One Woman's Voice

Why does a busy, successful business person make time in their day to tell an elected official why they care about the arts?

Just ask Lisa Witomski, who runs an established supply company in Chester, PA and has lived in the Philadelphia region her entire life.  As a child, Lisa was exposed to the rich cultural offerings of our area by her parents who viewed arts and culture as a fun and enriching family activity.  From attending plays at the Swarthmore Players Club to participating in the drama club at school, theatre was an early inspiration.  Museum visits were influential as well, especially to the Barnes Foundation—an experience that Lisa recalls as life-changing, “I never thought paintings could be so beautiful…I was completely bowled over by impressionism.”  For Lisa, the arts were an important part of her childhood and always a love.

As an adult, Lisa has served as a volunteer in many capacities at local cultural organizations, but her love of the arts and her business life had never crossed paths until Lisa’s neighbor introduced her to Art-Reach, an organization dedicated to bringing arts and cultural opportunities to underserved audiences. By attending an Art-Reach event, Lisa met Michael Norris, the organization’s executive director (and a board member of the Cultural Alliance), and learned that Art-Reach’s programs enable over 15,000 people with disabilities or economic disadvantages to enjoy the beauty and richness of the arts each year. It wasn’t long before Michael invited Lisa to join him on a legislative visit to Senator Dominic Pileggi’s office to talk about the value of the arts. Lisa had never been on a legislative visit but was happy to lend her support to the cause.

In the context of business, Lisa knew Senator Pileggi well.  However, when Lisa and representatives from Art-Reach arrived at the Senator’s office his reaction was one of surprise. Senator Pileggi did not realize Lisa held a love for the arts, something she normally kept separate from her business activities.  Over the course of the meeting Lisa was able to share her story and her conviction that similar experiences could help young people in less fortunate situations make better choices.   Lisa shared “I believe in the value of exposure –if kids have a chance to see beauty,  they begin to think about how to make choices that will give them the opportunity to have more experiences like that.”

By sharing her story, Lisa let her elected official know what the arts mean to her—the type of message legislators need and ask to hear.  But because not everyone has the opportunity to make a personal visit, the Cultural Alliance, on behalf of our 400+ members, the entire cultural community, and the region’s residents, collect and share these stories as a central part of our advocacy work.

So with the Cultural Alliance’s help you can do both.  Like Lisa, you can share your story. But you can also help amplify the powerful message of arts and its role in improving our communities by making a contribution to the Cultural Alliance, so we can share this story for you.