Talk Artsy To Me
"It's a Madhouse...but make it Magical"
Written by: Denise Tucker
June 2025
June 2025
Hey there, beautiful people
Let me just say this: June is doing June things and I am spinning like a record player at a block party. We are deep in the heart of the arts over here, and I’m officially eight months into this Executive Director journey. Wild, right? I feel like I’ve been here forever and like I just sat down in the chair. But what a ride it’s been chaotic, fulfilling, and absolutely full of grace.
The Arts in the Heart prep? Oh, baby. We’re not just planning a festival we’re reimagining it. Our new footprint expands all the way to the River, and the lineup this year? Chef’s kiss. New artists, new performers, and headliners that are bringing heat, soul, and celebration. If you haven’t already started planning your Arts in the Heart experience… what are you even doing with your life?
My team and I are locked in grants are being managed, galleries are rotating, and new public art projects are blooming. I’m still moving and grooving, hopping on stages, and speaking truth about how we make art live and breathe in Augusta. It’s not just about murals and festivals it’s about building ecosystems where artists thrive.
Speaking of thriving… let’s talk about the Creative Collaboration Resource HUB, our beloved lending library. Thanks to a generous grant from the Hurricane Helene Crisis Relief Fund via the Community Foundation of the CSRA, we’ve expanded our equipment offerings like never before. Creatives have checked out Marley floors, full PA systems, tablecloths, cameras, DJ setups you name it. So many of our artists were knocked down by Helene, and now they’re rebuilding not from scratch, but with support and love from the Greater Augusta Arts Council. That’s the kind of restoration that makes my heart full.
And just when you thought that was enough, we’re rolling straight into SPIRIT WEEK leading up to our Annual Arts Awards Gala! If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, let me go ahead and ask you: What are you even doing?! This event is where we celebrate the heartbeat of Augusta’s creative community. We still need sponsors, attendees, lovers of the arts, and folks ready to clap wildly for greatness. Come sparkle with us.
And because I practice what I preach, I’ve carved out a little space this month to recharge and reconnect.
I recently took a road trip back to my roots all the way to Okmulgee, Oklahoma to see my Mama. (Yes, I’m an only child, so you already know I had to show up right!) I spent precious time with my abundance of cousins, aunts, uncles, babies, old childhood friends, high school friends, and college buddies. Y’all… it was BOMB. Soul food, soul talk, soul healing. It reminded me of who I am, where I come from, and why I do this work in the first place.
And yes, I’ve got a cruise to the Bahamas on the books (thank you very much), and a front-row seat to my granddaughter’s dance recital which will absolutely have me crying through my lip gloss. I promised my team I’d stay put until Arts in the Heart is over, but I’m allowing myself joy, letting these shoulders drop a little, and celebrating the fact that this life, this mission, this moment is worth celebrating.