Andrew Pinard is the founder of Hatbox Theatre.
On Friday, August 4, Virginia (Ginnie) Lupi will end her tenure as director of the NH State Council on the Arts. Most of New Hampshire’s residents will have no idea who she is, but almost all have been impacted by her work in a positive way.
I met Ginnie in Portsmouth where she was attending one of her first arts events in the state. As an artist and staunch arts advocate, Ginnie had just entered the position in 2014 and dove deep into the waters of the arts community in New Hampshire. This was the first of hundreds of in-person opportunities Ginnie provided local arts organizations throughout the state.
Her time at the helm of the NH State Council on the Arts was not without challenges, but her optimism and kindness made everyone she works with feel special and their work important. This is because they are, and their work is. This was something Ginnie gently reminds us of on a daily basis.
Ginnie assisted organizations in crisis, encouraged growth and change for those who would benefit from it, and recruited folks to support key efforts to improve the arts community. She worked to transform the Council’s processes and worked hard to encourage many individual artists and organizations to get involved and apply for funding.
They say that a rising tide lifts all boats. Somehow, Ginnie helped to move the ocean ensuring that all organizations benefited; from the largest groups with deep donor bases to the solo artists just beginning to dip their toes in the water.
During the “not-so-great” hiatus, when cultural arts venues were the first to close and last to reopen, Ginnie was a life preserver. She brought and continues to bring organizations together. Her leadership ensured that New Hampsh-based artists and organizations were connected to one another during a pandemic that threatened to drown them all. Fierce and funny, Ginnie led efforts to meet and advocate for state funding that helped many groups weather the storm. While things are still not back to normal for all of the fleet, we are in far better shape than we might have been. This was one small, public way that Ginnie helped. No one can ever know the full impact of the boundless energy and work she has expended on our behalf.
I am grateful, both personally and professionally, for everything Ginnie has done for me and for our state. She has our love, our appreciation, and our best wishes as she sets sail under her own wind. The State of NH and its residents are blessed to have had her working for us and I sincerely hope that she will stick around and continue working to help us navigate the ever changing waters to better our communities.