First Baptist Mount Olive senior pastor, Dr. Dennis Atwood, left, and Jack Kannan, interim executive director of The Arts Council of Wayne County, stand with “the pig” that symbolizes the new partnership between the two entities.(Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Dr. Dennis Atwood, senior pastor with First Baptist Mount Olive, left, talks with Jack Kannan, interim executive director of The Arts Council of Wayne County, in an area of the church’s education building that both men hope will soon be filled with artists and art classes.(Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
A couple of weeks ago, The First Baptist Church of Mount Olive started off a Facebook post with a most unusual statement, “The pig has landed…” and offered proof of said pig in the form of a photo showing a very colorful porcine sculpture positioned near the entrance of the church’s education building.
So, what gives with the pig? It represents The Arts Council of Wayne County, and its sudden appearance at First Baptist Mount Olive symbolizes a new partnership between the two entities. The long and short of it is this: the church had empty space it wanted to put to good use, and the Arts Council was looking to expand its footprint beyond Goldsboro — and suddenly it was like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle coming together.
The second floor of the church’s education building, once buzzing with Sunday school activity now sits quiet, as First Baptist has experienced what so many other churches have experienced in recent years: A change in congregational size resulting in facilities that are no longer being used. Rather than letting the space sit empty, senior pastor Dr. Dennis Atwood, in conjunction with church members, determined that it could be used for the good of the community, so he phoned the Arts Council’s interim executive director, Jack Kannan, and proposed a partnership.
The church will rent the space to the Arts Council, which will, in turn, rent the space to artists in need of studios. Additionally, there are classrooms that will be used for art camps and private art lessons. Separate from the leasing agreement, the church will donate $10,000 that will go to pay for things like instructors for summer art camps and scholarships for children who wish to take private lessons after completing art camp, but don’t have the financial means to do so.
The $10,000 pledged by First Baptist Mount Olive is from the church’s $100,00 Gratitude Project, described by Atwood on First Baptist’s website as “targeted at community development in the Mount Olive area — alleviating poverty, improving affordable housing, strengthening educational opportunities for children and youth, and encouraging economic progress among the poor.” Atwood points out that assisting children and youth with educational opportunities in the arts aligns perfectly with the Gratitude Project’s stated mission.
The partnership with the Arts Council, Atwood notes, is a way for the church “to reflect God to the people in our community.”
Studios and classrooms are available immediately, and space for art shows and receptions will be available down the road. The church even has an outdoor area that can be used for pop-up events. Kannan stresses that he is thinking beyond the visual arts, and hopes to see music lessons offered, as well.
Art camps for children, to be led by professional artists, will be offered this summer.
“This is blooming fast,” Kannan says of the endeavor. He notes that both Atwood and Mayor Talton “need to be patted on the back” for reaching out to the Arts Council with this opportunity.
Julie Beck, president of the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce, served on the board of directors for the Arts Council for three years, until recently stepping off, and is now on the council’s advisory board for Mount Olive. “I realize the value of the arts in the community,” she says, “and I’m excited about having a satellite office [of the Arts Council] here in Mount Olive…It’s going to provide our local citizens an opportunity to engage in the arts and also to learn to appreciate the value of arts.”
For information on renting a studio or finding out more about summer art camps, contact Jack Kannan at jackkannan45@gmail.com or 919-922-0737.
