A new employee of the Suffolk Art League has big ideas about spreading the organization’s offerings around this big city, and that’s a positive development.

Suffolk is huge, and even a casual observer would conclude after a daylong tour that it feels like three or four different places. From the suburban sprawl of North Suffolk to the bustle of downtown to the bucolic charm of the southern and western parts of the city can seem a drive far greater than the odometer shows.

Given the city’s geography, it is perhaps no wonder that organizations like the Suffolk Art League tend to concentrate their efforts in the downtown area where they’re located. It’s also understandable when folks from other parts of the city feel slighted by the lack of attention — whether it’s because of the unavailability of arts programs in North Suffolk or the limited selection of grocery shopping choices downtown.

Beth Netts, the Suffolk Art League’s new education coordinator, hopes to remedy at least one of those slights in her new position. One of her primary goals will be to expand the league’s educational opportunities to the northern part of the city, offering classes in an as-yet undetermined location.

“Our mission is to provide arts experiences for all of Suffolk, not just downtown,” Executive Director Linda Bunch said this week.

Bunch hits the nail on the head with her assessment. Currently, all of the art league’s wonderful classes are held at the Suffolk Art Gallery, located on Bosley Avenue, just a few blocks from city hall in downtown Suffolk. It doesn’t take an expensive survey to conclude that many of the folks who live in North Suffolk would consider it a burden to travel that far for an art class.

Congratulations to Netts on her new position, and congratulations to the art league for having the foresight to recognize that it must take its offerings on the road if it is to be considered an organization supporting all of Suffolk.