South Garner High School Band and Chorus Raising Funds to Travel and Compete in Tennessee

The South Garner HS Band & Chorus programs are participating in the INSTARAISE donation fundraiser. They need your help to off-set the costs of travel buses for a group trip to Gatlinburg, TN. With your support these students will be able to perform some amazing music and showcase South Garner HS ! To ensure they reach their goal, please also SHARE this link, TEXT this link and EMAIL this link to everyone you know ! Thank you so much for your continued support !

Garner's Station #25 - Towne Players Youth Theater Camp

Communications Manager Rick Mercier is joined by cast members Alena Lewis and Ethan Underhill of the Towne Players of Garner's production of "Moana Jr." Also joining is Towne Players' alumnus Gabe Yarborough.

They discuss the what interested them in performing arts, preparing for their roles, and growing up with music and theatre. Get your tickets for "Moana Jr." Aug. 11-13 by visiting GarnerPerformingArtsCenter.com.

Willie Bradley Graces The Garner Performing Arts Center April 29th

Bold, edgy, yet simultaneously charming and beautiful, well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley.

Considered a go-to musician for many of soul music greats, his music has made the Smooth Jazz Billboard Charts and has been added to Smooth Jazz Radio Stations like Pandora, Spotify and iHeart Radio.

Willie has performed at numerous high profile shows around the country including multiple jazz festivals and has played in the brass section with RJ & The Original James Brown Band touring abroad in France, Osaka and Tokyo.

His newest CD project “Going With The Flow”, brings together award winning producer Preston Glass and a cast of stellar musicians with varied styles. His musical talents are guaranteed to be savored by all.

Town of Garner Names New Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Director

María Muñoz-Blanco has been selected to become the next director of the Town of Garner’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.

Muñoz-Blanco brings more than 25 years of experience in the public sector, working at the state, county and municipal level in arts, parks, venue management and grantmaking organizations. Her work in the public sector has focused on improving quality of life in diverse communities, expanding programs and services in the arts and parks, and successfully integrating diverse voices and a broad spectrum of creative organizations and artists.

Most of Muñoz-Blanco’s professional experience has involved working in large metropolitan areas, and she has had direct responsibility for managing annual operating budgets as large as $38 million. She most recently served as vice president in the Leadership Transitions practice of Arts Consulting Group, Inc. (ACG), a bi-national cultural management consulting firm.

“Maria brings a wealth of experience in all areas of parks and recreation, including programming and cultural resources,” Garner Town Manager Rodney Dickerson said. “Her experience in larger organizations should translate well to the Town of Garner as we plan for continued growth.”

Muñoz-Blanco will assume leadership of a nationally accredited department that currently has 12 parks totaling more than 473 acres and facilities including the Garner Performing Arts Center, Garner Senior Center, White Deer Park Nature Center and the soon-to-open Garner Recreation Center.

“I am honored and delighted to join the Town of Garner Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department,” Muñoz-Blanco said. “Public parks and leisure activities are central to the quality of life of a community and increasingly play an important role in health and wellness. This is an exciting time for the Town of Garner and for the department, with a new master plan and new assets coming online to better serve the community. I look forward to working alongside Town leadership, staff and our advisory boards to provide Garner residents with great recreational experiences in our beautiful park system.”

Muñoz-Blanco has served as deputy director of the Fulton County Arts Council in Atlanta; executive director of the Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County; director of cultural affairs for the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs; executive director of cultural affairs for Miami Dade College; and director of parks and neighborhoods for the City of Memphis.

In her leadership role with the City of Memphis, Muñoz-Blanco oversaw a recreational system with 162 parks, 24 community centers, five senior centers, 17 pools, eight public golf courses, a football stadium/fairgrounds and a variety of athletic and sports facilities. 

In Dallas, where she led the Office of Cultural Affairs for nine years, Muñoz-Blanco oversaw 22 city-owned cultural facilities managed through long-term partnerships with leading arts organizations or directly by her staff team.

Her capital projects experience includes planning and opening the $40 million City Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District and a neighborhood cultural center in Oak Cliff, as well as managing $5 million in improvements to the historic Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis.

Muñoz-Blanco has a bachelor of arts degree in arts theory from the University of Puerto Rico, where she graduated magna cum laude, and a master of arts in art history from Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey.

For more information on the Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, please visit garnernc.gov/departments/parks-recreation-and-cultural-resources.

Garner PRCR's Lorie Clark Receives Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award

Town of Garner Cultural Arts and Events Manager Lorie Clark has received the 2021 Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award, which recognizes an alumna who has demonstrated committed service in the advancement of gender and family justice since graduation from Eckerd College.

Clark has worked for social justice in the Chapel Hill–Carrboro community of North Carolina for more than two decades. As a high school specialist to the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program (BRMA) in the Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Schools for 18 years, she provided opportunities for student growth with a social justice focus. In BRMA, she created experiences for students of color that empowered them to succeed in spaces not originally welcoming to them.

She also was the adviser of BRMA’s Youth Leadership Institute, serving 100 students of all races each year. Under Lorie’s guidance, the Blue Ribbon Leadership Institute was the third-largest extracurricular program in the school district and earned the University of North Carolina’s University Diversity Award. 

"I am delighted and humbled to be this year’s recipient of the Eckerd College Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award," Clark said. "I believe my family's commitment to service and the experiences at Eckerd College prepared me for a life of service to others."  

In her current role as youth adviser to the Chapel Hill–Carrboro NAACP Council, Lorie worked with students to organize peaceful protests in support of the changes asked by the Black Lives Matter movement. With homemade posters, students marched—socially distant and masked—in summer’s heat with community leaders from Chapel Hill–Carrboro’s NAACP and local churches.

Lorie’s work for social justice extends beyond the school system. She founded The Hannah Ruth Foundation to honor her maternal and paternal grandmothers, who have deep roots in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. By bringing together the youth and the elderly, bonds are built between generations, as bridges to the future. The youth learn about the elderly through service—including holiday meal delivery and organizing events such as a formal Valentine’s Day dance and a holiday party for seniors.

Lorie’s service has been recognized by many organizations, including the Chapel Hill–Carrboro NAACP and National Council of Negro Women. Among numerous awards for her community service, the Pauli Murray Service Award, given to Lorie in 2019 by the Orange County Human Rights Commission, is particularly significant. Born in the Jim Crow era, Pauli Murray—poet, writer, activist, labor organizer, legal theorist and Episcopal priest—overcame obstacles during her youth in nearby Durham, North Carolina. In learning about her, one student wrote that Murray reminded her of Lorie Clark: “Ahead of her time, and behind the scenes.”

Lorie began her employment with the Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department in January of 2020 as the Cultural Arts and Events Manager.  

Learn more about this award program.

Courtesy Town of Garner

CALLING ALL ARTISTS FOR ART AROUND TOWN

CALL FOR ARTISTS

The Downtown Garner Association (DGA) and the Town of Garner are looking for local and regional visual artists to participate in an outdoor Art Around Garner art installation beginning August – October 2021.

Art Around Town  is a community art project for the residents of Garner and artists from surrounding areas to participate in a temporary art exhibit that will illustrate community and natural beauty and bring joy, healing, and civic engagement.

• Artists will be required to submit their “Art Around Garner” idea, concept, or theme of painting at the time of application.

• DGA will hold an artists interest meeting on May 13 at 6:30pm via Zoom.

• Twenty local and regional artists will be selected to participate.*

• $50-100 material stipends are available upon request.

• Artists will be notified if their artwork is accepted and where it will be located.

• Painting must be completed by July 1.

• *This is not a juried exhibit; however, artwork not consistent with the theme will not be accepted.

SPECS & INSTALLATION

Artists will be provided with a 3′ x 4′ board to paint.  Acrylic paint is recommended and pieces will be varnished by the exhibit coordinators to be weather safe.

The art will be on display August through October 2021 at the following proposed pedestrian-friendly locations including Town Hall, Garner Senior Center, Garner Rec Center (GRC), Garner Performing Arts Center, and other locations around downtown and town parks.

AUCTION

Upon completion of the exhibit, the art will be auctioned with 75% of the proceeds going to  the respective artists and 25% to DGA to benefit future art projects throughout the Town of Garner.
The exact time, location and date of auction is yet to be determined but anticipated for November 2021.

INQUIRIES

Questions from artists should be directed to Lorie Clark at lclark@garnernc.gov.