Brookhaven Arts Advisory Committee created to foster local arts programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prominent local business/arts professionals tapped to serve
Brookhaven, GA, Sept. 27, 2018 - Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” That’s an apt description of the new Brookhaven Arts Advisory Committee (BAAC) that was approved by City Council at the Sept. 26 regular meeting.
The new committee’s roots are found in the City’s 2034 Comprehensive Plan. They will study the entire arts landscape in Brookhaven to identify and evaluate potential public, performing, visual and cultural art projects and report their recommendations to City Council on a regular basis.
(From left to right, Councilman Bates Mattison, Mayor John Ernst, Kelly Marsh, Elizabeth Peterson, Sally Eppstein, Paul Kennedy, Peter Dyer, Pavan Iyer, Councilperson Linley Jones, Councilman Joe Gebbia)
Nine prominent local business and arts professionals have been chosen and approved to serve two-year terms on the inaugural committee roster. While those chosen to serve on the BAAC all have a long and varied list of accomplishments and qualifications on their resumes, they are listed below with a hint of their achievements:
- Peter Dyer – enjoyed a successful career in music management followed up by work as an entrepreneur, artist and educator. He has been associated with The Howard School, CNN and The Galloway School. Most recently, he co-founded The I.D.E.A. Gallery (Innovate Design Exhibit Art) in downtown Chamblee.
- Sally Eppstein – studied jewelry design and metalsmithing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Served as artist-in-residency at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve where she is now Art Director. She has participated in Art Leaders of Metro Atlanta with the Atlanta Regional Commission.
- Mary Ellen Imlay – has served on the Boards of the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia Tech Arts Advisory. Active in the Atlanta nonprofit community, she is Chairman and President of The Imlay Foundation.
- Pavan Iyer – is an architect and currently involved as a design consultant in various placemaking projects in and around Atlanta. Formerly associated with the sustainable architecture firm Lake Flato in San Antonio, Texas, he recently taught a class with We Love BuHi at Georgia Tech that tasked students to propose impactful ideas for the people and culture of Buford Highway.
- Paul Kennedy – has a lifelong interest in art with an affinity for modern and contemporary artists. He is current Assistant Vice President – Senior Legal Counsel at AT&T. He enjoys discovering and supporting local and regional contemporary artists through his expanding private collection.
- Robert Kinsey – attended Georgia Tech and is currently CEO of the Spruill Center, a private, nonprofit organization, whose mission is to foster understanding and appreciation of the visual arts, by offering an extensive and diverse program of classes, professional artist exhibition series and outreach programs.
- Kelly Marsh – has been involved with the Brookhaven Arts Festival since 2004. She is currently Director of the festival. She brings to the Committee a strong business background rooted in sales and marketing and is owner of the award-winning Kelly Did It Again Team – Keller Williams Peachtree Road.
- Aixa Pascual – is advocacy, public affairs and cultural engagement senior lead at the Latin American Association. She is a former journalist with BusinessWeek, Time, and People magazines and for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is on Welcoming America’s first welcoming region committee, the Norcross affordable housing initiative and the Georgia 4 Immigrants coalition.
- Elizabeth Peterson – worked in exhibitions administration for the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City and was gallery director for Eastern Connecticut State University before becoming museum director for Oglethorpe University in 2012.
The first meeting of the BAAC will be Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Brookhaven City Hall, 4362 Peachtree Road.
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