Commissioner Podulke-Smith selected for NACo Arts and Culture Innovation Council

Olmsted County Commissioner Laurel Podulke-Smith has been selected to serve on the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Arts and Culture Innovation Council. NACo’s Arts and Culture Innovation Council highlights national trends and county-level innovations that exemplify how the arts can support economic development and help address community challenges. The council also advises NACo on the organization’s arts and culture programming. 

According to Commissioner Podulke-Smith, counties invest in the arts for many reasons, including to strengthen local economies, beautify communities, celebrate cultural life, protect cultural heritage and historic resources, and support lifelong learning. 

“To a large extent, we have the arts to thank for our vibrant community,” said the commissioner.  

As a champion for the visual and performing arts, Podulke-Smith believes the arts are vital to our nation’s counties and worthy of our time, energy, and investment. 

“Arts and culture permeate our lives. The arts are going on in the background and the foreground all the time,” noted Podulke-Smith. 

Podulke-Smith’s recent arts advocacy includes serving as past member of the Rochester Civic Theater Board of Directors, and she will serve on the Center for the Performing Arts task force, as they navigate first steps in building a state-of-the-art performing arts center in the Rochester area. She is also co-founder of Olmsted County’s Transforming Trash Artist in Residence program. 

NACo's Arts and Culture Innovation Council typically hosts in-person educational content and peer networking activities at NACo Annual and Legislative conferences to amplify arts initiatives among conference participants. Additional virtual and in-person programming is guided by the council’s appointed leadership in partnership with NACo’s Arts and Culture sponsors and corporate partners, such as Americans for the Arts.