January 4, 2017
Discovering & Celebrating Talent!
ArtFields® is all about discovering and celebrating talent.
And it is in that spirit that we say a heartfelt “Congratulations” to Sandra Cook, outgoing artist liaison for ArtFields.
After years of organizing our robust artist relations program, Sandy’s moving on to become Executive Director of the Florence Regional Arts Alliance. We’ll miss her, but we love knowing Sandy’s passion for the arts and the people who create them has found another great home. And because our two organizations collaborate so fully, we know we will have many opportunities to work together in the future!
“Sandy has been such a significant part of the ArtFields family, and we will surely miss her,” said Taronda Barnes, ArtFields Program Director. “Her elevation proves the ArtFields concept is working – sewing seeds and watching people grow.”
Meanwhile, ArtFields will continue to nurture talent and work hard to connect our competition artists to the public, to collectors, and to opportunity. For the 2017 festival, Barnes and colleague Holly Shady will serve as artist ambassadors, ensuring easy load-in, spectacular festival experiences, and efficient load-out.
Stay tuned in coming days as we reveal our 2017 competition artists and judge’s panel. Let’s just say Year 5 is going to be epic!
Congratulations, Sandra, and on my behalf as a former Executive Director of the Florence Regional Arts Alliance, please allow me a welcome embrace as you assume the role that I played in the years prior my great friend and colleague Uschi Jeffcoat. As you assume the management reigns and begin to put your stamp on the wonderful organization that you now head, please allow me to offer you my services when and if they are ever needed. I will always feel a very vested interest in the organization that I headed until 2012, when I retired and re-located to Charlotte. I wish you all success as you grow the organization and move it to its next level. I personally as Keith Best and Michele Pridgeon already know have alwasy wanted to see the FRAA become the Florence County Arts Commission with line items in the budgets of both the City of Florence and Florence County. During my tenure as ED, I led the organization’s effort to encourage support of the regional arts by hosting quarterly meetings ultimately in Florence of the ED’s from the various counties of the Pee Dee in conjunction with the South Carolina Arts Commision and under the unbrella of the Pee Dee Regional Arts Summit. The potential of the FRAA is virtually endless and only depends of funding from the State, County, and City as well as maintaining and expanding the financial support from good corporate citizens like Honda of South Carolina and arts patrons from the community at large. And, Sandy, as I understand you are called, please call me Frank when asking me for any assistance you may need. We are all now FRAA extended family!