New 2VS Director eager to contribute to community

SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Sam Arroyo has been chosen as the new 2 Valleys Stage (2VS) Director after Kirsten McGlynn accepted a position with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra. Arroyo looks forward to continuing the 2VS tradition of bringing quality performers to the area communities and schools.

The daughter of Cheryl and Gary Lewis, Arroyo grew up in Seeley Lake. She learned community commitment from her parents who have been actively involved in Lion's Club and other Seeley Lake organizations for years. Marriage and other life opportunities took Arroyo from Hawaii to Washington before returning her to Seeley Lake. Along the way, she accumulated an Associates Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Montana and a Bachelor's Degree in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Seattle.

The Arroyos' move from Seattle back to Seeley Lake was a deliberate one. Arroyo said she and her husband craved the small-town community life, both for themselves and for their two daughters.

Arroyo said, "Being a part of the community and putting your efforts into improving things and helping our community is something we've always wanted to do. That's a lot harder to do in a larger city and you kind of feel like you're treading water, whereas here you can see that your efforts really do make a difference and do mean something to people."

Thinking back on her years as an elementary and high school student in the Seeley Lake schools, Arroyo could only recall a few scattered instances of fine arts enrichment: visits by Jack Gladstone merging music with Native American culture, student plays guided by Cliff Nelson which included associated enhancement opportunities. She considers the performances 2VS brings to the local schools five times each year a "huge improvement" and "a really great opportunity for the kids."

Arroyo has a diverse background in the arts, focused primarily on sculpting and 3-D computer graphics. She also has a love of music.

Arroyo said, "I've always loved music and loved to sing. I did some choir and some voice classes when I was going through college. That's what drew me to 2 Valleys Stage."

Other qualifications Arroyo has that she feels will be valuable for a 2VS director stem from experience gained through her professional job. She works remotely as an art director for Seattle-based Lakshya Digital which builds 3-D images and other assets for computer video games, consoles like X-box and Play Station and other gaming devices. One of Arroyo's duties is to synchronize the teams' artwork with the clients' expectations. Though the job is high pressure, she said she finds it very rewarding because the teams are so passionate about their work and their art.

Arroyo said she sees a lot of similarities between those duties and the requirements of a 2VS director. Both require a lot of communication and a lot of cooperation. The 2VS director needs to be able to balance the needs of the community, the schools and the performers. She needs to handle any unexpected issues that arise so the various needs of the guest artists are met and they feel welcome and able to do their jobs.

Another issue Arroyo would like to help improve is transitioning across the age gap. The majority of the 2VS supporters and participants are older members, those who have been involved for years in building the community.

Arroyo said, "We [adult community members with young children] have actually been gifted this community and we have to keep it running. But I don't think our generation quite gets that it's our job to do that for our kids. [My challenge is] to help them see that [the community] needs them. We need to hand off some of these responsibilities and give them the opportunity to shape their community in the direction they would like to see it go."

One way Arroyo sees to do this is by creating more of an online presence for 2VS."Honestly," she said. "That's the really solid way to reach the younger people. They don't go out to the coffee shop and mingle or even read the daily paper anymore. They get everything on their social media sites. So that's the way to get the younger group engaged."

Arroyo concluded, "If you can get to the heart of the people – this community has such a large heart. They love to give as long as they feel like they are being recognized and appreciated. I think they'll continue to support this program because it is such a wonderful gift to the community."