Spiva Center for the Arts Trades Paint Brushes for Golf Clubs at First Art on the Green Golf Classic

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Spiva Center for the Arts traded paint brushes for golf clubs Sept. 29 as it hosted its first-ever Art on the Green Golf Classic at Briarbrook Golf Course in Carl Junction.

The fundraising event brought together golf enthusiasts and supporters of the arts for a day on the course while raising money for Spiva's programs, classes, exhibits and community outreach efforts.

The tournament featured a 9 a.m. shotgun start, with prizes awarded for first, second and third place teams. Participants also competed in contests including Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Hole in One and a Poker Run.

Paige Mock, marketing and impact strategist for Spiva, said the organization was excited about the support surrounding its first golf tournament.

"This is the first golf tournament for Spiva, and we are so excited for all the support we are getting to raise money for Spiva's programs, classes, exhibits, our outreach…just everything that brings the community together for the love of art," Mock said. "Art really matters in so many ways to so many people. It's just a beautiful thing to see."

Mock said the event was also designed to introduce Spiva to people who may not have previously visited the center.

"We wanted to reach a new audience, get other people engaged who may have never come into the building," she said.

Bringing Golf and Art Together

The idea to combine golf and art came from the passion of people involved with Spiva.

Mock said it started with Caley Churchwell, a committee member and Heather Lessmeister, Spiva's executive director.

"Caley has always been a golf lover. She is just amazing, incredible, and she's got a passion for golf," Mock said. "She suggested we try this. Heather has also held some golf tournaments in the past. It was kind of a combined effort to make this happen for Spiva."

The event provided an opportunity for two different groups, people passionate about golf and people passionate about the arts, to come together in support of the community.

Supporting Access to the Arts

Spiva Center for the Arts is a nonprofit community art center located at the Cornell Complex in Joplin. The center offers art classes and free exhibits for people of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels.

The organization relies on donations and fundraising efforts to help make its programs accessible to the community.

Lessmeister said proceeds from the golf tournament will support a variety of Spiva programs, including scholarships and community outreach.

"This has been a labor of love, Lessmeister said. "We are real artsy in our area, and it's been great to see the merriment between people who love golf and art come together and raise funds for things like scholarships, our community outreach programs. "It's been a really cool journey to see how this has all come together."

Lessmeister said Spiva serves people across a wide range of ages, with classes available for students from 18 months old through adults.

"The money will go to a lot of things. There are a lot of things Spiva does, she said. "Were not just art galleries. Those are free and accessible to everybody in the community to come in anytime, but we also have programming. We have classes available to all age groups. 18 months to 96 is our oldest student."

For those who may not be able to afford classes, Spiva offers scholarships to help ensure cost does not prevent people from participating.

"Spiva is all about access," Lessmeister said. "We have scholarships people can apply for."

For Lessmeister, the tournament was about more than raising money. She also hoped it would introduce new people to what Spiva has to offer.

"I've always loved a good event, so seeing people that may not normally know what Spiva does because of their love of golf and our passion of art, maybe they will come visit us and just check us out and see not only what we can do for them but for their families as well," she said.

Through the Art on the Green Golf Classic, Spiva aimed to expand its reach beyond the walls of its art center while supporting its mission to make the arts accessible throughout the community.