judges for the 53rd kentuck festival of the arts

gilda mcdaniel

Director of Weddings and Special Events at Fearrington Village

Co-Coordinator of Fearrington Village Folk Art Show

 

Gilda McDaniel has a passion for community arts events and memorable art of all sorts. Born in Sweden and raised in Asheville, NC, Gilda has a natural appreciation of the arts, artists and a lively art community; making a career as an event planner gives her a professional appreciation of well-executed events of all kinds. As a life-long collector, Gilda has developed a keen eye for innovative and well-crafted work and is always on the lookout for exciting new treasures and the makers who create them. Combining these interests offers a connection to a world where art matters and creative people working together make magic, enhancing the quality of life in our communities.

 

Gilda has had the honor of working as Director of Weddings and Special Events at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, NC, for over 25 years, managing the planning and execution of weddings, corporate, social and community events of all sizes for the Relais and Chateaux-member Fearrington House Inn and Restaurant. In her position at Fearrington, she has had the particular pleasure of overseeing the Fearrington Folk Art Show throughout its 21-year history, serving as co-coordinator since 2009. The Fearrington show is always an eagerly anticipated highlight to Gilda’s busy calendar of events and has become a well-regarded show in the folk art world.

 

An early introduction to NC’s folk artist Clyde Jones opened Gilda’s eyes to the joys of folk art and the rewarding experience of knowing the artists behind it. Now an avid collector of pottery, textiles and folk art, Gilda has developed a skill for spotting work that exhibits good design, innovative technique, the use of unusual materials or simply whimsy – whatever elements are needed to make a piece sing. She also recognizes that meeting the artist in person and seeing their studio environment brings the art to life for the collector or art enthusiast.

 

In her private time, Gilda strongly believes in contributing to the community she lives in through volunteering for select arts organizations. She is a proud, long-time board member of the Chatham Arts Council, currently serving a second term as Board President. For many years, Gilda served as lead organizer of Chatham Arts Council’s signature spring event, ClydeFEST, a children’s folk art festival honoring legendary local folk artist Clyde Jones. Gilda also served as Board Chair of Arts North Carolina (Arts NC), North Carolina’s state-wide advocacy organization for the arts. Known for its excellence in making connections between arts leaders, arts communities and elected officials, Arts NC is seen as a national leader in the advocacy field. With Arts NC, Gilda continues to serve as co-chair of the organization’s annual 2-day ARTS Day conference, a gathering of arts leaders from across the state for professional development and networking, culminating in a day of legislative visits to share a unified message on behalf of the arts at the NC General Assembly in Raleigh. Finally, Gilda’s summer season is never complete without a visit to the Penland School of Craft where she volunteers at Penland’s annual Art Auction, a celebrated example of excellence in a well-planned arts and community event. Through these varied volunteer engagements, the opportunity to learn and engage with creative people makes for a rich and colorful life.

 

Gilda is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in English, History and Art History and she holds a Certificate of Non-Profit Management from Duke University. She currently serves on a grants panel for the Triangle Community Foundation and has served as board member with the Chatham County United Way, Leadership America North Carolina, the NC Arts Incubator and the Small Museum of Folk Art. She has chaired hiring committees for Chatham Arts Council and Arts NC, serves on the DEI and Accessibility Committees for Arts NC and has served on many grants panels with Chatham Arts Council, the Designated County Partner of the NC Arts Council. She has been recognized as Chatham County Volunteer of the Year and named Woman of Achievement by Chatham Magazine.   

 

The opportunity to join the Kentuck team and its folk art community for the spectacular Kentuck Festival for the Arts this year is a dream come true!