About Us
Our Story
On August 9, 1949, Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County became the first locally-established arts council in the United States. The Junior League of Winston-Salem brought national community arts consultant Virginia Lee Comer to town in 1943 to study the cultural life of the community. Her strategy for cultural planning was to build connections between the community and its arts activities. Seed money of $7,200 was set aside by the Junior League in 1946, and in 1949, representatives from twelve cultural groups convened to form the arts council. Our earliest purpose was "to serve those members and to plan, coordinate, promote, and sponsor the opportunity for, and the appreciation of, cultural activities in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County." As the chief advocate of arts and culture in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, we are eager to push our arts and cultural sector to the next level. This will require us to explore new ideas, expand our reach, and respond to needs of our community through the lens of arts, culture, and creativity.
Value Proposition
Arts Council is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative offerings throughout our region. We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking.
Diversity Commitment
Arts Council respects and values the full spectrum of self-defining differences among people. Arts Council is committed to reflecting that diversity in the composition of its Board and staff, and throughout all aspects of Arts Council’s operations, including in the outcomes and other impacts of its work. Anchored by that core commitment, Arts Council strives proactively to promote an environment and experiences in our community that includes, celebrates and supports, in an equitable manner, the needs, perspectives and contributions of all people in our diverse community.
Impact
Arts Council's Impact on Our Community
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Thanks to Arts Council's 2023 Community Fund for the Arts, we invested $1.2 million in grants, awards, and programs for artists and organizations in FY23. Arts Council is in the process of making FY24 allocations to support annual grants from monies received from our annual operating budget.​
Through the Forsyth County American Rescue Plan Act and the City of Winston-Salem's Transformational Grant, Arts Council is further stewarding $5.5 million of financial support for arts and cultural programming across Forsyth County.
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Our Future
Visioning Roadmap
Following a discovery period and series of planning sessions, Next Stage has developed a roadmap outlining the vision and strategic direction for Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County informed by a Strategic Visioning Task Force and board and staff leadership at a recent retreat. This roadmap articulates four (4) overarching goals with nine (9) objectives in service to them. The goal setting builds upon feedback received by the organization, summarized as a part of Next Stage’s Current Conditions Memo published in December 2021.
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Next Stage recommends this strategic planning roadmap memo for review and endorsement by Arts Council’s CEO and board of directors ahead of a second phase of work to build an implementation strategy including strategies and tactics to realize it.
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Our Team
Board of Trustees
Dr. Lynn Anthony
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Wake Forest
School of Medicine
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Todd Bankhead
Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Clinical Service Lines, Atrium Heath Wake Forest Baptist
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Steve Berlin
Managing Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
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Chad Cheek
President & Owner, Elephant In The Room
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Iris Cole
CEO and Co-Founder, She Raises the Bar​
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Clare Fader
Founder of Fader Real Estate
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Linda Gaskins
Community Volunteer
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Drew Gerstmyer
Project Manager, East Coast Capital
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Shannon Henry
Community Volunteer
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Sue Henderson
Executive Director, Wake Forest University's Face to Face Forum
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Jason Kaplan
Associate Vice President, Space & Master Planning, Wake Forest School of Medicine
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Camille Kluttz-Leach
Governance & Strategic Advisor Board Secretary, Northeastern University
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Mike Lancaster
President/CEO, Frank L. Blum Construction Company
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Chase Law
President and CEO, Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County
​Jeff Lindsay
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Novant Health
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Robin Miller
Private Banker, First Citizens Bank and First Citizens Wealth Management
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Dr. Rosa Otero
Director of Visual and Performing Arts and School of Music Administration, Salem College
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Courtney Payne Benfield
Triad Market Executive, Bank of America
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Kenneth Pettigrew
Executive Director, Winston Lake YMCA
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Tracy Preston
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary, HanesBrands, Inc.
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Peggy Reingold
Community Volunteer
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Amy Reynolds
Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Engagement, Flow Automotive Companies
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Claire Tuttle
Community Volunteer and Consumer Advocate
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Howard Upchurch
Community Volunteer
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Jake Wharton
Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson
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Jacinta White
Principal and CEO of Deeper Dive Consulting
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Talitha Vickers
Marketing & Business Development Manager, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Annual Reports
Arts Council's Annual Reports provide extensive information about our organization's financial and other operating results for the fiscal year covered. In addition to recognizing all of our donors, each Annual Report includes a message from our Board Chair and/or President and CEO, information about recipients of Arts Council grants and other direct financial support, and information about programming and the multi-faceted support services Arts Council provides to numerous arts organizations and individual artists who comprise our community’s vibrant and diverse arts constellation.
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Find Us
Address
Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts
251 N Spruce Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Hanesbrands Theatre
209 N Spruce Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Hours
Monday - Friday 9:00am-9:00pm
Saturday 9:00am-4:00pm
Sunday closed