ArtsCore 2026 Cohort Kicks Off!
ArtsCore 2026 Cohort Launches to Support Emerging Arts Leaders
On October 1st, twenty-one arts leaders from across North Carolina gathered at the Cultural Center in Greensboro to launch this year’s ArtsCore Cohort. Since the onset of COVID-19, the arts sector has seen a troubling loss of new leadership, impacting not only individual organizations but the statewide cultural ecosystem. In response, Triangle ArtWorks, with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, officially launched the ArtsCore program following a successful pilot earlier this year.
ArtsCore is designed to foster professional growth, peer connection, and long-term support for emerging arts leaders. The first session was led by Hannah Grannemann of UNC Greensboro, who leads the program with Triangle ArtWorks Executive Director. Beth Yerxa.
In this first Session, they spent the afternoon discussing the challenges faced by their organizations, as well as their personal and leadership challenges. This Session allowed the Cohort to begin to share their ideas on responding to these challenges and helped frame the work for the next five Cohort Sessions. At the end of the Session, they also heard from more seasoned local leaders (see picture below!) who shared their approaches to the Executive Director role and current challenges to their organizations.
The cohort will meet for five additional sessions focused on leadership development, learning, and networking.
Hannah Grannemann, of UNCG, led the first ArtsCore Session.
After spending an afternoon sharing common challenges and their own responses to these challenges, attendees heard from a panel of Arts Leaders approaches to these issues. The panel included Laura Way, Arts Council of Greater Greensboro; Allie Arpajian, Carolina Theatre; Alex Warren, JoyeMovement Dance Company; and Catena Bergevin, High Point Arts Council.
ArtsCore 2026 Cohort Members
Lauren Davis (Forsyth) Sawtooth School for Visual Art
Kandyce Quintero (Onslow) Jacksonville-Onslow Council for the Arts
Cornelia Scibetta - (Polk) Tryon Painters and Sculptors
Karen Williamson (Caswell) Caswell Arts Council
Ruthie Foster (Statewide) North Carolina Presenters Consortium
Jessica Munch-Dittmar (Cumberland) Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra
Michael and Hanna Manes (Guilford) Cohab Space
Joni Ray (Ashe) Ashe County Arts Council
Brandon Johnson (Madison) Madison County Arts Council
Arthur Rogers (Mecklenburg) VAPA Center
Jessie Wise (Cumberland) Sweet Tea Shakespeare
Joelle Irons (Guilford) The Little Theatre Of Winston-Salem
Abrea Armstrong (Forsyth ) Triad Cultural Arts, Inc.
Christopher Zaluski (Forsyth) Wake The Arts (Wake Forest University)
Audrey Baran (Mecklenburg) Baran Dance
Dave Schmucker (Madison) Marshall High Studios
Angel Rippy (Guilford) Greensboro Literary Organization
Jeffrey Williford (Lenoir) Community Council For The Arts Kinston
Emily Foster (Durham) Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Jessica Teftt (Forsyth) The Art SHAC