her new position.
“I enjoy having a lot of things going on,” Mrs. Wehrend said. “I'm really excited about the possibilities here.”
One of her priorities will be to build on exhibitions and activities of the visual arts center, while showcasing other forms of the arts, such as contemporary dance, or improvisational theater.
Tonight's opening for the “Kentucky Made” exhibition fits right into that philosophy, even though it was planned before her arrival, Mrs. Wehrend said.
The 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. reception will highlight the work of six artists who live and work in Kentucky. A free jazz concert featuring vocalist Adia Dobbins-Hickman will overlap the reception from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Carnegie Theater.
The Kentucky Arts Council is providing a $1,500 grant to underwrite the concert, as well as cover the marketing, advertising, and admission costs for the exhibition running through Jan. 29.
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