Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Hinson.
Hi Anna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story with the Arts Council of Wayne County didn’t begin in a boardroom but it began in a quiet, sunlit studio on our second floor.
At the time, I had been a teacher for about a decade. Like many educators, I had poured so much of my energy into my students that I’d tucked my own creative life away on a shelf. In fact, by the time I walked into the Arts Council, I was coming off a seven-year hiatus from making art, the longest stretch I’d gone without creating since my days at East Carolina University. I guess I was living through the creativity of my students until I had an epiphany: ‘Wait, what about me?'” Finding that studio space was like coming home. It was the first time since graduation that I had a designated room just for my own creativity, and I was incredibly eager to see what would happen when I picked up a brush again.
The new spark must have shown through because in 2021, I was invited to join the Board of Directors, which gave me my first real look at the “mechanics” of the organization. A year later, a staff position opened up for a Programs + Marketing Director. I jumped on the chance as I was feeling my chapter in public education was coming to a close. It was the perfect marriage of my background in education and my love for the arts with an emphasis on the Wayne County community at large.
In 2024, after years of hard work and a deep dive into every corner of our operations, I was honored to step into the role of Executive Director.
The Arts Council is 63 years old this year! It has so much history and so much soul, but like any classic, it needed someone to really get “under the hood.” My journey so far has been about restoration and making sure this community pillar runs like a well-oiled machine for the next 60 years. I’m no longer just the artist in the upstairs studio, I’m the person making sure the lights stay on for the next artist who is looking for their way back to their craft.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been far from a smooth road. To go back to the car metaphor there were a lot of parts that needed fixing and some that required an outright replacement. But even when the engine was struggling, the “body” of this organization (the mission and its vision) was still beautiful. I saw the potential, but anyone who restores vintage vehicles knows that the process is long. It requires education, grit, and occasionally some blood, sweat, and tears. Most of all, it requires patience.
The biggest test came right as I started as the Programs + Marketing Director. Our lease was not renewed and we had to move out of our long-term building without a plan. We were essentially without a home for about a year.
Being located in Downtown Goldsboro has its perks as it brings many people to our doors but it also creates a common misconception. Many citizens thought we only serviced Goldsboro but we are not the Arts Council of Goldsboro but of Wayne County. Instead of letting the fact that we didn’t have a building shut us down, we decided to take the Arts Council to the people. If the community couldn’t come to us, we would go to them. We took our classes, exhibits, and Maker’s Markets events to every corner of Wayne County from Mt. Olive to Pikeville. We partnered with local businesses like Well Travelled Beer, Goldsboro Brew Works, First Brew, and The Warehouse. Looking back, that struggle was a blessing in disguise as it “forced” us to realize that being a “community pillar” means actually being in the community, not just waiting for them to walk in our doors.
During that period of transition, Jack Kannan stepped in as Executive Director to help us find our footing. Jack was instrumental in finding us a brick-and-mortar and educating our Board of Directors on the true needs and financial health of the organization. He also became a mentor to me, empowering me to sharpen my grant writing and donor relations skills.
Today, we’ve come full circle. Not only do we have a beautiful main location back in downtown, but we’ve also opened a separate annex location that provides dedicated space for 7 studio artists and 4 musicians. We also empowered a collective of artists to independently run studios in Mt. Olive.
The last two years under my leadership have been about filling the remaining gaps. We spent the first year focused on board education and the second year building out a solid Strategic and Fundraising plan. Jack was able to procure the large donations that bought me this precious time to do things the right way. Even though the “right way” is often the slow way.
Now, the engine is running. Our programs are making money, our events are profitable, and we are successfully securing major grants. Our focus has now shifted to the final piece of the puzzle: sustainability. We’ve upgraded our best practices and modernized our systems. Now, we are focused on finding consistent, large-scale families, foundations, and businesses who want to help us keep this restored classic on the road for good. Respectfully speaking, involving larger donors isn’t a goal, it’s our insurance policy for the future.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a regional arts nonprofit serving our entire county, driven by a simple but profound mission: to discover the creativity in every individual, foster artistic expression, and build vibrant communities. We believe that art isn’t just something you look at but something to experience!
We specialize in creating pathways for both the creator and the community. For individuals, we offer robust youth and adult visual art and music programs designed to help people find their creative voice. For artists, we act as an economic engine. Through our Main Gallery, the Borden Family Art Market, our community-wide Maker’s Markets, designated studio space, and paid teaching opportunities, we provide the vital financial support local creatives need to build sustainable, profitable careers. But we also know how to have some fun! We are known across the county for bringing people together through dynamic events from opening art receptions and art auctions to high-energy live concerts and community sneaker balls.
What sets us apart is our commitment to access and accountability. Everything we provide has a purpose. We look at everything through a mechanical, entrepreneurial lens to ensure our programming is sustainable, relevant, and impactful. We don’t just wait for the community to find us, we actively take the arts out into the streets, the local businesses, and the surrounding towns.
Brand-wise, I am incredibly proud of our grit and our evolution. We have taken a 63-year-old legacy organization, sanded off the rust, modernized the engine, and proved that a nonprofit can be both deeply empathetic and structurally disciplined. What I want your readers to know about our “brand” is that the Arts Council belongs to you. Whether you want to take a class, buy an original piece of local art, dance at one of our events, or invest as a partner in our future, you have a place here. We have the plan, the leadership, and the passion, we’re just looking for more hands to help us fuel the journey.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Lady Luck has a funny sense of humor. Personally, I believe in an interesting combination of living through a string of bad timing, paired with the power of positivity and the law of attraction.
The Arts Council has certainly been put “through the wringer.” Recovering from a pandemic, navigating an outdated nonprofit model, and temporarily “losing” our physical home were major setbacks. On paper, you could easily chalk all of that up to terrible luck. But honestly, those challenges forced our hand in the best way possible. They forced us to strip everything down to the nuts and bolts, take it apart, and decide what was actually working and what needed to be left behind. My intention now is to stop looking back or placing blame on past circumstances, and instead take absolute responsibility for the success of our future.
To me, luck is completely dependent on the mindset of the leader. When you shift your perspective, “bad luck” simply means not yet or not the right time. On the flip side, “good luck” is usually just the natural result of hard work and grit.
If any of your readers are familiar with the Enneagrams, I am an Enneagram 8, The Challenger. We are hardwired to be resourceful, intense, and deeply protective of the people and organizations we care about. Frankly, there isn’t much an 8 can’t do when they set their mind to it. But we also know we can’t do it entirely alone. We thrive when we are surrounded by other high-energy, action-oriented leaders. When we lock arms and bring our collective strengths together for a common goal, like driving the arts in our community, we build a foundation so solid that no amount of “bad luck” will ever have the opportunity to dull our shine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artsinwayne.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artsinwayne
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artscouncilofwaynecounty
