The Cultural Council of Luzerne County (CCLC) is the local arts agency working to promote awareness of and provide support services to arts, cultural and related educational programs in Luzerne County. We are a group of dedicated people who share the convictions that a vital cultural landscape is essential to the health of our community, both in terms of community pride and economic impact.

According to the 2007 Arts & Economic Prosperity III study prepared by Americans for the Arts, in 2005, there were 445 full-time equivalent jobs in the nonprofit arts industry in Luzerne County, generating over $16 million in expenditures, over $9 million in residential household income, $728,000 in local government revenue and $733,000 in state government revenue. Investment in the arts is good business and the CCLC supports this investment in many ways.

The ongoing work of the CCLC includes:

Coordinating grant workshops for organizations and individuals generating dozens of grants and thousands of dollars to support arts activities in our county.

Sponsoring the annual juried art exhibit featuring numerous regional artists. (Last fall's exhibit, "Inspired by the Susquehanna" was held at the county courthouse and was very well received.)

Partnering with local service organizations and institutions to introduce fine art and performing art programs and workshops to various groups throughout the county.

Offering as a free service, artist and organization promotion through the CCLC monthly newsletter. Our current subscription is just about 5,000.

The CCLC has only just begun an earnest movement toward helping to revitalize our county. Upcoming projects planned by the CCLC include:

Creating a comprehensive directory of county cultural and artistic resources that will be web-based with highly flexible print-on-demand capabilities. This will be a valuable tool for tourism, real estate companies and institutional groups as well as a promotional vehicle for artists, community theaters, galleries and upcoming cultural events to name just a few.

A new co-op gallery and performance space in downtown Wilkes Barre in partnership with ArtsYOUniverse is now home to 52 artists and has a waiting list.

A collaboration with the Hazleton Art League in organizing a juried art exhibit for regional artists which will be held in the Spring of 2010 at Penn State University Hazleton Campus.

Offering support services and consultation to the Boys and Girls Club of America to introduce fine and performing arts workshops to the after school programs in Luzerne County locations.

Assisting the Concerned Parents of Hazleton organization in developing activities and events for children of new residents of the southern portion of Luzerne County.

While the CCLC is dedicated to investing time, energy and resources to complete these projects, we have our work cut out for us and, unfortunately, today's economic climate is making our work more difficult and less effective. Up to this point we had been able to depend on a few small grants and a one-time grant from Luzerne County. Needless to say, grant availability is extremely limited and local government funding for our work has been halted.

Please join us in making an investment in your community. By making a tax deductible contribution of $35.00, $50.00, $100.00, $250.00 or $500.00 to the Cultural Council of Luzerne County you will help to create a flourishing cultural community, strengthen our economy and greatly improve the quality of life throughout Luzerne County.

For your convenience we are able to make it easy for you to make a donation through Paypal with any credit card, and no Paypal account is required. Just click the "Make A Donation" button at the top of the left column.  Please include your return address for a tax donation receipt as well as your email address. If you would like to make a donation by mail, our address is 84 West South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766.

To learn more about the Cultural Council of Luzerne County and to sign up for our e-newsletter, visit our web site at www.cclcarts.org. If you have any questions or comments you may write to us at cclcarts@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to the Cultural Council of Luzerne County and for investing in the future of Luzerne County.

Sincerely,

Sharon L. Hourigan, Chairperson

Cultural Council of Luzerne County