Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz has appointed a sitting member of the current Jasper Community Arts Commission as the city’s new Jasper Arts Director.
28-year old Kyle Rupert of Jasper will succeed Kit Miracle on May 1st. Miracle is retiring April 30 after 17 years of service to the City of Jasper including the last 10 as Arts Director.
In a release Seitz states Rupert in his tenure on the Arts Commission has demonstrated an understanding of the historical role the arts has played in Jasper the last 40 years. They mayor points out that with his background in the performing arts, media education and technology, he feels Rupert is equipped for the opportunities on the horizon as well.
Rupert has spent years working in and around the arts, both on and off the stage.
While earning a degree in Radio & Television Broadcasting at the University of Southern Indiana, Rupert studied theatre where he performed in numerous productions and also assisted in the development of an off-Broadway musical. He then returned to Jasper and, soon after, began volunteering with Actors Community Theatre where he became a board member. He was appointed to the Jasper Arts Commission by the Jasper Common Council in 2014.
Rupert says the Arts Department has been a catalyst of Jasper’s growth through ingenuity for 40 years. He says with the addition of the Jasper Cultural Center, prominently located in a Downtown ready to explode with activity, the department has a lot of work ahead of it.
Rupert has been with Matrix Integration for nearly four years. He and his wife Molly live in Jasper.
