History of Arts @ St. Lukes

Arts at St. Luke's has a long and proud heritage. From 1963 through 1990, St. Luke's Music Ministry presented an arts festival every spring.

The Annual St. Luke's Spring Arts Festival included a series of one to three concerts, a visual art exhibit (usually by a well known religious artist) with plays being occasionally produced. The duration of each festival was never more than two weeks.

Expenses of this project were underwritten by an individual donor. The Arts Festivals came to an end when the Music Director retired, and the donor subsequently passed away. The continuation of this project was given a new future when that benefactor's will provided a sizable bequest for St. luke's to establish an endowment to fund future arts festivals. That fund is what makes Arts at St. Luke's a reality today.

In 1992, St. Luke's third Music Director revived the tradition of an Arts Festival. The Festival was moved to the summer and renamed Summerfest. After a successful Summerfest in 1993, the Sunday @ Five Concert Series was started. In the fall of 1993, the Summerfest Council was formed as an advisory board to assist with the development of Summerfest. The music director served as artistic director, and his wife oversaw the operation of Summerfest as executive director.

The annual fundraising campaign was established to provide additional financial support for the arts festival, with contributors becoming members of the Summerfest Society. In conjunction with Summerfest and the Sunday @ 5 Concert Series, visual art displays were hung in the new gallery. In 1996, Arts at St. Luke's was formed as the umbrella organization for Summerfest, Sunday @ 5 and the McPhail Gallery exhibits. The council was renamed the Arts at St. Luke's Council at that time.

In June of 2000 the present director was appointed to oversee both the artistic and day to day operations of Arts at St. Luke's. St. Luke's created the position of organist/choirmaster at the same time.

In 1999 the Little Theatre project was begun as a work in progress, with significant additions later funded by a capital campaign.
The Arts at St. Luke's Council still advises, but now each event has two co-chairs who help oversee and publicize their event "hands on" beside the director.

St. Luke's church arts program is far more comprehensive than most, as it develops not only a concert series, but shows regular visual arts presentations and produces live theatre as well.

The program is still 95 % congregation based and supported.