Nov 16, 2013 6 min read

The future of WashArts appeared to be jeopardy this summer after its founder, Sandee Umbach, moved to Nashville, Tenn., in February, leaving the charitable organization’s direction in limbo.

Bills went unpaid, instructional classes went unscheduled and boxes of junk began piling up in the organization’s brand new building on South Street in Washington.

“She was everything,” WashArts board member Bracken Burns said of Umbach. “She was the brains, the memory and the nuts and bolts. When she left, it created a rather significant vacuum.”

But a new leader and reinvigorated staff already are rebuilding the embattled organization and have big ideas for what they want WashArts to become for the region and its residents. Jennifer Adamson, who spent years as a pottery instructor with the organization, was hired in September to take over as director and quickly put together a team to bring WashArts back from the brink.

Her impact has been immediate, Burns said.

“We asked her to take the helm, and she has done it masterfully,” Burns said. “She’s a pro.”

Umbach opened the Washington Community Arts and Cultural Center on West Beau Street in 2002. She said her “heart was in the art and teaching,” and the organization quickly grew over the next decade. Needing a larger studio with easier access, the organization used local share gaming money and other funds to move into its new location on South Street next to Ross Mould in November 2012.

But Umbach said she had been hinting for a while she was preparing to move on and that it was no surprise to board members that she planned to temporarily move to Nashville in February to help her son, Jordan, with his budding music career. Changes in her personal life, though, made that Music City move permanent.

“It pains me because it was the center I founded, but I was going through a lot,” Umbach said. “I had too much on my plate from my family and personal state.”

Umbach tried to remain in contact to ease the transition, but the center struggled without her, and big fundraisers pulled their money, thinking the new center meant WashArts was now financially stable.

“We needed more people in the community to take control and take a hand in the operation,” Umbach said.

With questions swirling about the leadership, Adamson and fellow WashArts instructor Alex Riedel addressed the board about their vision of what the center should become for the region.

Burns, a former Washington County commissioner who joined the WashArts board in January, was immediately impressed by Adamson’s knowledge and passion for the organization.

“There she was sitting in the corner making pots when we needed her the whole time,” Burns said.

She put a plan in place to revitalize the ailing organization and even rented out a space in the building for her pottery studio. With dwindling funds, Adamson pushed to divide the director’s salary so she could bring in more people to help with the day-to-day operations. She hired artist Becky Keck to become the curriculum director, Riedel was tapped to run special events and longtime worker Bill Faust continued running the facility.

The team-oriented approach is designed to ensure the center will continue humming efficiently even if one of them is absent.

“Rather than one person handling everything all the time, we’re a cross-functional team,” Adamson said. “We all have a specialized area and work well together.”

The hours have been grueling as they redesigned the center to bring in more activities and events. A computer lab in the rear can easily be transformed into an art room.

“It’s a lot of work and a lot of hours, but it doesn’t seem difficult,” Keck said. “We’re moving forward. We have lots to do.”

The building is impressive, with plenty of room for art exhibits and classes. The first Tri-County Ceramic Invitational opened earlier this month and continues through a closing reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 6.

With the center stabilized and moving in the right direction, Adamson is turning her attention to fundraising and community activities. The new leaders of WashArts aren’t satisfied with just reviving the organization. They have big dreams of it becoming a community hub for arts and events in the region.

“Having a building doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you have more work to do,” Adamson said. “We want to be the arts resource for the region.”

Riedel sees a future for WashArts in which it regularly attracts people of all ages from Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Ohio for special events and classes. He hopes one day WashArts could partner with the Washington County Historical Society for projects and work closely with other area nonprofits so they’re not “fighting for that same slice of pie.”

“It’s not just for Washington. It’s not just for Pennsylvania,” Riedel said. “But for the whole region.”

The new group is touting that the building can be rented out for birthday parties, bridal showers or by local artists who want to put on an exhibit. But they also want the community to interact with them by sending activity or class ideas either in person, on the WashArts Facebook page or through the center’s revamped website.

They stress that community support, either through volunteering or fundraising, is critical to keep the organization moving in the right direction.

But Faust, who has been with the organization since the beginning, said Adamson’s passion and tenacity are the biggest reasons they’re hopeful the reinvigorated WashArts will thrive.

“She was able to jumpstart our new era,” Faust said.

Umbach also had high praise for Adamson and her reorganized group of workers. She laments the painful transition but thinks it ultimately helped to strengthen the organization.

“It was really trying and heartbreaking to go through the pains it did. Some of it was too painful to watch,” Umbach said. “But I’m really pleased and excited now. I think those things need to happen in an organization. I’m not sure that I could’ve made those things happen in (the transition), but I’m excited there are new board members and leaders.”

Burns has been on the board for less than a year but already senses that the center has a bright future despite the hiccups. He said they’re no longer looking back at the problems, but at the potential within WashArts.

“We have a good news chapter now,” Burns said. “That (problematic) chapter is now behind us.”