Georgia Council for the Arts Announces Chair, New Council Members

Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) is thrilled to announce that Governor Brian P. Kemp has appointed four new council members as well as a new council chair.

Colt Chambers, who has been a member of the council for the past five years, has been appointed chair. As the owner and producer of The Alley Stage on the Marietta Square, Colt has transformed the venue into one of Cobb County’s premier live entertainment destinations since its opening in July 2023. Colt previously worked for The Georgia Ballet as well as Atlanta Lyric Theatre. He holds a master’s degree in Arts Administration and a Certificate in Fundraising and Development from the University of Kentucky. Colt resides in Marietta and is an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta, Communities in Schools of Marietta-Cobb, Marietta Arts Council, Cobb Chamber, and Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre.

The following four people have been appointed to the council:

Karla Redding Andrews (Macon)
Karla serves as the Vice President and Executive Director of the Otis Redding Foundation, which empowers, enriches, and motivates young people through programs involving music, writing, and instrumentation. Karla graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and remains an active alum, serving on the Public Relations Advisory Board. Karla currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Georgia Music Foundation, is a member of the Leadership Macon Class of 2015, and a member of the Macon Rotary Club.

Michele Arwood (Thomasville)
Blending a vision for more vibrant, connected communities with her passion for the arts, Michele Arwood has spent the last 15 years bringing vitality to the cultural landscape of southwest Georgia. After a fulfilling decade as Executive Director at Thomasville Center for the Arts, Michele recently founded Maris Design Group and the About Place Initiative. These ventures are dedicated to harnessing creativity to cultivate more vibrant, interconnected, and resilient communities, each with a distinctive sense of place.

Brandy Barker (Carrollton) 
Brandy is the Chief Creative Officer and Assistance Vice President for Placemaking at the University of West Georgia. Previously, she worked at Better Beans Branding and Atlanta Printmakers Studio in Atlanta and Spudnik Press Cooperative in Chicago. Brandy has a master’s degree in Museum Studies from Kennesaw State University and a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and Printmaking from the University of West Georgia.

Madia Cooper-Ashirifi (Gainesville)
Madia is the Chair of the Department of Dance and Associate Professor of Dance at Brenau University. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Brenau, as well as a master’s degree from the College at Brockport in New York, and a doctorate in Education from Vanderbilt. In 2022, she earned the Ann Austin Johnson Outstanding Faculty Award at Brenau.

GCA is thankful for the service of the outgoing council members Gladys Wyant (Gainesville), Maxine Burton (Athens), and John White (Atlanta).