The board of directors of Tryon Arts and Crafts has welcomed Laura Linz as the organizations new executive director. Her position became official in October.
Linz will work closely with the board of directors to oversee the
Linz joins the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization bringing a variety of experience in the visual arts. Her previous position was executive director of Upstate Visual Arts, a nonprofit art organization in Greenville, S.C.
Her position and duties with Tryon Arts and Crafts will include the implementation of a multi-year strategy and management plan and leading the marketing committee.
She will also focus on fundraising and grant writing, as well as festival and event planning. Her responsibilities will allow her to work closely with the local and regional community and officials at the federal, state and local levels as well as to encourage collaboration with other nonprofits, businesses and foundations.
Linz has established many relationships in the visual arts community over the past decade and Tryon Arts and Crafts officials say they look forward to expanding those relationships.
She has worked with multiple fine art galleries and independently as a consultant for professional artists. She was one of a few that began the now well known and popular First Fridays Gallery Crawl in Greenville, S.C., and was the festival director for Art in the Park in 2008 before co-founding the West Greenville Arts Festival the following year.
As executive director of Upstate Visual Arts, Linz coordinated and planned more than 20 gallery shows, including juried competitions, group shows and solo exhibitions.
TAC says her experiences with educational programming and instructional workshops along with her experiences in the for profit and nonprofit sectors will be an excellent match with her position. As director of Tryon Arts and Crafts, one of her roles will be to help the organization become a strong and competitive craft school in the area.
“I am honored to become a part of Tryon Arts and Crafts and the community of Tryon. I look forward to working with an incredible organization with such a strong and rich history. I look forward to meeting the people of this region and serving Western North Carolina in the years to come,” stated Linz.
Originally from Atlanta, Linz moved to Greenville to attend Furman University. After graduating, she remained in Greenville to pursue the opportunities the city had to offer in the arts. She continues to live in Greenville with her husband and two-year-old son.
daily operations of the organization.
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