Minnetonka Schools honors arts advocate Scott Arley
The Minnetonka Alumni Association presented its Distinguished Service Award to Scott Arley, a Class of 2005 graduate who has spent his career making the arts accessible to marginalized communities across the Twin Cities and beyond.
Scott Arley received the Distinguished Service Award at an October 6 Minnetonka Public Schools meeting, recognizing his decades of work championing accessibility and inclusion in the arts. The award honors individuals who have demonstrated significant service to the greater good through leadership and volunteering.
Arley's career has centered on breaking down barriers in the arts world. He served as the first accessibility program director at the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, where he helped underrepresented artists secure vital resources. Beyond that role, he has advised or led numerous Twin Cities arts organizations, including Patrick's Cabaret, Mixed Blood Theater, Lightning Rod, Controlled Burn, and the West Bank Music Festival in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood.
Speakers highlighted how Arley's work stems from a deeply personal mission. "I never really felt like I belonged," Arley said during the presentation. "And so I made a career about making other people feel like they belong and finding my way into communities that I could build so that we could build them together and make them be what we want them to be."
Sarah Larson, who worked in Minneapolis after college, described Arley as someone who "orients himself around seeing gaps and seeing the needs, seeing the way that society could be but isn't yet, and devotes himself to building and filling those gaps." Larson credited Arley with advising her on arts funding early in her career.
Arley's impact extends nationally through his consulting work and involvement with arts organizations across the country. The award also recognized his mentorship of emerging artists and his coordination of a video project for LGBTQ alumni from Minnetonka, demonstrating his commitment to creating inclusive spaces within his own community.
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Votes (1)
Presentation of Distinguished Service Award to Scott Arley
The award recognized Scott Arley for his significant service in empowering marginalized voices through the arts, his pioneering work as the first accessibility program director at the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and his ongoing contributions through his consultancy and involvement with numerous arts organizations across the Twin Cities and nationally. Speakers highlighted his mentorship, advocacy, and dedication to building inclusive communities, particularly through his personal mission to create spaces where everyone belongs and to fill societal gaps.
Notable Quotes (3)
As the first accessibility program director at the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, he has helped underrepresented artists secure vital resources while been in the community through a creativity, mentorship, and advocacy.
Scott is one of those rare people who orients himself around seeing gaps and seeing the needs, seeing the way that society could be but isn't yet, and devotes himself to building and filling those gaps.
I never really felt like I belonged. And so I made a career about making other people feel like they belong and finding my way into communities that I could build so that we could build them together and make them be what we want them to be.
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