By William Smith
After nearly eight years as the executive director of the Art Center on Jefferson Street, Tammy McCoy will be leaving -- but she won't be going far.
Now McCoy has her sights set on improving the stature of The Capitol Theater. She’s executive director there as well and will be spending a lot more time in the restored theater now that she’s stepping back from the Art Center.
“This is a good time to pass the baton at the Art Center,” she said. “I want to stay through the Snake Alley Art Fair for the transition.”
The baton will go to current associate director Elizabeth Pappas, who has spent the past six months under McCoy’s wing, training for the job to come. Hailing from North Carolina, Pappas has a passion for the arts and joined the board of directors for the Art Center as soon as she moved into town in 2019.
When McCoy took the Art Center job in 2014, her biggest concerns were procuring air-conditioning and keeping the building open. Since then, she has been the driving force behind a new roof, layout, new windows, and a new program aimed at turning the Art Center into a centralized, cultural touchstone for Burlington.
There’s always something happening, whether inside the gallery or at the connected art store.
“I am being handed something (The Art Center) that’s strong and stable, and Tammy has set a pretty high bar,” Pappas said. “I’m happy to maintain that and continue to grow it.”
Changes Are Coming to the Capitol Theater
When McCoy became executive director of the Capitol Theater, she contemplated the additional strain such a position would add to her life. She had to think about it.
Then she said “yes,” without promise of payment. McCoy was already on the Capitol Theater board and understood the dire situation.
“How could I not? They (the Capitol Theater board of directors executive committee) had no one else to ask,” she said.
She credits the board and the many volunteers for keeping the theater going.
“The Capitol Theater is alive today because of people in the community. I really believe that,” she said.
McCoy's initial mission was to keep the theater afloat, shedding off debt to the point where only the mortgage note is owed. Now that her full attention can be focused on the theater, she has bigger plans.
The additions to the theater will start with a capital campaign later this month. All the familiar programs, from cover bands to local festivals such as the Snake Alley Festival of Film, will continue as always. So will the partnership with Southeastern Community College.
McCoy’s business plan calls for broadening the theater’s appeal. That includes new film releases and transforming the theater annex into a bar/lounge area with a liquor license.
“People who utilize the Capitol Theater, the audience is pretty narrow right now,” she said. “We want to broaden that.”
Taking the Art Center Baton
Elizabeth Pappas has a passion for the arts that manifests in fireball of energy. When her husband Daniel Pappas landed a teaching job at Southeastern Community College (he is a music instructor and the music program coordinator at the college), she immediately hopped online to check out Burlington’s art scene.
Seeing the Art Center made her forget the move to a chillier climate. For a town of its size, it was far more than she expected.
“I immediately found this place and wanted to be a part of it. This is the kind of atmosphere I wanted to be a part of,” she said. “I joined the board and got to see a lot of behind-the-scenes.”
Pappas grew up in Utah, playing the violin. She was good enough to earn a scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she met her husband.
“I wouldn’t call myself an artist. But I am very visual,” she said. “When we travel places, the first thing I want to do is go to a museum. I love being around people who are passionate about what they do. There is so much value a person can take from that.”
Pappas sees her role as a champion for the arts. She was a visual merchandising manager at Banana Republic for 10 years before coming to Burlington and is not intimidated by the vast Art Center schedule.
In fact, she wants to add it to it.
“I’m excited for 2022, and I’m really excited about class offerings. We are offering up a lot more variety for teens. We always have fun events, and we’re always coming up with new ones,” Pappas said.