Pam Atchison, Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Long-Standing Executive Director, Navigates towards Retirement with Legacy of Achievements

Shreveport Arts Council Director set to retire

Pam Atchison, the esteemed Executive Director of Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC), treads the path to retirement with grace and a bag full of accomplishments. Over a successful and eventful career spanning 38 years, Atchison’s contribution to the arts in Shreveport and her endeavors towards nurturing an arts community are utterly commendable.

Farewell to SRAC, Welcoming new Challenges

The announcement of Atchison’s departure from SRAC, slated for year’s end, goes hand in hand with her stepping into a new role as the director of Christmas in the Sky. Rebecca Bonnevier is already primed to step into her shoes as the new Executive Director of SRAC. “In six months, we’ll have Christmas in the Sky, and I’ll be out,” said Atchison. She has been accustomed to working with six-month goals throughout her career, and her retirement announcement further bolsters that tradition.

Legacy at SRAC

The legacy that Atchison leaves behind at SRAC and in Shreveport’s art scene at large is compelling. Her tenure has seen the creation of the celebrated ArtBreak, reinventing the Texas Street Bridge and bringing to life a vibrant arts community in downtown Shreveport. Additionally, she actively took part in rescuing the struggling organization in 1986 by launching the Dinosaur Campaign with Chairman Sandi Kallenberg. Collecting an impressive $300,000 just six months after the launch, this campaign revitalized the organization.

Bouncing Back From the Brink

The SRAC found itself in dire straits once more in 2009 when their Princess Park location was decimated in a deliberate fire. Despite the setbacks, the Shreveport community came together, buoyed by city leaders, to support the arts and the SRAC. Notably, Mayor Cedric Glover turned the crisis around by designating the 1922 Central Fire Station to SRAC, an action that led to the raising of $6 million and eventual transformation of the historic Central Artstation.

SRAC’s Future

Today, illustrated by the graceful Central Artstation, which serves as the headquarters, and other attractions such as Artspace and Caddo Common Parks, SRAC stands as a testimony to the resilience and enduring vision of its contributors, and, in particular, Pam Atchison. As she steps away from her role at SRAC, she leaves behind a legacy and an organization that continues to progress in serving the community’s need for arts. She proudly states, “We have had a solid base of support, but we are a responsive organization. We don’t just sit in a corner and think, ‘Oh, what could we do next?’ It’s where’s the community need.”