Podulke-Smith to serve on National Association of Counties Arts and Culture Innovation Council
- Apr 4
- 1 min read
ROCHESTER Post Bulletin — By Staff reports
March 09, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Olmsted County Commissioner Laurel Podulke-Smith has been named to the National Association of Counties Arts and Culture Innovation Council. The council highlights national trends and county-level innovations showing how the arts can support economic development and help address community challenges.
The council typically hosts in-person educational content and peer networking activities at National Association of Counties Annual and Legislative conferences to amplify arts initiatives among conference participants.
In a statement announcing her appointment to the national council, the District 1 commissioner said counties invest in the arts for many reasons, including to strengthen local economies, beautify communities, celebrate cultural life, protect cultural heritage and historic resources, and support lifelong learning. “Arts and culture permeate our lives,” she said. “The arts are going on in the background and the foreground all the time.”
Podulke-Smith is a former member of the Rochester Civic Theater Board of Directors and has voiced support for a proposed nonprofit Southeast MN Center for the Performing Arts, which is being considered for construction on the county-owned former Seneca Foods site.
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