Celebrate Life!
Who is Penelope?
For someone selling real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. For us creative spirits, it’s all about changes, changes, changes! Once again in my varied working life, I’ve recreated myself. I’m not really different, just putting a new spin on past experiences of writing grants and reporting on the arts to writing articles about my many travel adventures over the past years and especially the travel adventures that await.
For a quick look at me in action doing art, click on this link, then click on the video: http://www.roundthemountain.org/artistsNew/artist_detail.php?id=615
It was more than rewarding to create Chestnut Creek School of the Arts via the Arts Council of the Twin Counties (www.artsculturalcouncil.org), with help from a plethora of friends and colleagues. CCSA is off and running and so am I. It only took 7 years, a quick accomplishment for this type of project. For more information about that endeavor you can read all about it at www.chestnutcreekarts.org.
In addition to working in my garden, weather permitting, I’m enjoying time to be creative. My time now is spent researching and writing stories about my travel adventures or the characters that make up life along The Crooked Road in SW Virginia. In the real world, day to day stuff, that keeps the wolves from the doors, I’m teaching art for Wytheville Community College, while I’m sending query letters to travel publications. When time permits, I’m working in my ceramic studio, working in my painting studio, perhaps creating a fiber piece on my sewing machine or firing up the torch and creating flameworked beads. I’ll work on this website as time permits. Check back often and see if I get any work done and see if all the information for this website gets uploaded that my daughter, Mitone, the web designer is demanding.
For a detailed resume, keep reading.
RECENT CONTINUING EDUCATION:
Completed 9/14 International Travel Writers, “The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop
EDUCATION:
Graduated 5/97 Hollins University, Master of Art in Liberal Studies, Roanoke, VA
Graduated 6/85 Virginia Banker’s School of Bank Management, a 3-year program at VCU.
Graduated 12/90 Mundelein College, BS in Financial Management, Chicago, IL
Graduated 6/65 North Surry High School, Mt. Airy, N. C.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
1-99 to present Adjunct Faculty, Wytheville Community College, Wytheville, VA:
3-07 to present Co-Owner, Publisher The Big Blue Magazine, Blue Ridge Plateau’s first travel/arts magazine.
Responsible for developing the concept, recruiting 8 business associates, writing a business plan and implementing the product, including ad sales, writing stories, all financial aspects of the magazine, marketing, and establishing distributors. Due to economic downturn in 2008, the magazine is now an E-Magazine.
1-03 to 6-10 Chestnut Creek School of the Arts, Galax, VA: Conceived of, created, garnered a steering committee for and implemented every phase of the school including writing grants and acquiring more than $1 million in funding through various sources. Served as Development Director for 2+ years.
4-02 to 4-00 Executive Director, Arts & Cultural Council of the Twin Counties, Galax, VA: Responsible for all programming, marketing, budgeting and financial records. Wrote and had published numerous press releases for all local news media in a 100-mile radius.
9-99 to 3-07 Founding member Center Street Arts, Inc., Galax, VA.
Established studio space for six artists, prepared and received 501(c)3 status, developed an annual budget, wrote and received grant funding and, coordinated art classes by visiting instructors for all ages; taught a variety of art classes.
7-01 to 3-02 Education Director, Fine Arts Center f/t New River Valley, Pulaski, VA:
Responsible for creating, marketing and implementing all art classes; publishing a bi-monthly newsletter and writing a column for The Southwest Times.
9-94 to 7-01 Starving Artist
5-90 to 9-94 Mortgage Banking Officer, First Union Bank (previously Dominion Bankshares), Roanoke, VA:
10/87 to 5/90 Assistant Real Estate Officer and Branch Manager, National Bank of Blacksburg, Blacksburg, VA:
3/82 to 10/87 Branch Officer, Bank of Carroll, Hillsville, VA
6/81 to 3/82 Collector, Northwestern Bank, Winston-Salem, NC
5/78 to 5/81 Office Manager, Dr. Worth Gregory, Asheville, NC
2/72 to 5/78 Assistant Manager, Kentucky Finance, Mt. Airy, NC
12/71 to 2/72 Bookkeeper, Domestic Loans, Mt Airy, NC
