Artpark elects Brown chairman at annual meeting

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, November 3, 2007 Christopher H. Brown of Niagara Falls’ Brown & Company LLP was elected chair of the Artpark and Company board of directors at the organization’s annual meeting of members, held last week at the Niagara Falls Country Club. Nominating Committee Chairman J. Michael Kelleher also announced the appointment of four new directors for 2008. Brown succeeds Thomas J. Fatta, who was credited for continuing Artpark’s resurgence during his four-year tenure at the helm of the not-for-profit company. Since Fatta was elected chair in October of 2003, the park has become the summer home to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, event attendance has increased by 114 percent, corporate sponsorships have risen appreciably and, in 2006, Fatta helped Artpark secure a $2.5 million capital improvements grant from the Western New York Delegation. “Much of the success that Artpark has experienced over the last four seasons can be directly credited to Tom Fatta’s exemplary leadership and forward-thinking ideas,” Brown said. “The emphasis that he placed on collaborating with other cultural organizations and his willingness to take calculated risks – in terms of programming – will undoubtedly serve as a large component of Artpark’s business model for years to come.”

Former Artpark and Company board chairman Thomas J. Fatta, left, is pictured with his successor, Christopher H. Brown.

Vice chairs are Clarence Center’s Wendy L. Montante and Amherst resident Ray Walter, who is president of Regional Waste Solutions LLC. Vincent Agnello of Youngstown, a professor at Niagara University, will retain his duties as treasurer and secretary.

Newly elected to the Artpark board of directors are Paul O. Cannon, a Youngstown resident and principal and regional director at Cannon Design; Bill Hibbard of Orchard Park, who is the president and general manager of Engineered Facility Solutions; Brian Geary, a partner at Sanderson and Company LLC, who lives in Amherst; and Fredonia’s Mark Thomas, the Western District director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He will serve in an ex-officio capacity.

Directors re-elected for three-year terms include Agnello, Vincent Laurendi Jr., Carl Montante Jr., Wendy Montante, the Hon. Rose H. Sconiers and Lorie L. Washuta. Advisory board members re-elected to a one-year term include Thomas E. Brydges, Francine DelMonte, Pamela Jacobs-Vogt, Seymour Knox IV, George Maziarz, Rhodes C. Palmer, Joseph Pillittere and Richard Soluri. Meanwhile, Thomas B. Burrows and Daniel E. Cantara III rotated onto the advisory council.

As the not-for-profit programming arm of the venue, Artpark was responsible for the influx of almost 220,000 visitors to scheduled events in 2007. While Artpark’s “Tuesday in the Park” concert series maintained its high degree of popularity, and the park’s Wednesday night series saw a substantial increase in attendance, it was Artpark’s theatrical programming that saw the largest growth, in terms of percentage. A theater schedule headed by the critically acclaimed production of Elton John and Tim Rice’s “AIDA,” the BPO, and the headliner performance of the WNED Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival facilitated a 20 percent increase in attendance.

Artpark and Company recently completed its 10th season of operating park programming under a licensed agreement with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation.