PURPOSE
Grounded in the belief that a dynamic, artistic presence is fundamental to the health and vitality of our community, the mission of the Arts Council is to raise up local art and artists, cultivate arts capacity, and deepen pride of place throughout the Putnam County area.
CONTACT US
P. O. Box 631
Greencastle, IN 46135
treasurer@GreencastleArtsCouncil.org
MEET OUR BOARD
Suzanne Hassler, president
Kathryn Dory, vice president
Cammi Goldman, secretary
Lane Ralph, treasurer
Brian Cook
Brian graduated cum laude from Florida Atlantic University in 2004 with a B.F.A. degree in sculpture. While in school, he thoroughly enjoyed partnering with the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art and local nonprofits focused on the creation of art-focused dropout prevention programs. He moved to Indiana from South Florida in 2005 and currently works with Putnam County Comprehensive Services helping people with disabilities live as independently as possible. When not working or making his own art, Brian loves hiking all the state parks with his lovable 70 lb. potato (a.k.a. pitbull) Ziggy Barkdust!
Kathryn Dory
Kathryn Dory was born and raised in Northeast Ohio, and came to Greencastle, IN with her husband, Bill, in 1984 where they raised two children. She has had family living in the Putnam County area since 1828. Kathryn is a thirty-nine-year music educator having taught general music, vocal music and instrumental music. She is very active in the community serving as cantor and choir member at her church; vocal director, music director, actor and board member at the Putnam County Playhouse; member, section leader, and assistant director of Covered Bridge Harmony; and lead singer in the 4G Barbershop Quartet She’s a member of the Beta Psi chapter of Kappa Kappa Kappa, the Washburn chapter of the DAR, and PEO.
B. Suzanne Hassler
Long before her appointment as president of the Greencastle Arts Council began, Suzanne had developed a devotion to advocating for artists—from rounding up fellow students to help save funding for the arts in Austin, to later posts as Putnam County Arts and Culture Director, and currently, as Creative Resource Manager for DePauw University’s Green Center for the Performing Arts.
Suzanne’s interdisciplinary training in the visual and the performing arts, with a B.F.A. degree in Art+Design (University of Illinois), and master’s in Theatre History and Criticism (UT-Austin) is a great fit for supporting the Arts Council’s multi-disciplinary initiatives as its membership and programming grows.
Career highlights include research at the American Repertory Theatre in Boston for work in conjunction with international stage director and designer Robert Wilson and with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. And in 2010, she completed an NEA fellowship in arts journalism at Columbia University in New York City under the direction of cultural historian Joseph Horowitz and NPR VP Anya Grundman.
Kate Jedele
Kate has called Putnam County her home since 2013. After graduating from the University of Missouri with a B.S. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences in 2010, she lived in Fort Wayne while working as a zookeeper. There she met her husband Tim, a Greencastle native. They relocated to Putnam County when Tim had the opportunity to join his family’s business. She has always had an appreciation for the arts and feels strongly that highlighting local art and uplifting artists can and does strengthen the community in ways that are beneficial to all. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, their menagerie of pets, being in nature, and creating through insect/taxidermy art and fiber arts.
Lane Ralph
A native Hoosier and an alum of Indiana State University, Lane holds a B.S. degree in political science and a M.P.A. in public administration. He is a retired staff member from the United States Senate, and since 1982, a resident of Greencastle, Indiana. His hobbies include gardening, tractor restoration, traveling and collecting American art pottery and Hoosier painters.
A native Hoosier and an alum of Indiana State University, Lane holds a B.S. degree in political science and a M.P.A. in public administration. He is a retired staff member from the United States Senate, and since 1982, a resident of Greencastle, Indiana. His hobbies include gardening, tractor restoration, traveling and collecting American art pottery and Hoosier painters. Lane joined the board as a founding member of the Greencastle Arts Council in 2014. He is married to Ruth Ralph and has two daughters and four grandchildren.
Fred Vallowe
Fred moved to Greencastle several years ago after retiring. HIs experiences as a secondary education instructor and as an elected city government official made him aware at an early stage in his professional life of the importance of the arts in providing for a community’s need to express its collective dreams and aspirations. He is keenly aware of the admonishment in the Book of Proverbs, “where there is no vision, the people perish,” and he feels deeply that the arts allow for the creativity needed for any community to not just survive, but to flourish. As a member of the Arts Council, he is dedicated to helping those in his new home find avenues to exercise their creative gifts. An avid gardener, Fred can be found in his garden listening to the birds recite their poetry and watching the flowers make their promises of another spring.
Connie Wagner
A graphic designer, fine artist and native of Kansas, Connie Wagner and her husband moved to Indiana in 2003. After becoming a resident of Greencastle and a regular participant in Arts Council projects, she went on to join the board of directors. Connie earned her Associate of Art degree from Barton Community College and her Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Kansas State University. She works in a wide variety of media including oil, watercolor, colored pencil, stained glass, and calligraphy. Connie is co-chair of the fifth annual Putnam County Adult Visual Arts Exhibition.
Angie Wood
Angie is a mother of two children and an educator with over 20 years of experience working with the general community to bring promise to this world. She has provided leadership on many philanthropic committees over the last two decades while living in Greencastle, IN. Angie also helped to plan many special events in the county – including the expansion of First Fridays and bringing more local music to the area. In her spare time, she currently likes to design yarn, weave, sew, run, hike, and network with others. She enjoys working with people and thrives when she is challenged.