Retired Director Reflects on Time with MFAC

How are you enjoying retirement so far?

A couple of days in and my brain is already unloading some of the tension I was experiencing the last couple of years.  The commute home to New Haven was always an “exclamation point” to end your work day in a very slow grinding manner.  

When did you first get started at the Milford Fine Arts Council?

November 1, 1983 as Executive Director, but for a few years prior I was working for the MFAC (Under the government CETA program) as artist in resident to the school system as well as assisting the director, Charlene Peet in various tasks.

What have been some of your proudest moments with the MFAC?

• Outreach to the Milford public, city and business. To eliminate “elitist club” branding  
• Cultural Assessment
• Center for the Arts
• Arts in the Park program
• Art Programs for children with disabilities
• Arts for economic development
• Recently, but halted was outreach to other regional communities in the sharing of resources, audiences, services and the elimination of repetition & competing of programs.

What have been your favorite paintings over the years?

I really enjoy the figure in its environment and trying to portray it. I try to place some sort of inner truth and emotion on the scene before me.  I also enjoy industrial scenes which had represented the backbone of the working class.  Vacation (which is vital) to me is rural or ocean scenes.

What advice would you give to upcoming artists/artist administrators? 

You have to treat art as work, it’s not a game and not a luxury, but too many people see it that way. Creating art comes from inside the person and allows them to speak and give vision to their beliefs.

I think art administrators (and sadly many of them unqualified for community art’s administrating) need to understand it isn’t about prestige or their particualr interests, but rather investigative work on the needs of the people to their particular town with the available cultural tools.  

[Note: Bill Meddick had no influence on . That decision was made by the new MFAC Board of Directors. Also, attached are paintings by Bill Meddick.]