Thomasville Center for the Arts staff photo. (Photo contributed by TCA)
A city of approximately 18,000, Thomasville is known for its historic homes, hunting plantations, array of roses, and deep devotion to the arts.
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 redefine 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-profit 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 officials, 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 connection with the school.
“People knew about the center and its history,” Arwood said. “However, there wasn’t an awareness of what was happening inside the building. They knew about the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, which is our anchor program, and the performances presented by Thomasville Entertainment Foundation, but that was basically all they knew.”
With a strategic plan developed, the center began a rebranding effort and shifted its mission to include a greater focus on the arts throughout the community and changed its name to the Thomasville Center for the Arts (TCA).
Michele Arwood, TCA executive director.
Arwood said that the new name and brand allowed the center to say, “We heard you and we are ready to leverage the arts to make a difference.”
The TCA now has a greater focus on art education for children, public art, festivals, an artist-in-residence program, and exhibitions to promote economic growth.
“We became very specific on what projects or programs we selected,” said Arwood, who became TCA’s executive director. “We shifted from focusing on what we do to why we do it. When we began to focus on the ‘why’, everything began to change.”
Located next to Scott Elementary School, TCA formed a partnership with the Thomasville City Schools to offer art education programs to their students.
When students now enter the TCA building, they are engaged in the visual arts, theatre, dance, and music.
“Seven years ago our building was quiet for most of the day,” Arwood said, “and now when you enter our doors you hear children singing and performing. They have brought life back into the building.”
The TCA has more than 10 programs directly related to art education for children, including visiting artists in the schools, art exhibits, theatre presentations, summer camps, and free art workshops throughout the year.
Art exhibits and festivals are an integral part of TCA’s efforts to enhance the community through 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 effort 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.
Darlene Crosby Taylor, TCA’s public art and exhibition director, stands in front of a commissioned sculpture piece she designed for TCA’s 209 Studio. The piece was carved from a 5,000-gallon water tank Taylor found at the junk yard.
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 fiscally minded organization,” Arwood said. “We now have a great foundation. The difference 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.”
In addition to the core values, the new strategic plan has three primary pillars—art education, artistic expression, and creative economy.
Arwood said at the heart of TCA’s success is its talented creative team, which includes 10 full-time and five part-time employees with responsibility for operations, fundraising, marketing, events, artist programming, and education.
“We hire people who are passionate thinkers and creators,” Arwood said. “We look for people who want to make a difference in our community and aren’t afraid to try something new. Surprisingly, some of the coolest and most impactful ideas come from the people who are not necessarily trained in a specific area.”
Arwood uses the example of the center’s public art and exhibition director Darlene Crosby Taylor.
“She was a successful architect who was ready to try something different,” Arwood said. “Wow, when you get an architect with a passion for public art—well, just stand back and watch.”
Arwood describes the TCA team as “big thinkers,” and said she doesn’t always hire the person with the most experience.
“I want to hire people who are inspiring, fun to work with and great creators,” Arwood said. “I care more about that than where they come from or what’s on their resume. Honestly, I see people thrive more when they are challenged to come up with a new solution without the baggage of doing it the way it’s always been done.”