The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County announced at its Annual Meeting on October 10 that it has met its 2012 Annual Campaign goal.  Campaign Chair Leon Porter said that thanks to efforts of hundreds of volunteers; generous residents, businesses and corporations of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County;  and determined Arts Council staff, The Council topped its $2,350,000 goal.

“Our Finance Committee set what it believed to be an ambitious, but realistic goal considering our struggling economy,” said Milton Rhodes, President and CEO of The Arts Council. “Campaign Chair Leon Porter and his Campaign Cabinet gave a super-human effort.  They were tenacious. The fact that we met our goal is a tribute to the generosity of residents of this city and county and is good news for our arts community.”

The Arts Council announced nine new members for its Board of Trustees:  Carmen Russell Bonham, Jennifer Collins, Craig Gunckel, Beverly Jennings, Jeff Lindsay, Rick Moss, Mark Peters, Greg Scott and Cynthia Williams.  It honored three retiring Board members: Tonya Deem, Jim Martin and Pedro Martinez.

The Arts Council re-elected Tom Ingram as Chair and the following slate of officers: Steve Berlin, Vice Chair, Administration; Peggy Joines, Vice Chair, Board Development; Cheryl Lindsay, Vice Chair, Agency Relations; Brenda Allen, Vice Chair, Community Relations; Bill Benton, Vice Chair, Facilities; Marybeth Wallace, Secretary; Rick Moss, Treasurer; Milton Rhodes, President and CEO; Andrew Gilchrist, At-Large Executive Committee Member; Errol Wint, At-Large Executive Committee Member; and Merritt Vale, Member Group Representative.

The Arts Council also announced the winners of four annual awards.

• Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, Library Director of the Forsyth County Library System, received this year’s Volunteer of the Year Award.  Sprinkle has been involved in numerous community programs and initiatives including Youth Opportunities, Family Services, Diggs Gallery of Winston-Salem State University and the Winston-Salem Children’s Museum.  She served as volunteer coordinator from 1991 to 2007 for the National Black Theatre Festival, and was Executive Producer in 2007, 2009 and 2011. She serves as President of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company and as a trustee of the Coliseum Theatre Association for Performing Arts.

• The R. Philip Hanes Jr. Young Leader Award was presented to Rebecca Nussbaum, founding member and General Manager of the Open Dream Ensemble.  The recipient of this award is a person 40 years of age or younger who has exemplified volunteer dedication, contributions and leadership.  Nussbaum has spent countless hours teaching youth the importance of responsibility, learning, teamwork, determination, and imagination. She is a Fellow for the A+ Schools Program, a role she has filled since 2008. In addition to her work with Open Dream and A+, she is a teaching artist and performer.

Two awards recognize positive collaborations between various arts, social service and other non-profit organizations in Forsyth County.

• The Arts Development Award recognizes a first-time innovative, collaborative project between at least one Arts Council Funded Partner and one or more community organizations designed to attract new arts and cultural audiences to participate in events in Forsyth County.

This year’s winners are the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus and Piedmont Opera for their collaboration on a summer camp for young people that featured singing, costuming, theater and a free opera performance for the students and community.  The experience touched the lives of our community’s youth and gave many children the opportunity to participate in arts-related program they would not otherwise have had the means to benefit from.  The project involved two additional organizations, the Summit School and the Potter’s House, who provided support and resources.  The organizations received a $1,000 grant award.

• The Arts Knowledge-Sharing Award recognizes two current grant recipients of differing arts, cultural or organizational expertise that create an employee knowledge-sharing program.

This year’s award winners are Reynolda House and the Enrichment Center who produced a show of original works by local professional artists and Enrichment Center artists, responding to the themes in the Reynolda House “Modern Masters” exhibition.  The artists viewed the exhibit and with the help and guidance from Reynolda House and the Enrichment Center educators, created their own works of art modeled on and/or inspired by the Modern Masters work. By combining resources and cross-marketing efforts, both organizations were strengthened and increased their outreach in the community. The organizations received a $1,000 grant award.

The Arts Council also honored Lynn Foltz, long-time Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System administrator and arts advocate. Foltz is retiring as Arts education Program manager with responsibility for dance, theater and visual arts programs. Described as “a tireless advocate for arts and education for nearly two decades,” Foltz believes that the arts are an invaluable part of the educational process and have the ability to engage and retain students who might otherwise leave school. Foltz has served on the Arts Council’s AIE Grant Panel since 2006 helping to select the AIE grant recipients and then working with dance, theatre, and visual art grantees to place them in schools throughout the system.

Members of The Arts Council’s Facilities Committee — Bill Benton, Mary Benton, Libby Booke, Anna Gallimore, Redge Hanes, Bob Hoffman, Tom Ingram, Hal Johnson, Doug Lewis and Errol Wint – were honored for exceptional service.  The group guided The Arts Council through the creation of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, changes at its Coliseum Drive properties, and the creation of nonprofit entities to manage the operation of both the Rhodes Center and The Arts Council Theater. The experience and expertise this group brought to the table, plus their continuing attention to detail, are responsible for establishing a framework for the future operations and sustainability of Arts Council properties.