Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Franklin Stegall.
Hi Pamela, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Art makes me feel better! Why? Because I believe that everything in life is art. How you dress is art, how you talk, how you walk, how you wear your hair, the food you make; even your smile is a work of art. Sometimes, I like to stand back and peer through my office window to see the art of people and how they carry themselves. Some hold their heads high and focus straight ahead. Others may be in deep thought as they scurry along to their next destination. That’s art to me. So, I have always been very passionate about the arts. At the age of 10, I wrote, directed and produced my first play.
Several years ago, I read an article in our local newspaper that one of the school districts was planning to eliminate dozens of music teacher positions. In schools across the country, opportunities for students to participate in high-quality arts instruction and activities were diminishing as a result of shifting priorities and budget cuts. This angered me because I did not want the study of the arts to quietly disappear. A question I constantly asked myself was, “How can I use the arts to make a difference in the world? And since I believe the arts have the power to transform people’s lives, the response was to utilize the Arts as a tool. The next question was, “How?”
In 2005, one of my professors at Spelman encouraged me to visit Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. During my stay, I visited the Black Cultural Center at the university and instantly fell in love with everything the center represented. This visit was the model and inspiration I was searching for. I began to put my plan in place by: graduating from Spelman College with a degree in Theater, receiving a Master of Arts degree in Arts Administration from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and submitting an application to the IRS to become a non-profit. On June 21, 2012, the Pamela D. Franklin Cultural Center for the Performing Arts was founded and granted its 501(c)(3) status.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being able to consistently generate revenue, gain more donors and fundraise more effectively have been our biggest struggles, as is with most non-profits. Although we launched in 2012, this ten-year journey is providing us with a myriad of teachable moments in laying down the foundation for not only a successful but sustainable arts organization. For example, when revenue is unsteady during a given year, our focus usually falls on securing enough funds to cover administrative costs first and using what is left over to accomplish our programming goals. Luckily, we have a board of directors who are not only growing with us but working with us on our current strategic plan to establish relationships with potential donors, assist with board recruitment, secure sponsorships, and submit grant proposals. As executive director, I always try to find conferences, webinars and training on various non-profit topics to gain knowledge to help us accomplish our goals and objectives.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Imagine, if you will, a 5-year-old girl, born and raised in Atlanta, sitting in what seemed like the largest room she had ever seen, her school auditorium. Through her eyes, it was so beautiful and so clean, with what seemed like one million chairs lined up neatly in rows. She happened to be sitting on the first row with her kindergarten class when all of a sudden, the lights faded…the music started… and a group of older kids entered the stage. One of the young men reached for the microphone and began to sing, “Another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody, I got some money, ‘cause I just got paid,” A song recorded by the legendary Sam Cooke. In that very moment, the 5-year-old fell in love. No, not with the singer, but with that entire performing arts experience. Fast forward, some 40-50 years later, and imagine, if you will, that same 5-year old, who is a high school graduate of Atlanta’s historic Booker T. Washington High School, who graduated at the tender age of 53 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from the prestigious Spelman College, along with being inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society; followed by earning a Master of Arts degree in Arts Administration from the legendary Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD); equipped with over 20 years of experience producing plays, concerts, fashion shows, arts festivals, international talent showcases, etc.; who has over 25 years of experience as a stage manager for productions among others, such as, the Colored Museum, the Journey, the Amen Corner, as well as celebratory tributes, such as, Portraits of Congressman John Lewis, the 85th, 90th, 92nd Birthday Celebrations for the late Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, college commencements, convocations, concerts, and more, founded the Pamela D. Franklin Cultural Center for the Performing Arts. I believe that this journey sets me apart from others because I constantly seek interesting ways to educate and empower our community in becoming a positive change in the world using artistic expression as a tool.
We believe the arts have the power to transform people’s lives. Our mission is simple, “To provide a professional performance space for artistic development to educate area youth through programming and professional development, to create our own works of art and to celebrate artistic achievements through unlimited opportunities”. S.O.U.L. is the center’s slogan, which is an acronym for Sharing Our Unique Lives. The center uses S.O.U.L. a lot. Why? Because the center strives to be a cultural voice in the community by using artistic expression to stir up that strong, deeply felt emotion known as SOUL. The kind of SOUL that comes to mind when you hear the soulful sounds of Aretha Franklin or Bruno Mars, or when Misty Copeland soulfully rises on her toes to dance, or when Chadwick Boseman brought everything within his soul to the screen, or most recently, when Amanda Gorman recited her soul-stirring poem at the inauguration.
My dream is to build a 25,000 square foot, state-of-the-art creative hub that includes a dance studio, creative writing lab, a music studio, a black box theater, a proscenium theater, a gift shop, a café, and our administrative offices. I want the vibe to be cultural and artistic for our signature programs: Camp SOUL Performing Arts Boot Camps, “ACTing Your Age” Senior Acting Workshops, our arts-intensive Cultural SOUL Performing Arts Conservatory and other programming. The various art forms being offered at our center will be a valuable tool in recreating a strong community. It will create strong social networks, bring together diverse groups of people, foster a sense of community and build relationships. Art is a common language that unites us and provides each individual with a voice. That’s what I love, love, love about creativity.
As far as my day job is concerned, I am coming up on 20 years working at Spelman College. I am currently the program coordinator of the Social Justice Program. Under the direction of the phenomenal Dr. Cynthia Neal Spence who serves as the Social Justice Program Director. My experience at Spelman includes serving as program coordinator for several grant-funded programs on campus geared toward student development. My responsibilities included supervising day-to-day operations of the Chemistry Learning Center; coordinating and managing student hiring and training activities for 21 peer-learning student apprentices. I had the pleasure of designing and implementing a curriculum for two student summer research programs which included Enrichment Seminars, a “Chalk Talk” Series, “Creating a High-Impact Scientific Poster Workshop, a Grad School Lecture Series, a Summer Research Networking Series and a “Where do I go from Here” Vision Board Event.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I utilize all the resources I can get my hands on to help me become the best that I can be. I start my day with sharing gratitude with the grace in my life I call God. Every morning when I open my eyes, I say, “Good morning Lord! I love you! Thank you for this day! Great things are going to happen today! Then, as my feet touch the floor, I send up prayers of protection over my family, friends, community and endeavors. Then, I might reach for one of my daily devotionals, “Until Today” by Iyanla Vanzant or “Confident Woman” by Joyce Meyer. Instead of listening to the news, I turn on Soundscapes from the Music Channels. Why? Because positive quotes are posted with each soothing song. And the music soothes my mind, body and soul.
Upon entering my office at work, believe it or not, I listen to the Best of Mozart because it helps me focus on the projects at hand. But on Friday, I pump it up with a “Living for the Weekend” kind of playlist. I love all genres of music. I also listen to speeches from some of the world’s most renowned motivational speakers, Les Brown, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and Steve Harvey among others. I believe when we surround ourselves with positivity, it increases resilience. We are better equipped to bounce back from setbacks and challenges a day may or may not bring. We are able to gain the courage to move afraid, to jump out there without having all the answers, and to know that the world is conspiring in our favor…if we only believe.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pdfculturalcenter.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/wearepdfccpa/
- Facebook: pdfculturalcenter
- Twitter: Twitter.com/wearepdfccpa
- Youtube: youtube.com/@wearepdfccpa
