Slightly Mad, along with the Spirit Of Huntington Art Center, is proud to announce that company president and co-founder Michael Kitakis has been named the Center’s new executive director.
“I’m honored and excited to accept this position,” Michael said when first informed of the decision by the Center’s Board of Directors. “I first saw the power and potential of the Art Center when my young son Michael, who is on the autism spectrum, became involved with their program in 2011. The joy and growth he experienced there made me want to help increase its connection with the larger surrounding community.”
The Spirit Of Huntington Art Center is a not-for-profit group of artists, educators, and parents working together to build a tight-knit community that supports children with special needs, as well as veterans, through the creative expression of art. It was founded by Long Island artist Erich Preis — an accomplished artist who has worked with students of varying backgrounds and abilities — in January 2011. Erich is uniquely qualified to work with children with special needs, as he himself is on the autism spectrum. However, his greatest gift may be his ability to appeal to the entire community.
“It’s really amazing to see what Erich has accomplished at the ‘old gas station’ on Park Avenue and Main Street in Huntington,” remarks Michael, “and I know that, with a little more organization and support, we can make this happen for a lot more people.”
One of the primary reasons for the Center’s board of directors appointing Michael to be the leader in their efforts to transform the organization through achieving structured 501c3 status. This will enable the Center to create a business model that supports its vision, and grows into a main stay of Huntington and other communities for art, special events, gallery showings and more. Most importantly, it will make it possible for the Spirit Of Huntington Art Center to support a segment of the community that is too often overlooked and under-served.
This dream is being fulfilled in a commercial building that once was a gas station, complete with bay doors. Before that, it was Platts Tavern, a historical site where George Washington addressed the troops during the Revolutionary War.
“Huntington is so rich with history,” Michael states with obvious pride. “Our vision is to develop a long-standing not-for-profit foundation that recreates the spirit of Platts Tavern and brings art and problem-solving to the more than 50 students who take classes in this unique space each month. We recreated several scenes from the past in these fantastic murals; all the kids helped out, and local artists, as well as the whole community, just loved how this property has itself become a piece of art now!”
Michael invites everyone to call or stop by the Spirit Of Huntington Art Center at the Corner of 25A and Park Ave in Huntington, or visit their website at www.spiritofhuntingtonartcenter.com to see the huge strides being made, and discover why so many are finding a home to express themselves at the Spirit Of Huntington Art Center.