2023-2024
Become a Champion for the Arts!
The Cultural Arts Alliance has accomplished much in the past fiscal year, and we are grateful to all the artists, members, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and our board for theirsupport. The year was not without challenges and growing pains, but we are proud of and energized by the progress and impact we have made in our community with your help.
Along with producing annual signature events like the Flutterby Festival, ArtsQuest, and the Tour of Homes, and offering a robust schedule of classes at our Miramar Beach Creative Campus and Bayou Arts Center, the CAA hosted South Arts’s beautiful and thought-provoking Southern Prize for Visual Art traveling exhibition. The Foster Gallery outreach program expanded to the Coastal Branch Library. Our Healing Arts program grew to reach more underserved individuals in need. We deployed seven more sculptures into the Underwater Museum of Art. We announced our work with the Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation and St. Joe Company to bring the Longleaf Art Park to life. And the 30A Songwriters Festival, our largest event that helps sustain all of these important programs while bringing together nearly every neighborhood in the southern part of our county, had a 15th anniversary!
If you are reading this letter, you likely already understand the profound importance of these programs, and art in general, as a societal unifying force. You know that art is not a luxury but a necessity, and human beings have always created and needed art in all its forms. In our diverse, dynamic, and increasingly polarized country and world, the arts are a bridge that connects those with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, fostering understanding, empathy, and healing.
We at the CAA have witnessed this first-hand through many of our programs, but especially with our Healing Arts program within Walton Correctional Institution (which you can read about on pages 24-29). Building upon the positive impact of our Prison Visual Art Program and through grants from the Jacarlene Foundation, Alys Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the CAA has been able to work over the past year with songwriter Caitlin Cannon and other artists to develop “Beyond Bars,” a prison songwriting and teacher training
program that is transforming lives and giving a voice to the voiceless. One student said that the class “made me realize the pain that I hold inside has meaning and can help others through songwriting, that no matter what you go through you are never really alone and that there are people who care about you on the outside.”
The governor’s veto of Arts funding in the state of Florida made a huge impact on the CAA’s ability to continue with essential programs and cross-sector collaborative partnerships that we have proudly re-capped in the pages of this issue and annual report. To make up, in part, for the lost state investment, the CAA has created a new level of membership giving called the “Circle of Champions,” and I invite you to be a part of this group of supporters.
Art is a universal language that transcends geographical, political, and cultural differences, and the Arts can illuminate what unites us. By investing in and championing the arts, you contribute to a more resilient, connected, and vibrant society. Whether through funding, attending performances, advocating for the arts in policy discussions, and hopefully, all of the above, every action counts. We need the Arts, and the Arts need all of us, now more than ever.
JENNIFER STEELE, President & CEO
Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County
THAT’S A
11 Your Art Story featuring CAA Program Manager, Elise Gilbert
Walton County Tourism recognizes Sarah Page as 2024 Walton County Artist of the
LONGLEAF ART PARK
18 The St. Joe Company Announces the Longleaf Art Park at the Watersound Origins Community
FOSTER GALLERY
New Community Partners Announced
Supporting Walton County’s Creative Community
ART PROGRAM
Visual Arts & Songwriting Programs at Walton County Correctional Institution ART IN PUBLIC SPACES 30 Underwater Museum of Art,The Big Store, Walton County Fair Mural, U.S. Hwy 98 Pedestrian Underpass
OVER 30 YEARS OF FOSTERING CREATIVITY
700 MEMBERS
As the creative core of our community for three decades, the Cultural Arts Alliance is a Local Arts Agency that fosters creativity in Walton County, Florida through the inclusive and collaborative advancement of the Arts.
33
80,000+ Residents
5 MILLION Annual Visitors
* According to Americans for the Arts AEP5 calculator and a study conducted by Visit South Walton.
5,479
The CAA produces and supports large-scale events that provide work for over 800 artists and access, opportunity and education to the community while generating revenue for the organization.
171 Full Time Equivalent Jobs $9 MILLION+ * 50% 38,000+ 140,180 24,000+
study conducted by Visit South Walton in Jan. 2019
14,342 youth served annually
119,592 people served annually
8
Through advocacy efforts, support for the creative sector, and production of arts and educational programing, the CAA provides opportunities for residents and visitors to experience diverse forms of art and learning, connecting them to a broader view, critical exploration and answers only the Arts have the power to provide.
Creative opportunities for 1,709 artists annually
15 NEW murals
$850,000 to date granted back out into the community through Art For All Grants more than 1,494 opportunities for community participation
CONGRATULATIONS
VOLUNTEERS
Nearly 1,000 volunteers are needed each year to help the CAA accomplish our mission. Volunteer opportunities exist in many areas, from administrative to logistics to production and beyond. In addition to CAA’s annual signature events, opportunities exist throughout the year to volunteer your help with initiatives such as Art in Public Spaces, CAA fundraising, publicity, and art workshops. CulturalArtsAlliance.com/volunteer
TONI & MARK DAVID 2023 Volunteers of the Year
ANGELA SALTSMAN 2023 Arts Educator of the Year
MARY REDMANN 2023 Volunteer of a Lifetime
SOUTH WALTON ARTIFICIAL REEF ASSOCIATION (SWARA) 2023 Art Partner of the Year
ROWAN SAUNDERS 2023 Jr. Volunteer of the Year
OUR VISION
The Cultural Arts Alliance envisions a thriving Walton County where everyone experiences the power of the Arts.
OUR MISSION
To foster creativity in Walton County through the inclusive and collaborative advancement of the Arts.
30Avenue
30A Beach Girls
30A Company
30A Distilling Company
AJ’s Grayton Beach
Alys Beach
Alys Beach Foundation
American Songwriter Magazine
Americana Music Association
ASCAP
The Bay Restaurant
Beach and Brew on 30A
Beach Camp Brewpub
Beach Happy Cafe
The Big Chill
Blue Green Landscaping
Bud and Alley’s
Camp Creek Inn
Capital City Bank
Capital City Bank Foundation
Cathead Distillery
Centennial Bank
CHELCO
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Corchis Hospitality Group
Corcoran Reverie
The Corr Group
Courtyard Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard
CPC Office Technologies
David Frank Furniture
Destin Jeep Rentals
Dive 30A
Driftwood Wine & Spirits
Dugas Family Foundation
Emerald Coast Storytellers
2023-2024 PARTNERS
Emerald Coast Magazine / Rowland Publishing
Enterprise Car Rental
Emerald Coast Scuba
European Co.
Florida Arts & Culture
Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard
Epic Western Fisher’s Flowers
Fonville Press
The Jacarlene Foundation
John & Nina Freer
Grand Boulevard
Grayton Beer Company & Taproom
Havana Beach Bar & Grill at The Pearl Hotel
Heart’s Bluff Music Publishing
Hibiscus Guest House
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa
Hotel Effie
The Howard Group
LaCo
Laurel Machine & Foundry
Latitude Margaritaville Watersound
Latitude Margaritaville Latitude Foundation
Legacy Dental Studio
The Lodge 30A
Market 30A
Morning Star Foundation
Nancy Ellis Family
National Endowment for the Arts
National Music Publishers Association (NMPA)
North Beach Social
Northwest Florida Beaches Intl. Airport
Nutrl
Ocean Reef Resorts
The Odd Pelican Beer Company
Old Florida Fish House
Panama City Golf Carts
Paradise Properties
Premier Property Group
The Recording Academy
Redfish Taco
The Merchants of Rosemary Beach
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Uniti
United Community Bank
Vacayzen
Visit South Walton
Walter Marine / The Reefmaker
WaterColor Inn
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MEMBER ROSTER
THANK YOU FOR SUSTAINING OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY
SUSAN FOSTER CIRCLE
Jane & Steve Denton
Phill & Janice May
Joann Ribaudo & Kajsa Larsson
Joy Willey
Phill and Janice May
Jalyn Henton & Tanisha Carino
Pam & Billy Howard
Karen & Mark Edwards
Angela Jackson
SUSTAINER
Edwin Walborsky
Steve Spencer
Tom & Suzanne Watson
Nanette Ream
Jerry Heffel
PATRON
John & Jeni Burns
Mimi Gavigan
Miriam & James Dillon
Tom & Keesha Kerins
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Linda Krikorian
Robert Slaven
Rebecca Mach
Kristie Johnson
Scott Provow
Kitty Taylor
Karen Peck
Yvonne Howell
Alison Etheredge
Joseph Mara
Suzanne Harman
Larry Williamson
CHAMPION
Sarah Mowell
Kim Polakoff
John & Deborah Love
FRIEND & FAMILY
Brian & Kelly Anderson
Kim Snow
Shannon Kramolis
Anna Creek
Jerry Hawken
Nancy Abraham
*Current Member Roster from Sept 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
Bob & Debbie Krall
Heidi Maier
Lisa Schaaf
Vicki Lee
Michael Wright
Carla Barrie
Melissa and Walt Simpson
Christi Sheffield
Cathy Hunter
Dina Shoults
Patricia Witbeck
Linda Cunningham
Carla Koepke
Dayle Binder
Don Hudson
Cody Hundley
Maggie Dickhaus
Natalie Hayes
Dan & Ashley Hoey
Linda Miller
Christine Reese-Day, Robert Day
Denise Greene
Ryan Snow
Lisa & Woody Woodring
Sindi Hogenson
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Christine Klas
Charles & Jacqueline Wheeler
Heidi Stenhammer
Lisa & Jason Martin
Lizbeth Benacquisto
Lea Shuba
Sabrina Oliva
Kevin & Noreen Dooney
SR. FRIEND & FAMILY
Patrick Lyons + Ann Lyons
Brad & Kim Riegel
Steve Wooten
Shelly Webb
Lawrence and Jennifer Mintman
Sydney Hiatt
Debbie Adams
Nancy Atchison
Jerry Williams
Barry Hogue
Patti Johnson
Gay Wolff
Mark Messerly
Karen Hassler
Lynn Nickell
Magan Bissonnette
Janet Fortier
Tess Cox
Betty Anderson
Bonnie Thornton
Barbara Kenney
Cole Jennings
Scott Provow
Diane Weickenand
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Debra Taylor
Jenny Mitchell
Jennifer Rowe
Stephen and Holly Hilliard
David Grady
Catherine Hansell
Ann Lyons
Sybille Miller
Bob Eley
Roberta Evans
Morris Cohen
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Kelly Buzzett
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Daniel Randolph
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Michael Wright
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FRIEND
Alisa Ghazvini
Amy Wise-Coble
April Oliverio
Bonnie Louise Pastuszek
Cathy Hull
Chris Fields
Chris Heaton
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Dale Dalbey
David Griffin
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Deirdre Sanborn
Dianne Howerton
Jancy Cecil
Jane Savage
Jay Alexander
Jeff Hurst
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Joseph Lashley
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Judith Taylor
Karah Fridley-Young
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Kelly Kramer
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Laura Mutter
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Scott Wright
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Traci Phillips
Troy Stone
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Jan Stanko
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Deb Wegent
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J J Chambers
John Burns
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BUSINESS
The Studio Gallery
Mary Hong Studio
Gene Howard
Vincent Davis
Gay Wolff
Julia Vijacka
Watersound Fountains
Tinsley Hutson-Wiley
Melissa Brown Art
Marlene East
Lisa Waldrop
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The Smile of 30A
The Owen Group Design Firm
Think It Wear It Express
SEO is Local
Salon Twist on 30A
Earl Bacon Agency
Gulfside Trail Rides
Central Square Records
BCF Management
Metamorph Blooms
The Zoo Gallery
Walton Funding
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Pleat & Perry
Fusioin Art Glass & Fine Jewelry
Grayton Corner Cafe & Wine Shop
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Atkins & Associates
Attorney-At-Law LLC
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NON PROFIT
Rosemary Beach Foundation
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Sinfonia Gulf Coast
Shine on Living, LLC
Marlene East Glass Art, LLC
Emerald Coast Theatre Company
Watercrest Senior Living
The Repertory Theatre
Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation
Emerald Coast Woodturning Guild
Beach Art Group
JENNIFER
MEET THE TEAM
CAA STAFF MEMBERS
BOARD MEMBERS
Alexis Miller, Chair
Allison Wickey, Vice Chair
Kevin Dooney, Secretary
Tom Watson, Treasurer
Chloe Berkowitz
Russell Carter
Angela Fiorita-Day
Doug Foltz
Jerry Heffel
Mike Kerrigan
Nan Nagy
Jessica Porter
JoAnn Ribaudo
Shawn Tomasello
Karah Fridley-Young
Kara Wootson
GABBY CALLAWAY Director of Advancement
COURTNEY
MICHELLE TOUCHSTONE Director of Finance & Operations
LEE GREENE Director of Administration
PAM SINGH Program Manager
ELISE GILBERT Program Manager
ALLIE ANDERSON Director of Events
KATIE
PARKER MALONE Events & Operations Coordinator
BRAD STEELE Maintenance Manager
WHAT’S YOUR ART STORY?
We believe that everyone is inherently creative. We asked CAA Program Manager, Elise Gilbert to share her introduction to the Arts.
My art story begins as far back as I can remember as exploration and play. I grew up in Northwest Arkansas with a few years spent in Germany where we moved for my Dad’s job. Much of our past time as a family was spent enjoying the outdoors on camping trips or playing in the yard. At home I was frequently creating: whether it was making mud pies in my outdoor play kitchen that my mom retrieved from a curb or helping my dad with his latest project. I suppose I’ve always loved to get my hands dirty. Memories like these stand out in my childhood, when I could be free to use my creativity and imagination.
In elementary school I became fascinated by the artists we learned about in class, and would frequently “volunteer” to clean the paint brushes so that I could hang back in the art room for a few more minutes. I was lucky to grow up in a public school system where I was able to take art classes almost every year. My pursuit of a career in art is largely thanks to these teachers, particularly a few I had in high school who saw something in me and challenged me to develop my skills further.
After high school, I went to attend the University of Arkansas to study Studio Art and Art Education. This period in my life was immersive to say the least. And the sleep deprivation was real. Many nights and early mornings were spent in the studio on campus working on projects for critique day. As someone who has always somewhat enjoyed school, art school was incredible- each day learning about art and its evolutions throughout history, working with new materials and processes, challenging myself and exchanging ideas amongst other creatives on a daily basis. It didn’t take long after graduating to realize how unique this time in my life was and how irreplaceable it would be.
It is during this time in college that I took my first sculpture class and learned about all of the possibilities that the medium has to offer. Our first project, to create a true-to-life portrait bust of ourselves working from measurements and images, was a transformative experience. I recall spending days on end, becoming totally overcome by what was forming in front of me. With every pad of clay that was pressed into the form or carving taken away, I found myself both literally and figuratively looking deeper into myself. Soon after, I was exploring woodworking, metalworking, mold making and modeling, bronze casting, and more. I fell in love with the physicality of these processes and the tactile nature of the materials.
While art has always been a natural outlet for me, the path of becoming an artist has been anything but straightforward. Like many artists, I’ve found the journey to be evolving, messy, and at times, scary. With every personal growth comes an evolution in your craft, intertwined with the realities of making a living. But through this, I’ve learned the importance of patience, self-compassion, and trusting in my worth to keep moving forward.
Today, I live in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, where I work as an Artist, as well as Program Manager for the Cultural Arts Alliance where one of my areas of responsibility is leading art instruction at the Boys & Girls Club. This role allows me to combine my passion for the arts and education, working with artists in the community to help them achieve their goals and nurturing children’s creativity by helping them discover their inner artist.
Looking back, I see that I’m still that imaginative girl who brings a sense of wonder and play into how I process the world. Art allows me to interpret complex experiences and transform them into something beautiful and digestible. Through my work, I strive to interpret the world in ways that go beyond the senses, delving into the universal human experience- unique to each individual yet connected at its core. I’m fascinated by how we make sense of our existence and our relationship with nature.
As we grow older, we often lose that innate curiosity and sense of discovery that sparks learning in our younger selves. With my art, I hope to inspire viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the natural world and rekindle that sense of wonder. My aim is to remind us all of the beauty and potential for discovery we tend to overlook as we become more accustomed to the everyday, treating the extraordinary as ordinary.
See my recent work- ‘Sea How We Flow’ on display in the Underwater Museum of Art off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park, FL.
Elise Gilbert
That’s a Wrap ON CAA
SUMMER EVENTS
6th Annual Dine + Dive UMA Fundraiser Event
May 1, 2024 • Grand Boulevard
The CAA and South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) hosted the sixth annual fundraiser event for the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) featuring Cousin Curtiss.
This year’s event was an expansion of the former Under the Sea and featured more than a dozen tasting stations from area restaurants and celebrated chefs, more than 50 wines to sample as well as continuous live music for a truly immersive experience.
The UMA is the first presentation of the CAA’s ‘Art in Public Spaces’ program and augments SWARA’s mission of creating marine habitat and expanding fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in South Walton.
Several of the sculpture designs selected by jury for permanent exhibition in the sixth installation of the UMA were on display at the fundraiser and throughout the weekend during the ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival before they made the journey to Orange Beach, AL to prepare for their deployment into the Gulf in a one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park. All event net proceeds benefited the Underwater Museum of Art. With the seven sculptures deployed August 2024, the UMA is now home to 47 original artworks 58 ft below the sea off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park.
Many thanks to our Dine + Dive Sponsors and Event Partners including: SWARA, Visit South Walton, Grand Blvd. Town Center, Florida Arts & Culture, Latitude Margaritaville, Seaside®, Southern Tide, Stinky’s Fish Camp, Bijoux, Cantina Laredo, Cinders & Salt, The Citizen at Alys Beach, Grayton Beach Catering, Great Southern Cafe, Marrow Chefs, Martinelli Family Winery, Mozey’s, Red Fish Taco, Roux 30A, Sonoma County Vintners Association, Surfing Deer and Swiftly
Catered.
2024 Dine +Dive UMA Fundraiser Event photos by Lynn Crow Photography
The 36th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival
May 4 & 5, 2024 • Grand Boulevard
The 36th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival showcased more than 150 local, regional and national fine artists in the North Park at Grand Boulevard Town Center at Sandestin. The event featured live performances, Art On Demand live learning sessions, great food, art demonstrations, student exhibits, and “ImagiNation: where kids rule.”
Many thanks to our Event Partners including: Visit South Walton, Grand Blvd. Town Center, Florida Arts & Culture, Chelco Operation Round Up, David Frank Luxury Swings, Salty Girls, Seaside®, Residence Inn Sandestin at Grand Blvd., and Emerald Coast Magazine.
The 30A Songwriters Festival Sounds Like Summer Series
June 13, July 18 & August 8, 2024
Watersound® Town Center
The 30A Songwriters Festival Sounds Like Summer Series featured free live performances from Alex Rogers, David Ryan Harris, Sarah Clanton, the Eliot Bronson Trio, David Borné, Caitlin Cannon, Wyatt Espalin, Jessica Sharman and Holly Williams as part of the unique arts and cultural entertainment lineup at The Pavilion at Watersound® Town Center.
Many thanks to our Event Partner Watersound® Town Center.
Creative Kids Camp at Bayou Arts Center
May 4 & 5, 2024
The CAA hosted 70 children during our summer Creative Kids Camps at the Bayou Arts Center. The kids were able to experience several different art forms such as acrylic painting, collage, clay handbuilding, mixed media, Craft and origami during the immersive art camps.
Arts Festival photos by Lynn Crow Photography
Photography provided by The St. Joe Company
Photo Courtesy of Walton County Tourism Department, Addison Haddorff
Celebrating Creativity
BY BRANDI KALICKI
Sarah Page was recently chosen by Walton County Tourism as the 2024 Walton County Artist of the Year, an award honoring a Walton County artist whose unique artistic expression captures the essence of the destination’s renowned creativity and beauty.
Sarah Page
Artist Sarah Page is making a difference in her community. Since planting her roots in Walton County, she has been impacting public spaces by creating murals that balance eye-catching visual beauty and preservation of what makes these places special.
Her murals have been featured in locations such as Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach, Wateround® Town Center Pavilion and downtown DeFuniak Springs. Her mural “Culmination,” was included inside the tunnel of the new Inlet Beach underpass part of the Cultural Arts Alliance’s Art in Public Spaces program, and the artist is excited one of her murals is featured at the Walton County Fairgrounds.
On her website, Page says she’s an “adventure artist”, and that “adventure calls us to take risks, experience new things and have fun.” She is no stranger to taking risks – leaving a full-time job in nonprofit marketing to pursue art full time.
Page grew up in Georgia, and in 2003 moved with her family to Santa Rosa Beach after having
vacationed there. She felt the call of creativity from a young age, and says she was always artistic.
Page credits her father, also an artist, with influencing her art by teaching her to draw, and she discovered graphic design while attending the University of South Florida in Tampa. After applying to the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s Shine Mural Festival, she became one of the 2018 open call artist winners.
Her work also connects her to the community. The mural as an art form can enhance a space and add new meaning and connection into the everyday lives of residents and visitors. Page acknowledges public art’s impact, how it can brighten someone’s day.
Learn more about the Artist of the Year program at WaltonCountyTourism.com .
“I think that’s what artists do,” says Page. “We’re able to translate our feelings into something that people can see and touch and connect to.”
Magnolia Mural in DeFuniak Springs
Photo by Alex Lewis
The St. Joe Company Announces the Longleaf Art Park at the Watersound® Origins Community
The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) (“St. Joe”) announces plans by the Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation, an artssupporting non-profit organization, for the Longleaf Art Park at the Watersound® Origins community. The park, which is currently under development off Origins Parkway, is planned for 15.5 acres and will be open to the public once complete. Day-to-day operations will be managed by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.
The planned park will be anchored by the Passage of Time Pavilion, which will house the late artist Richard Serra’s iconic work Passage of Time. The 217foot long 540,000-pound sculpture constructed in the artist’s preferred medium features eight two-inch thick weathering steel plates measuring 13.5 feet in height displayed in a meandering parallel arrangement.
The planned Longleaf Art Park and the Passage of Time Pavilion have been designed by OLI Architecture in collaboration with Richard Serra. In order to create a destination that blends with its existing natural environment, emphasis has been placed on keeping all construction disturbances on the site to a minimum.
In addition to the Passage of Time Pavilion, the park will feature amenities including an outdoor event space that will host future programming opportunities. Meandering paths and boardwalks will lead visitors from a parking area through native landscape on a journey through carefully contoured berms surrounding a pond as they approach the Passage of Time Pavilion. The pavilion is designed to be entered from glass vestibules welcoming visitors to an intimate experience with the sculpture.
“The creation of the Longleaf Art Park marks the beginning of a new cultural era for Walton County and establishes the Northwest Florida region as a home and destination for artistic excellence,” said Jennifer Steele, President & CEO of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.
“The importance of access to a piece of work as significant as Richard Serra’s Passage of Time cannot be overstated, and the impact it will have on our local artists, residents, students, and visitors will be limitless and lasting for generations.”
Plans call for the park to be open in 2026.
Photography provided by The St. Joe Company
One thing is certain here at the Cultural Arts Alliance: things are always changing. This usually signifies growth, but it can also mean a pause, sometimes not by choice. This provides an opportunity to evaluate our programs and services for improvement, which can then lead to more growth and opportunity.
We have been fortunate to work with individuals and businesses over the years who have supported the development of many of those programs, including providing affordable brick-and-mortar spaces that have housed our beloved Foster Gallery. For the last two years, we have had a beautiful home at the Miramar Beach Creative Campus. It is with gratitude and also sadness that we announce its closing this month, as the building has been sold and will become home to a new local business.
The CAA will centralize its arts education operations at the Bayou Arts Center in Santa Rosa Beach. The studio and office spaces have been redesigned to accommodate the expansion of our pottery program and open studio, as well as our traditional visual arts classes and special offerings. Several improvements have already been made to the space, including new lighting, flooring, and power upgrades to support the additional ceramics equipment needed to meet the high demand for this popular program.
The Foster Gallery will be temporarily closed until we find a permanent location. In the meantime, we have expanded our partnerships with local businesses to provide spaces for CAA Member Artists to display and sell their work. These locations include the Coastal Branch Library, Emerald Coast Theatre Company, and the Point Washington Medical Clinic. Stay tuned for more exhibition opportunities as we add more community collaborators.
We are looking forward to the future, but we want to take this chance to honor our past and everyone who has helped us achieve our goals. We want to express our sincere thanks to the artists who have entrusted us with their work, the enthusiastic patrons who support the arts, our Board of Directors, and all who have visited our doors over the years to be part of the experience. We are especially grateful to Shawn & Richard Tomasello for providing us with the Miramar Beach Creative Campus space. Their generosity has enabled the CAA to increase artist involvement in the gallery, expand our pottery studio program, and extend our outreach programs. Without the Tomasello’s financial and in-kind contributions, we would not have been able to call such a beautiful space our home for the past two years. Their support has allowed us to grow and scale our pottery education program, fulfilling a significant need for 3D arts education. The Tomasello’s ongoing support as benefactors of the arts in Walton County is invaluable to us, and we are fortunate to have their trust and backing.
Thanks to our Director of Administration, Lee Greene, Program Manager Pam Singh, Lead Pottery Instructor Jessica Batson, and other teaching artists who have been instrumental in leading the MBCC operations over the past two years. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Donnelle Clark Reagin, Mary Redmann, Skip Deems, Mindy Moore, and numerous other gallery artists for their tireless volunteering efforts since the Foster Gallery’s inception, which have been crucial to ensuring its success.
Our educational programs have offered income earning opportunities for our creative community. Additionally, we were honored to be the Florida host gallery for the Southern Prize for Visual Arts.
While this pause is not permanent, it presents an opportunity for us to make strategic decisions about the future of the gallery, arts education programming, and methods to further engage with the community we serve. Thank you for being a part of our journey!
Visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/foster-gallery to stay up-todate on future Foster Gallery Outreach Programs.
SUPPORTING WALTON COUNTY’S
CREATIVE COMMUNITY
The CAA provides funding and grants, organizes art workshops and classes, and provides exposure to the arts to local schoolchildren. Through the success of its events, the CAA funds arts education initiatives through its Art for All program, providing grants and scholarships that impact thousands of Pre-K to 12th grade students annually.
Art for All Funding
Funding is available for artists, arts organizations, teachers, and students through the CAA’s Art For All Program. Applying is easy, and awards are distributed throughout the year. CAA has granted half a million dollars back out into the community over 30 years!
Workshops
The CAA offers over 250 affordable art classes each year for artists of all ages and skill levels. From after-school and summer programs for kids to Oil, Acrylic, Pottery, Fiber and Watercolor classes for adults, the CAA has a class for everyone.
Creative Kids Camp
CAA instructors teach the campers how to work with a variety of mediums and use different techniques so each student goes home with a diverse portfolio of work. Daily and full week registration options are available.
Learn more about opportunities, visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/artist-resources
VISUAL
PRISON ART PROGRAM
Bradley Copeland, began the art prison program at Walton County Correctional Institution in DeFuniak in February 2022, with a class of 12 men. She used methods and ideas she had developed from her own healing, and applied them to the weekly art classes, encouraging the participants to let go of any predetermined plan and allow the enjoyment and exploration of the process to guide them. There were 2 graduations a year, and the basic class led on to a more advanced class.
In early 2004 Bradley took a step back from the prison program but had already connected to Anna Balfour at a fundraiser for the CAA prison songwriter program at the Warehouses on 395; Anna facilitated 2 shorter art classes of 5 and 6 sessions each at the prison beginning in late 2003 as the art classes were in great demand, using Bradley’s ideas along with her own.
Anna and Bradley joked that they both felt ‘imposters’ as Bradley has no formal training like Anna’s, who is a Clinical Psychologist, and Anna is not a bona fide artist of Bradley’s caliber. And yet they were drawn to be involved in the prison with a desire to help the men to go deeper within themselves in order to grow and flourish, using visual art as the medium to go explore their inner lives.
Photos provided by Walton Correctional Institution
“This is hard. I didn’t want to try as I wasn’t sure what I was doing and wanted to get it right; we have to make sure everything we do is right in here ( the prison ) or there’s trouble. But I had to step out and try – and I’ve made some pretty cool shades. I’m learning that I’m not all bad. That I can do some things OK.”
- Joey
Anna brings her own flavor to the program, but continuing with the same mission as Bradley: Through the medium of visual art, to use art techniques that illustrate some deeper truth of, for example, learning to trust and surrender and let go.
In the words of one inmate and participant, DJ knew that having..”an opportunity to dig deeper inside of me, through this program, helps me reflect on what led me to be here “. and studies have shown this is critical to reduce the likelihood of people returning to prison after release: To provide a safe space for the men to do that, to reflect where they are in the moment, find relief from a hostile environment and explore deeper truths about themselves to help them to grow to be the people they desire to be.
In May 2024 the location of the art program changed to being in the adjacent work camp, not the main prison as it no longer had physical capacity to host the art class due to new educators being employed and needing classrooms. A creative solution was found by moving the program to an adjacent part of the prison - the work camp, with its own separate dorms, canteen etc.
The work camp has around 150 men who usually have less than 10 years to serve; it used to be 3 years before release but with overcrowding in the main prison the criteria has changed. Some men are involved in work programs out of the prison but unlike the main prison, there are no program dorms where men can learn and grow or get educational opportunities. It therefore seemed serendipitous that the art program is housed there now, as it is a welcome break from monotony and boredom when there is little else to absorb their time.
Anna has now run a total of 4 series of classes up until July in the prison and work camp since November 2023 - with approximately 10 men in each of the 4 series of classes, and a total of 45 different individuals attending a series of art classes.
169 INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOM ATTENDEES
35 CLASSES
7.6 MEN PER CLASS AVERAGE
BEYOND BARS:
A Songwriting Prison Art Program at Walton Correctional Institution
Dear Reader,
It has been five teaching residencies, one teacher training and more than a hundred songs since I last wrote about my experiences at Walton Correctional Institution. I don’t think any of us expected to accomplish so many good things in such a short span of time. To quantify this distance, I’ll pick up where I left you last January. It was the first time I had helped deliver ten songs into the world at once! It was impossible not to care about them all because the students were so committed (no pun intended). Afterwards I was changed, inspired, really tired and eager to return. Each time, I did so intending to refine the program so that it could be its own midwife.
It would need to accommodate a range of styles and skills. It would need to be as inspiring to the experienced, as it would be educational to the novice songwriter. So, I put myself through the exercises that were becoming my system of songwriting checks and balances, to see if my own subconscious would reveal where there was need for further inquiry and examination. But, more like in the way one might trick oneself into exercising by putting on leg warmers and a sparkly headband. I don’t want to “intentionally heal’ anymore than I want to eat a gluten-free pancake. But, if it’s in the shape of Mickey Mouse or a cactus, that’s different!
One of my favorite teaching moments (hell, my favorite ever moments) was at the end of my second residency when a return student, Derick Rice a.k.a Rockstar, handed me a piece of paper to ‘tear apart’ in front of the class. And that’s hard! I can’t think of many things that are as difficult as offering up a delicate new-born creation for some constructive criticism. I’ve known grown men who would rather give birth. But, “Okay,” I said. “I’m not going to take it easy on you just because you are a marginalized people.” We proceeded in good nature.
The song told of a woman, a needle and a spoon, before launching into a catchy chorus about his leaving that life behind for Arizona, Oklahoma (and somewhere else I can’t remember because I was stuck back on that whole needle/ spoon thing). A classic case of Chekhov’s gun. I explained the principle that if there is a pistol hanging on the wall in the first act (or verse in our case) then it must go off by the third, if not the second. “You can’t give me a needle and a spoon in the first verse, then bail and never take me back there to find out if she OD’d!” I sad. I told him I felt he had two songs here— one was ready for country radio, and the other was the one I was really interested in.
Photos provided by Walton Correctional Institute
His response, “Well, I knew you were going to say that Ms. Caitlin, so I wrote this song, too.” He handed me another piece of paper which read:
Everything I’m Not By Derek Rice
There’s a hole in my heart
There’s a hole in my arm
And I use to try and fill it
With a needle in a car
Things got kinda sketchy
Back when we got heavy
Though we both had a part
In that little gray chevy
It’s been ten years since I felt the freedom of an open road I’m wiser from the time but it’s taken its toll I’ve been doing a lot making the best of what I’ve got And I hear you’re doing everything I’m not
I thought I was Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds! Derek pruned away some of the cleverest and catchiest parts of his song that were distracting from his revelation. He listened for a deeper truth and pulled it through the static. Whenever I repeat his words to others, I love to watch them hit. To see them land on a listener with such profound impact is very satisfying. He is really communicating (despite a few missing teeth)!
When word got out a mean teacher lady was ripping songs to shreds and telling their authors they could only keep a confetti’s worth of what they had, more signed up for ‘the healing’. This effected me, because I knew they weren’t craving punishment. Perhaps it was more to do with someone expecting a level of excellence from them, and
their choosing to rise to the occasion. There were instances I’m sure I would’ve given up at my own suggestions, but these particular students would come to class on a few hours sleep, glowing with the satisfaction of having found the words just there on the other side of their resistance.
By my third residency, I had a big stack of really wonderful, inventive, moving songs. So good, I asked for permission to use them as teaching aides, to help explain metaphor, double entendre (etc., etc.) to future students who might better relate to these guys than to Bob Dylan.
In his song I Am My Brother’s Reaper, Chico Jay used the parable of Caine and Able to express remorse for having ‘taken his brothers life’ (as they both received life sentences for the crime he himself committed).
I had also begun to integrate some grounding meditations (known as ‘circle work’) into my classes. I had observed the efficacy of this at a songwriting retreat for veterans called Reveille, guided by Phoebe Hunt. Phoebe was in the process of creating a program to teach songwriters how to ‘hold space’ for the purpose of leading workshops. With dreams of expansion, a collaboration seemed kismet.
Thanks to the CAA, I have never been at the helm of something that came together so effortlessly. In August, Phoebe and I were joined by four songwriters (Dave and Anna Borné, Jessica Sharman, and Wyatt Espalin) who came to learn by doing the program they baptized “Beyond Bars”. I was nervous to find out how the lessons would land on my songwriting peers—if it would be challenging, or interesting or coherent enough. I don’t know, but the songs that Jessica, Wyatt, Dave and Anna wrote that week are among some of the most impactful I’ve ever heard. I’ll suppose, that beyond a songwriter’s loyalty to his or her own craft, the accountability felt towards some very dedicated, incarcerated students was considerably motivating. With more hands on deck, we were able to open the class to more inmates who could receive greater benefit from a variety of talents and perspectives beyond my own.
While they tease the class oughta be called ‘trick therapy’, I substantiate that we are not therapists. We are songwriters who teach from our personal experiences writing and making music. It’s another reason I hoped to create a system that would allow enough autonomy for each participant to mitigate the gravity of their own exploration. While I’ve begun to trust my instincts as to when a writer may need a bit of a push, or a bit of permission, there are times I’ll suggest putting a lyric ‘in code’, understanding that being so transparent about past trauma could jeopardize an inmate’s safety. I am always moved when they tell me they would rather write the truth, and I would not deny them the relief I know can come from that. This time, I had five other incredibly compassionate songwriter’s to rally support around our brave group.
Pictured: Jessica Sharman with WCI residents
Phoebe helped mentor Bradley A. Pitts, a.k.a Ford, who had never written a song before. Here is an excerpt from Hard Love which he performed at our final concert:
Hard Love by
Bradley A. Pitts
Sprained wrist, black eyes, lawnmower belts
Water hose, drop cords, I went through hell
Belt buckles, bare knuckles, hickeys on my neck
Broken glass, broken ribs, really what the heck
What did I do wrong to deserve this Does this life have any purpose
Beer Bottles, ash trays, cigarette burns
Metal wire, fly swatter, guess love hurts
Broken boys, broken toys, broken tv screens
Mom didn’t hear me when I screamed Is this really what love is Does my life have any purpose
When the concert was over, multiple audience members thanked him for his courage and asked how they could join the class. I also felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation, knowing there are parts of my own history I’m not ready to probe with a pen. But, because I’ve made enough of my own bad choices in response to my unacceptable trauma, I believe the unhealthiest parts of our society will remain sick as long as they are considered to be taboo.
I tell people that this work has made me grateful, but not for the reasons I expected it would. I thought I would compare myself to these men and feel better about my own life. But, that isn’t how it happened. Each day after I class, I’d leave the prison and take a short drive to Santa Rosa Beach. I’d
walk along the shoreline, breath in the salty air and still find it completely possible to feel sorry for myself. The reason this work makes me grateful is because they are grateful. They are truly grateful in spite of their circumstances, which are not at all comfortable and perceivably hopeless in some cases. So, we are teaching them songwriting things, and they are teaching us that!
I can’t easily explain what is happening at WCI, or why or how, but I can assure that it is rare. When Jennifer Steele shared her vision for the Prison Art Program with me over our first coffee in ’23, I had to squint. But the CAA has rallied behind us at every turn, and WCI has welcomed every residency, and great possibilities are becoming more and more vivid. I don’t have a word to express how it feels to be partnering with an organization that is so committed to forwarding art for it’s rehabilitative potential. To think that Beyond Bars could made available to every inmate in Walton County, that trainee’s could return as instructors on a seasonal basis, that trainings could be made possible for other songwriters who would be impassioned by this work, and that the program could ultimately be available anywhere there is a need, is really, really something.
Each time I travel between Nashville and Walton County, I try and visit my brother who is serving out a life sentence at an Alabama State Prison. My brother is a very good songwriter. He writes rap songs. But unlike me, he is a private person and keeps these mostly to himself. I was excited to perform my first rap for him at our last visit (a song ‘Cheese’ had challenged me to write called “Chain Gang Slang” as retribution for forcing them all to learn ‘Nashville form’. Ha!)
I also wanted to get my brother’s take on the phenomenon I thought I might be witnessing. I told him about a man named Anthony, a.k.a Ant, a sweet soul with more than a few decades of prison life behind him. He had read a short story, entitled “Sunset”, from the perspective of a young boy, looking at a blood red sky through the window that remained in his view,
Battle Scars by Shane
Let me tell you about the story of my battle scars
Let me tell you about my pain, hurt, and turmoil
Let me tell you about the story of my family
And then let me tell you how I finally won the victory
See, my grandpa was a drunk, an abuser, and a rager
Put a gun in grandma’s face, said he was gonna erase her
If it wasn’t for my daddy, then my grandma would be gone
Instead, he was in the room with my grandpa all alone
When he sat down on the bed, and he took the gun in hand
Looked my daddy in the face, and this is what he said
He said you want your mom to live, then son, this is what you get
He put the pistol to his temple and that’s how grandpa went
Now, I know you can guess how much my daddy was scarred
Twelve years old, all alone, papa’s blood on the walls
I think that was the day that my daddy’s dreams died
As his heart closed up and tears fell from his eyes
There would never be a day when I saw my father smile
Not when he made a million, not when he walked the aisle
Not the day he went to prison, not the day that he got out
Not the day he vanished from the earth, a pistol in his mouth
And so the scars of generations were passed right on to me
As I was sitting in a jail at the age of seventeen
As I was looking at the chair, or a life behind the walls
I was looking at a future that had no hope at all
So, that’s the source, the source of my battle scars
That’s the curse passed to me from my father’s father
That’s the source of my family’s pain and misery
But the Lord declared that those scars would not define me
There’s no scars in my heart, now, my life’s clean
There’s no past I’m running from, I’m a new me
There’s no regret, my life is made anew
And my Lord will do it all for each and every one of you.
moments after his father took his own life. Our young Ford (who had still not written a song yet) thanked him for his courage, admitting that, while he felt compelled, he was afraid to look that closely at past. My brother then surprised me with a song he had written that week. A song that’s potency and lack of randomness has me convinced there is some greater force behind the organization of all of this. He gave me his blessing to share it with students at WCI.
In closing, the need is everywhere.
Love, Caitlin
Pictured: Dave and Anna Borné and Jessica Sharman
Pictured: Caitlin Cannon and Phoebe Hunt
Pictured: Wyatt Espalin
PUBLIC SPACES ART IN
Seven New Sculptures Added to Nation’s First Underwater Museum of Art
On August 8, more than 75 onlookers, including several of the artists and project partners, were on site to view the historic deployment of seven new sculptures into the nation’s first permanent Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park.
The 2024 installation includes the following pieces of sculpture: Reef Goddess By Raine Bedsole (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Deep Sea Three by Matthew Gemmell and David Showalter (Baltimore, MD), Sea How We Flow by Elise Gilbert (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Poseidon’s Throne by Nathan Hoffman (Highlandville, MO), Bubby Barnacles by Donna Conklin King (East Orange, NJ), Sunken Spores by Ashley Rivers (Gulfport, FL), and Ring My Bell by Bradley Touchstone (Santa Rosa Beach, FL). This year, the team was able to expand the livestream event to include a host to share valuable insights during all of the action to the UMA website and it is still available for viewing at umafl.org.
Bubbly Barnacles by Donna Conklin King
Left: UMA Artists Donna Conklin King and Elise Gilbert watch as their sculptures are lowered into the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo by Spring Run Media
Deployment Photos by Josh Thurber , Love is Wild
The Big Store Beautification Project with Main Street DeFuniak Springs
The CAA recently partnered with Main Street DeFuniak Springs to create a new art experience to celebrate the history of The Big Store on Baldwin Avenue in downtown DeFuniak Springs. Local graphic artist Kelsey Kelly of Pinewood Studios created a vinyl window wrap that has been installed on existing windows as a source of education and inspiration. The new mural was revealed and the ribbon cut during the recent Art on Baldwin event on August 23.
The mural is a new installation for the CAA’s growing Art in Public Spaces program which is designed to foster collaboration, celebrate community, encourage tourism, promote exploration, stimulate the economy, and enhance the physical environment as well as the unique culture and beauty of Walton County.
Top photo (L to R) are: Josh Ervin (CRA Director), Amanda Bierbaum (MSDFS Board President), Bailey Rushing (MSDFS Board Member), Rachel Conort (MSDFS Director), Kelsey Kelly (Pinewood Studios), Courtney Malone (CAA), Katie Witherspoon (CAA), Kendra Parson (MSDFS Board Member).
Mural Commissioned to Celebrate Walton County Fairgrounds Centennial
Local artist Sarah Page has been selected from the CAA’s pre-vetted Public Artist Directory and commissioned to create a vibrant large-scale mural at the Walton County Fairgrounds located at 790 N. 9th Street in DeFuniak Springs. With support from the Walton County Tourism Department, the CAA partnered with the Walton County Fair Board to produce this installation as part of the fair’s upcoming Centennial Celebration.
Measuring 72 ft wide x 10.5 ft high, the original work will serve as a backdrop on the south, arena-facing wall near the agricultural and livestock exhibits where it can be enjoyed and photographed by attendees of the fair and other events. The mural will serve as a colorful representation of the rich agricultural heritage and vibrant arts in our community.
Established in 1924, the fair has been a cornerstone of Walton County, offering a platform for individuals of all ages to showcase their talents and skills. The CAA also sponsors several fair awards, including the Walton County Student Art Exhibit.
For more information about the Walton County Fair, visit WaltonCountyFair.com
Photos by Lacey Drake courtesy of Main Street DeFuniak Springs
Photo Courtesy of Walton County Tourism Department, Addison Haddorff
10 Murals Installed In U.S. Highway 98 Pedestrian Underpass
Original murals commissioned and created by 10 local artists were recently installed on the walls of Walton County’s first pedestrian underpass at U.S. Highway 98 in Inlet Beach, which opened to the public over Labor Day weekend. The 136-foot-long underpass frames the east end of Walton County at the high-traffic corner of Hwy. 98 and County Hwy. 30A, both designated scenic corridors.
The installation includes artworks by Francisco Adaro, Katherine Boggs, Heather Clements, Bradley Copeland, Olga Guy, Wes Hinds, Sarah Page, Andy Saczynski, Andrea Scurto and Lindsay Tobias. Artists were selected from the CAA’s pre-vetted Public Artist Directory and each created a mural measuring 20 ft wide x 8 ft high.
The public art component is part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s greater $5.6 million Underpass project and was created in collaboration with Scenic Walton, Walton County Board of County Commissioners, and Walton County Tourism Department. Additional support was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, St. Joe Community Foundation, Rosemary Beach Realty, Market 30A, 30A. com, Morning Star Foundation, 30Avenue, Howard Group, and John & Nina Freer and John Paulson Family.
Phoning Home by Bradley Copeland
Photos by Kurt Lischka, SoWal.com
Untitled by Andi Scurto
Local Love by Heather Clements
Tangled by Lindsay Tobias
Partner Spotlights
30Avenue is the premier lifestyle center functioning as the Gateway to 30A® and the community center for Inlet Beach since its opening in 2015. 30Avenue management participated as a partner with other community members to build the pedestrian underpass with a primary goal of safely crossing Highway 98, but also to continue the standard for architectural beauty, aesthetically pleasing landscape, and artistic interest - partnering with the Cultural Arts Alliance and Scenic Walton has been key for those aspects.
Having the underpass filled with colorful murals turns an afternoon stroll or bike ride into a fabulous imaginative journey of happy images, an array of color, and unparalleled interest in a covered and protected space. Residents and tourists alike will enjoy a beautiful art gallery created just for them. 30Avenue is the proud sponsor of the “FishEye” mural, created by talented artist Katherine Boggs. Seeing life through the eye of a fish is a whimsical nod to our great respect for our beloved wildlife and beaches. What a great opportunity the tunnel is to surround ourselves with such beautiful creative energy!
30Avenue is very proud to have participated in the vision, creation, and completion of this premier pedestrian tunnel and looks forward to continuing the enhancement of Life on 30A!
thirtyavenue.com
In 2012, I initiated a project aimed at improving safety all while enhancing the pedestrian pathways and landscaping around 30A and US 98. Our goal was to provide “safe passage” for everyone.
My commitment to making a positive impact inspired collaboration with fellow community members, leading us to work alongside Walton County and the State of Florida
to secure approval for the installation of a pedestrian tunnel beneath US 98.
Years later, we are thrilled to present a gateway that embodies both safety and beauty for all who live, visit, and work in our communities along 30A.
The addition of wall “art” in the tunnel serves to connect us in our unique ways and what better way to unite our community than through the vision of the mural I chose. It symbolizes that all living beings must strive and ascend the ladder to reach the stunning blue skies above the beautiful beaches and lush landscapes of 30A.
- John Freer
Thank you to the Freer and Paulson Families for their continued support in our community.
Since 2014, Scenic Walton has taken a leadership role in advancing the underpass project, alongside key safety and beautification improvements in the area. For the past decade, we’ve worked closely with FDOT, Walton County, and community leaders to bring this project to life. A core focus for us has been improving cyclist and pedestrian facilities countywide, and this underpass, along with nearby multiuse path enhancements, marks our most significant achievement to date.
We’re particularly proud of this project because of its life-saving potential. The fact that it’s also aesthetically stunning is an added bonus. To enhance its beauty further, we sponsored a mural, inviting our followers to participate. When we explored ways to make using the underpass more than just a way to get from one place to another, public art immediately rose to the top as an important way to accomplish this. We believe the public art component is crucial, making the underpass more inviting and increasing its use. This mural, by Sarah Page and in partnership with the CAA, transforms the underpass into an experience, symbolizing our shared connection as we safely cross US 98.
scenicwalton.org
