For 30 years, the Henderson Area Arts Alliance in Kentucky has fueled the arts through stage shows, programming, and partnerships.
Created in 1994 — about the same time the facility now known as the Preston Arts Center opened at Henderson Community College — the alliance offers full seasons of performances. Still to come this season are Yesterday and Today, a Beatles interactive experience, a concert by female vocalists TAKE3, a shadow illusion dance show called Catapult, and the musical “Always … Patsy Cline.”
Beyond the stage, the alliance promotes arts education in schools.
Executive Director Kensington Eck says the alliance is using its 30th anniversary as an occasion to rebrand and refocus its mission in the community, while reinvigorating critical relationships. The alliance’s budget is a stack of government funding, rants, corporate sponsorships, and memberships.
“We have several patrons who have been there since day one,” says Eck, who became executive director in August and has been with the alliance since November 2022. “We often sign our letters that we can’t do this without you, and we’re not joking.”
Another objective, Eck says, involves listening. The alliance wants to increase exposure to the arts, she explains, and she’s open to ideas on how to accomplish that through outreach.
The alliance still flies under the radar in some respects, Eck says. It serves Henderson, Union, and Webster counties, although Eck says it invites residents in Evansville and elsewhere to discover its events and activities.
“It’s hard being a theater in the middle of a cornfield because we are removed from the bustling center of the city,” Eck says. “We have to work even harder to makesure people know about us.”
