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The Stanly County Arts Council will host the annual “Celebration of the ARTS!” on March 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, 26032 Newt Road, Albemarle.
The Celebration of the ARTS! is a free event that is open to the public, showcasing the best of the Arts in Stanly County with live performances, information booths from area arts organizations and art-based businesses, art demonstrations, an exhibition of Student Art from all the Stanly County schools, elementary through high school and Stanly Community College, meet local authors, plus an opportunity to purchase art from local artists. Creation Station is back — a place where kids can create their own art to take home.
“March is here, meaning Celebration of the Arts is just a few short weeks away. We are excited to invite the community and area businesses out to the 7th annual Celebration of the Arts. This is such an exciting event for everyone who attends and enjoys the talent and artistic work of our local artist community,” Arts Council chairman Kelly Dombrowski said. “As a principal, I especially enjoy seeing a flurry of excitement as students and their families look for their chosen artwork displayed throughout the Civic Center and the pride in our students and their families as they celebrate their art or their performances throughout the day. This long-standing tradition truly is one of our favorite events because of the number of families it has the potential to reach. I hope you will join us for one of our favorite events of the year and celebrate the rich artistic talent this county has to offer.”
This event helps the Stanly County Arts Council fulfill its mission of encouraging and promoting broad-based cultural and educational activities in the arts throughout Stanly County.
For the second year, the event will also highlight local authors with an area where you can meet and purchase books from published authors from Stanly County, including Denny Hamann, Brian Hill, Janice Cole Hopkins, Ann Lacey, Dianne Miley, Ruth Morris Moose, Susan Pless, Pam Rutherford, Rickey Smith and Jake Thomas.
At 1:45 p.m., right before the closing of the event, the Awards Ceremony will be held on the Lobby Stage to recognize area individuals who have excelled in the arts and have brought the arts to the residents of Stanly County. The Arts Council will recognize this year’s artist support grant recipient, Eli Williams, and announce the Fine Arts Educator of the Year and the Arts Person of the Year winners.
Performances
In the auditorium, come, see and hear the Stanly County Concert Band, the Gem Tones Big Band and vocalists and musicians from West Stanly High School.
The Stanly County Chorale will perform a sampling of songs from its upcoming concert.
The next generation of Chorale singers will share their talents, including the Central Elementary School’s Quarter Notes choir, Millingport Singers and Endy Voices choirs.
The event will be kicked off with the dancers from Melissa Kathleen’s School of Dance and performances by current Miss Lake Tillery Deoveune’ Chappell and Lake Tillery Teen Mia Benoy.
Entertainment will also occur in the lobby with musical performances by A Bunch of Misfits from Music on Main, soloists from Music on Main and the theatrical escapades of the West Stanly Players.
Performance lineups will be announced later and will be available online at stanlycountyartscouncil.org.
Exhibition Booths In The Lobby
By visiting the information booths in the lobby, one will be able to view talented artists at work plus find a piece of art for their home. Artists include Mary Ann Gantt of Thistle Pottery, Vicki Galloway with her One-stroke masterpieces, graphic artist Michael Mez Phillips, plus a collection of various mediums will be available from the artists of the Stanly Arts Guild.
Artists from the Stanly Arts Guild demonstrating their craft will be: Jessica Steed and Heather Metcalf with English paper piecing, Bubba Mullis and woodcarving, Matt Steed with his Native American flutes, dreamcatchers and jewelry, and Wendy Hillhouse with junk journal ephemera.
New this year, the event will have artist demonstrations on the patio, including blacksmithing with Stone Russell of Stone Forged, thrown pottery with Paul Haigh, plus Eli and Jack Williams will demonstrate their mural techniques with spray paint.
Juneberry Jams will have information about its upcoming concert series being held this June at Juneberry Ridge in Norwood.
Meet local authors and learn about their collection of books available for sale.
Pfeiffer University’s Phoenix will be on hand with their latest and past editions.
Need a new instrument or music? If so, stop and visit with Carole Brown from the Albemarle Music Store. If you want to take music lessons, then check out Music on Main’s booth to find out about vocal and instrument lessons.
If you’ve wanted to become involved with the arts in Stanly County or find out what concerts are coming this spring and summer to Stanly County, then check out the tables from the Stanly County Arts Council, the Stanly County Concert Association, the Stanly County Concert Band and the Stanly County Chorale. If you enjoy theater, then visit the booths from The Uwharrie Players and The Talent Company to find out about their upcoming seasons.
Stanly Arts Guild will be there to promote their artists, upcoming exhibitions and workshops.
The Friends of the Agri-Civic Center will be on hand too to discuss their upcoming projects to keep the Agri-Civic Center an instrumental player for the arts in the community.
Creation Station is back in the lobby with the supplies required and the assistance needed for children to create their own art to take home and enjoy.
Student Art Show
More than 200 pieces of art will be on display throughout the auditorium and lobby of the Agri-Civic Center by local youth. Stanly County public elementary, middle and high schools, as well as Carolina Christian School, Gray Stone Day High School, and Stanly Community College, will be represented.
Awards Ceremony
The Celebration of the ARTS awards ceremony will be held at 1:45 p.m. on the lobby stage. Eli Williams, a recipient of the Region 12 Artist Support Grant for 2025, will be recognized.
The finale will be announcing the recipients of the 2025 Fine Arts Educator of the Year and Arts Person of the Year awards. These awards were created in 2014 by the Arts Council to recognize those who have made a significant positive impact on the arts in Stanly County, and who have worked diligently to support, promote and create quality arts experiences for the whole community.
Raffles
Raffles will be held with the chance to win classes, artwork and tickets to various productions. Proceeds from the raffles will benefit the Stanly County Arts Council
The Stanly County Arts Council, founded in 1974, continues to support all art forms in the community.
Its mission is to encourage and promote broad-based cultural and educational activities in the arts throughout Stanly County. The Stanly County Arts Council is supported by private donations and by the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.