Joan Israelite on the Arts in KC

As president of the Kansas City Arts Council, Joan Israelite is in a prime position to receive kudos about this city’s arts community. Top on her list of favorite comments is simply, “Who knew?”

“Even after 50 years of ballet and opera in our city, we still have visitors who are simply overwhelmed by the quality of our performing arts,” Israelite said.

One of her favorite “who knew” comments recently came from a newly relocated corporate executive who had almost accepted a job in Dallas, but chose Kansas City instead, in part because of the performing arts community.

The coming months are pivotal and milestone months for the arts community, according to Israelite. With construction under way on the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, the Lyric Opera  having celebrated 50 years in 2007, and the Ballet’s golden anniversary in the 2007-08 season, Kansas City arts venues are breaking records in attendance, financial support and award-winning programming.

“All of us benefit from the great camaraderie among arts administrators in the city who have really worked to break down barriers and open the doors of the arts community to all citizens,” she said.

Israelite credits a generous philanthropic community committed to the arts for successes of the past and the explosive growth the city is experiencing. A new stage for the ballet located at Union Station, renovations at Starlight Theatre and an expansion at the Unicorn Theatre are on Israelite’s enthusiastic, yet long list. The KC Arts Fund, a workplace giving campaign initiated in 2007, will expand that list even more.

“I would like to say we’re poised for greatness, but we’re already great, so we’re going to be phenomenal in the near future,” Israelite said.