Peggy Kjelgaard, the outgoing executive director of the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, says new E.D. Kelly McDonough has the perfect blend of non-profit experience and management skills that make her a natural fit for presiding over the school.
“She is exactly what ESSA needs to continue on its progressive journey forward,” Kjelgaard said. “I feel joy and relief knowing ESSA is in such good hands.”
McDonough used to visit several times a year before moving to Eureka Springs at the end of 2015.
“I love the natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas, and I particularly appreciate the spirit of Eureka,” McDonough said. “There is just something about Eureka – anyone who has been here for a while, or even visited, knows about the unique pull the area has for so many, and has heard many amazing ‘how I came to Eureka’ stories from those who have felt that pull. I am the same. After visiting, I just knew it was the perfect place for me… and I was preceded by my parents and mother-in-law, who felt the same ineffable desire to be here. It’s wonderful to have our family together here, and to be part of such a unique community.”
McDonough said Eureka Springs is art, and ESSA is a physical manifestation of the dedication and creativity of so many who have been part of the artistic community in this region, and beyond.
“Building on the legacy of Elsie and Louis Freund who started the first art school in Eureka Springs in the 1940s, ESSA was founded by committed, widely respected artists and patrons within the community who felt they had both an obligation and an opportunity to provide art education,” she said. “ESSA started as a school without walls; a few committed artists taught art classes in their studios. Today, nearly seventy classes a year are offered across all mediums for all ages and skill sets at the ESSA campus. Leading artists and instructors from across the nation come to teach at ESSA and student enrollment continues to grow. Campus offerings have grown from four weeks of intensive workshops to an entire season of three-, four- and five-day workshops extending from March through October.”
McDonough said ESSA has made Eureka Springs a destination for practitioners in all fields of art and craft to network, improve skills, and retreat to the peaceful 55-acre ESSA campus to foster artistic and creative growth. In the last couple of years, about a quarter of their students have been from outside of the Northwest Arkansas area, which is an economic plus for lodging and food sales. McDonough said the number of students outside of the region continues to increase as ESSA grows in reputation as a premier art school.
McDonough isn’t an artist herself, and rather describes herself as an art admirer. She has worked collaboratively in her volunteer life, and in prior professional positions with art collectives and art organizations, to develop and deliver pop-up art shows and public performances.
“I have always been an art enthusiast and have found ways to participate in artistic endeavors as often as possible, as a supporter and collaborator,” she said. “Eureka is uniquely suited to host an artistic community, in a way I have not seen before, because of the combination of a vibrant creative life, with a low cost of living, and its appeal as a tourism destination. It is truly a treasure, and I am thrilled to be part of the creative community working to preserve the vitality of arts in this area.”
McDonough hopes to build on the legacy of Kjelgaard, who is retiring after 10 years as executive director, and many staff members and donors who have turned ESSA into such a treasure.
“We are currently putting the finishing touches on a new wood studio, where they plan to provide a larger than ever slate of woodworking classes for all levels of skill,” she said. “ESSA has a number of strategic growth plans in the works which will improve student access to our courses, increase awareness of ESSA across the region and nationally, and further establish Eureka Springs and ESSA as premier destinations for artists and enthusiasts alike.”
ESSA Board President Elise Roenigk said they are confident that ESSA will continue to be a tremendous success under McDonough’s leadership.
“We are grateful that ESSA’s new executive director comes to us with a diverse background of management at a large non-profit and extensive volunteer experience in the arts,” Roenigk said.
For more information, visit www.essa-art.org.