Names in the News: Sally Corbett

Name: Sally Corbett

Title/Position/Occupation: Executive Director, ArtWorks! Gwinnett TM

I was hired in June 2011 as the first employee of ArtWorks! Gwinnett, a non-profit, tax-exempt charity that is the arts alliance in Gwinnett.

Sphere of Influence: Arts, culture, museums, marketing, public relations, and non-profits.

Education: BA political science, minor art history, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), Albany, NY.

Background:

I relocated to Georgia in 1994 at the urging of friends that I knew from Furman University, Greenville, SC. (My freshman year was at Furman, but I graduated from SUNY Albany.) We were excited about being here because of the 1996 Olympics and metro Atlanta’s growth.

I moved from the Village of Floral Park, which is about 20 minutes from the north and south shores of Long Island (LI) in Nassau County and about 15 miles from Manhattan. Floral Park was once home to John Lewis Child’s seed company, flower fields and greenhouses. Belmont Racetrack (a Triple Crown race site) was literally over the fence from my house…so close that I could hear horse hoofs hitting the dirt on quiet mornings.

My hometown is similar to cities in Gwinnett, especially the strong civic involvement. My parents instilled it and showed it by example. My mother was our first female mayor. Proximity to NYC enabled me to be immersed in the arts as a teen – from classes at the Fashion Institute to an apprenticeship at the Met Museum.

Contrasting with my LI and NYC experiences were my 18 summers when I lived in a cabin in the Ramapo Mountains in Harriman State Park nearby Bear Mountain and the Hudson River. I spent a lot of time in nature, including two seasons as a state park ranger. The combination of experiences is probably why I have such an appreciation for the work of the Hudson River School painters. 

Accomplishments/Accolades:

• 1992, Center Fellow, Center for the Study of the Presidency
• Former manager of communications for High Museum of Art during exhibitions such as the showings of “Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People," “Impressionism: Paintings from European Museums," and private collections of Elton John and Ted Turner – a period of record-breaking growth in membership and attendance for the institution.
• Former head of marketing and public relations for the arts at Emory University during launch of Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, expansion of Visual Arts Building & Gallery, and opening of Center for Creativity & Arts.
• June 2011, Chapter Champion Award honoree, Public Relations Society of America, Georgia Chapter.
• 2012, ArtWorks! Gwinnett staff and board all honored with Hudgens Center’s Gwinnie Award for contributions made to the advancement of art lovers, leaders and learners in the community.
  

Projects/Goals for Artworks! Gwinnett:

• Raise visibility of Gwinnett’s arts opportunities and encourage people to experience the arts.
• Develop support from individuals, foundations, corporations, organizations, and other sources.
• Improve public understanding of importance of the arts in education. (Examples: arts help to increase graduation rates, information retention, teamwork/collaboration, and cultural understanding, and truancy reduction.)
• Encourage volunteerism in the arts.
• Make http://artworksgwinnett.org the “go to” resource for arts event, venue and opportunity information for the public, visitors and arts community.
• Provide professional development and recognition opportunities for artists and arts administrators through education programs and awards.
• Encourage master planning for arts and culture in Gwinnett.

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: Hiking, arts, travel, Atlanta Catholic Sports Co-Ed Soccer, Christian Runners, volunteering, and mentoring.

Civic/Church Involvement: Parishioner at Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, GA. Advisory Council member for To Encounter Christ-Atlanta. (“TEC” is a retreat and fellowship for young adults.)

Family: I look forward to identifying Mr. Right, but in the meantime I enjoy spending time with friends and family, including two nieces and two nephews.

Something hardly anyone knows about you:

I painted abstract, expressionist portraits for a few years and hope to get back into painting. I shared an art studio for a few years and co-presented group exhibitions on Means Street - a few blocks from GA Tech on the same street as The Contemporary (previously Nexus Contemporary Art Center) on Atlanta’s “Westside” but before it was known as the “Westside.”