Sale of R.J. Reynolds Art Collection to Benefit Local Arts Council

Sale of R.J. Reynolds Art Collection to Benefit Local Arts Council

February 7, 2012 | David Ford

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County was the first locally established arts council in the United States, and it has become a model for arts councils across the country. It owes much of its success to local businesses like the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which has supported the Council since its inception in 1949.

In order to continue meeting the needs of the local artistic community in a shifting economic landscape, The Arts Council is adapting its fundraising strategies -- and Reynolds continues to play a major role. This week The Arts Council will conduct a public sale of hundreds of pieces of artwork from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company art collection. In this interview, WFDD's David Ford spoke with Arts Council Senior Director of Development, Catherine Heitz New, who is coordinating the three-day sale.

The Reynolds art collection sale is this Friday and Saturday from 10am to 7pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm in Mountcastle Forum and Reynolds Place in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in Downtown Winston-Salem. Proceeds from sale will benefit the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. The Council typically gives back over $2 million dollars to Forsyth county artists and arts organizations, as well as to regional artist project grants in surrounding counties.