ORONO (AP) – The nation’s longest-serving director of a state arts agency is stepping down early next year to move to California.
Alden Wilson, 60, has served for 33 years as director of the Maine Arts Commission and has worked with every governor since Kenneth Curtis.
Among his accomplishments, Wilson is credited with starting the discussion about Maine’s “creative economy” in 2001. Eventually, he got the ear of Gov. John Baldacci, who made it a priority in his economic development plans.
“He has guided the state of Maine in taking the reins of the creative economy discussion … and worked with Gov. John Baldacci to put this concept to work for the state of Maine,” said Rebecca Blunk, executive director of the New England Foundation for the Arts.
Wilson, of Wiscasset, said Friday that he’s ready to try something new, but he acknowledged that his longtime partner requires specialized medical attention that will be more readily available in their new California hometown.
He’ll be succeeded by the agency’s assistant director, Donna McNeil. The Maine Arts Commission’s mission is to encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in Maine’s cultural heritage. The commission has an annual budget of about $2 million and awards about $600,000 in grants to artists and arts organizations each year.
Wilson, a West Virginia native and Colby College alumnus, joined the agency as a National Endowment for the Arts management intern in 1971 at the age of 24. When he became director in 1974, he told the board chairman he’d be there five years, tops. Barry Bergey, director of folk and traditional arts for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, said Wilson’s legacy is his agency’s work at the community level.
“He’s really set the standard among state arts agencies in reaching out to communities in assessing their needs,” she said.
Pat Colwell of Bath, former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, said Wilson earned the respect of state lawmakers.
“He always brought enthusiasm and a level of personal commitment. It was highly contagious, and that’s what made him an effective advocate in the Legislature,” Colwell said.
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