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The Foster Gallery Turns Six and Expands
“The CAA is grateful to have an opportunity to expand our support for artists and services and programs to the community”
-CAA Executive Director Jennifer Steele
Photo by Jim Clark Photography
continuing to pursue my passion in the arts of Illustration and Fine Arts. I am looking forward to their new creative vision flourishing with passion and flair- and wish them all the best with many successes to come.”
While Lindblad will remain a creative advisor to the CAA for the curation of artists and special exhibitions, the CAA is currently conducting a search for a Program Manager who will lead the Miramar Beach Creative Campus gallery, programs, education and outreach. Interested applicants may submit their resume to hello@culturalartsalliance. com. Teaching artists are also encouraged to submit class proposals for the Miramar Beach Creative Campus, Santa Rosa Beach Creative Campus, and our Digital Creative Campus, which will be accepted year-round at CulturalArtsAlliance.com.
The CAA’s Miramar Beach Creative Campus will officially open September 7th, but minimal changes will be made initially. The CAA will work with existing artists in both galleries to ensure all artists feel welcomed, represented and supported during the transition. “The expansion, along with the addition of a Programs Manager and other future staff will enable the CAA to be more inclusive to artists without the existing requirement of working at the gallery,” said Steele. “We want our Creative Campuses to be centers for creativity that nurture the artistic process, allow artists the freedom to create, demonstrate, teach, exhibit and sell their work, and encourage their growth.”
Over the past six years, the gallery has provided opportunities for hundreds of artists, sold nearly half a million dollars of their work, and has provided the foundation for many to expand their careers and open their own businesses, including J. Leon Gallery + Studio.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to see the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County grow and expand in this future endeavor. Sharing missions in the Arts, it is an honor to have their organization take the lead of our space with hopes of continuing to blossom a creative environment for the area into the future,” said J. Leon Gallery + Studio owner Jason Lindblad. “I am incredibly thankful for the support from the community to J.Leon Gallery + Studio, and for my relationship with The Foster Gallery and the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County. Much like their growth in the arts, I too will be For more information about the CAA and its facilities, events, programs, and employment and volunteer opportunities visit
CulturalArtsAlliance.com.
EXPANSION OF CAA’S PRISON ART PROGRAM
The CAA’s Prison Art Program began in 2020 through a collaboration with Walton County Correctional Institution (WCI) Restorative Justice volunteers Libby Fisher and Erica Averion who were actively and regularly volunteering with the residents of WCI and were aware of the need for arts engagement and resources within the prison system.
The CAA funded the first phase of the program, which included participation by men in three WCI dorms who created original work for an online exhibit called “Conscious Expressions: An Insider’s Perspective,” which was then shown in public at Emerald Coast Theatre Company and Perla Bakery through Summer 2021. In February 2022, the CAA expanded the program to include weekly onsite art instruction, materials, and a venue for public exhibition of the students’ work with a plan to continue to fund the program indefinitely.
From April through June, the residents participated in a weekly class led by artist and instructor Bradley Copeland who challenged them to let go of any predetermined plan and allow the enjoyment and exploration of the process to guide them.
