Arts Center goal: Make Bonifas more recognized in U.P.

Chelsea Hart

ESCANABA — Newly-appointed executive director of the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, Chelsea Hart of Norway, Mich., said that it’s her goal to make the Bonifas more recognized throughout the Upper Peninsula and that she intends to stay at the arts center as long as they’ll have her.

“I want more people to know about us, to take classes, or just come — I mean, the gallery is free, so why not stop in?” said Hart, in her third week on the job.

She recently moved back to the U.P. from Philadelphia after working for a number of organizations around the country, including several nonprofits.

Hart’s first encounter with the Bonifas was when one of her pieces was in a show while she was a student at Norway High School.

“In high school, I had a really great art teacher (who) really pushed me to have my artwork in front of places like the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design,” Hart said.

That visibility was made possible during an art exhibition hosted at Kingsford High School. From there, she did a three-week summer program in animation on scholarship at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

Her college career was spent at Northern Michigan University, earning a degree in human-centered design — a concentration in the university’s School of Art and Design that focuses on problem-solving through the conceptual development and creation of products, systems and services. While the program takes a number of different forms, Hart said the aspect she’s hung on to is graphic design.

While at NMU, she learned about AmeriCorps, an independent agency of the U.S. government that supports a number of public-private partnerships and works with communities around the country. Hart did one full year of service with the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. at the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District to promote college access.

For a second year with AmeriCorps, she was a team leader on the West Coast, directing financial resources and working in California, Oregon and Washington in communities that had requested assistance on projects like rebuilding houses and restoring a stream.

In Philadelphia, Pa., Hart held a customer-facing position in hospitality while also serving the Bethesda Project, which provides shelter and food to people experiencing homelessness.

Most recently, for the last three years, she worked for Boy Scouts of America (name officially changing to Scouting America in February) in development roles, contributing to marketing and fundraising efforts for the organization.

“Throughout that, I’ve always kind of held onto the graphic design of any nonprofit I’ve encountered,” Hart said, explaining that it’s common in such organizations for people to wear various hats since there isn’t an excess of resources.

The William Bonifas Fine Arts Center had been operating with the executive director position vacant since earlier this year. After interviews with the Board of Directors, Hart was hired and started in October.

She said that her family is excited for her and came to help out at the recent Night of Magic and Wizardry, a major fundraiser for the Bonifas.

Hart said that this wasn’t the first time she’s jumped into a role with big events going on: “Boy Scouts was the same thing. They had their corporate campfire event — it raises like $300,000 for them — and it was day three of my new job.”

She was pleased to join the Bonifas when she did.

“Seeing this, having all the staff, like, coming in to help and everything, it was a good time to meet everyone,” Hart said.

She added that seeing all the staff, board and volunteers welcome her in has helped ground and encourage her.

“They want me to succeed, because they want the Bonifas to succeed,” Hart said. “I’m just another member of that team that wants it to succeed.”

She said that she wants to “put our name on the map” a bit more — continuously make sure the community knows what’s going on at the Bonifas, be active with online marketing, and attract younger people to discover what a “great resource” the arts center can be.

Hart said she wants to strengthen existing connections, build new ones, and be an anchor at the Bonifas for years to come.

“I want to stay here as long as they want to have me,” said Hart.

This weekend, the Bonifas is hosting a holiday art fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The next major upcoming exhibition is the end-of-year Northern Exposure.

Events and further information may be found at bonifasarts.org. The center, located at 700 1st Ave. S. in Escanaba, is open from 10 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.