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The Stanly County Arts Council will host the fifth annual “Celebration of the ARTS!” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 25 at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, 26032 Newt Road, Albemarle.

This is a free event that showcases the arts in Stanly County through live performances, information booths from area arts organizations and art-based businesses, art demonstrations, an exhibition of student art from all the Stanly County schools, elementary through high school, and Stanly Community College, plus an opportunity to purchase art from local artists.

Creation Station is back – a place where kids can create their own art to take home.

At 2 p.m., the awards ceremony will begin to recognize area individuals who have excelled in the arts and have brought the arts to the residents of Stanly County.

The mission of the Stanly County Arts Council is to encourage and promote broad-based cultural and educational activities in the arts throughout Stanly County.

“We have not been able to host Celebration of the ARTS since spring 2019 due to the pandemic. Last year we were able to highlight our youth by hosting the Student Art Show aspect of Celebration, but we are so excited to be able to bring back to the community all aspects of Celebration this year: live performances, art demonstrations, art for sale by local artisans, information booths, Creation Station, raffles, and more,” said Renee VanHorn, executive director of the Stanly County Arts Council. “We invite the community to come and support our local artists and arts organizations and arts based businesses.”

In the auditorium, performances will include Stanly County Concert Band, South Stanly High School concert band, and vocalists and musicians from West Stanly and South Stanly high schools. The Stanly County Chorale will perform a sampling of songs from their upcoming concert. The event will be kicked off with dance solos from members of Albemarle Academy of Dance’s competition team The Showoffs.

Entertainment will also occur in the lobby with piano solos from Annie Phillips, a senior from South Stanly High School who will pursue music at UNC-Greensboro this fall, and theatrical escapades of the West Stanly Players. Students from the English department of Pfeiffer University will entertain with poetry readings, a monologue from “Canterbury Tales” and adaptations from Shakespeare.
Performance lineups are available online at stanlycountyartscouncil.org.

By visiting the information booths in the lobby, one will be able to view artists at work plus find that perfect piece of art for their home.
Artists include Mary Ann Gantt, Rebekah Crisco, Vicki Galloway and a collection of various mediums will be available from the artists of the Stanly Arts Guild.

Artists from the Stanly Arts Guild demonstrating their craft will be Jaclyn Layman, Bubba Mullis, Matt Steed and Wendy Hillhouse.
In addition to local businesses, tables will be set up from Stanly County Arts Council, Stanly County Concert Association, Stanly County Concert Band, Stanly County Chorale, The Uwharrie Players and The Talent Company.

The Friends of the Agri-Civic Center will be on hand too to discuss their upcoming projects to keep the Agri-Civic Center an instrumental player for the arts in the community.

More than 200 pieces of art from local youth will be on display throughout the auditorium and lobby of the Agri-Civic Center. Stanly County public elementary, middle and high schools as well as Carolina Christian, Stanfield Christian and Stanly Community College will be represented.

The Celebration of the ARTS will conclude at 2 p.m. with the Arts Award Ceremony.

Local visual artist Susan Lackey and musician Richard Cutright will be recognized for receiving support through grants this year.

The finale will be the announcement of the recipients of the 2023 Fine Arts Educator of the Year and Arts Person of the Year awards. These awards were created in 2014 by the Arts Council to recognize those who have made a positive impact on the arts in Stanly County, and who have worked to support, promote and create quality arts experiences for the whole community.

Raffles will be held with the chance to win classes, artwork, tickets to various productions and more.

Proceeds from the raffles will benefit the Stanly County Arts Council, founded in 1974, who continues to support all art forms in the community. Its mission is to encourage and promote broad-based cultural and educational activities in the arts throughout Stanly County.

The Stanly County Arts Council is supported by private donations and by the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.