Muncie Arts and Culture Council has appointed its first permanent Executive Director.  On Friday May 18 Jacqueline Johnston was named to the position after a statewide search conducted by a committee composed of MACC board members. 

Ms. Johnston is a Muncie native who has been active in the community for many years.  She is well-known recently for her work since 2004 as Founder and Volunteer Executive Director of the Back to School Teachers Store on South Madison Street in Muncie.  Her accomplishment at the Store is phenomenal distributing community donated supplies valued at over $1 million free to schools and non-profit organizations in Muncie and Delaware County. 

“Ms. Johnston has long been an active member of our community and we are thrilled that she has accepted the position as our Executive Director,” said Carl Schafer, Associate Director of the David Owsley Museum of Art who is currently serving as the Council’s President.  “She is one of those rare people who can imagine creative solutions for important needs.  Then she is persistent enough to see that it all gets put into action.  We believe this appointment sends an important message about the seriousness of MACCs commitment to Muncie’s quality of life and to establishing arts and culture as integral to our identity.”

As MACCs Executive Director, Ms. Johnston’s duties will be to continue building a network for artists and cultural institutions in Muncie, advocate for the arts as an economic development engine for our region, and establish Muncie’s identity as a center for cultural offerings through development of the Muncie Arts and Culture District.

When asked about her new position, Ms. Johnston said, “My desire is to help Muncie Arts and Culture Council to be successful in creating opportunities for others to be their most creative and innovative and to influence the success of tomorrow’s art community in Muncie. I believe that working with MACC is a great opportunity to empower artisans and performers in Muncie and at the same time to enhance the community and enrich economic development through many different avenues.”

There will be opportunities to meet Ms. Johnston in her new role. 

• MACC will hold a public meeting Friday, May 25 at 11:30 am at Cornerstone Center for the Arts.
• She will be introduced as MACCs Executive Director at Festival on the Green, June 9 on the lawn in front of the David Owsley Museum of Art, Ball State University.