The 2022 Artisans Village Board of Directors
The Artisans Village Board is comprised of five members and several contributors. The board meets once each month to discuss the current status of the three entities – the Gallery, Guild, and Studio. Among the items reviewed each month are the financials, current activity, grants/gifts, classes, challenges, and upcoming events. The Artisans Village Guild has their own board and is a separate entity, though they do have representation on the Artisans Village board.
Kevin Tomson-Hooper
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and a Master of Arts in Administration with a concentration in Organizational Development from Antioch University. His thirty-eight years of experience in executive management included providing leadership in the areas of program development, personnel management, resource development, and community networking.
In addition to his management responsibilities, Kevin consulted on community development initiatives domestically throughout the United States and internationally in Canada, Uganda, Israel, Kenya, Switzerland, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Kevin traveled extensively throughout his career meeting artists along the way and collected many pieces of art. Now retired, and living in Eatonton with his wife Sara, they have focused their mutual love for the arts throughout the Lake Country. Kevin believes that the arts can stimulate local community and economic development through creating an art-based tourism destination in downtown Eatonton and throughout the Lake Country.
Kevin’s community volunteer work includes a leadership role with The Artisans Village and the Eatonton-Putnam Tourism Arts Heritage Partnership, as well as involvement with The Georgia Writers Museum, The Plaza Arts Center and Lake Country Arts Alliance.
Kevin doesn‘t call himself an artist, neither does Sara. But they love and support art and artists. And the way Kevin sees it, "I don’t think you can have too much art in town."
Cathy McIntire
Always an artist, lover of animals, observer of people and nature.
Art has always been an important part of who she is. Her mom framed her first etching, created while she was in high school. She graduated from college with a BFA and has always worked in the Arts field, whether in commercial or fine art. These days she and husband Mac count their blessings living in the beauty of the Georgia countryside.
Her efforts as a fine artist have earned her Signature status in two professional painting societies, inclusion in regional and national juried exhibitions, and participation in numerous gallery exhibits that include two solo shows.
Cathy joined The Artisans Village Board in 2020 to help develop the organization’s presence on Social Media. She loves being part of a team that is committed to bringing all types of visual arts to Eatonton and beyond.
Gail Vail
There has never been a time in her life that she has been able to resist the urge to pick up a pencil or a brush. It is a compulsion impossible to explain, except as a type of escape. She loves the overwhelming feeling of fulfillment when she is satisfied with a completed painting. She captures simple moments in her art as a way of making emotional connections in a world that can be so disconnected. Rich colors and the way they are combined create impact for the viewer. The play of light, dramatic shadows and the confluence of color and light create the emotion of the subject and that intrigues her.
After a brief hiatus from painting while pursuing a career and raising a family, she returned to painting and it was like the light was turned on again. While oil is her preference, she also enjoys painting in watercolor, acrylic, and pen and ink. As a lifelong student, she continues to master what she already knows and strives to acquire new skills and techniques. A B.A. in Business and thirty years in human resources and marketing have been helpful for the business side of her art.
Born and raised in Nebraska, Georgia has been her home for almost 40 years. She and her husband have three sons, 4 granddaughters, and finally also a grandson. She is fortunate to have paintings in collections in Lake Oconee area homes as well as many states in the US, in Canada and Japan. Her paintings have also been published in seven books.
Michele Hartung
Michele Hartung is the current treasurer of the Artisans Village Guild and a founding member of the Guild.
As a career accountant, Michele looked for ways to fulfill her artistic tendencies. She spent many years worth of vacations learning the art and craft of pottery. Eventually, she started her own functional art pottery business. Her love of pottery and collecting fine art pottery is still a passion today.
Moving to Lake Country after the birth of her twin granddaughters, Michele gave up the pottery business and started to learn oil painting from area artist Gail Vail. She continues to pursue art studies in oils, watercolor, and photography.
Michele and her husband of 45 years, Wally, were both born and raised in Miami, Florida. They have two children, both living in the Atlanta area, and two grandchildren. They love boating, kayaking, traveling, and are big Florida Gator fans.
Linda Foster
Linda B. Foster serves as the Secretary of The Artisans Village Board of Directors. She has previously served as the Vice President and President of The Artisans Village Guild and was also a past president of the Guild Board of Directors.
In 2014, Linda retired from nearly 30 years of practicing law in Atlanta to live full-time in Lake Country. She is a graduate of Ball State University and Indiana University School of Law--Bloomington.
Linda loves to paint in acrylics and plein air. She serves as the chair of the Lake Country Plein Air Event and Eatonton One Day Paint Out each year in the spring. She enjoys teaching acrylic painting classes.
Artisans Village Contributors
Shannon Minchey
Our Gallery manager, Shannon Royal Minchey, is an Eatonton native. She grew up riding her bicycle into downtown Eatonton and has childhood memories of lunch at the local drug store soda fountain after majorette practice. She met and married her husband Jason in 1998. Following a 20 year career in the dental industry, she was a stay-at-home Mom for awhile prior to working in or co-owning several businesses in the area. She is very excited to be involved in the Gallery and looking forward to engaging with customers looking for fine art and gift items.
Sara Tomson-Hooper
Bio goes here...