As Pearl Arts prepares for its second season of Fall classes and musical activities, its new CEO and Executive Director, Angie Fincannon, has made the most of her month on the job. She eagerly looks toward the future, she says.
Located at 234 Pearl Street, on the edge of Fort Wayne’s Landing District, this center is the vision of a small group of committed volunteers, including local philanthropists Chuck and Lisa Surack, to create a one-of-a-kind community hub for the arts, music education, and entrepreneurship.nnv
It is focused on growth and community enrichment in a location that fosters collaboration, sparks creativity, and acts as an arts incubator for the benefit of the entire community.
Here we discuss the new adventure Angie has undertaken and how her previous role with Indiana Tech has prepared her for this exciting journey.
You can connect and learn more at the Pearl Arts website.
Here is a transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Angie Fincannon, welcome.
Angie Fincannon: Thank you, Julia. I'm glad to be here.
Julia Meek: Now you have been hard at work in a brand new role. Congratulations. And one month down, how's it going about now?
Angie Fincannon: It's going great 30 days, and I feel like I've been there 30 years
Julia Meek: In a good way, we hope. [both laugh]
Angie Fincannon: In a great way. Yes!
Julia Meek: That implies that you've been doing a lot, and you really did land in an amazing artcentric situation over there at Pearl Arts. Before we discuss that, when and how did the passion to educate and lead all begin for you?
Angie Fincannon: Where it began. Very young. I knew I wanted to be a teacher, probably in junior high and high school, and the teachers I had made such an impression as that often is the case. So, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
In the early days, in high school, I found out I was pretty good at the clarinet and decided I wanted to be a band director. I had a junior high band director that was amazing. He made such an impact, I wanted to be just like him.
And even though I didn't complete that path of being a band director, it still made such an impression on my life that I feel like I've come back full circle.
Julia Meek: It's music and it's you directing someone, but yes, you're on the other end of that clarinet now, aren't you?
Angie Fincannon: Yes. And I was in K through 12 education when I first started, and then moved to higher education, and I just moved from higher education, 33 years in that, plus I had four years into the K through 12. So education has been about what I'm about for my entire professional career.
Julia Meek: And okay, you were deep into all of that from your position, your jobs, I might say plural, at Indiana Tech. In retrospect, how did that develop your passion and skills that would serve you now in this new adventure?
Angie Fincannon: You know, that's such a great question, Julia, because I've realized it is so transferable. So we talk about tuition and keeping the cost of tuition affordable for students.
You know, whether it's Pearl Arts with children learning to play an instrument, or a college student walking in for the first day, which is always my favorite day, it's about opportunity. It really is about opportunity, and education is such a centrifugal force for that opportunity.
And so, I see so many crossovers--that, tuition, trying to get as many students in the door and give them as many opportunities as reasonably priced as we can for them. Because we know cost is always a barrier, if you're elementary all the way through even the PhD program, of which I was very pleased to be a part of it Indiana Tech as well.
Julia Meek: And education is such a golden, a worthwhile profession for the teacher as well as the student who is learning.
Angie Fincannon: You're so right. Even teaching courses, I learned something new, it seemed like every week from them. And working with people that are bright and very ambitious and really wanting to know the world, and then with AI and all of the new things that we can do with grabbing educational information and data, it's just a phenomenal time to be in education.
Julia Meek: Keeping fresh, yeah, keeping on it.
Angie Fincannon: All the time.
Julia Meek: Well, now you are business oriented and, and your new business is the arts. We could look at it that way. For starters, how does that compute in your own personal business plan?
Angie Fincannon Hmm, good question. Well, you know, maybe first start with the arts. Having a very strong business plan for Pearl Arts. And I will say, what a beautiful time to step in.
Jim had done a fantastic job building and helping Chuck envision what Pearl arts could look like. It's a beautiful facility.
Julia Meek: That would be Jim Palermo, you have replaced him and Chuck Surak, the fearless leader of a lot of things musical and certainly Pearl Arts in your case.
Angie Fincannon: Yes, absolutely. Jim Palermo started this with his vision of how this beautiful building could come about. We've gotten to that phase. Now we're in the next phase, and really we needed a very strong business model.
Of course, that's what I did at Indiana Tech in the College of Business, is have a business model so that the goal is to have as many students, as many children, under some type of tuition support that we possibly can.
And it doesn't necessarily need to be a full scholarship, but to try to defer some of the costs. Because parents are struggling today, it seems that things just keep getting more challenging economically. And so we don't want to see children not able to continue with lessons because they're strapped for money.
Julia Meek: You want it better. You want it always improving, of course.
Angie Fincannon: Yes. So, our goal is to continue to create more and more opportunities for scholarships.
Julia Meek: Noble goal. And what would you say are your biggest strengths and most honed skills being applied right now?
Angie Fincannon: Well, even though, you know, I probably...I'll say this, I'm not at the beginning of my career [chuckles] I've transitioned more to the end. I feel like a new kid on the block in coming in. I think that every day I'm very enthusiastic about what I'm doing.
I sincerely love what I think is this fantastic opportunity for the Fort Wayne community, Julia. I love Fort Wayne. I feel so blessed to be here and be a part of Fort Wayne and the surrounding community.
So, I feel like every day I get a chance to somehow contribute through Pearl Arts in trying to make this what it can be for the community, what the community needs, and to fill that gap and partner with different organizations and Arts United.
We have a tremendous opportunity, yet a tremendous responsibility as well. You know, in providing tremendous arts and a far reaching for our community. It makes our community so much better.
Julia Meek: Beautifully. And speaking of beauty, that place and space itself, Pearl Arts, how does it feel to call that home?
Angie Fincannon: That facility is absolutely beautiful, and as I have the privilege of giving community members tours through Pearl Arts, I love to hear their comments. I love to see what they see through their eyes.
I know the first time that Chuck invited me to come for a tour, I walked in and there were children in practice rooms with their instructor, and the parents were sitting there watching it on the screen. So you talk about safe and talk about parents being involved.
And then every room is named after a performer, different genres, different ages, and so students are always learning in that building. There's beautiful art that was carefully donated and mounted. So that's just walking into the building. The auditorium is beautiful, and the sound can make really any performing group sound amazing.
There's so many great things in there. There's a kind of a community hub where we're finding that different organizations need a place to just get off campus, get out of their company, and come. And then we have really great spaces for the performers so that we can attract really top notch talent. And it's done very, very well.
Julia Meek: Seemingly everything that needed to be thought of has been and my, what a treat for you, the new CEO and Executive Director, speaking of which, that is a big title with lots of hats, just what does it entail?
Angie Fincannon: That's right, Julia, I moved from a four-letter word, Dean, to a very long title. [both laugh] But I think what it means is that I'm there to work, and [chuckles] I will roll up my sleeves, and if I need to fill the paper towel holder, I will.
But in all kidding aside, this role has allowed me a chance to dream. You know, I'm very fortunate to have Chuck Surak as a leader. I have always found him and all of my time of knowing him, he is, I would call him a servant leader, a visionary. I find him to be very, very smart.
And with this, I know that Pearl Arts is a personal gift from him and his wife, Lisa, for this community. Music gave him such opportunity, and he knows that, he's very blessed by that, and he has a passion for helping other children and young adults in Fort Wayne, in the community, to have that same opportunity. He knows that not every child will go to be a professional artist.
But he knows the absolute great benefits of music. There's research that is proven that children who play an instrument, they're learning math, they're learning cognitive skills, all sorts of great benefits that will help them educationally. And so we're committed to this, and we're committed to exposing as many children to the arts as we can here.
Julia Meek: It's wonderful to hear you say that, Angie, and actually your events are all over the genre and medium and interest spectrums, to be sure. How's that arm of the business working, the great big mass, I think, the beautiful mass that is called Education?
Angie Fincannon: I think that this is an area really of opportunity. We haven't hit our full stride, to be honest, with the types of artists. I think we're still trying to learn where our space is in all of the music venues in Fort Wayne.
And really, we have an amazing auditorium. It is amazing, the June Enoch Center, and she so generously gave for that auditorium, and her legacy will be there. We hold 350, to 400.
Julia Meek: Nice size.
Angie Fincannon: It is a nice size, and it's an all-purpose auditorium, so the stage can be moved. We had the Fort Wayne Ballet in there, and the audience was on risers, looking down. We can have dinner in the round, music in the round. It's just so flexible.
But we really are trying to envision what type of Premier talent can we bring to Fort Wayne in a venue that size, and there are some outstanding performers that can and will come. So I think you're going to see that grow. The Fort Wayne community will really see that and appreciate that, I think, in the year to come.
Julia Meek: Okay, so just how quickly do the wheels of progress turn over there, Angie? What did you inherit for this coming year already?
Angie Fincannon: As we've been in business, really, since September of last year, so we're not even a year into this program, I think the goal was to have 100 students per week taking lessons. And it is astonishing to me that in less than a year, we're servicing 400 students each week in lessons.
We're trying to attract students now into ensembles. We feel that there are great opportunities. We already have a band ensemble that meets in an orchestra, but we're looking for different types of groups to gather. We're looking for more adult groups.
We're hoping to start, I'll go ahead and say this here, but the Pearl Senior Singers, so we can't wait to start that group. We want to center a lot of our efforts around kids, but we also feel like Pearl Arts should be here for all ages and all interests. And people love to sing, people love to still play instruments, and we do have adults taking lessons, so it is available for everyone.
I think we're going to see that, but it grew so fast. Now we have the benefit of understanding the numbers, and 81% of the students that take lessons are served with tuition assistance. So it has really grown. We're doing now our Fall Enrollment again and scholarship applications for anyone who's interested in coming alongside and coming to Pearl Arts for lessons.
We also have 40 instructors now, so we've grown so quickly with recruiting great instructors in all different instruments. So as you can see, we're growing quickly and the numbers this fall look even stronger.
Julia Meek: And on both sides of things, the teaching, the students, the interest and the community support?
Angie Fincannon: Yes, I think the best advertisement for The Pearl is to have community members come in and see what it's about. Even when it was announced that I was going to take my new role, I had many friends and community members say, now tell me again, what is Pearl arts all about?
I love to tell that story. I love for them to come in and have a chance just to experience it, but they're going to see the cutest little kids running around and just activity. You know, we also have Amp Lab, so we're partnering with Fort Wayne Community Schools, and there's a classroom, a large room devoted to Amp Lab.
We tried it last spring as a first time, and it was so successful. There'll be a morning section of Fort Wayne Community School and Amp Lab coming, and then there'll be an afternoon that's full. They're coming, and they're learning the technology of sound. And it doesn't have to be students that are outstanding in music. They're learning so many areas about sound technology, recording music and the sounds that different instruments play.
It's fantastic. And an exciting part for me in this 30 days seeing this come to fruition is the Don Wood Foundation gave a generous Foundation grant for us for Amp Lab to help with this partnership. It's a really unique opportunity for us to do innovation in music, so you'll see that grow as well.
Julia Meek: That's all fantastic. It's almost too good to be true, and here it is. Meanwhile, across the board, unfortunately, the nonprofits and the arts focused programs are hurting this year. How's that affecting life at Pearl Arts?
Angie Fincannon: I would say cautiously, but in my 30 days of knowledge, I see momentum at Pearl Arts. I see tremendous momentum. And, you know, I see people getting on board. I see foundations in the community getting on board.
I see community members who either have a passion for music, or they have a passion for children, or they have a passion for what we're doing to try to help children provide opportunities. It's hard not to get on that mission, because it encompasses so many different areas of opportunity.
So right now, Julia, I'm actually seeing a lot of momentum at Pearl Arts, and I say that very respectfully. I know we're all, we're all facing challenges in the not-for-profit world. Certainly, I came from higher ed, and there's daily challenges there.
So we all have to make sure we're very conscientious and really working closely with donors and foundations, because we know that we all rely on them and we all appreciate them.
Julia Meek: As things get more critical daily, everybody's role gets more complex daily. There's no denying that. Meanwhile, these direct hits are harsh blows, especially on top of all the previous education cuts that kids and their families and educators have been having to deal with.
Would you speak to what this means for our community's collective wellbeing, just the fact that Pearl Arts is there and understands that someone like you in charge is moving everything ahead, really building on the momentum economically and otherwise. Why is this critical?
Angie Fincannon: Providing opportunities for students, to me is so critical in this day and age. You know, I come from coaching, collegic coaching. What a swing, correct? [both laugh] But, but, you know, athletics seem to be the way out. You know, a good athlete, you're going to get a college scholarship.
Of course, that's what we're all looking for as a way to get to college and not have to pay as much tuition as possible. This is another opportunity for students to learn skills, and really, it's more than skills. It's a lifetime in performing that can really pay off. Students can go to college with this and really make a career for themselves.
I think that's important, bringing in instructors and helping with jobs, I think, is important. But also bringing in musical groups and trying to provide more opportunities for activities centered around music and other parts of arts as well. Right now, of course, we're focused on music.
But even as Chuck and I were touring Pearl Arts, he looked out the beautiful windows in the street between Pearl and Pearl Arts. And he said, wouldn't it be great to have concerts on that street? And I absolutely agree with that. You know, Fort Wayne, we're always looking for things to do. It keeps our 20- and 30-year-olds back here.
And we need that. We need this to be a destination. We need it to be a place where we're always building and growing, and I know Fort Wayne is growing. So, it's great to be on the cutting edge and doing that through arts, through activities, through concerts. Lessons are a big part of what we do, but it's certainly not the only part.
You know, I also mentioned that we're new in this area, but music therapy is something we're committed to as well. We have a certified music therapist. We believe that there's opportunity to help our citizens in Fort Wayne, who might not have that opportunity,
Julia Meek: And being on the future list as Music City, which we are certainly on the threshold of everything right there, all of this is dollars and cents, and all of the new avenues that we would have for the music opportunities--all dollars and cents. Isn't that a good bottom line to have?
Angie Fincannon: Yes. Well, the hard mantra is money drives mission. We do know that, and donors know that. They're very passionate, but they are very smart, and they, they know how to make impact with their funds, in their funding.
And so, the beauty of Pearl Arts is we are in our infancy, and really to see it is to achieve it. You know, we're having people come to us and say, wow, this is a need in the community. And right away I start thinking of how I can match passionate people and passionate organizations to step in and support programs, because we can have those programs.
We're a small business, we're a startup, and we have an entrepreneurial spirit in the Pearl Arts that allows us to be very nimble and really to have a vision and to play it out.
Julia Meek: And what a product you have as well, to be selling. So, going forward, Angie, what does this motivate you personally, to prioritize?
Angie Fincannon: Well, I think that we will continue to grow at Pearl Arts. So, my background in strategic planning and leadership development, which is another passion of mine, I hope that we can always have the best of the best in planning strategically.
It's great to want to do everything, and we get, you know, a lot of what ifs, but really being strategic in how we grow our organization, how we achieve our goals, how we bring in stakeholders, how we bring in the community that can help support what we're doing.
Because we want to be great at first and be very exuberant, but we want to be sustainable, and we want to continue to solidly grow and be Pearl Arts that people can understand, believe in, count on for the years to come. We get this great balance, Julia, between excitement and vision and just throwing everything up on the wall to see how it can match, with the same time knowing we need to be very strategic.
We need to be very planned, and we need to use good sense and good stewardship in order to build a sustainable model for years to come. It's for the entire community. It's not just a children's music academy, although that is a part of this, an important part. It's for everyone.
Julia Meek: Angie Fincannon is the new CEO and Executive Director of Pearl Arts. Thanks for your good work, Angie. Thanks for sharing its story. Do carry the gift.
Angie Fincannon: Thank you. Julia.
