Blogs

By Zandra Wolfgram The New Year is here! Just one look at our Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) 2022 spring line up and it is clear we have resolved to have even more fun than last year — if that is possible.  Surely, you made a resolution to support the arts in 2022. Well, here […]

Demetrius Fuller Leads MKAF to Record Successes, Fun  By Zandra Wolfgram  When Demetrius Fuller was named CEO of Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) in December 2020, top on his priority list was to expand MKAF’s community outreach efforts—the drumbeat of MKAF’s mission, increase membership, and “up the fun factor.”  Looking back on this CEO’s first […]

2021 Artful Dining Series Concludes at Ruth’s Chris Steak House Nov. 11 By Zandra Wolfgram  Ready for a mental travel trip? French winemaker Jean-Charles Boisset says tasting wine is “freedom” — meaning each sip allows the taster the “mystical” ability to “travel places.”  Lucky for us, the next installment of the MKAF Artful Dining Series […]

It’s fall, ya’ll! That means it is time to celebrate the cultural arts at the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s Festival of the Arts. This year’s 26th annual event is free and set for Saturday, Oct. 30 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 31 (10 a.m.- 4 p.m.) at the scenic MKAF Cultural Arts Village in Destin.  One […]

By Zandra Wolfgram Are you ready to be thrilled? We hope you join us Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village in Destin. To set the stage for Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s spooky al fresco cinematic sensational concert, we unearthed some lore from the shadows of Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s, Psycho — one of […]

Atlantic Coast Theatre Presents ‘The Time Machine’ By Zandra Wolfgram  It’s full STEAM ahead this fall for the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation ArtsReach program.  Thanks to generous support from the St. Joe Foundation, MKAF recently engaged the Atlantic Coast Theatre for Youth to stage a two-week residency STEAM-themed outreach program in Walton County elementary and […]

MKAF Board Member with a Creative Passion for Life as Zesty as Her Name  By Zandra Wolfgram  With a given name like Maxine Orange you might expect someone bold, colorful, and original. Indeed, you get that — the Southern gentility from being born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, is sweet frosting.  Orange, 42, is hazel-eyed […]

Four fabulous al fresco concerts remain  Fall is more festive when it’s enjoyed out of doors, under the stars, with family and friends listening to live music. The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) 2021 Fall Concerts in the Village series are underway. The 26th annual Fall concert season showcases a range of artists. This week, […]

By Zandra Wolfgram  Before Deb Nissley joined the staff of Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation more than 23 years ago, she didn’t have a background in the cultural arts.   She had designs on being a landscape architect, but life had other plans for this Michigander raised outside of Detroit.  “I don’t have much of a green […]

Melanie Moore’s ArtsReach Program Helps Heal Wounded Warriors By Zandra Wolfgram  It’s summertime! Which means the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) is in full swing.  “As a 23-year veteran, with 14 combat deployments, adapting back into the civilian world can be difficult and stressful for both the member and family. The art technique that Miss […]