Mission
About Georgians for the Arts
Georgians for the Arts, a 501c4 established in 2019, has the mission to provide vision, leadership, and resources that ensure the growth, prosperity, and sustainability of arts and culture in Georgia. Georgians for the Arts advances its mission through year-round arts and culture advocacy activities, year-round programs for artists, and the networking of artists, arts educators, local arts organizations, and business leaders, all working towards a better Georgia. Georgians for the Arts is a member of the Americans for the Arts State Arts Action Network. It assumed the advocacy activities started and supported by ArtsGeorgia in 2013.
All projects and programs are supported by individual Georgians and Georgia-based arts and culture organizations that want to see growth, prosperity, and sustainability of arts and culture in Georgia.
About ArtsGeorgia
ArtsGeorgia, an event sponsor, is a nonprofit arts service and advocacy organization founded in 2010, dedicated to advocating and providing resources for the arts with vision, innovation, consistency, and leadership. ArtsGeorgia implements its mission by providing essential advocacy resources, publishing newsletters and the ArtsGeorgia Official Arts Advocacy Handbook, creating the Georgians for the Arts initiative, and producing the annual Arts Advocacy Roundtable. ArtsGeorgia participates in local, regional, and national arts advocacy organizations, including seven years as a National Partner of Americans for the Arts’ Arts Advocacy Summit. Other programs include expanding SpaceFinder Georgia, developing ArtsGeorgia PLACES as a statewide arts directory, and collaborating with Etchster to provide the Find Georgia Public Art app. www.artsgeorgia.net
Staff
Patrick A. Kelsey, President & CEO
Patrick is a Professor of Business, Department of Liberal Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Joining the faculty in 2011, he teaches a full spectrum of graduate and undergraduate courses in the classroom or online, including accounting/finance, marketing, fundraising, and legal issues. Before SCAD, he worked as Managing Director and Development Director for NYC’s Irish Repertory Theatre, General Manager for Camp Broadway, General Manager for Broadway’s Lyric Theatre, and Director of Operations for Broadway Across America. He has served as a grant or investment fund panelist for the Nancy Quinn Grant for ART/NY, Georgia Council for the Arts, SouthArts, and the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs. For the term of 2018-2023, he was appointed as a Cultural Affairs Commissioner for the Department of Arts, Culture, and Historical Resources. He was elected as Chair for the 2021 and 2022 term. In addition, in 2019, he was appointed the State of Georgia’s State Arts Advocacy Captain for Americans for the Arts’ annual Arts Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. Patrick is the President/CEO of Georgians for the Arts, a 501c4 organization dedicated solely to advocating for the advancement and support of arts and culture in Georgia.
Board of Directors
Patrick A. Kelsey, President
Julie Wilkerson, Vice President
Waduda Muhammad, Treasurer
Abbey M. Matye, Secretary
Myrna Fuller
Priscilla G. Smith
Proud Member Of
State Arts Action Network
The State Arts Action Network includes 53 members from 42 states, including the District of Columbia. Members independently lead their state’s arts policy initiatives and gather together to share best practices and advise Americans for the Arts’ State & Local Government Affairs team on key policy initiatives. Visit State Arts Action Network