The Salmon Arts Council, Inc. (SAC) is a 501c(3)  non-profit organization founded by a few Salmon residents in 1978 to fill the need for cultural awareness and diversity in Lemhi County, Idaho. SAC strives to bring out the best in small town community life by offering intimate artistic and cultural learning experiences where participants can meet the artists, volunteer to help with the wide variety of production details, and share the immediate joys and personal rewards each has to offer.

The Salmon Arts Council is a vibrant organization, highly regarded and respected as one of the leading arts councils in Idaho, and was the recipient of the prestigious 10th Biennial Idaho Governor’s Award for Outstanding Support of the Arts.  In 1990, the Salmon Education Association presented the Council with their “Friend of Education” award for all that is done to further the arts in the schools.

The SAC is also the only rural arts agency in Idaho to have received two grants direct from the Expansion Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts to provide professional workshops for local artists.  The workshops provide information to artists in art instruction and marketing skills.  The success of the first program resulted in the awarding of the second grant.

The Salmon Arts Council is funded by:
Admissions – 34%
Membership – 9%
Sponsorships –17%
Grants – 27%
Fundraising – 8%
In-Kind Contributions – 5%
Other – 5%
These numbers are based on Fiscal Year 2007

The Salmon Arts Council is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of up to 13 members of our community that reflect a wide variety of local expertise, business savvy, interests and dedication. Our Executive Director is the Council’s public representative and employee in charge of day-to-day operations too diverse to mention. It is the Board’s goal to include at least one Student Board member for youthful insight, inspiration, and balance; these students are invaluable resources.  The Board of Directors can be found filling in the numerous gaps and various assorted responsibilities that occur with any organization of this nature. We’re all go-fers essentially!

Our current Board of Directors are:
Amy Tonsmeire, President
Chad Fealko, Vice President
Don Ward, Treasurer
TBA, Secretary
Caryll McConnell, Web Master
Bonnie Anglin
Tate Ellis (Student)
Karen Gallogly
Elora Williams (Student)
Mary Hogue-Cerise, Executive Director
Ilona McCarty, Office Administrator
Beth Waterbury, The Muse Editor

Pictured Left to Right: Amy Tonsmeire, Preston Becker, Caryll McConnell, Bonnie Anglin, Dave Blauser (with us in spirit and missed always). You'll be able to see the whole Board as soon as we get another photo op.

We are forever indebted to our community of FRIENDS AND BUSINESS SPONSORS! You can see them all here, thank them when you greet them and support our local businesses. One of these days we may even get a list of all of our special individual volunteers up here, where would we be without all of you, you're awesome! So much positive energy is impossible to put a price on, you make it all worthwhile.

SAC would be unable to achieve any of our productions without the expertise provided by our Sound and Lights men: Todd Nelson, Sound and Dale Ford, Lights. You guys are the best!

Leonard Bernstein expressed the importance of arts to our community when he said: “The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another...and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.”

Many things are right in this community! Come join us….