She took the job last month, and her immediate goal is to explore having more arts classes for kids.
“That kind of needs the most growth. The adult classes have a loyal following, but the youth classes are an untapped resource,” she said.
In addition to creating classes, Pinto also will be teaching some of them. She will be the instructor for two youth classes on Saturdays, and one is named after her: Pinto’s Picassos.
The other course is called Acrylic Expressions. She works for about 20 hours a week, doing so partly from home.
Pinto has a bachelor’s degree in art from the University of Dayton and spent several years teaching in the Boston and South Carolina areas.
She was also a substitute teacher in the Lakota Local School District, and when that position was reconfigured, she “just fell on (the new job) by chance.”
Arts center Executive Director Patt Belisle said Pinto’s position was created as part of a strategic plan to boost enrollment at the center and possibly to expand the operating hours so the center would be open on Fridays.
Pinto’s long-term goal for the center is “overall for the MAC to be known as a great resource,” she said, saying the center could fill the gap left by arts programs getting cut from area schools.
The center has one full-time position, five part-time positions and 30 volunteers, Belisle said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.
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