Friday, November 30, 2012
Have you heard there's something going on at the Solon Center for the Arts but don't know the details? Solon Patch has been reporting on the story, and has a number of articles that can get you caught up.
A director has resigned, but still has support from many in the community. An investigation is underway. Have you heard there's something going on at the Solon Center for the Arts but don't know the details? Solon Patch has been reporting on the story, and has a number of articles that can get you caught up. The gist: Executive Director Karen Prasser resigned in early September. The next week, the city announced that they were investigating "irregularities" at the arts center under the city's new fraud policy. Let's be clear: It has not been confirmed that Prasser's resignation is linked to the investigation, and city officials aren't talking. Russell Schneider, an assistant recreation director, has been appointed as acting director. Mayor…
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Russell Schneider, who had been leading the Solon Center for the Arts since Karen Prasser's resignation, was appointed as acting director earlier this month.
Longtime city employee Russell Schneider had been serving as interim director of the Solon Center for the Arts since Karen Prasser resigned in September. Earlier this month, City Council made that role more official by appointing Schneider as acting director and giving him a pay increase. Schneider will still have some duties as operations manager of the Solon Community Center. Accompanying Schneider's new job duties will be an increase in pay, as Schneider will now be compensated at a director's level. According to the pay scale, that compensation level pays between $60,000 and $100,000 depending on experience. Schneider will earn $78,000 plus longevity pay, said Human Resources Director Tom Cornhoff. Mayor Susan Drucker has said that …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Should the city change the direction of the Solon Center for the Arts? Take our poll and tell us!
Since we published a number of letters to the editor supporting the Solon Center for the Arts, there's been a healthy debate about the future direction of the arts center. While Mayor Susan Drucker has said that the arts center has continued offering the same, if not more, programming since the resignation of former director Karen Prasser, many arts center supporters believe the arts are being marginalized. According to their comments, they worry that the arts center is becoming an arm of the recreation department and that programming brought about by fundraising and through the work of the Friends of the Center for the Arts will be abandoned. What do you want the future of the arts center to be? Take our poll and tell us your thoughts in …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
More than a dozen Solon residents, many who were students at the Solon Center for the Arts, voiced support for former director Karen Prasser and the center's art programs in letters to the mayor.
More than a dozen former students of the Solon Center for the Arts and residents have voiced support for the embattled arts center and its former executive director Karen Prasser. The letters are addressed to Mayor Susan Drucker and were collected by Zach Davidson, a college student who graduated from Solon and was a participant in many programs at the center. Davidson and the other letter writers are concerned that the city will reduce programming at the arts center and lose the gains that the arts center made under Prasser's leadership. "There are so many that have benefited from the institution that Karen Prasser built-up with her incredible devotion during her tenure as the Center’s director," wrote Davidson in his letter. The SCA has …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Police Chief Christopher Viland said he 'can neither confirm nor deny' any involvement in an investigation of 'irregularities' at the Solon Center for the Arts.
Solon officials have confirmed they are investigating "alleged irregularities" at the Solon Center for the Arts. Solon Police aren't saying whether they are involved with the investigation at this point. Solon Police Chief Christopher Viland said he could not discuss the police's role in any active investigation. Viland said by e-mail: Our general policy is not to discuss or release information regarding any of our currently active, ongoing criminal investigations. Unfortunately, I can neither confirm nor deny that we, or any other law enforcement agency, are investigating anything at this time. Solon's new fraud policy, approved by city council last month, indicates that the law director, the city prosecutor and the police department all…
Wondering what's going on with the Solon Center for the Arts? Read our headlines on this still developing story.
The Solon Center for the Arts is experiencing some turmoil. Executive Director Karen Prasser resigned earlier this month. Then late last week, the city announced that they were investigating "irregularities" at the arts center, and using the new fraud policy to do. It has not been confirmed that Prasser's resignation is linked to the investigation, and city officials aren't talking. Solon Patch will keep reporting this story. In the meantime, check out our previous stories and stay informed.
Friday, September 14, 2012
The city of Solon released a statement saying officials were investigating 'alleged irregularities' at the Solon Center for the Arts under the city's new fraud policy.
The city of Solon is investigating "alleged irregularities" at the Solon Center for the Arts, according to a statement from the city. The announcement comes a week after Karen Prasser resigned without explanation from her position as executive director at the Solon Center for the Arts. The city's statement does not go into detail about what is meant by "irregularities" but does says they were reported to Mayor Susan Drucker and the city council and will be handled according to the city's new fraud policy. City officials are also not talking about the case until a review is completed. Here is the complete statement: After learning of alleged irregularities stemming from the Solon Center of the Arts, a city department, the Law Director …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Solon Human Resources office confirmed that Karen Prasser resigned her position on Sept. 6.
UPDATED AT 3:35 P.M. THURSDAY: Karen Prasser has resigned as executive director of the Solon Center for the Arts. The Solon Human Resources Department confirmed that Prasser resigned on Sept. 6 via resignation letter. The letter, obtained by Solon Patch, does not indicate why Prasser resigned. It simply is a one-sentence announcement of her resignation. City Council's Vice Mayor Ed Kraus said he doesn't generally comment on personnel matters. "People leave, people resign for a whole host of reasons that I can't speculate on," he said. "She may have felt that she was ready to move on." Kraus said the staff at the SCA, with help from the Recreation Department, are making sure the center's various programs are operating effectively. "The …
Friday, March 23, 2012
Solon Center for the Arts Executive Director Karen Prasser said she has raised money for the project through sponsorships.
The Solon Center for the Arts is looking to build a patio with an outdoor stage by this summer and pay for it entirely through corporate sponsorships. The Arts Center is currently searching for an architect to design the patio, which Executive Director Karen Prasser said will create a unique gateway to the Arts Center by creating a multi-use space that can be an outdoor performance and classroom, a nice area to host events and fundraisers or just a peaceful space to read a book or listen to music. "This can be an entry into the city and the arts center," she said. "It would be a lovely outdoor space." The new patio would be built in the location of the existing one on the side of the building, which Prasser said is falling into disrepair. …
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"Italian Heritage Night at the Opera" at the Solon Center for the Arts will feature a performance of "Madama Butterfly" and an photography gallery show depicting Italian immigrants in America.
Is there anything more authentically Italian than opera? The Solon Italian Club doesn't think so. That's why the group is celebrating Italian Heritage Month by allying with the Solon Center for the Arts to present an "Italian Heritage Night at the Opera" on Oct. 8 at the SCA. The night will feature a performance of the famed Italian opera "Madama Butterfly," staring Marian Vogel as Cio-Cio San. There will also be a wine and cheese party and preview with Stage Director Johnathon Field 45 minutes before the show. Tickets for the show are $25. The wine and cheese party costs an additional $15. Despite word that the show is sold out, Dennis Castiglione with the Solon Italian Club said tickets are still available. Contact Castiglione at 440-781…
Jerry L
8:50 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012
HI, I have a Master of Music degree in performance; 15 years experience in Arts Administration working directly with The Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Music Center and Kent State University; produced hundreds of masterclasses, lectures, rehearsals, studio classes and private lessons along with 100 critically acclaimed professional concerts and over 200 student recitals her in Ohio; maintained … more ›