There are some ambitious plans to return the Rome Area Council for the Arts to the forefront of community activity. And it remains to be seen how quickly this can happen. New RACA president Wright Ledbetter thinks with the community’s support and a few fresh ideas, it could be sooner than anyone anticipates.

“RACA didn’t die and it didn’t go away,” he said. “We’ve always maintained a presence in the community. We have simply had to redefine ourselves and recast the organization into a more effective one. We want to be a leader and advocate for the arts in Rome and Floyd County.”

Ledbetter and his board are still committed to such art endeavors as the Empty Bowls Project, the Art Walk on Broad as well as many of the other art related events and activities.

But there are also new plans in the works. The first and most ambitious is the creation of a web-based community ArtSpace for local artists, arts organizations, and schools which will include a comprehensive online community arts calendar. Another goal is to engage RACA in specific community arts outreach programs such as purchasing tickets to local arts and cultural events and giving them to organizations such as the Open Door Home, William S. Davies Homeless Shelters, the Boys and Girls Club as well as various senior groups.

“We want to bring the arts to a sector of the community that may not have the opportunity to be exposed to them,” Ledbetter said.

Special emphasis will be paid to the Summer Art Camp 2011 as RACA emphasizes its focus on art education.

But to do all this, Ledbetter said the organization needs the support of the community. He said RACA’s effectiveness and presence in the community hinges on its ability to raise funds and membership.

Annual fundraising efforts will be even more important than ever, he said, referring to such events as the Rome Beer Festival on Sept. 18 as well as the Art of Chocolate event and the outdoor fundraiser Arts in the Garden.

Ledbetter wants city and county residents to view membership in RACA as an investment.

“We firmly believe that if people support us financially, that we must provide a valuable service to the quality of life in this community,” he said. “We want to be worthy of investment.

“The arts are like a golden thread through this community,” he said. “It adds tangible beauty to the lives of people in this community. We have a responsibility to foster that.”

For additional information on how you can support RACA or for membership information, search “Rome Area Council for the Arts” on Facebook.