It all began with a letter dated January 27, 1977 addressed to Mrs. Bruce (Mary) Vines, then president of the Moultrie Service League from Mrs. Billy (Barbara) Fallin. Here is a portion of that letter:

“Dear Mary:

Moultrie is, indeed, a wonderful place to live. And in order to maintain this level of community pride we must all be constantly aware of opportunities for improvement. I believe there is a real need here for the promotion of the arts. Last September I was attracted to an article in the Atlanta paper that made me think, “Why not Moultrie?”

The Colquitt County Board of Education will soon be abandoning a structurally sound and architecturally pleasing building including a small auditorium that now houses the ninth grade. It is my understanding that this facility will either be razed or sold by bids. We do need to save some of our older buildings.

The talent in the Moultrie Service League could be channeled to make this one of the most attractive fine arts buildings in the state. With some “prettying-up” part of the facility would be usable now, and one step at a time additional rooms could be restored to house art classes, dance studios, meetings, reception rooms, exhibits, etc. And the yards would come alive with some top soil and loving care.”

WOW —  that letter started nothing short of a revolution. A revolution that quickly defined the importance of the Arts in Colquitt County.

Forty years ago the seed was planted — and look what we have grown together. There is still much to do and with the presence, support and financial help of this community, we can do so much more.

The Colquitt County Arts Center’s “Week Long Celebration of the Arts” kicked off on Sunday, April 2nd with an educational luncheon hosted by the McCall Legacy Committee. The luncheon was held in the “in progress” McCall Gallery where beautiful table arrangements were set and panels telling of Frank McCall’s legacy and incredible architectural skills, as well as, some of his student work were hung. The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Bill Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Arts at the University of Georgia. He gave a very interesting (and entertaining) lecture on the importance of conserving the Frank McCall Collection of Works on Paper and what a treasure it is to have such a collection in our community. Dr. Eiland made clear how incredible the pieces Frank McCall graciously collected for the Arts Center are using examples from the collection, such as works by, Cecilia Beaux, Reginald Marsh, Alfred Hutty and Ben Shute. Our efforts to conserve the collection are still in process and are projected to be completed by June 30th, 2017.

On Monday our dancers took the stage under the direction of Lovedy Griner with doors wide open to the public to enjoy. The community had the opportunity to enjoy our little dancers as they prepare for their upcoming recital.

Tuesday was “Celebrate Visual Arts Day” and that is exactly what a handful of our local community artists did. The day began at 8am as our instructors brewed coffee and set up outside to prepare for a wonderful day of plein air. We invited the community to come join us for an open studio from 9am until 2pm with our art instructors available to assist with any medium. Some chose to paint the blooming flowers in our sculpture garden, sketch the trees or play with clay. Needless to say, Visual Arts were thoroughly celebrated by all that attended!

Thursday some the finest talent in our community presented Songs From the Stage. A blend of ages and vocal skills filled the stage with harmony and beauty. A special thanks to Ken Collier and Gunner Chauncey for lending their skills accompanying the vocalists. Check out our Facebook page for snippets of the evening- you will truly be entertained.

As this piece is being written the Arts Center is all abuzz getting polished and painted for our Patron Celebration tonight. Theater students and members of the Youth Activities Committee will be on hand to guide patrons on a tour through the Arts Center. Michael Ryce and the Southern Arts Music Ensemble, Ken Collier, Jimmy Norris and Beth Miller will be filling the halls with music and Harvie Ann Cox will be leading some of our children through a Kaleidoscope adventure.

Kathy Nelson will be in the art studio painting and Leah Garcia and Ashlee Parrish will be in the pottery studio demonstrating as well.

Saturday morning we will have hosted a wonderful family event on the grounds with fun activities for all. This afternoon at 2 PM several of our music students will present a short recital free to the public.

It has truly been a whirlwind week of celebrating the arts and we want to thank all of you for coming out and showing your support.

There is always something going on here at the Colquitt County Arts Center- where creativity finds community. Come join us!