Two years ago, local artists joined forces in hopes of raising the level and awareness of the arts in Bryan County. They called themselves Arts on the Coast. Exactly two years later, the group is still going strong. They have sponsored countless local arts events and look toward a bright future, said club president Barbara Estes.
The group held a banquet on Sept. 22 at Fort McAllister to celebrate their second anniversary. Surrounded by local paintings and conversation from local music, culinary and visual artists, the event closed with a local artist many are familiar with – Richmond Hill Mayor Richard Davis. Davis treated the group by singing about a dozen cover tunes from a variety of popular musicians.
At the event, Estes reflected on the state of Arts on the Coast as they head into their third year of existence.
“Our mission has been to initiate and support artistic events throughout our coastal community, and we’ve done just that,” Estes said. “It’s also to bring a greater appreciation of the arts in our area. Before we started, there was nothing like this in the area.”
Estes said even though the group is based in Richmond Hill, membership is open to everybody. She said one of her goals is an outreach effort to unite with artists in Pembroke as well, with some upcoming meetings to possibly to be held there to attract more North Bryan artists.
Arts on the Coast currently has several groups available for members to participate in, all of which are “really growing”, Estes said. This includes groups for visual arts, music, culinary arts and drama – with upcoming sponsored events for each.
Estes is hopeful to bring in some popular outside art events for the community, if funds allow. She said one of the group’s upcoming fundraisers may help this become a reality. For that, the group is working on a calendar they will sell which not only features local art for each month, but will try to include the dates of all local Bryan County events. She hopes to have it ready come time for the Seafood Festival.
Estes encourages everyone to join the group. Membership includes regular meetings featuring entertainment and exclusive emails to keep members posted of arts events in the area. For more information, send an inquiry to artsonthecoast@yahoo.com or call Tina Eberlein at 884-3726 or Estes at 727-2538.
To watch a music video of Davis performing at the Arts on the Coast anniversary event, click the link on the left.