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to create a thriving arts community through education, outreach, andopportunities to ensure all people in Walton County have access to thebenefits of the arts. We strive to create beauty and vibrancy whilesupporting the vital work of local artists and crafts people in Walton County.to be the premier arts organization in Walton County and the platform for allthings in the visual arts. MWCA is Walton County's community-based artscenter, offering experiences that transform individuals and ourmunicipalities through the arts.MONROE WALTONCENTER FOR THE ARTS2021 IMPACT REPORT
2021 Impact ReportSales Income36%Grants18%Public Support16%Classes 15%Other8%Membership5%Shows2%"MWCA is an integral partof our Downtown eventsproviding volunteers,workshops, demonstrationsand art activites for all agesto enhance every event.They look for opportunitiesto incorporate art into ourexisting environment andwhen they've seen a void,they've taken a leadershiprole in filling that void."~ Sadie Krawczyk, Monroe DDARevenue Sources In August 2021, MWCA was delightedto have been recognized as a PremierPartner by the Georgia DowntownAssociation. Nominated by the City ofMonroe, the art center was recognizedfor its contribution to the vitality of thecommunity. After the uncertainties of 2020, thechallenge for 2021 was recovery.Saturday soirees were restarted,additional classes were offered, severalsuccessful fundraisers were concluded,and membership numbers returned topre-pandemic levels. Seeing the galleryand shop once again filled with artists,students, and members of thecommunity was truly heartwarming.
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021125 100 75 50 25 0 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021$75,000 $50,000 $25,000 $0 2021 Impact ReportStarting with our winter Members Showand ending with our popular holidaymarket, our gallery space was filled tocapacity. Hosting elementary, middle,and high school art shows (for bothpublic and private schools), as well asthe prestigious Congressional Art Showfor the tenth district, the gallery is agathering place for artists, students, andtheir families. In addition, our fallRegional Show drew a number oftalented artists in a variety of art genres.Our gallery shop boasted new offeringsby local artists, and shop revenueincreased once again, .Shop Revenue Show Participation52 artists participated inour 2021 Regional Show,and over $1600 in prizeswere awarded. Theshow was judged byartist and iconographerRev. Anthony Salzman.2021 Elementary Show.Regional Show (above);Local artist TrishaLeggon in the galleryshop (right)
2021 Impact ReportWe started the year out with our firstever scavenger hunt--our free gift tothe community. Forty plastic "eggs"were hidden over the course of fourweeks. Each egg contained a ticket thatcould be exchanged for a handcraftedgnome, made by our pottery artists.Due to the popularity of the hunt, it wasrepeated--with pottery dinosaurs--forMonroe's Dino Day celebration. Inaddition, MWCA volunteers providedart projects, activities, and face paintingfor Unicorn Day and Pirate Day. 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021300 200 100 0 Many thanks to the community forrallying around to help fund muchneeded improvements for our potterystudio. With two cranky, aging kilns,the center was constantly short onkiln space. Several successfulfundraisers and a generous grantfrom the Walton Foundation allowedus to raise more than $15,000 for ourpottery studio. We purchased twonew kilns and a pugmill for recyclingclay. For the first time in years, wehave ample kiln space and fullyfunctioning kilns! Volunteers at our pottery fundraiser (top right); oneof our new kilns (bottom left); and our new pugmill(bottom right)Pottery Class Participation
2021 Impact Report67 entries received in 4genres. Over $1100 inprizes awarded.A special project in 2021 was our NewWriters Contest. More than sixty entrieswere received in four genres, and morethan twenty professional writerspitched in to judge. Our final roundjudge was Pamela Harty with theKnight Literary Agency. With the aid ofa Georgia Humanities Grant, we werepleased to welcome Drs. Pearl andTom McHaney and author WilliamWalsh as speakers for two literaryevents in conjunction with the contest.Thanks to Joy Poole and her hard-working team of volunteers, we wereable to plan and execute the firstMonroe Garden Tour in more than fiveyears. Our theme of Nature Meets Artcombined the stunning beauty of localspring gardens with plein air paintersdemonstrating their art, answeringquestions, and interacting with thecommunity. Ten gardens were on tourfor the day, including the garden at theWilliam Harris Homestead and theWalton Wellness Garden. Many thanksto participating homeowners whowere gracious enough to share theirgardens in the service of art. MWCA Board President LauraTempleton (left) and Literary ArtsChair Barbara Barth (right) withgrand prize winner Kayla Brown(center)Garden tourvolunteer CaroleBowlden and artistJoeAnn Nehmer atElsie's CornerMarket (above)
2021 Impact Report With assistance from a generous grantfrom the Georgia Council for the Arts wewere able to equip a digital classroom in2021 and begin producing new onlinecontent. Check out the following link fortutorials on weaving, watercolors, and akids creative series:www.monroewaltonarts.org/virtual-classroom.html . We are still buildingcontent, so be on the lookout for morevideos coming soon. Art center volunteers came togetherfor a special service project on 9/11.Stained glass artist Dawn Smith runs anonprofit TNR project to trap, neuter,and release stray cats to reduce theferal cat population. Here, localveterinarian and business sponsor, Dr.Norm Reese, helps Dawn and othervolunteers build feral cat shelters foruse in the community.Our commitment to ourcommunity is our byline:ART for ALL!Education Chair and teaching artistDonna Coffman lends a hand (or two!) inour new online classroom.
2021 Impact Report Our first show each year is our popularMembers Show. With categories for youthand adults, the Members Show is achance for all MWCA members to displaytheir art. The resulting exhibition is ashowcase of local talent, including worksby professional artists as well as those juststarting their artistic journeys. The widevariety of art genres is always a treat, withworks in paint and pen on display as wellas photography, textiles, pottery,woodworking, and jewelry. 2021 saw a resurgence in requests forour healing arts classes. We continuedserving Exceptional Community Serviceswith twice monthly painting classes. Wealso added classes for special needsteens at Walnut Grove High School andfor teens/young adults through theConnections group at The Bridge ofGeorgia. The staff report that after ourart classes, these students are morecalm and their mood is much improved.--proof that art truly is healing! We alsowork with Team Up Mentoring toprovide classes to at-risk youth. Supportfrom Walton EMC and Walmart havehelped make these classes possible.44 artists entered our2021 Members Showand more than $1100 inprizes were awarded.Rylan Wyrick (above) shows off his 2ndplace ribbon for his entry in the youthcategory. Luthier Chris Goga (left) poseswith his entry, which won best in show.
2021 Impact Report2,000 ArtMD boxes were purchasedthanks to generous local support (top);our new adult ArtMD journal (bottom) There was a lot of exciting newssurrounding our ArtMD kits this year. First,thanks to a generous grant from theWalton County Healthcare Foundationand support from Piedmont WaltonHospital, as well as many hoursvolunteered by Debbie Criswell and herteam, we were able to purchase suppliesfor 2,000 ArtMD kits to distribute in thecommunity. In addition, efforts areunderway to expand these therapeutickits to adults. MWCA artist SandyBlanchard created an adult activity bookutilizing neurographic art techniques toaid adults in need of emotional andpsychological support. Adult kits will beready for distribution in 2022. The year saw a number of popularnew class offerings as well as thereturn of old favorites. From Tai Chi inthe sculpture garden to all newcreative journaling and letteringclasses, from paint-and-pour toquilting to guitar lessons--lots of newcontent kept our members engaged.Classes in painting, drawing,photography, woodturning, andwatercolors continued to be popular,as were our Sip-and-Paint adultevents, summer camps, the AfterSchool Art Program, and beadedbracelet making. Participation inSaturday Soirees continued toincrease through the year.