When Meredith and her husband moved to the Albemarle region from Richmond, Virginia, almost six years ago, they immediately began making connections within their new community, forming friendships as they participated in events such as Vinyl Night and boating on the Sound.
They found that in Edenton “everyone was so kind, so welcoming.” They soon felt at home.
So, as she stepped into her new role as Executive Director at the Chowan Arts Council, located on W. Water Street in Edenton, Meredith took a similar approach and jumped feet first into forming connections with Edenton business owners and citizens, even walking Broad Street and visiting shops to personally introduce herself.
With an extensive educational background in the arts and experience with non-profits, she has found a home for her passions at the Chowan Arts Council. Her face glows and her voice fills with excitement as she details her vision for the CAC. She desires it to blossom through community partnerships and grow to become a vibrant center of Edenton’s community life.
“I want to bring art to the community,” she explains. “Not just have a community building with art inside of it.”
Since taking on her new role as Executive Director, she has met visitors from all over the world, and she is eager to implement novel and exciting ideas to bring in even more visitors during this new year.
When you visit Edenton, you’ll see art displays throughout local establishments on Broad Street. You may even find yourself participating in an art walk or stopping by a food truck at an event hosted by the CAC. She hopes that these types of events will draw visitors and residents to discover even more amazing talent at the CAC.
But her vision extends far beyond Broad Street. She is actively looking for opportunities to build partnerships with other organizations and foster CAC’s engagement within the community.
With that goal, she’s started building connections with several entities including the Chamber of Commerce, the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library, the Boys and Girls Club, Edenton-Chowan Schools, and the College of the Albemarle.
While acknowledging that the Arts Council is blessed with an abundance of local and regional talent, with over one hundred different artists featured on a rotating basis, Meredith desires to expand the diversity and genres of art by inviting a variety of artists to Edenton.
When you visit Edenton in 2023, you’re likely to find regional and local authors, musicians, and poets highlighted at CAC events. Meredith has invited bluegrass artist Charles Pettee and poet Phillip Shabazz to the Arts Council this year.
Originally from Asheville, Charles Pettee has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe for over twenty years, sharing his love of bluegrass music with audiences of every age. A North Carolina native poet, author, and teaching artist, Phillip Shabazz’s work explores the issues of community and culture in America. You definitely won’t want to miss these events.
This is just the beginning of her vision for the Chowan Arts Council to “become a vibrant pillar in community life.” Her enthusiasm for arts education, her appreciation of Edenton, and her collaborative spirit are exactly what will continue making Edenton a growing and exciting regional hub for the arts.
I invite you to visit Edenton and stop by the Chowan Arts Council.
Meredith will welcome you with the same warmth and kindness she experienced when moving to Edenton, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all that the CAC has to offer!
