Page 52 - Demo

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED
For more than two decades, the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival (PWAF) has emerged as one of the nation’s premier sporting and wildlife arts festivals. The festival brings more than 60 artists and artisans to Thomasville for a week of celebration. Events include galas, auctions, concerts, sporting and hunting exhibits, and plantation tours. All proceeds bene t the Thomasville Center for the Arts. The 22nd annual PWAF is scheduled for Nov. 17-19, 2017.
the arts. For 22 years, the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival has been a signature event. More recently, the center added Due South, which is a music festival gaining in popularity.
The artist-in-residence program provides an opportunity to bring
a fresh art perspective to South Georgia. Resident artists, many
who come from across the U.S. and internationally, are granted space to use for artistic collaboration, sharing, and presentation of their artwork as part of a local exhibit. The artists also visit the local schools to share their artistic experiences.
Arwood said one of the most successful outcomes of the strategic plan has been the integration of the arts to spur economic growth in Thomasville’s downtown area.
In 2014, a charrette — brainstorming session commonly used by architects
and designers—was held to develop plans for an area of downtown
that would become known as the “Creative District.”
The three-day charrette was a collaborative e ort of the Thomasville Planning and Zoning Department, Thomasville Main Street and Tourism, Thomasville Landmarks, and the Center for the Arts.
“The development of the Creative District was an intentional way to revitalize this part of downtown,” Arwood said. “TCA also opened Studio 209 in the new district to stage artistic events, provide for adult art studios and to house the artist-in- residence program.”
The Creative District is helping to create a “sense of place” and has already begun to attract new businesses and enhance the arts throughout downtown.
Purpose + Passion
With the 2010 strategic plan completed, TCA is ready to launch its next plan.
“The last plan was very much about maturing into a meaningful, impactful, and scally minded organization,” Arwood said. “We now have a great foundation. The di erence is that over the last six years we have focused on enriching the community through the arts. Now we are focused on being a center of inspiration and a catalyst for new initiatives.”
Arwood said the new strategic plan is based on four core values—connect, collaborate, create, and culture.
“Every program has to meet and celebrate the core values,” Arwood said. “If it doesn’t, then we know it’s not on mission or we must redesign it for deeper impact.”
52 SG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017