Page 50 - Demo

PHOTO: ronniep0p
Michelle Decker, South African wildlife artist, is part of TCA’s artist-in-residence program and participated in the 2016 Plantation Wildlife Artist Festival. Decker recently conducted a workshop titled “Thick-Skinned,” where participants were taught the artistic technique of creating animal skin textures.
Like many cities—large and small— Thomasville has cherished a rich history of arts and culture. In 1986,
a group of ardent preservationists and community leaders campaigned to purchase and renovate the old East Side Elementary School, which was constructed in 1915 and closed its doors in 1975. When the doors opened again a few years later,
the historic school became the permanent home to the Thomasville Cultural Center, a place for art, theatre, dance, and educational programs for children and adults.
While the cultural center had an important place in Thomasville’s
community, there was opportunity to connect to a broader audience.
In 2010, the cultural center’s board hired consultant Michele Arwood to help develop a strategic plan that would rede ne the center’s mission.
“We went through the planning process with no real expectation
of what was going to transpire,”
said Arwood, who worked in marketing and business planning for creative enterprises and non-pro t organizations. “It was an opportunity to rethink everything...and when you have an opportunity like that, you can get really creative.”
Starting with the discovery phase, Arwood met with donors, foundation leaders, city o cials, and other stakeholders. The discussions centered on what the arts represented to the community.
“Through the discovery phase we learned there was a perception that the center was serving a narrow segment of our market,” Arwood said. “It was clear there was a need and desire to expand the arts to the broader community.”
The Cultural Center building had become synonymous with the arts, and the community felt a historical
50 SG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017