Michael Marsolek talks with Arlynn Fishbaugh, Executive Director of the Montana Arts Council, reviewing the council's work in 2014. MAC spearheads a program that teaches professional artists across Montana how to improve their business acumen, and Fishbaugh shares the results of a report about the financial impact of this program on artists' families. The link between cultural tourism and art is also a focus of the council.
Another MAC program is a new initiative between Montana's Office of Public Instruction and the council, updating arts standards in the schools and teaching teachers more about the arts. "There's a lot of talk about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. We'd like to turn STEM into STEAM, to include the arts throughout the curriculum. When students have trouble learning, the arts are the best intervention in education."
(Broadcast: "Front Row Center," 1/11/15. Listen Sunday mornings at 11:40, or via podcast.)
