Expanding Opportunities, Making Connections, Building Community Annual Report 2021
Chatham Artists Guild Creating community among artists Connecting artists to the community
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he idea for the Chatham Artists Guild began as a program of the Chatham Arts Council in 1992—the Chatham County Open Studio Tour. In 2005 participants created an independent organization, building on the Tour to expand opportunities and activities specifically for Chatham County visual artists. Today the Guild is comprised of more than 60 members, from early and mid-career artists to established professionals, working in dozens of mediums. The Guild’s mission is to connect our community’s artists and arts patrons; and to provide educational and charitable activities and events to enrich and develop awareness and appreciation of the significance of the visual arts. Following are just a few of the highlights and activities of the Chatham Artists Guild in 2021.
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2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
Connecting artists and patrons … Chatham Studio Tour Following scaled-back activities in 2020 forced by the Pandemic, a reinvigorated 2021 Studio Tour showcased the work of 54 artists in 41studios around the county. Partnering with Chatham Magazine, the annual studio tour brochure was distributed to every subscriber, including all new homeowners in Chatham County, as well as to newsstands across the county. Guild members pitched in to further distribute brochures to shops, restaurants and businesses across the region. This signature event included the work of 10 artists participating in their first tour, most being “freshmen” members joining the Guild in 2021. Now in its 29th year, the Studio Tour is one of North Carolina’s oldest art tours and a model for others across the state. Held the first two weekends of December, it marks the beginning of the local holiday shopping season and features paintings, prints, sculpture, pottery, photography, jewelry, glass, leather, wood, digital, and fabric art for sale. With unseasonably perfect weather, almost 60% of studios reported between 100 and 500 visitors during the Tour and more than 65% of artists reported increased visitors and sales.
2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
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ArtsCenter Hosts Studio Tour Preview A traditional part of Tour festivities is the November Tour Preview Exhibition hosted by the ArtsCenter in Carrboro. More than 40 works by Guild Tour artists were on display. Guild members, friends, and art lovers attended the festive reception held in conjunction with the Chapel Hill/Carrboro 2nd Friday Artwalk. It was the perfect event to get a taste of the coming Studio Tour and to pick up the just released Studio Tour brochures.
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2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
Smelt Hosts All-Member Show New this year was a monthlong All-Member Exhibit at Pittsboro’s Smelt Art Gallery in the Chatham Beverage District. Held November 28–December 30, Collective provided a great first stop for Tour-goers to see works by a wide variety of Tour artists as well as other Guild members. It remained up for the community to enjoy throughout the holiday season. The reception on November 28, Artists Sunday, was part of the national campaign encouraging shoppers to purchase from artists, and give unique, original items as gifts for the holiday.
2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
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Connecting artists to the community
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hallmark of the year was the Guild’s focus on making connections—not only with art patrons, but also in the community and among our members. Utilizing technology and the varied expertise of our artists, the Guild enhanced communication strategies, participated in Chatham celebrations, supported local businesses, participated in art events, created exciting new art education vehicles, and collaborated on state and national arts initiatives.
CAG Website Performance During Studio Tour
Nov 14– Nov 14– Dec 14 Dec 14 % 2020 2021 Increase
Overall users 3,006 3,760 25% Overall Page Views 12,199 14,661 20% Tour Page Views 2,478 3,765 52% Brochure Downloads 825 1897 130% Tour Map Downloads 489 985 101%
Reaching Out to the Community ChathamArtistsGuild.org The Guild website expansion provides news, interviews, enhanced artist directories, a new platform to recognize our sponsors, and a hub for the Studio Tour with digital brochure, map, schedules, and updates. CAG Newsletter— More than 1500 regular subscribers receive the latest news from Guild artists six times each year, featuring new works, exhibits, awards, publications, open-studios, classes and workshops. Social Media On Facebook and Instagram, we now highlight Guild events and promote the work of Guild artists throughout the year. Posts are interspersed with intriguing, inspiring, and amusing visual arts posts from around the art world.
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2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
Enriching Community—Educational Activities Art Booths for Calico Makers Market Guild teaching artists collaborated with Calico Makers Market in April and October to create and supervise participatory Art Activities during the weekends of craft, live music, and fun that featured booths for makers and artists from Orange and Chatham Counties, including many Guild members. The art activities were so successful, they became the impetus for a new Emerging Artists Program, designed by Calico and the Education Committee for promising high school artists in the coming year.
Nature Journaling for Campers Guild artist Jane Eckenrode created a special nature journaling curriculum used by Chatham 4H and County Parks and Recreation for their 2021 Summer Camps. The extension service reported, “The activities built off each other so nicely for campers that came week after week, but were still engaging and inclusive to those that did not attend every week. The hands-on opportunity for children to learn about plants and gardening was a great use of program time. Children got to practice curiosity and develop new skills.” The six-week program served more than 300 Chatham County youth.
Annual Student Exhibition Each year, in conjunction with Chatham County Schools, the Guild presents exemplary work of young K–12 artists in the Annual Student Art Show and Reception. This year’s exhibit featured drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, and more. Work from the classes of the system’s 18 visual arts faculty was on display during December in historic Chatham Mills. 2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
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Working in Community with the Arts across North Carolina and Beyond
The Guild served as one of 31 partner organizations for Chatham 250, the year-long celebration commemorating the county’s 250th anniversary. Members contributed to the Creative Arts celebration theme by developing artist profiles, articles for their social media campaign, and participating in the Chalk Festival with organizational and member booths.
The Guild became an organizational member of Arts NC, our statewide advocacy organization for the arts—”Uniting people and communities to strengthen and celebrate a creative North Carolina.” Guild president Gina Harrison serves as a member of the Arts NC Board of Directors.
Highlighting the Studio Tour, CAG participated in Spark the Arts, NC Arts Council’s public awareness campaign to inspire public participation in the arts across North Carolina by highlighting the unique way the arts lift spirits, bring people together, and heal.
The November 28 Reception for the All-Member Exhibition, Collective, was organized as a part of Artists Sunday. This nationwide art-shopping event included more than 500 local community organizations and 4000 individual artists across the country. Artists Sunday’s mission is “to encourage shopping with local artists, creators, and makers during the holiday season” and is dedicated to “supporting artists and recognizing the impact they have enriching lives, communities, and the economy.” 8
2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
Creating community among artists Building Community among Guild Members 2021 New Members This year the Guild welcomed 10 new members who work in a variety of media. Chris Campbell Ceramics “Buck” Dickgraber Painting Timothy Dowdall Photography Lynn Flyer Ceramics Ric Harber Leather Anna Julian Ceramics, Mixed Media, Woodworking Kathleen Millikan Painting Steevie Jane Parks Painting “Boots” Quimby Painting Hamidou Sissoko Sculpture In addition to regular meetings for the board, committees, and the entire membership during the year, new communication vehicles were created to serve the Guild. Each month, Member News provides a calendar of events, meeting links, calls for art, professional development opportunities, and items of interest. Friday afternoon virtual Happy Hours offer the chance to socialize with fellow members with no set agenda. And the Guild’s Website Member Resources provides a handy location to access bylaws, rosters, policy documents, instructional guides, and tip sheets.
2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
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Acknowledging Community
Guild Awarded Grassroots Grant CAG was proud to be one of seven Chatham organizations awarded a 2021 Grassroots Arts Grant. The grant was made to support Studio Tour activities as well as Membership Drive marketing efforts. Grassroots Arts Grants range from $500 to $2,500, and are typically used for program or operating expenses for arts organizations. This year’s review panel focused on the artistic quality of the proposed project, community impact, fair payment to artists, and outreach to diverse and/or underserved communities, among other elements. “This year’s Grassroots Arts Grants recipients are an exemplary representation of the variety of quality arts experiences in Chatham County,” explained Martin Frost, CAC Board member. “We are pleased to award these grants, and to provide key support to organizations whose projects aim to enrich the Chatham community through the arts.” Grassroots Arts Grants are made possible by contributions to the Chatham Arts Council’s general operating fund and through the generous assistance of the Grassroots Arts Program of the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Many of the highlights noted in this report are made possible by community contributions. Technology provided the perfect vehicle to thank the generous people, businesses and organizations who support the Guild throughout the entire year. With our new sponsorship program, we transitioned from printed ads in our Tour Brochures to year-long online sponsorships. We now display website links on our Sponsorship page as well as in our CAG Newsletter and in social media. We encourage you and all friends of the Guild to support them in return.
Platinum North Carolina Arts Council Chatham Arts Council Gold Chapel in the Pines Galloway Ridge at Fearrington Weaver Street Realty Silver Belle Fleur Graphic Design Chatham Clay Studio Chatham Marketplace French Connections ghDesigns Mark Hewitt Pottery New Horizons Pittsboro Gallery of Arts Postal Fish Company Reynolds & Associates Physical Therapy, Inc. Smelt Art Gallery The Sycamore at Chatham Mills Thirsty Skull Brewing Bronze Angelina’s Kitchen Bynum Front Porch Melanie Diana Heather Gerni New Karma for Old Threads Pittsboro Farmers Market Carolyn Rhinebarger, Contemporary Artist Triangle Weavers 2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
2021 Chatham Artists Guild
Jim Aiken Julio (Lee) Alberdi Beth Bale Vidabeth Bensen Kristin Bergsten Colleen Black Semelka Michael Blotzer* Shannon Bueker Chris Campbell Lani Chaves, Past Co-President Jeffrey Clark Jonathan Clark Linda Collura Karen Crowell, Secretary, (non-voting) Carolyn Curtis Martha Danek William “Buck” Dickgraber Doug Dotson Timothy Dowdall Jane Eckenrode Kathy Flood Lynn Flyer Pamela Freese Minnie Gallman* Sarah Graham Eva Green Forrest C. Greenslade, PhD Amanda Greiner Craig Greiner Ric Harber
2021 Chatham Artists Guild Annual Report
Gina Harrison, President Mark Hewitt Louise Hobbs Anna Julian Lee Kazanas* Marsha Kitkowski* Selden D. Lamoureux Cat Mahin, Past Co-President Scott Meyer Kathleen Millikan William Moore Gretchen Niver Lara O’Keefe Leslie Palmer Steevie Jane Parks Vince Pitelka, Vice-President Bryn “Boots” Quimby Janet Resnik Carolyn Rhinebarger* Janice Rieves Eric Saunders Rusty Sieck Hamidou Sissoko Annabelle Stein Diane Swan Michael Thompson Barry Udis, Treasurer Amy Wandless* Gregory Wandless Heather Washburn* (non-voting)
Linda Callihan Watkins Bronwyn Watson Monnda Welch Karen West* Andrew Wilson*
* Member, Board of Directors
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This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources NCArts.org
Chatham Artists Guild | PO Box 1024 | Pittsboro, NC 27312 | ChathamArtistsGuild.org Chatham Artists Guild is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization EIN 41-2179353