The biggest fear for fans of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center is that the school district will pull out of its role of managing the Center.
That relationship has guaranteed the Bowlus is a routine part of our students’ education, providing unique experiences and memories they will carry with them throughout their lives.
Benefactor Tom Bowlus knew he led a privileged life. A frequent patron of the arts in Kansas City, as well as other big cities, Bowlus wanted to bring as much as he could of that life to southeast Kansas.
So we have 5-year-olds in pigtails playing on Steinway pianos in acoustically designed recital halls. The art classroom is flush with natural light.
School plays and concerts are performed in an auditorium that seats more than 700. Students from around the county are routinely bused to the center to be entertained by internationally famous companies and troupes.
Having the school district committed to the Bowlus ensures that relationship continues for our children.
Does it make more work for school board members?
No doubt.
And state cuts to education have made board members feel they must pit the needs of the Bowlus against those of other school buildings. In times like these the Bowlus can appear more like a burden than the privilege it is.
Few counties our size have a center like the Bowlus.
More than any other activity or feature, the Bowlus continually draws people our way.
At the last big show, audience members represented 74 different zip codes.
Many days, several activities are going on throughout the building, including art shows in the Mary L. Martin Art Gallery; recitals in the Creitz Recital Hall, or performances in the auditorium.
The arrangement with the school district has for many years allowed Iola and Allen County to essentially have the best of both worlds. They get the Bowlus, without the responsibility of supporting it. As evidenced by Thursday’s meeting with school board officials, after 50 years those days have come to an end.
That’s OK.
