{"id":482,"date":"2018-08-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nice-cori.104-207-151-122.plesk.page\/?p=482"},"modified":"2018-08-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-01T00:00:00","slug":"artistic-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/artistic-impact","title":{"rendered":"Around Woodstock | Artist Impact | Woodstock GA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Artists make their mark across all media.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s Tuesday, past noon, and I\u2019m 5 minutes late for my weekly meeting with Christopher Brazelton<\/strong>, executive director of Elm Street Cultural Arts Village. I trot from the parking lot to the Elm Street offices, where the double doors glow with painted, larger-than-life drama masks. The faces of comedy and tragedy are a nod not only to Elm Street\u2019s year-round theater productions, but also the painting prowess of the visual artists who call Elm Street home.<\/p>\n

\"Debbie
Debbie Tidwell\u2019s classes are popular.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just inside, the buzz of voices and laughter emanates from artist Debbie Tidwell<\/strong>\u2019s bustling studio, filled with students three mornings a week. They come to learn to paint, and they stay, as far as I can tell, for years.<\/p>\n

I first met Debbie when our two studios were outposts in the virtual ghost town of Woodstock, late 2006. The old depot had just opened as (the now defunct) Right Wing Tavern. There were no high-rise condos, no row of shops on Main Street\u2019s east side. Debbie and I wondered, how can we create a \u201cgallery walk\u201d to get folks here? We recruited three other business owners, Cheryl of Seven Arrows, Al with Interior Illusions and Ellen of Foxtale Bookshop. We waffled a bit between Saturday Night Live and Friday Night Live, finally deciding which night on a coin-flip.<\/p>\n

And that was the birth of Woodstock\u2019s Friday Night Live.<\/p>\n

Now, the community of Debbie\u2019s painters have become loyal theater advocates, some serving as Elm Street volunteers (called visionaries) for activities ranging from painting sets to serving Reformation beer in the theater lounge.<\/p>\n

Seeing Debbie, I make a mental checkmark. I\u2019ve just received an article request from Candi Hannigan, senior editor of this magazine. Candi\u2019s email notes that August is American Artist Appreciation Month and asks whether I would be willing to write about other artists? Yes, I say, with the caveat that the theme is \u201chow artists impact community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie, I think, is a prime example.<\/p>\n

I refocus on the meeting with Christopher. He\u2019s busy. We leapfrog through a laundry list of Elm Street topics \u2013 board recruitment, budget items, plan approvals for the reconstructed Reeves House, the visual arts center of Elm Street.<\/p>\n

\"Kristina
Kristina Havens with her Woodstock vignettes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leaving, my thoughts light on another artist \u2014 Kristina Havens<\/strong>. A few years after opening my Woodstock studio, I invited Kristina to join me there, where she became a vital force in growing the downtown arts scene. A tour de force in figure painting and portraiture, Kristina led classes and open studio sessions with models every Wednesday night. Recruiting national name artists to teach weeklong workshops, Kristina brought art enthusiasts from around the Southeast to Woodstock, introducing them to the surprisingly urban vibe of this Atlanta suburb.<\/p>\n

Kristina\u2019s generous gift to the community was a collection of paintings, The Woodstock Vignettes, which she auctioned off one beautiful September night in a benefit for Elm Street Arts Center. Kristina is her usual articulate self when I call: \u201cMain Street Woodstock provided me with endless \u2013 spontaneous \u2013 inspiration, and that was the real beauty that I was privileged to capture.\u201d Kristina recently has explored other artistic avenues, from haunting nature scenes to stunning custom embellished clothing.<\/p>\n

\"Kim
Kim Bates, far left, with photography club members on an outing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I drive away from Elm Street, I call Mary Akers<\/strong>, executive director of the Cherokee Arts Center in Canton. Among her suggestions for artists with \u201ccommunity impact\u201d is photographer Kim Bates<\/strong>. Kim and I served together on the Cherokee Arts Center board in Canton, where Kim has been a lynchpin in the photography community \u2014 the founder and president of the Cherokee Photography Club. Kim is characteristically modest: \u201cIn 2004, digital photography was just becoming popular. The club just sorta happened \u2014 I was friends with the president of the Cobb Photography Club, and I decided to start one for Cherokee County.\u201d Since then, Kim has been president, organizing speakers for the group meetings, monthly exhibits in the Arts Center, and club field trips to places such as Boston and Cape Romaine \u2014 all the while amassing a remarkable photography portfolio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat drives you?\u201d I ask. Kim\u2019s quiet voice rises. \u201cI believe the arts are just as important to a city as retail stores \u2013 when you visit places like Asheville, Greenville, Sedona, you can see that the arts are the reason these places are so vital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fred
Fred Ellis fires his pottery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next, is clay artist Fred Ellis<\/strong>. Fred also serves on the CAC board, but his connection with many Cherokee artists is that he and his wife Laura Ellis<\/strong> organized a regional holiday studio tour, the North Georgia Arts Ramble. The two artists were a whirlwind, securing sponsors and creating an exciting studio circuit with a colorful map and website. For several years, their Ramble connected artists and patrons all over the county, for a glorious weekend of holiday shopping and art.<\/p>\n

Fred relates that he and Laura both retired from the Georgia State Patrol, after which Laura promptly signed him up for a clay class, \u201cto get me out of the house.\u201d He laughs. After that, their involvement in the community mushroomed. Fred now holds the office of president of the Georgia Clay Council, with Laura as secretary. They travel and show their work, but Fred says he loves best the school tours: \u201cTo see their little faces when you take the wheel and throw a pot! One little girl got REALLY excited and said, \u2018Will you come home and be MY grampa?!\u2019 It\u2019s exposing them to the arts. Showing the kids they can create work in clay and sell it \u2013 that is a great experience for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annalyssa
Annalysa Kimball is the Woodstock mural artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next morning, I wake early to paint, and then text Annalysa Kimball<\/strong>, the artist who won the mural commission for the city of Woodstock. For months, she has perched on scaffolding along Mill Street, painting in the cold and heat. I\u2019m eager to hear about her experience.<\/p>\n

Her project research was impressive: She interviewed dozens of business people, community leaders, fellow artists (her insightful questions were probing). Today, she reflects back: \u201cI think I got this job because, when they asked me what ideas I had for the project, I said, \u2018NONE!\u2019 I\u2019m a blank slate, just like the wall, for the community to share with me what should be their story.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, Annalysa circled back to me. She said she had painted scenes of Woodstock\u2019s past and present, but, in wrapping up, she wanted to include Woodstock\u2019s future. She thought of the Reeves House \u2013 could she show a few of us in front of it, looking at plans? I reached out to Founding Artistic Director Gay Grooms<\/strong>. Gay moved to Florida to care for her father, now in his 90s. She couldn\u2019t come, but she could stage a photo and send it! Gay\u2019s beautiful silver hair falls in waves as she looks over Reeves House plans, her figure magically inserted in paint among Shawn, me and Christopher.<\/p>\n

I was happy to know Annalysa will be painting our community\u2019s future, with a picture of the old Reeves House, reborn as an arts center.<\/p>\n

The arts bring vibrancy and beauty to a community. I believe that, as long as there are artists, these things live on.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Ann Litrel, artist who lives in Towne Lake<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<!–<\/p>\n

–>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artists make their mark across all media. It\u2019s Tuesday, past noon, and I\u2019m 5 minutes late for my weekly meeting with Christopher Brazelton, executive director of Elm Street Cultural Arts Village. I trot from the parking lot to the Elm Street offices, where the double doors glow with painted, larger-than-life drama masks. The faces of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"aroundwoodstoc","author_link":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/author\/aroundwoodstoc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroundwoodstockmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}