Claude Peck is fine arts editor at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, the biggest-circulation daily in Minnesota. He supervises reporters and freelance writers in the paper's coverage of visual art, architecture, dance, classical music, theater, urban design and books. He writes a weekly column for the Sunday Star Tribune. Previously, he was editor of the Twin Cities Reader, a 100,000-circulation alternative newsweekly.Before that he worked at Mpls.St.Paul, a monthly city magazine, first as a writer and later as managing editor and executive editor. His NAJP fellowship was in winter-spring, 2005.

Peck wants to see NAJP reborn, and foresees that this can happen with a combination of baby steps and big ideas. Small steps include keeping alive the energy of Philadelphia, forming this board, harnessing the good will and ideas of NAJP alum and friends, controlling the intellectual property and activating a listserv and website. Big ideas include finding a funder as generous and committed as Pew was in the early days, getting a full-time staffer funded and hired, locating a hosting institution and reestablishing the fellowship program. In both big and small ways we need to be mindful of the changes that are reshaping the media before our very eyes. The biggest idea of all, one that we all need to keep in mind, is that the arts matter in the culture, and arts journalism has a key role to play in connecting artists and art forms with readers and potential audiences.

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