The Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission at 30

Who has served -- and who has been served

March 1, 2007

6:22 PM

This week's feature on Lynne Watrous Eich, who is retiring next month after 30 years as Dane County Cultural Affairs Director, notes some of her countless contributions toward Dane County residents' quality of life.

One of the most quantifiable ways to appraise her tenure is to cite the $5.7 million in local arts and history grants awarded by the

Trisha Nolan Dickinson

These commissioners and grants panelists have reached out to all corners of Dane County, awarding arts and history grants to scores of nonprofit groups, schools, municipalities and individuals to help fund exhibitions, music and dance performances, community and neighborhood festivals, arts-in-schools residencies, exhibits and publications. The list of grant recipients comprise a kind of cultural record of the last 30 years:

1,000 Friends of Wisconsin
21st Century African Youth Movement
Abraxas Press
African Association of Madison
Africasong Communications
After School Day Care Association
Albion Academy Historical Society
Aldo Leopold Nature Center
Mary North Allen
Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Allied Community Association
American Council for Better Broadcasting
ARK Repertory Theatre
Art Exchange Inc.
Art Place Inc./Center Gallery
Artists Theater Alliance
Arts Wisconsin
Atwood Community/Neighborhood Center
Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society
Brenda Baker & John Hughes
Ballet Folklorico Mexico
Sonali Banerjee
Bayview Community Center
Bayview Foundation
Beach & Vanderburg
Belleville Area Cultural Arts Foundation
Belleville School District
Belleville Senior Citizens
Peter & Lou Berryman
Ruthanne Bessman
Bethel Lutheran Church
Black History Inc.
Blessed Sacrament School
Rosemary Bodolay/Mary Giovagnoli
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
Brave Hearts Theatre
Broom Street Theater
Roger Brotherhood
Nils Bultmann
Richard Burkett
Michael Burns
Cambridge Clay Guild
Cambridge Friends of the Library
Cambridge School District
Capital City Parade Association
Capitol City Band Association
Joyce Carey
Barry Carlsen
Center for Photography at Madison
Central Wisconsin Center
Centro Hispano
Chazen Museum of Art (formerly Elvehjem Museum of Art)
Nina Cheney & Jacob Mills
Children's House Day Care Center
Children's Theatre of Madison/CTM Madison Family Theatre
Petty Myo-Young Choy
Chronos/Innovative Arts
Dennis Church
Citizens Against Pesticides
City of Fitchburg
City of Madison
City of Middleton
City of Monona
City of Stoughton
City of Sun Prairie
City of Verona
Laurie Beth Clark
Jodi Cohen
Colbert Dance Co.
Colonial Club of Sun Prairie
Common Arts Inc.
Common Wealth Development
Connelly Dance Company/Foundation
Gregory Conniff
Conundrum Inter-Arts Society
Zachary Cooper
Cooperative Educational Service Agency
Colleen Cox/Mount Horeb Arts Council
Creative Arts Over Sixty
David Crosby
Cycropia Aerial Dance
Dance Wisconsin
Dances of India
Dane County Adult Daycare Coalition
Dane County Advocates for Battered Women
Dane County Arts Council
Dane County Historical Society
Dane County Library Service
Dane County Parent Council
Dane County Shamrock Club
Dane Dances Inc.
Doug Davis
Linda Davis
Deerfield Community School District
DeForest Area Historical Society
DeForest Area School District
Design Coalition
Dimensions in Sound
John Duggleby
Eagle School of Madison
Ebony Expressions
Edgewood College
Encore Studio for the Performing Arts
Maggie Felker
The Festival Choir
First Baptist Church/Women in Focus
First Unitarian Society
Fitchburg Historical Society
Foundation for Madison Public Schools
Four Seasons Theatre Company
Friends of the Cooperative Children's Book Center
Friends of the Madison Civic Center
Friends of the Meeting House
Friends of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area Performing Arts Center
Friends of Nelson State Park
Friends of Schumacher Farm
Friends of the Waisman Center
Friends of Wil-Mar Inc.
Friends of the Yahara River Parkway
Mark Fuerst
Arvind Garg
Christopher Gargan
Ray Gloeckler
Nancy Goodfriend-Giffey
Grand/Lowe/Ray/Robinson/Kamper
John Gruber
Jaime Guiscafre/John Hill
Chad Alice Hagen
Mary Jane Hamilton
Diane & Alan Harvey
Ed Herro
Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society
Historic Madison Inc.
Timothy Hoare
HospiceCare Inc.
Barbara Houghton/Meg Nielsen
Frances Hurst/Nancy Kossett
Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Independent Living Inc.
Innovative Arts Inc./Opera for Young
International Committee for the Peace Council
Jazzworks Dance Company
Jewish Social Services of Madison
Jin-Wen Yu Dance
Lora Jost
Robert Kann
Kanopy Dance Theatre Inc.
Kennedy Heights Community Center
Don Kerkoff
K.I.D.S. (Poormen's Riches)
Sharon Kilfoy
Lewis Koch
Nan Kornfeld
Kushner & McCormick
Eric Landmark & Jeff Roork
LaRosa Spanish Dance & Guitar Co.
Alexis Lauren
Li Chiao-Ping Dance
Angela Lobo-Cobb
Cate Loughran
Madison Area Concert Handbells
Madison Area Technical College
Madison Bach Musicians
Madison Ballet (formerly Wisconsin Dance Ensemble)
Madison Blues Society
Madison Boychoir
Madison Campus Ministry
Madison Carousel Association
Madison Children's Choir
Madison Children's Museum
Madison Civic Center
Madison Civic Music Association
Madison Community United Inc.
Madison Conservatory of Music
Madison Creative Arts Program
Madison Cultural Arts District
Madison Early Music Festival
Madison Festival of the Lakes
Madison Filmmakers Collective
Madison Folk Music Society
Madison Gay Men's Chorale
Madison Indian Parent Committee
Madison Jazz Society
Madison Jewish Community Council
Madison Landmarks Commission and Native American Center
Madison Literacy Council
Madison Metropolitan School District
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly Madison Art Center)
Madison Music Collective
Madison Opera Guild/Madison Opera
Madison Opera Inc.
Madison Opportunity Center
Madison Public Library
Madison Public Library Foundation
Madison Repertory Theatre
Madison Savoyards Inc.
Madison School Community Recreation
Madison Senior Center
Madison Symphony Orchestra
Madison Theatre Guild
Madison Trust for Historic Preservation
Madison Urban League
Madison Youth Choirs (formerly Madison Boychoir & Madison Children's Choir)
Marquette Neighborhood Association
Marshall Area Historical Society
Marshall Community Theatre
Phil Martin
Mazomanie Historical Museum
Mazomanie Historical Society
Joan McCarthy/Teresia Walls
McFarland Historical Museum
McFarland Historical Society
McFarland School District
Jamie McHugh
Sam McPherson
Memorial Union Building Association
Mendota Mental Health Institute
Mercury Players
Mesoghios Dance Troupe
MetroDance Inc.
Mary Michie
Middleton-Cross Plains School District
Middleton Players Theatre
Midvale Heights Community Association
Millennium Theatre
Reid Miller
Renee Miller/Kate Heiber-Cobb
Monona Grove School District
Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center
Clyde Morgan/Claudia Melrose
Judith Moss
Mount Horeb Arts Council
Mount Horeb Historical Society
Mount Horeb School District
J.J. Murphy
Andrea Musher/Jim Quarto/Deborah Levine-Donnerstein
Music Fix Foundation
Narodno International Dancers
Nehemiah Community Development Corporation
Leslie Nelson
Laurie Neustadt/Stuart Stotts
New Found Lands Institute
Niels Nielson
North/Eastside Senior Coalition
Northport Community Learning Center
Oakwood Chamber Players
Oakwood Village Lutheran Homes
Olbrich Botanical Society
Star Olderman
Opera Inc.
Opera for the Young
Oregon Area Arts Council
Oregon School District
Oregon Straw Hat Players
Overture Center
Overture Friends
Paper Arts Inc.
Donna Peckett
Performing Arts for Children Inc.
Ted Petith
Julia Pferdehirt
PlayTime Productions
Playwrights Ink Ltd.
Progressive Magazine/Survival Graphics
Public Affairs Media Center
R. Bean's Voice Theatre
E.A. Racette
Marylu Raushenbush
Reprise Theatre
Respite Center
James Rhem/Sarah Lind
Jocelyn Riley
Maline Robinson
Douglas Rosenberg
Sandra Rucker
Kate Ryan
St. Mary's Day Health Center for Older Adults
Schatz, Buckmaster & Kushner
Schenk's-Atwood Revitalization Association
Simpson Street Free Press
Skaalen Sunset Home
Smartdance-Maureen Janson & Dancers
Rick Smith
Song of Norway Festival Ltd.
South Central Library System
South Madison Coalition of the Elderly
South Madison Health & Family Center
Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association
Southern Wisconsin Hmong Association
Spencer & Oveland
Deborah Sproule
Leotha Stanley
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Pat Stauffacher
Martin Stein
Christine Stevens/Dale Kushner
Stoughton Area School District
Stoughton Downtown Revitalization Association
Stoughton Historical Society
Stoughton Opera Company
Judith Strasser
David Stringer
Strollers Theatre Ltd.
Studio Orchestra
Sugar River Community Band
Sun Prairie Area School District
Sun Prairie Civic Chorus
Sun Prairie Civic Theatre
Sun Prairie Historical Library & Museum
Suratno & Parker
Survival Graphics
Suzuki Strings of Madison
Synergy
Tapit/new works
Lucy Taylor/Laurie Boyer
Television Learning Ltd.
Tellurian Community Inc.
Tenant Resource Center
David Tenenbaum
Tenney-Lapham Corporation
Tennis/Moore
Terra Institute Inc.
Token Creek Music Festival
Town of Christiana
Town of Mazomanie
Town of Roxbury/Riverside Players Inc.
Town of Windsor
Triangle Community Ministry
Trinkle Brass Works & Array Percussion
Truax Area Resident Management Association
John Tuschen
Susan Udell & Lola Yde
United Neighborhood Centers
United Refugee Services of Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin Arts Institute
UW Board of Regents (for Melrose Motion Company, Sotavento, Tandem Press)
UW Dance Program, UW School of Music, WHA Radio and other entities)
UW Foundation
UW-Madison Center for the Humanities
Urban League of Greater Madison
Verona Area Community Theater
Verona Area Performing Arts Series
Verona 4-H Fireballs
Verona School District
Very Special Arts Wisconsin
Village of Belleville
Village of Black Earth
Village of Brooklyn
Village of Cambridge
Village of Deerfield
Village of Marshall
Village of Mazomanie
Village of McFarland
Village of Oregon
Village of Waunakee
Doyle Walls
Susan Walsh
Clark Waterman
Waunakee Arts Council
Waunakee School District
Marshall Weber
Westside Coalition for the Aging
Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center
Harry Whitehorse
Naj Wikoff
Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse
Wild Wood Puppet Theatre Inc.
Roland Tracy Will
Zane B. Williams
Willow Inc.
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center
Wingra School Inc.
Winter Theatre/Perf. Network
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters
Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople
Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education
Wisconsin Alliance for Composers
Wisconsin Architects Foundation/USA
Wisconsin Art Education Association
Wisconsin Center for Film & Theatre Research
Wisconsin Chamber Choir
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Wisconsin Children's Center/Madison Children's Museum
Wisconsin Council of the Blind
Wisconsin Dance Council
Wisconsin Dance Ensemble
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets
Wisconsin Folk Arts Association
Wisconsin Folk Museum
Wisconsin Heights School District
Wisconsin Historical Museum
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Humanities Council
Wisconsin Labor History Society
Wisconsin Manx Society
Wisconsin Memorial Union Association
Wisconsin Minority Women's Network
Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors
Wisconsin Public Radio Association
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Rural Development Corp.
Wisconsin Union Directorate
Wisconsin Union Theater
Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation
Wisconsin Wetlands Association
Wisconsin Women of Color/Peggy Choy
Wisconsin Youth Company (formerly After School Inc.)
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra
Woodland Montessori School
WORT Back Porch Radio Inc.
Robert Wright
The Writers' Place
Xexoxial Endarchy Ltd.
YMCA
YWCA
Young Audiences Inc.
Youth Connection of Dane County
Zito Dance Troupe

The commission has also been noted for publishing its series of annual posters showcasing works by Dane County artists (all on view through March 14 in Gallery II at the Overture Center) and, more recently, a series of desktop 12-month easel calendars featuring yet more works by Dane County artists. In addition, the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission has published:

Everybody's Ethnic: A Dane County Alphabet
CAPITAL LETTERS IN DANE COUNTY ARCHITECTURE
A Gallery of Colors and Numbers
Back to Beginnings: The Early Days of Dane County
Settlers of Dane County: The Photographs of Andreas Larsen Dahl
Historic Places of Dane County
The Glacier Stopped Here: An Anthology of Poems by Dane County Writers

The commission's initiatives and efforts have not gone unrecognized by national and regional organizations. Among the awards bestowed upon Dane County Cultural Affairs in the past 30 years:

American Association of Museums, honorable mention for A Gallery of Colors and Numbers;
Governor's Award in Support of the Arts;
Capital Community Citizens, Orchid Awards for the commission's series of City-County Building banners and for outstanding contributions to the quality of life in Dane County;
Madison Community Foundation, Asset Builders Leadership Award;
National Society of Fundraising Executives Greater Madison Chapter, Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation Foundation;
National Association of Counties, Achievement Award for establishment of the Creative Artist Fellowship Program;
American Association of Museums, Award of Distinction for publication of CAPITAL LETTERS;
American Association for State and Local History, Certificate of Commendation for publication of CAPITAL LETTERS and Award of Merit for Settlers of Dane County;
Downtown Madison Inc., Downtown Madison Salute Award for contributions made to create a better environment for Madison's central city;
Graphic Design USA, Graphic Design Award for design of the commission's grant literature;
Philip Morris Industrial, Graphics Award for poster design;
Association of College, University and Community Arts Administrators, Management Achievement Award;
National Association of Counties, Award of Merit for innovative leadership;
Wisconsin Center for Public Representation, Award of Merit for program excellence.

These lists hint at the legacy Lynne Watrous Eich leaves as her attirement approaches in mid-April. As the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission navigates the transition to her successor -- now the subject of a nationwide search -- the lists also represent a record of stability and growth, a foundation on which Eich's successor and the commission can build.