Pathfinder Services, Inc. and LaFontaine Arts Council, in their collaboration to create the Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center in downtown Huntington, have named Katy Strass to a dual role as Director of the Arts Center and future Executive Director of the LaFontaine Arts Council. The Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center, located in the Odd Fellow Historic Buildings, is a multi-purpose community arts center that will serve people of all ages and abilities as they pursue their interests in the arts. HUNTINGTON, IN – Pathfinder Services, Inc. and LaFontaine Arts Council, in their collaboration to create the Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center in downtown Huntington, have named Katy Strass to a dual role as Director of the Arts Center and future Executive Director of the LaFontaine Arts Council. “As an artist, educator, and active member of the community, Katy was a clear choice for the role of Director of the new Arts Center,” says John Niederman, President and CEO of Pathfinder Services. “She is motivated in seeking new opportunities to develop artists through different creative mediums with the abilities of our clients in mind.”
The Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center, located in the Odd Fellow Historic Buildings, is a multi-purpose community arts center that will serve people of all ages and abilities as they pursue their interests in the arts. Work is being done on the center as the capital campaign continues, with the goal of opening to the public in early 2020. Debbie Dyer, current Executive Director of the LaFontaine Arts Council, is retiring at the end of 2019. She says that through the collaboration, it became obvious that the Executive Director role and the Arts Center Director role should be combined and that Strass was the right person for the job.
“Katy has been an active council board member and understands the intricacies of the organization, which makes it a bit easier for me to hand her the reins of this organization that I love. I have no doubt that Katy will further the LaFontaine Arts Council’s mission of expanding the arts in our community as well as continuing our successful Arts in Education programming.” Strass, a Huntington resident, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University. She has served on several boards, coordinated community events, and volunteers for several organizations. “This is great for Huntington on so many levels…renovating historic buildings, improving the downtown, offering space to artists of all abilities, and so much more,” says Strass. “I am so excited to be part of the expansion of the arts in my community.” Strass is currently serving in the Arts Center Director position and will take over the LaFontaine Arts Council Executive Director position on January 1, 2020. For additional information, contact Nicole Hahn at 260-355-2546 (office), 260-519-3610 (cell), or nhahn@pathfinderservices.org