Umbrellas & Encores: Notes from Year One
Talk Artsy to Me Written By: Denise Tucker October 2025
Fresh off the heels of Arts in the Heart 2025 and officially ONE YEAR into this wild ride as Executive Director, whew. Last fall I arrived with Hurricane Helene snapping at our ankles; this year the rain RSVP’d to our festival like it was on the guest list. My luck, right? But hear me: the beauty was undeniable. The community showed up for ART like it owed them money. Our stages stayed hot, our nonprofits were seen, our Fine Artist Vendors turned the footprint into a traveling gallery, and we proudly showcased more fine art this year, original works, master craft, and serious collector energy.
The Village That Ran the Show
I had a Festival Manager who kept the train on the tracks, an operations team who made sure all was well, while I protected everyone’s mental and physical health, and a steering committee (all of them from Operations, to Power, To Tents, to YAM, Finance…everyone)that said, “We got it,” and meant it.
Our partners worked shoulder to shoulder with us, and I’m giving HUGE shoutouts to:
The Tax Commissioners Office & Steven Kendrick, Brooke (Saturday Market on the River): thank you for your grace and for extending your season, you are an angel. The Augusta Author’s Club for coming through in a clutch to manage the Literary Lounge, Bootleggers, 2nd City, Boll Weevil Eatery, El Presidente, Jordan Trotter, Marriott, Azalea Outdoors, and Morris, LLC: without y’all, we would’ve been rearranging deck chairs on a soggy ship.
Dear Broad Street Businesses
As a small business owner myself, I think about you every single year. Festivals are joy and also disruption. Small business ownership is not for the faint of heart; even tiny inconveniences can cost you real time and real dollars. This year we worked to keep breathing room so you weren’t blocked off, and I hope that still translated to more foot traffic, new customers, and repeat locals. Because if you aren’t supporting local business… what are you doing?
Lessons from Year One (aka: the pop quiz I didn’t know I was taking)
- Accessibility isn’t optional. We must ensure every inch of our footprint is ADA accessible and we’re doubling down.
- Not everyone will be happy. That’s not failure; that’s called “serving a whole city.”
- Stay positive by any means necessary. Energy is contagious, make sure yours is worth catching.
- When folks drop off or drop out; it’s pruning. Painful, yes. Necessary, also yes. Growth needs light.
- Say thank you. Mean it. Say it again.
Same Team, Same Dream
We’ve spent the year expanding our reach and building real collaborations with local nonprofits. We’re being crystal clear about who we are and what we do because people still think we’re a city department. We love the City, we partner with the City, but we are not the City. We are a nonprofit arts engine, membership, sponsorship, grants, and community sweat equity keep us running. We’re all on the same team: the one where creativity feeds community and community feeds creativity.
My Tribe, My Heart
Heather. Zoe. Bryce. Hannah. We did the thing. We made Augusta proud, and you make me proud daily. Thank you for the long nights, the early mornings, the “one more email,” the “one more load-in,” and for laughing when I drop am after hours text message with one more tiny idea.
Gratitude Roll Call
- To our Fine Artist Vendors, thank you for bringing high quality work and elevating the footprint; this year’s fine art presence was our strongest yet.
- To our artists across every discipline, you keep the soul of this festival beating.
- To our performers your stages were on fire, even in the rain. (Go Family Stage)
- To our nonprofits and community groups, we saw you, and you were beautiful.
- To our volunteers, you are the quiet heroes with loud impact.
- To our sponsors and partners, you believed, invested, and showed up.
- To our audience, you brought your families, your curiosity, and your open hearts. Thank you.
What’s Next?
We’ve got work to do, together. Better accessibility. Smarter wayfinding. Even tighter communication. Continued partnerships that actually mean something beyond a logo on a flyer. More ways to welcome people into the arts, not just watch from the sidelines. But for right now? We breathe. We drink water. We stretch. We return emails we ignored for three days (don’t judge me). Then we get back to building the next beautiful thing.
With gratitude and love
Denise
P.S. If you’re not a member of the Arts Council yet… come on in. The art is fine.