2019 Annual Meeting with Jean McLaughlin
Museum members are invited to attend BRAHM's 2019 Annual Meeting at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum where we review 2018 and elect new Board Members for 2019-2020. This year's Annual Meeting will also include a special talk from Jean McLaughlin
About the Speaker
Jean McLaughlin is a writer, curator, arts management consultant, and artist. For 20 years, she led Penland School of Crafts through a period of growth and evolution as its executive director. At Penland, Jean focused her energies on strategic planning, external relations, campus planning, facility improvements, staff and board development, and fundraising. Two campaigns raised $45 million to grow scholarships, endowments, annual giving, and address physical plant needs. Under Jean’s leadership, educational outreach programming became a priority among the school’s offerings and a winter residency program was established. Establishing an archive and naming Penland as an historic district on the National Register of Historic Places ensured the commitment to preserving the school’s history. Penland’s two resident artist programs were also fully endowed under her tenure.Prior to Penland, Jean was the Visual Arts Director of the NC Arts Council for 16 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of NC at Chapel Hill, a master’s in liberal studies from NC State University, and had two years of design and textiles classes at the California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC). Jean’s board service includes the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, the Center for Craft Creativity and Design, and currently the NC Arts Council, the American Crafts Council, the UNC School of the Arts Board of Advisors, and the Community Foundation of Western NC. She is a life-long advocate for the needs of artists.