ARTS Wake Forest honored as NC Main Street Champion

ARTS Wake Forest was recognized last week as a North Carolina Main Street Champion during the 2023 NC Main Street Awards Conference in Statesville.  

The volunteer-based non-profit was one of 38 individuals and organizations from across the state to receive the honor in recognition of their commitment to downtown revitalization. This year’s group of Main Street Champions brings the total number to 875 since champions were first named in 1980. Other recent Wake Forest Main Street Champions include Lisa Hayes, the Wake Forest Garden Club, Doug Pearce, Carter Harrell, James Warren, and Wake Forest Downtown (WFD), Inc.

“Main Street Champions are passionate about their community and their downtown districts,” said Liz Parham, Director of the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center at Commerce. “They are public officials, volunteers, community leaders, and concerned citizens that are all working collaboratively for common goals within the context of their community’s economic development strategies.”

Downtown Development Manager Jennifer Herbert says ARTS Wake Forest has been enhancing “our strong and vibrant downtown” for over 30 years by developing, promoting, and coordinating an impressive array of arts and cultural activities.

“ARTS Wake Forest and its subsidiary, (the) Wake Forest Guild of Artists, have hosted an annual Holiday Artisans Market downtown since 2015,” noted Herbert. “This annual event draws over 2,500 visitors from throughout the Triangle to see and purchase locally made art.”

She also acknowledged the group’s impact during the COVID pandemic and applauded its collaboration with the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre.

“(ARTS Wake Forest) was instrumental in helping drive foot traffic downtown in 2021 with the creation of a Spring Artisans Market held in various private parking lots throughout downtown,” she said.

“The success of this market led to WFD partnering with ARTS Wake Forest to offer a Spring Artisans Market as part of Forest Fest, a new annual event held in April that focuses on celebrating the heart of our community. ARTS Wake Forest also supports local professional and student artists through quarterly art shows held at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre.”

Herbert concluded, “These dedicated volunteers are not only champions of the arts in Downtown, but throughout our community.”

For more information, contact Downtown Development Manager Jennifer Herbert at 919-435-9427 or [email protected].