by Andrea Akin, Chatham Arts Council

In the 2024/25 school year, AIS celebrates its tenth season by growing to meet a major milestone: Artists-in-Schools residencies will take place in every Chatham County School  elementary, K-8, and middle school. 

In 2015, the Chatham Arts Council (CAC) started their Artists-in-Schools Initiative with artists in just two schools. CAC has added schools slowly over the past decade, and with the addition of two more middle schools this season, the program will bring more than twenty artists into fourteen Chatham County schools, reaching every corner of the county. This effort puts Chatham on track to be the first county in the state to have an Artists-in-Schools residency in every public school, every year. 

“We’re so excited to expand our Artists-in-Schools Initiative again this year,” says Cheryl Chamblee, CAC Executive Director. “There are tons of studies out there that all tell us about the importance of arts education,” Chamblee continues, “and we get to see it in action. We get to see a child at the back of the room on day one–and then see that same kid at the end of the residency in the front of the class leading a dance, or reading their poem, with all this newly discovered confidence and pride. That’s why we’re committed to this big long-term vision to bring Artists-in-Schools to every school in Chatham County, every single year.”

CAC’s Artists-in-Schools Initiative is also unique among arts residency programs for its approach to impact and funding. For impact, CAC and its school partners have committed to entire grade-level workshop participation in residencies. In each elementary school, the entire fifth grade participates in residency workshops. Similarly, in middle schools, every seventh grader gets in on the workshop fun. For the county’s five K–8 schools, both fifth and seventh graders participate. With the opportunity for other grades to see a residency performance, this approach means that half of all Chatham’s kids in grades K-8 will experience a CAC residency this year. 

For funding, CAC’s unique commitment to find all funding for the program means that teachers, principals, and administrators are not asked to find matching funds. Instead, CAC funds the initiative with dollars raised from individuals and businesses—and through partnerships with the NC Arts Council and Chatham County.

Given the ambitious scale of this effort, CAC notes a sustainability fund created in 2021. The Lily McCoy Voller Stargazer Fund, initiated with a gift from Lesley Landis and Randy Voller in memory of their infant daughter, seeks to offer joy, comfort, and connection for local children through Arts for Resilient Kids programming at the Chatham Arts Council. CAC encourages interested individuals and businesses to support Chatham’s unique vision of every school, every year by making a gift online at chathamartscouncil.org. Support for this season’s work can be directed to Arts for Resilient Kids, and sustaining support can be directed to the Lily McCoy Voller Stargazer Fund.

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The Lily McCoy Voller Stargazer Fund

Losing our daughter Lily McCoy Voller—and living our lives without her—has meant a long journey of learning about living with grief, about the universal nature of loss, about resilience in the face of deep sadness. 

The arts have been a port in that storm. 

Research proves what we know to be true for all people: the arts offer paths for processing trauma and are integral to positive mental health outcomes. For students, participation in the arts also enhances academic performance, encourages civic engagement, helps nurture creative outlets, develops innovative problem-solving skills, and builds self-confidence. Which is why the Arts for Resilient Kids programming at the Chatham Arts Council is a vital tool for local students.

Lily’s birthday is December 21st—the day of the Winter Solstice with the longest period of darkness on this part of Earth. It also marks the return of days with more bright and warm light. 

With the Lily McCoy Voller Stargazer Fund at the Chatham Arts Council, we aim to bring the light of possibility for Chatham’s students to learn, have fun, and find moments of joy and connection via the arts in Lily’s name. We’ve seen the positive impact the programming has had and hope you’ll join us in support of this effort.