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Art & Soul Rowan invites all people to explore the transformative power of creativity and contemplation to cultivate wholeness, heal brokenness and foster spirit filled living.
Check out our Facebook page for classes and events!
Upcoming Events
Check Out Artist in Residence, Shane Manier's new book:
Nicole Cunningham's Journey:
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https://substack.com/@highendhippie
Meet the Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion
Executive Director
Dr. Andria Porter
Andria Porter has a Bachelors in Sociology from UNC Asheville; a Masters in Theology & History from Hood Theological Seminary; and a PhD in Philosophy from Faulkner University.
Andria has been our Executive Director since 2016. Many of our current programs such as the Artist in Residence Program, collaborations in the community, and creating new art classes & experiences have been developed under her leadership.
Gallery Curator
Shanna Glawson
Shanna Glawson is an artist and promoter of the arts through education and curation. She has received her degree in Professional Crafts: Silversmithing from Haywood Community College, a BFA in Sculpture at UNC Asheville, and a MFA in Studio Arts from East Tennessee State University. The programs she has created for ASR have utilized art as a pathway to hope, healing, and empowerment throughout the community in an inclusive and nurturing environment.
Our Artists in Residence:
Art & Soul's AIR program aims to host at least four local artists every year. Selected artists are provided program stipends, art studio spaces, and facility resources so they can spend their time focusing on their creative practice. During their residency they are encouraged to hosts classes, lead programs, and host a gallery exhibition or performance. We often create resident events where we invite the community to join as we celebrate their developing bodies of work.
Shiloh D. Hernandez
Shiloh is a multidisciplinary folk artist with over 30 years of experience spanning drawing, painting, upcycling, pottery, crochet, and opera. Known for transforming unconventional materials—like makeup, produce, and found objects—into expressive works, her art celebrates reinvention, resourcefulness, and the beauty in the everyday.
Beyond the studio, Shiloh is deeply rooted in her community. She serves on the board of the Salisbury Farmers Market, volunteers in period costume to promote literacy among children, and supports local art festivals and exhibits. She hosts a monthly “Jambury” for collaborative music-making and co-founded The Darlin’ Dogwoods, a multigenerational Celtic folk women’s group inspired by her Scottish heritage.
Shiloh’s work and life are guided by reciprocity, nature, and community.
Justin Evans
Announcing our newest Artist in Residence, Justin Evans!
Justin William Evans is a poet, playwright, teacher, and performance artist. His writing has appeared in publications including but not limited to Keith LLC Press, Blood Orange Review, Southern Review of Books, and Boulevard. His writing credits for the stage include I Wont Hurt You (XOXO Theatre Collective), Satan v. Laundry (Anam Cara Theatre Company), and In Loving Memory: The Poet and Citizen Martha Whythblath, which was voted “Fan Favorite” at the 2023 Asheville Fringe Festival. He holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte, teaches in the Film Studies Department of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is a co-facilitator of the upcoming poetry workshop Line by Line.
(Photo by Shiloh Hernandez)
Theater and writing, to Justin, are ways for communities to be in conversation with themselves and to make spaces where people can engage with each other more deeply. He's excited and honored to have the opportunity to explore these ideas with Art & Soul and get to know more of the incredible artistic community of Salisbury.
Shanna Glawson
Shanna is our Sculpture Artist in Residence and our Gallery Curator. She is an award winning artist. Shanna has an MFA in sculpture from East Tennessee State University. She also teaches at RCCC and works as a habitat designer at the North Carolina Zoo.
Shane Manier
Visual & Spoken Word Artist
Shane Manier is a Creative Coach, Visual Artist, Live Event Painter, Tedx and Key Note Speaker, Trauma Informed Care Instructor, Poetry Mentor and National Spoken Word Poet based in the Charlotte Metro Region of NC. She is the founder of The National Poetry Month Summit, and Guerilla Poets, a nonprofit art collective with branches in the US and UK.
She is currently the Visual Arts Teaching Instructor for The Harvey B. Gantt Center, Henderson High School, The Arts Empowerment Project, Playing for Others, as well as Center for Faith and the Arts Visual Artist in Residence and has served on board of CCAG Arts Collective of Cornelius North Carolina in 2017.
She is one of the few North Carolina live speed painters in the Charlotte Metro area and an Ultimate Painting Finalist for Regional Championship Live Speed Painting Competition. She has showcased 5 bodies of work through her residency.
Nicole Cunningham
Creative Writing & Movement
Nicole Cunningham is a Charlotte-based theatre practitioner, playwright, and teaching artist committed to developing new works. Her plays have been produced all over the country for the past ten years. Recent local credits include those with Old Courthouse Theatre and Post Mortem Players.
She is the founder and owner of Blue Rose Scripts, a consultation company dedicated to guiding playwrights and screenwriters in refining their craft. Nicole is also the Managing Director of Arachne THTR where she channels her for new work into producing stories that unsettle, provoke, and spark critical reflection. She works alongside Arachne's creative director, Allison Graham, by inviting audiences to question their assumptions through the transformative power of live performance.
Nicole is proud to be an Artist-in-Residence at Art & Soul Rowan, where she intends to lead writing workshops, facilitate generative movement and devising sessions, and cultivate an environment that encourages exploration and risk-taking. She specializes in teaching writing for those that consider themselves non-writers and creative movement for all the non-movers out there. All are welcome.
CaLeb Hill
Musician & Visual Artist
CaLeb is a local musician and songwriter. He also handcrafts a variety of instruments, and he teaches private music lessons. CaLeb is also what he refers to as a "garbage artist" making art from found objects. Caleb leads our weekly drum circle every Friday from 7-8pm. The drum circle is free and open to everyone, including children. The drums are provided, so just drop in.
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