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Since 2014, the Stanly County Arts Council has recognized an Arts Person of the Year.
This person has made a significant positive impact on the arts in Stanly County and has worked to support, promote and create quality arts experiences for the whole community.
The Stanly County Arts Council announced that Christian Payne is the 2025 recipient of the Arts Person of the Year. Payne received his award at the Awards Ceremony at the 7th annual Celebration of the Arts on March 22 at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center.
“Christian has done so much for the development of the arts in our community,” Kelly Dombrowski, chair of the Stanly County Arts Council, said during the awards ceremony. “His willingness to share his talents with our county has been a benefit to so many, especially our youth who have participated in his creative summer camps, and his leadership direction of plays with the Uwharrie Players and Talent Company.
“His enthusiastic and creative influence has truly had a ripple effect on so many and even motivated others to make a career teaching and performing the arts to others,” she added.
Payne’s nomination was by Kimrey Lowder, current president of The Uwharrie Players.
“Christian works tirelessly to promote the arts in Stanly County. He has worked to successfully promote and produce Stanly County Dancing with the Stars, various Uwharrie Players productions, Stanly County ‘Nutcracker’ performances, Talent Company performances, as well as Theater for Young Audiences productions the past three years,” Lowder said. “He also has worked in some capacity with Melissa Kathleen’s Dance Studio, Albemarle Academy of Dance, Albemarle High Theater and Pfeiffer Playmakers. He has served on numerous boards of directors for various arts organizations, including both Talent Company and The Uwharrie Players, as well as taught theater at North Stanly High School.
“Christian has put in countless hours promoting the arts in Stanly County, not only for the organizations in which he belongs, but also any others that he can,” Lowder added. “I personally have worked with Christian for years and have never seen someone so committed to promoting the arts of all kinds in this county. I know, without a doubt, that the arts in Stanly County have thrived and will continue to thrive because Christian is a part of them. He is always working to make the arts in this county great and continuously provide arts opportunities to everyone, especially making an effort to bring in people who have not had as much experience with the arts.”
The nomination also spoke of the importance of arts education to Payne.
“Because Christian has spearheaded Uwharrie Players Theatre for Young Audiences, he has arts education at the forefront of his mind. He is always looking for ways to involve our school system in theater and seeking opportunities to provide the art to kids who many no otherwise receive them,” Lowder said.
Payne is a Stanly County native who has spent the greater part of his life making theatre in and with the Albemarle community and surrounding areas. He attended Albemarle High School and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in Dramatic Arts and English Literature.
Always involved in church and school plays as a child, his first big stage show was The Uwharrie Players’ production of “Ramona Quimby” in 2004 at the Agri-Civic Center. He also became an original member of The Talent Company when it was conceived the following year in 2005.
Since then, he has performed, directed, stage managed and designed for numerous productions, summer camps and events.
He is the outreach director for Stanly Community College. He recently completed his term as the president of the Board of Directors for The Uwharrie Players and closed his third Theatre for Young Audience production of “A Year with Frog and Toad” in February.
He enjoys creating theatre with his friends and community and supporting as many local art groups as he can.
He joins previous Arts Person of the Year awardees of Charlotte Maness, Angela Moore, Wes Tucker, Carmella Hedrick, Tim Harris, John Williams, Aza Hudson, Kent Harkey/Edna Lipe-Harkey, Tim Hedrick and Lisa Ewers. For the year 2021, the Arts Person and Fine Arts Educator of the Year awards were combined and honored all arts educators in the county for their dedication to aspiring our youth to pursue the arts during the pandemic.
The Stanly County Arts Council was founded in 1974. It continues to promote and 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.
For the latest information on the arts in Stanly County, visit www.stanlycountyartscouncil.org. Contact Renee VanHorn, executive director, at stanlycountyartscouncil1974@gmail.com.