History of Prescott Area Arts and Humanities Council

A DAY WITHOUT ART IS LIKE A DAY WITHOUT SUNSINE Is the rubric for this organization which was founded as an Arizona Non-profit corporation in 1973 at the request of the Arizona Commission of the Arts.

 PAAHC has sought to effect collaboration among the artists, humanists and producers of the arts anf humanities in the region.  The initial effort was lent to producing a news document for all interests and a planning for a community box office at the Elks Opera House.

PAAHC sponsored and produced programs of the National Endowmwnt for the Arts and the National Endowmwnt for the Humanities, both new federal programs in PAAHC’s founding years.  We collaborated with Yavapai College on a study of all arts activities throughout the county, using the report as a basis for grant proposals for funding of various PAAHC programs, and as the basis for blending of existing programs for greater effectiveness.

One collaboration in which PAAHC took the lead was combining of Community Concerts, Inc. and PAAHC program sponsorships, with the Yavapai Collect community events, forming Friends in Concert.  THis program then evolved into the formal Yavapai College Community Events produced in the new performance hall, bonding for which was approved by the voters on the same ballot as the Prescott Unified School District’s Ruth Street Theater at Prescott High School after PAAHC was recruited to lend support.

A committe of PAAHC formed to “Save The Elks Opera House” resulted in the organization of a new non-profit in 2002 and after many months of  fund raising and initiating and supporting community involvement, the new group succeeded in the restoration of the Elks Opera House, with a grand gala celebration in July 2010.

PAAHC’s practices of education and information sharing has resulted in collaboration with the City of Prescott in an annual arts program, which financially assists a number of  Prescott non-profits as the administrator of a grants program.  This activity represents part of the original goal of the state arts commission in support forPAAHC’s becoming the city’s arts commission.

Today, PAAHC serves as a producing partner of the Arizona Centenial Commission’s Arizona Best Fest,  held in Prescott in September 2011, as the inaugural event of an 18 month observance of Arizona Statehood.  The rubric of this celebration is PRESCOTT:  WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.