Judging by the lovely emails and phone calls we’ve been getting, kids and parents from Chatham and beyond have definitely missed their annual visit to Critterville this spring! We are so grateful for your patience and support. Fear not! ClydeFEST 2016 is in the works for September 24! Yep, you read that right. ClydeFEST is… Read More →
Arts Education Spotlight: March is Students’ Month to Shine
It’s March! —That special month in the school year when we celebrate all things Arts. Youth Art Month (YAM), Theatre in Our Schools Month(TIOS), Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM), and Dance in our schools. In the fall, communities show support for arts education during National Arts in Education Week. March is the time for students… Read More →
Arts Education Spotlight: Sharon Allen—Bit by Bit, Putting It Together
Chatham County Schools’ (CCS) Arts Education faculty is a group of 42 educators—teaching visual arts, instrumental music, choral music, theatre arts, photography and dance—in 17 schools, in diverse communities, with students across a ten+ year age span. In addition to a teacher’s particular specialty, they also teach their discipline’s history, technique, performance, critical evaluation, and… Read More →
Meet This Artist: Serena Ebhardt Entertains, Educates & Enlightens
It’s not so much that you wouldn’t recognize Serena. It’s just that when you ask people if they know Serena Ebhardt, you’re likely to get so many different descriptions, you’d think they can’t possibly all be talking about the same woman. “She’s the petite, blond powerhouse—you know, the triple threat actor, singer, dancer, right? I saw her… Read More →
Bringing Theatre Residencies to Chatham Elementary School Students
Imagine if Jackie Robinson, the all-star African-American baseball player, were still alive and able to share his first-hand account of how he pushed the color barrier in America. Would we see the courage in his gait? Hear the lilt of frustration in his voice? Some Chatham County students will have the opportunity to experience what… Read More →
Chatham Joins State in National Celebration
In 2010, US House Resolution #275 designated the second week of September as “Arts in Education Week,” a time to focus a national spotlight on arts education and publically recognize and celebrate the positive impact arts education has for our students, schools, and communities. This week the Chatham Arts Council and Chatham County Schools join millions of… Read More →
Annual Meeting: The State of ChathamArts
This is the address given by Board President Lesley Landis during the Annual Meeting for 2012: Welcome to the ChathamArts Annual Meeting. Your presence tonight makes you a shareholder of sorts in ChathamArts as some of our operational money comes from the admission you pay at the door. Thank you for supporting local! This year… Read More →
An Immersion at the Arts Integration Institute
So I have to admit I was a little hesitant about going to this year’s workshop at The United Arts Council Arts Integration Institute, provided by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County (supported in part by the N.C. Arts Council) and located at the Cary Arts Center. But why? After all it… Read More →
Arts Advocacy Part I: Arts in Education
by Molly Matlock, Executive Director of ChathamArts This week, Gina Harrison and I presented to our County Board of Commissioner about the vital role of Arts in economic development, public education and in building a healthier, stronger, more connected community overall. We would like to invite you to become arts advocates alongside us! You will… Read More →
Do we know what we mean when we say “Partnership?”
by Molly Matlock, Executive Director of ChathamArts Last night, ChathamArts convened our quarterly Arts-in-Education committee meeting. We learned that about many new arts integration efforts across the county. Of course, the term “partnership” arose repeatedly, as it has with almost everything our agency does. The economic shifts of the past several years have created an… Read More →