Thomas L. Turk Papers

Background on Tom Turk

A native of Indiana, Tom Turk played a significant role in the growth of state and community arts agencies across five decades. After receiving his AB in Creative Writing from De Pauw (1958) and MA in radio, television and film from Michigan State (1960), Turk was hired as Fine Arts Producer at WKAR-TV (1963-1981), the public television station in East Lansing. At a time when the field of arts management was in its infancy, he quickly established a reputation as an effective organizer and advocate for the arts and he became a pioneer in the development of community arts agencies.

A tireless worker, Turk took a leading, and sometimes formative role in developing community arts agencies, often serving several organizations at once. During his years in Michigan, he served as the President of the Metropolitan Lansing Fine Arts Council (1975-1977) and as the founding chair (later president) of the Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies (1977), a statewide arts service and advocacy organization. In 1980, he was appointed by the Governor to become a member of the Michigan Council for the Arts. After relocating to Texas in 1981, he served as Executive Director of the Cultural Activities Center, in Temple, Texas, a creative and performing arts venue (1981-1991) and then as Director of the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council (1991-1993).

Beyond these primary appointments, however, Turk became well known as an active figure in state and national arts organizations. As consultant, board member, and speaker, he assisted over a dozen state arts agencies and service groups and he served on the Executive Board of the National Assembly of Community Arts Agencies (later the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies), and in 1999-2000, as president of the United States Urban Arts Federation, the association of local arts council and commission directors in the nation's fifty largest cities.

Turk accepted a position as Executive Director of the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission in 1993, and was instrumental in building an effective public art program for the city and ann organizational structure that allowed the Commission to flourish. During his time at the helm, he helped quadruple the organization's appropriations and through its granting programs and assistance in obtaining local, state and federal funding, helped to spur the expansion of local arts organizations in the region. Since retiring in 2003, Turk has worked as a consultant to non-profit arts agencies in management, advocacy, programming, and grants writing.