An award-winning playwright and humorist who has become a leader in securing money for cultural development will serve as guest speaker tonight as the Cape Ann Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, seARTS, hosts its seventh annual meeting.
Dan Hunter, a founding partner of Hunter Higgs LLC, an advocacy and communications firm specializing in cultural nonprofit organizations, will serve as chief speaker for the event, set to run tonight from 6 to 8:30 at Rockport Art Association on Main Street in Rockport.
Hunter is the former executive director of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (MAASH), a statewide advocacy and education group.
As MAASH director, Hunter successfully campaigned for cultural facilities grants and an increase of 70 percent in overall cultural funding during a time when the total state budget increased by only 14 percent, noted seARTS board member Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco.
In all, Hunter has 25 years' experience in politics and arts advocacy, serving as director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and running a successful advertising and political consulting firm in Des Moines.
As to his own artistic work, Hunter is the author of two books and several plays. Two of his books — "Let's Keep Des Moines a Private Joke" and "The Search for Iowa (& We Don't Grow Potatoes)" — provide insight into his sense of humor.
Hunter has also taught playwriting at Boston University since 2002. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, his master's degree from Boston University, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Goucher College in Baltimore.
Through its annual meeting, seARTS — which brings together and promotes a full range of Cape Ann artists — looks to give artists and the community at large the chance to hear about its plans for the year, upcoming programs, and participate in a discussion about seARTS' evolution in concert with changing needs in the community.
The organization has been at the forefront of building Cape Ann's "cultural economy" through raising awareness of the arts as an economic engine for the region.
The organization is a coalition of artists, art lovers, cultural institutions, businesses, and municipal organizations, all working together to improve the economic base for the arts and the larger Cape Ann community, Ganim-DeFalco notes.
seARTS receives funding through its membership in conjunction with key granting organizations such as the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Essex County Community Foundation, and Boston Foundation's Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
Anyone seeking more information on tonight's event or on the organization is invited to visit www.searts.org.
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