ORANGE COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
- Artist
Alexa Vélez is an artist, educator, filmmaker, and dancer based in North Carolina. In 2017, she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of North Florida where she received a BFA in photography and a BA in English with a minor in film studies. In 2021, she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with an MFA in Visual Art. As a graduate student, she was a recipient of the Chancellor's Fellowship and won best in show for her thesis work examining our relationship with the element of air. Over the last few years, her short films have screened both nationally and internationally. Most recently, she was a recipient of the Frankenthaler Climate Art Award for her video work addressing climate change.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chair of the ADVISORY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the ADVISORY BOARD
Crystal, a pianist, teacher, and collaborative artist, has been committed to the arts from an early age, filling her time with piano, violin, and ballet lessons. Her love for music never faltered as she went on to earn her BM in Music Performance from UNC-Chapel Hill where she was a recipient of the prestigious Kenan Music Scholarship. She continued her studies and received a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and a Doctorate in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from the University of Georgia. Returning to Chapel Hill in 2019, she currently serves as the marketing and development communications manager for Arts Everywhere at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she strives to share, promote, and amplify all the wonderful arts opportunities in the community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
- Member of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective
Gideon Young is a member of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective and the Carrboro Poets Council. A Fellow for A+ Schools of North Carolina and a stay-at-home dad, his debut haiku collection my hands full of light was published by Backbone Press (2021). His poetry is included in Best Spiritual Literature 2022 (Orison Books) and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Find recent work in Callaloo, Our State Magazine, and The Heron's Nest. Awarded a 2023 Arts in Education Artist Residency Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, discover more at www.gideonyoung.com.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Grants and Operations Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
John Claude Bemis is the award-winning author of seven books for young readers including The Wooden Prince (Disney-Hyperion) and The Nine Pound Hammer (Random House). He was selected as North Carolina's Piedmont Laureate for Children's Literature in 2013 and received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill for his work as an author-educator. He leads writing workshops and story consultations for adults, kids, and teens. John is also a visual artist and songwriter who performs with his band Hooverville. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough. johnclaudebemis.com
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
Krista Bremer is a published author and also associate publisher of The Sun, a Chapel-Hill based literary magazine that goes out to about 70,000 subscribers around the country. She has taught memoir at the Center for Documentary Studies and has organized panel discussions at Flyleaf and elsewhere in the county. For the past twenty years, Krista has been steeped in literature locally and nationally. Her writing has won a NCAC Arts Fellowship and she has served on the committee to select future recipients. Krista's work has also won a Pushcart Prize, a Rona Jaffe Award, a Breadloaf scholarship, and other accolades.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the ADVISORY BOARD
A long time Orange County resident, Linda currently lives in the western part of the county with her husband and son. She lived in Hillsborough from the 5th grade through her college years at UNC-Chapel Hill. At Orange High School, Linda was very active in the theatre program and carried this passion to UNC where she double majored in theatre and mathematics. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Linda completed a year-long internship as company manager at Playmakers Repertory Company. She also completed an internship as company manager at the NC Shakespeare Festival in High Point, NC before attending the University of Cincinnati where she completed a Masters in Arts Administration at UC College Conservatory of Music, and a Masters in Business Administration from UC Lindner School of Business. While there, she worked at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and was a founder of a community music series. Though she changed from being an art administration professional to working in the corporate world, Linda is still an arts patron and enjoys all the arts available in Orange County. She is excited to help support the Orange County Arts Commission in its mission to promote and strengthen the artistic and cultural development of Orange County, NC.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
Lindsay Metivier is a photographer, an educator, an independent curator, and a gallerist based in Carrboro, North Carolina. She holds a BFA in both Photography and Art Education from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an MFA in Studio Art from UNC-Chapel Hill. From 2011 until 2021 Lindsay owned and directed a gallery called Aviary in Boston, Massachusetts. Lindsay recently opened an art space (called Peel) in Carrboro, North Carolina. Peel is part gallery, part digital photo lab, part art book store, part gift shop, and also a community event space. Her work has been exhibited widely, most recently at Lump Gallery, Block Gallery, Oneoneone Gallery, The Nasher Museum at Duke University, The Ackland Art Museum at UNC-Chapel Hill, The John and June Allcott Gallery, The Front Gallery, and Transmitter. Her work has been featured on The Heavy Collective, Humble Arts Foundation, and A New Nothing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
Having acted, stage managed, and swept the floors for numerous theatre companies for about 50 years, Marc now welcomes the opportunity to support the arts and the community in Orange County. In the 1980s, he was a member of the Actors' Coop of NC, based at the ArtsCenter. Moving to Boston, he co-founded Fort Point Theatre Channel, an arts-collective centered on performance. Also in Boston, he was active in the Fort Point Arts Community, Inc., as a board member and Gallery Committee chair; in 2020, Boston Magazine selected the gallery as Best in Boston. Today, he volunteers with the Hillsborough Arts Council's Gallery & Gift Shop and serves on the board of the Friends of the Orange County Library. An award-winning writer and editor for his day job until retiring, he has written on theatre, economic opportunity, health care, human rights, history, and technology policy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
- Visual Artist
Saba Jordan is a Visual Artist born in Santiago, Chile. His work has been exhibited in the U.S. and Canada, where he lived for a decade. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from York University. Saba is a strong believer in the power of the Arts as an essential aspect of a healthy and vibrant community. He is grateful to be part of this board and views this as an opportunity to create meaningful relationships, while supporting the growth of underrepresented Artists in the Triangle area. Saba's work can be viewed at Peel in Carrboro, NC where he currently resides.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
Sadie Allen is a current senior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in English and Comparative Literature and minoring in Advertising and Studio Art. She managed Morrison Art Studio, and inclusive art space on campus, for two years before receiving the Wilson Library Incubator Award, which allowed her to write a collection of poetry based on her experience living in Appalachia. As someone from a rural community, Sadie understands the power art has to bring people together and hopes to share that power through her role as the Student Liaison for the Orange County Arts Commission.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ADVISORY BOARD
- Executive Director at the ArtsCenter
Wendy Smith (she/her), is the Executive Director at The ArtsCenter and an Orange county native, born into a family of creatives. Having graduated college with a BA in Art History, she naturally grew into a career which celebrated artists and their missions. Her first job was managing and then owning Cameron's, a funky, local gift gallery which featured the work of artists far and near. After over 25 years in retail, she turned towards the non-profit arts sector, specifically development, where she continued to support artists by raising funds for organizations whose missions provided them crucial services and opportunities. Throughout her career, she served on several local boards and has built a reputation as a compassionate and engaged leader in her community who strives to inspire innovation and growth.