KANSAS ARTS COMMISSION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEPARTS

For more information contact:

Henry Schwaller

Chairman

Kansas Arts Commission

785/296-3335

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 18, 2011

700 SW Jackson Street, Ste. 1004

Topeka, Kansas 66603-3774

http://arts.ks.gov/

KANSAS ARTS COMMISSION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEPARTS

Topeka, Kan. – The Kansas Arts Commission announces that Llewellyn Crain has resigned from her position of executive director effective March 19. Crain has accepted the position of director of development with the Kansas City Symphony.

“On behalf of the Kansas Arts Commission, I congratulate Llewellyn on her new position with the Kansas City Symphony and five years of outstanding service to the people of Kansas,” said Henry Schwaller, chairman of the Kansas Arts Commission. “Under Llewellyn's guidance, the Kansas Arts Commission has become a national leader among state arts agencies and is known as responsive, innovative and forward-looking.

“Her outstanding communication and personal skills, positive approach and expansive knowledge not only about the arts but not-for-profit businesses were only outshone by her love and dedication to Kansas's communities and arts,” he said. “Personally, I have met few people in public service who are as passionate and effective as Llewellyn. We wish her the best in her new position.”

The vote by the Kansas Senate on Wednesday, March 16, in favor of Resolution 1819, retaining the Kansas Arts Commission, a move that demonstrates the strong support of Kansans for the state agency, is a testament to her leadership and skill, Schwaller added. The Kansas Arts Commission intends to move forward, working with the Legislature and the Governor’s office to maintain funding for the agency for the next fiscal year.

The Kansas Arts Commission will immediately begin a search for a new executive director with similar skills and expertise who will lead the agency into the future.

“I wish to thank the Kansas Arts Commissioners, the staff and the people of Kansas who have given me the extraordinary opportunity to serve them in the last five years,” said Llewellyn Crain. “Their creativity and dedication to Kansas and the arts have been inspiring and profoundly rewarding.

“While I move on to a new and exciting position with an outstanding orchestra poised for an even brighter future, I will continue to be engaged in the arts in Kansas both professionally and personally for many years to come,” she said.

Crain served as executive director of the Kansas Arts Commission since 2006. Her previous experience includes positions as assistant director of development, College of Arts and Sciences for the Kansas State University Foundation, director of educational initiatives at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and director of community programs at the Los Angeles Opera.

The Kansas Arts Commission is a state agency, funded by the State of Kansas and the National Endowment for the Arts, dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts in Kansas. Its mission is to provide opportunities for the people of Kansas to experience, celebrate and value the arts throughout their lives. For more information on the Kansas Arts Commission, please visit the KAC website at http://arts.ks.gov/.