2020-2021 Board officers
The Board of Directors of the Gaston County Art Guild thank you for taking the time to vote on the chosen Board Officers for FY 2020-2021. The officers are listed below and will serve from June, 2020-July 2021.
carol stowe rankin, president
We are thankful Carol has agreed to serve another year as the Gaston County Art Guild’s leader. During this past year, Carol was instrumental in securing a comprehensive board of directors with the energy and expertise to help move the Guild forward. In addition, she has been quietly building a Board of Advisors made up of individuals interested in the arts. Carol has also moved the Guild forward by continuing partnerships with Bliss Gallery and Gaston College’s Jeanne Rauch Gallery and by developing new partnerships with Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and the Gaston County Museum of Art & History for the “A Natural View” show and “A Moment in Time” photography show. These partnerships will continue into 2021.
Carol is an experienced and enthusiastic leader with years of knowledge in management roles including bank manager of United Carolina Bank and BB&T. As marketing manager of the Facet Foundry, Carol planned and implemented all sales campaigns, managed all social media and email accounts and designed all campaign collateral including store posters, direct mail, billboards and newspaper ads. She also coordinated special events such as grand openings, anniversary events and holiday galas. She has served as president of the PTO, president of the Gaston Dance Theatre Board and most recently show chairperson of the Gaston County Art Guild. Her expertise includes planning with a talent for prospecting appropriate event spaces to host intimate gatherings and large events. She is adept at building and maintaining strong customer relationships. She has knowledge of fundraising and is comfortable in a leadership role.
Carol is an experienced and enthusiastic leader with years of knowledge in management roles including bank manager of United Carolina Bank and BB&T. As marketing manager of the Facet Foundry, Carol planned and implemented all sales campaigns, managed all social media and email accounts and designed all campaign collateral including store posters, direct mail, billboards and newspaper ads. She also coordinated special events such as grand openings, anniversary events and holiday galas. She has served as president of the PTO, president of the Gaston Dance Theatre Board and most recently show chairperson of the Gaston County Art Guild. Her expertise includes planning with a talent for prospecting appropriate event spaces to host intimate gatherings and large events. She is adept at building and maintaining strong customer relationships. She has knowledge of fundraising and is comfortable in a leadership role.
Gloria Brinkman, Co-Vice President
Shortly after my retirement I was delighted to become a member of the Gaston County Art Guild. Membership in the GCAG has provided me with friendships, inspirations, and motivations that have been instrumental in my return to production of my own creative work. Though I have a passion for processes of printmaking and painting in watercolor, since my participation in the Guild’s weekly Plein Air painting group I have embraced a newfound joy in painting outdoors in both oil and watercolor.
In my first year with GCAG, I assisted the Programs Chair by securing speakers for monthly meetings and facilitating their workshops for Guild members. It was my honor to serve as Chair of the 2020 Senior High School Art Show in collaboration with Gaston College.
A vibrant visual arts culture is crucial to quality of life in our community. I look forward to growing my involvement with the GCAG in support of opportunities for visual artists to learn new skills, share their expertise, and become involved in community outreach initiatives supporting arts education in our schools with the goal that visual art thrives in Gaston County.
My artistic career includes 35 years as a visual arts educator on the secondary and post-secondary levels. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976, a Master of Arts in Art Education in 2000 and received the honor of National Board Certification in 1999 and 2009. I reside in Mount Holly with my husband Vincent. We have 6 grown children living in 6 different states and, soon 8 grandchildren.
I moved to North Carolina in 2005 from Cincinnati, Ohio where I taught visual art in parochial and private high schools for 21 years. My relocation to North Carolina was motivated by a desire to teach in the public-school system. I worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for twelve years, retiring in 2017.
During my professional career, I was selected for many leadership roles within local, state, and national educational initiatives. In these roles, I acquired valuable skills in speaking, presenting, facilitating workshops and artist residencies, working with museums and community partners, and chairing committees. My many writings for publication have merited esteemed recognition and can be found online.
In my first year with GCAG, I assisted the Programs Chair by securing speakers for monthly meetings and facilitating their workshops for Guild members. It was my honor to serve as Chair of the 2020 Senior High School Art Show in collaboration with Gaston College.
A vibrant visual arts culture is crucial to quality of life in our community. I look forward to growing my involvement with the GCAG in support of opportunities for visual artists to learn new skills, share their expertise, and become involved in community outreach initiatives supporting arts education in our schools with the goal that visual art thrives in Gaston County.
My artistic career includes 35 years as a visual arts educator on the secondary and post-secondary levels. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976, a Master of Arts in Art Education in 2000 and received the honor of National Board Certification in 1999 and 2009. I reside in Mount Holly with my husband Vincent. We have 6 grown children living in 6 different states and, soon 8 grandchildren.
I moved to North Carolina in 2005 from Cincinnati, Ohio where I taught visual art in parochial and private high schools for 21 years. My relocation to North Carolina was motivated by a desire to teach in the public-school system. I worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for twelve years, retiring in 2017.
During my professional career, I was selected for many leadership roles within local, state, and national educational initiatives. In these roles, I acquired valuable skills in speaking, presenting, facilitating workshops and artist residencies, working with museums and community partners, and chairing committees. My many writings for publication have merited esteemed recognition and can be found online.
Linda Pellerin, Co-vice president
Linda has been a member of the Guild since 2018 when she took over editing and publishing the ARTworks monthly newsletter. For the past year she has served as vice-president and has agreed to serve an additional year in that capacity. She currently is responsible for the Weekly Updates, the monthly ARTworks newsletter, Facebook updates, the Guild website and publications promoting the shows, workshops and classes.
Linda spent 12 years as a broadcast journalist working at various radio stations in Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. She served as a news director, reporter and on-air personality, winning awards for deadline and non-deadline reporting. In 1986, she won the prestigious G. Richard Shafto Award from the University of South Carolina for her journalism work in the Carolinas. Linda has spent the last 30 years working for non-profit organizations serving as marketing and public relations directors including the YWCA and Better Business Bureau. She retired in 2013 after serving for six years as the executive director of the Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte, a faith-based organization serving the senior adult population. She also served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Charlotte for two years.
Linda spent 12 years as a broadcast journalist working at various radio stations in Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. She served as a news director, reporter and on-air personality, winning awards for deadline and non-deadline reporting. In 1986, she won the prestigious G. Richard Shafto Award from the University of South Carolina for her journalism work in the Carolinas. Linda has spent the last 30 years working for non-profit organizations serving as marketing and public relations directors including the YWCA and Better Business Bureau. She retired in 2013 after serving for six years as the executive director of the Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte, a faith-based organization serving the senior adult population. She also served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Charlotte for two years.
Wanda meekins, secretary
Wanda is an award-winning water media artist from Washington, DC. She paints positive images of people and recently started creating abstract pieces. She continuously participates in workshops and classes to improve professionally. Her artwork has sold nationally and internationally.
Wanda has ten years of related Art Guild experience. She was one of the original artist residents at Arts on Main. As such, she volunteered several hours a month to help run the gift shop or greet visitors and give tours of the building. In 2015, she was elected vice-president of the Gaston County Art Guild and served on the Guild’s Board for the next three years. In 2018, she continued to serve on the Board in the capacity of Interim President until July, 2018 when the newly elected officers took office. In her roles as vice-president and interim president, she was involved in most phases of running a non-profit in the city of Gastonia. She was also responsible for helping run the Arts on Main portion of the Guild which consisted of studios, resident artists, galleries and gift shop.
Her work has been exhibited in Charlotte Art League Shows, African American Museum of History & Culture (Loray Mill), ALL COLORS in St. Louis, MO, Two Guys and a Chick in Gastonia, The Feminine Mystique (One Woman Show), Gastonia, I Am Woman Show in Kings Mountain and Gaston County Art Guild Shows.
Wanda has ten years of related Art Guild experience. She was one of the original artist residents at Arts on Main. As such, she volunteered several hours a month to help run the gift shop or greet visitors and give tours of the building. In 2015, she was elected vice-president of the Gaston County Art Guild and served on the Guild’s Board for the next three years. In 2018, she continued to serve on the Board in the capacity of Interim President until July, 2018 when the newly elected officers took office. In her roles as vice-president and interim president, she was involved in most phases of running a non-profit in the city of Gastonia. She was also responsible for helping run the Arts on Main portion of the Guild which consisted of studios, resident artists, galleries and gift shop.
Her work has been exhibited in Charlotte Art League Shows, African American Museum of History & Culture (Loray Mill), ALL COLORS in St. Louis, MO, Two Guys and a Chick in Gastonia, The Feminine Mystique (One Woman Show), Gastonia, I Am Woman Show in Kings Mountain and Gaston County Art Guild Shows.
donita stewart, treasurer
Donita is our current treasurer and has agreed to serve another year. She has implemented standard accounting practices, set the organization up with an online “box” to hold all our documents, set Quickbooks to run invoices and developed some bookkeeping forms to keep the rest of us in line. She comes to GCAG with an extensive background in finance, having spent 18 years as corporate secretary and treasurer for Southwood Corporation. Her duties included implementation and management of accounting systems, financial statement reporting and management of health and commercial insurance coverage. She also served as treasurer for Arrowood Business Association in Charlotte where she was responsible to the BOD for the association financial management and reporting using Quickbooks. We are grateful for all Donita has done in the past year and look forward to working with her in the coming fiscal year.
