Governor Tony Evers has appointed Rafael Francisco Salas to the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout Wisconsin. Mr. Salas succeeds retiring board member Robert Wagner of Mequon.
Mr. Salas is a Wisconsin based artist, and Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at Ripon College in Ripon, WI. His work has been exhibited in New York City, San Diego, Boston, and venues in the Midwest including The Neville Public Museum, The Museum of Wisconsin Art, The John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Dean Jensen gallery, Circa Gallery and Frank Juarez Gallery. He is represented by Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, Salas has worked as an arts writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Urban Milwaukee and Newcity Art in Chicago.
“The arts not only make life more beautiful and enjoyable," said Governor Tony Evers, “they also strengthen communities and local economies, improve academic performance and nurture creativity within the comprehensive education of our youth, bring people together across divides, and appeal to visitors outside the state."
“We welcome Mr. Salas to the Arts Board and look forward to working with him," said George Tzougros, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Arts Board. “Mr. Salas joins a strong board of directors and staff team, and as an artist and educator, he brings important experience and insights to our work."
The Wisconsin Arts Board is governed by a fifteen-member board appointed by the Governor to serve three-year terms. Board members are Wisconsin citizens recognized for their accomplishments in the arts, humanities, business, education or public service. The board includes members from urban and rural areas across the state and from diverse racial, economic and cultural backgrounds. Board members set policy for the agency and approve funding recommendations made by the peer review panels. The members meet a minimum of four times per year, and all meetings are open to the public.
The Wisconsin Arts Board is the state agency which nurtures creativity, cultivates expression, promotes the arts, supports the arts in education, stimulates community and economic development and serves as a resource for people of every culture and heritage. Since 1973, the Arts Board has supported artists and art organizations with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on the Wisconsin Arts Board, please visit artsboard.wisconsin.gov.
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