The mission of MACOA is to promote and strengthen the cultural environment in all segments of the area served by Mineral Area College by creating and supporting opportunities for the community to experience the arts locally and at an affordable cost.

Mineral Area Council on the Arts (MACOA) began in 1982 as a steering committee formed by Dr. Dixie Kohn at Mineral Area College called the Mineral Area College Arts Council. The charge of the group was to bring cultural events and a broader exposure of fine arts to the college campus. From this organization developed the independent Mineral Area Council on the Arts, which, in 1989, established its own bylaws and received IRS 501(c)3 non-profit tax designation and in 1990 registered its Articles of Incorporation with the State of Missouri.  The organization, through a partnership with Mineral Area College was able to hire its first Executive Director, Betty Schaper, who served in the role for many years until her retirement in 2010.

Subsequent Executive Directors of Mineral Area Council on the Arts have been Roxanna Cummings who served from 2010 until her retirement in 2013, Danielle Basler who served from 2013 until 2019, and Scottye Adkins served from 2019 until 2022. The current Executive Director, Tiffany Gallaher, has been serving since November of 2022.

In addition to the Executive Director, the Council is led by a Board of Directors of eight men and women from throughout the region who dedicate themselves to bringing quality arts and cultural events to our community. To this day, MACOA maintains a close relationship with Mineral Area College, and you will find the office in the Fine Arts Building on the college’s campus.

Initial programs of the Mineral Area College Arts Council included concerts by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Brass Quintet. Many in our community will recall the annual presentation of the full St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in the Mineral Area College Field House, which was the organization’s main event throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s.

More recently, MACOA has focused on bringing a diverse series of events to the community, including a long-running K-12 Student Art Show which draws thousands of art entries from local school districts each spring and a growing K-12 student light pole banner art contest in several local communities. A typical performance season now includes a mix of free and ticketed shows, workshops, concerts, theatrical performances and exhibits by local, regional, and national artists

The current Mineral Area Council on the Arts Board takes seriously the responsibility to continue the traditions established years ago by Dr. Kohn and the original Mineral Area College Arts Council. We look forward to the future and providing opportunities for our region to experience the arts locally.