This morning, I am sitting in my office listening to the conversations of our weekly knitting class. They’re sharing tips and admiring each other’s hard work. They’re also talking about their grandchildren, car purchases, and world events. These women have been meeting together for years to enjoy their craft and find community. Cynthia Sturdivant has taught this class for years – forty-five years to be exact. Cynthia embodies our mission at the gallery. She builds community while making the arts accessible to everyone. 

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 It’s no secret or surprise that the past few years have hampered our ability to bring our community together to celebrate the joy art brings to our lives. We’ve had fewer opportunities to invite our patrons into the gallery to celebrate new exhibits. Artists missed out on the excitement of unveiling new work, classes and workshops were canceled...the list goes on. We’re ready to put all that behind us and while we can’t promise that everything will be the same as we remember, we’re excited to gather with our community again. So, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be Painting the Town Red in 2022! 

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Our hallmark at the gallery is bringing people together, so plan to celebrate the gallery’s 60th year with a gala to honor where we have been and where we’re going next. We have fun surprises in store for the coming year that we can’t wait to share with you! Look out for our signature red around town as we celebrate what makes WAG great – our community, the people and businesses that support us.  

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This year’s annual giving campaign is much like requests in the past. We need your support to host programs, provide operational support, and pay our staff. The past few years have called for some major shifts in the way we engage with the community, and we’ve had to carefully strategize how we execute our mission. Our planning for this behind-the-scenes work is inspired by people like Cynthia. She has unfailingly served Wilkes County’s creative learners amidst a lifetime of change. The gallery has served our community for sixty years, and we aim to serve for sixty more. Your gift makes that goal possible. 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Ashley Blevins Barton 

Executive Director