board development , reorganization, and stabilization, as well as, budgets
for any proposed programming, such as, arts in education. With the budget
considerations, we are seeking funding to return the position of Executive
Director from a part time position to a full time one,
I'm pleased to announce that the Board of Directors for this year will be
installed soon and the slate of nominees are:
1. Mr. Eric McKinney ..... Current President
2.Ms. Stephanie Fritz..... Current Secretary
3. Hank Willett................. Current Treasurer
4.Carol Beddingfield..... Exe. Dir. of the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce
5.Robert Moehr.............. Board Member of Landmarks, Inc.
6.Katherine Ables.......... Choral and English Teacher at Fort Payne High
7.Nancy Copes Elliott.... Visual Arts teacher at Fort Payne High School
I'm very happy to be working with this group partners.
The BWAC certainly wants to continue the preservation and presentation of
one of our community's most enduring traditional art forms, old time fiddlin'.
The competition was well attended at the DeKalb Theatre last August, and
the next installment will be presented the first Saturday in August next year,
August 4th, 2007. In 2008, the convention will celebrate it's100th Birthday
and we want to plan a special event.
Arts in Education
Our schools and it's needs are where the new council board would like to
focus attention. In order to have the input of our school system,
Superintendent Cunningham has assisted the BWAC in recruiting two
excellent teachers to represent the school system on our board of directors.
Together we want to design an arts in education residency to meet the
needs of our schools.
As a teaching artist on the Alabama State Council on the Arts' Roster for
Arts in Education Program, as well as a participant in the 2007 Alabama
Rural Schools Touring Program, with the support of the BWAC, I'll be
making available to all of our school system,a residency designed with their
input and needs in mind. Also the performance program that I'll be
presenting across the state sponsored by the ASCA, will be made available
to any of the Fort Payne City Schools that wish .
An arts in education committee is being formed to initiate the development
of long term arts in education programming to compliment the curriculum in
place at the schools.
soon as available. We are seeking partners to assist in
implementing these programs, as well as to build a strong
membership base for the council. Anyone interested in
joining with us, making a donation of time, money or
service, please contact us at the following:
Big Wills Arts Council 256-845-2224
e-mail: bwac@russellgulley.com
