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Nancy Trovillion, Assistant Director for the NC Arts Council, calls Chatham County an “arts goldmine.” We have more artists per capita than just about any other county in the tarheel state. These spotlight articles help you learn more about our unique local talents and creative voices.

November 17, 2016

Meet This Artist: Ash and clay become art in the hands of Lara O’Keefe

Oak tree ash from her wood stove, red clay from the earth – there is a bit of Chatham County in nearly every piece of pottery Lara O-Keefe creates.* As someone who grew up here before heading out into the world, this represents a literal return to her native roots and soil.  “I spent my… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist, Uncategorized | Tagged With: Artist, ceramics, Chatham Artists Guild, Chatham County, kiln opening, moncure, Pittsboro, potter, pottery

October 3, 2016

Meet This Artist: Pain fueled creativity & spirit for Onicas Gaddis

Onicas Gaddis has only one photograph from his childhood. “This is me and my two brothers, Bart and Phillip, and my sister Josephine – before I was taken away,” he said. The photo is blurry, his siblings’ faces like a misty dream. When he said good-bye to his family, he had only his memory to keep… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist, Uncategorized | Tagged With: abstract, Artist, Chatham County, Chatham Mills, Collaboration, Community, Creativity, expressionism, Folk Art, hip hop, memoir, musician, North Carolina, painter, Pittsboro, rap, spirituality, writer

August 31, 2016

Meet This Artist: Sculptor Eddie White is exploring on a large scale

Sculptor Eddie White starts with a piece of paper or a thin sheet of plastic. He cuts intricate lines – sometimes parallel, sometimes curved – and carefully twists the ribs apart. The flat surface suddenly becomes dimensional. “What begins as a design consisting of two basic shapes can be manipulated in endless ways for different effects,”… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist | Tagged With: Artist, Chatham County, Come Out & Play Sculpture Show, Creative Process, North Carolina, Public Art, sculptor, sculpture, Silk Hope, steel

July 30, 2016

Meet This Artist: Allison Tierney is exploring the objectness of paint

Artist Allison Tierney is known for applying paint in a “non-traditional”style. But paint isn’t the only thing she is applying to her canvases. “My pieces often employ found items that are embedded within the frame and these objects bring with them histories and stories of their past,” she said. Even the scraps from her paintings… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist, Uncategorized | Tagged With: Art Show, Artist, Arts education, Chatham Arts Council, Community, Creative Process, emerging artist grant recipient, exploration, explore, foraged, found objects, gallery show, mixed media, painting, Pittsboro, recycled

June 2, 2016

Meet This Artist: Leandra Strope is empowering girls to find their voices

While other toddlers were smearing yogurt in their hair and coloring on the walls with crayons, Leandra Strope at age two was learning to play the violin. “My mother was committed to the idea that my brother and I would be musically literate,” said Leandra. By the time she was in elementary school, she had… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist | Tagged With: auditions, choir, Chorus, Community, concert, ensemble, girls, Music, performance, Recipients - Grassroots Arts Grants, Sisters' Voices, summer camp

April 27, 2016

Meet This Artist: Young Authors, Bright Lights

When Chatham County’s media coordinators put out a call for original stories, more than 500 elementary and middle school students delivered. Autobiographies, works of fiction, pop-ups books, poetry – they arrived in many forms. From this pool of literature, 50 were selected – representing the top picks from each public school. The authors of these… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist, Slideshow Featured | Tagged With: artists, Arts education, authors, books, Chatham County Schools, Literary Arts, Margaret Pollard Middle School, North Chatham Elementary, Siler City Elementary, students, writers

March 29, 2016

Meet this Artist: Liz Bliss is a Cirque Performer with a Flare

Chatham County artist Elizabeth Robertson (aka Liz Bliss) is a cirque performer, aerial artist, acrobat, stilt dancer, fire dancer and instructor. “I tend to think of myself more as a professional smile maker.  My goal is to inspire others to move, express and be,” she said. Though she pursued a career in public health and… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist, Slideshow Featured | Tagged With: acrobatics, aerial, arts, circus, cirque, costumes, Creative Culture, Cultural Events, dance, face painting, fire dancing, hooping, make-up, stilt walking, stilts, theater, theatre

March 6, 2016

Meet This Artist: Linda Booker fuses art and issues through documentaries

As a child, Linda Booker was especially drawn to these three things:  art, reading and the little brook that trickled near her home.  The latter provided a quiet retreat where her creativity and her passion for learning flourished. Thus when she founded a company in 2005, she chose the name By the Brook Productions through which… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist | Tagged With: art, beach, Chatham County, conservation, documentary, film, Media Arts, non-fiction, North Carolina, Pittsboro, plastics, video

December 18, 2015

Meet This Artist: Meredith Bridges – shoemaker, weaver, sculptor, teacher

Meredith Bridges can make herself a pair of shoes, weave a blanket, construct a pack basket and craft a shaker box. She does so with creative flare, a respect for her materials and a keen eye for detail. “Though I love making art and being in the studio, I am just as happy to help… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Meet this Artist, Slideshow Featured, Uncategorized | Tagged With: crafting, crafts, leather, leather working, leatherworking

November 26, 2015

Meet This Artist: Joey Howell Creates in Paints & Notes

In the deep woods of Chatham County, Joey Howell has found synchronicity between his two art forms. He plays music to create “visual imagery that transports the listener” and he paints visual images that “convey the rhythm, harmony and emotion of music.” There is a bold yen and yang flow between them – rather like… Read More →

By Bett Wilson Foley | Filed Under: Artist Close-Up, County Happenings, Events, Meet this Artist, Slideshow Featured, Uncategorized | Tagged With: Art Show, Artist, Chatham Artists Guild, Chatham County Studio Tour, Cultural Events, Joyful Jewell, Meet This Artist, musician, painter, Siler City, teaching artist

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Go See This

Go See This: 2025 Juneteenth Black Arts Festival

James Vose is a local business owner, US Army Veteran, and father. He currently serves as a Pittsboro Town Commissioner and is committed to generating a vibrant cultural community through projects like our Go See This series. Vose Natural Stone is proud to be our 2024-2025 sponsor. The arts are bringing joy this summer, we… Read More →

Meet This Artist

Meet This Artist: Performing Artist Koialina Gray

The Chatham Arts Council is investing in artists through our Meet This Artist series, introducing you to Chatham County’s creative community one interview at a time. This Meet This Artist feature is made possible with support from VRC, Ltd. In … Read More →


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