ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES THE PEOPLE PROJECT 2024

Adams County— The Adams County Arts Council is pleased to announce the sixth iteration of The People Project, with a performance event scheduled for October 19, 2024 (venue TBD). This year’s project steering committee includes Stacey Rice, coordinator for @Home Adams County, Jill Sellers, Executive Director for Main Street Gettysburg, artist Sarah Jacobs, ACAC Board Member Debbie Westmoreland, Borough Council Member Judie Butterfield, ACAC Outreach/Events Coordinator Kylie Stone, and ACAC Executive Director Lisa Cadigan, who also serves as the project director.

The theme for the 2024 People Project, “At Home in Adams County,” was selected when Stacey Rice approached the Arts Council as a potential collaborator. “Our work is often largely comprised of statistics regarding housing, transportation, and other challenges faced by residents living in the County,” said Rice. “The People Project seemed an excellent way for us to humanize those statistics, to share the real-life people and stories behind those numbers, and to make our community aware of the fact that we all face challenges, regardless of income, background, or other demographics.” ACAC Executive Director Lisa Cadigan was thrilled to work with @Home. “The purpose of The People Project is to take a universal theme and use stories, music, and art to share insight from a variety of perspectives to foster empathy and celebrate diversity,” said Cadigan. “Working with @Home provides a theme of ‘home’ that most certainly has different connotations for different people depending on their individual experiences. I look forward to seeing how this year’s project evolves.”

Also involved in this year’s project is artist Sarah Jacobs. Jacobs is a contemporary maximalist artist from Littlestown, PA. She is represented in the Pittsburgh region by Zynka Gallery, and her work has been exhibited in the U.S., Europe, and Hong Kong. ACAC has contracted with Jacobs to work on five pieces that will be unveiled at The People Project event and exhibited on the façade of the Arts Education Center throughout 2025. All pieces will be designed based on the stories and music collected from the Adams County community and shared at the performance event; three will be Sarah’s creations, and the other two will be collaborative works painted by community groups, residents, and visitors throughout Adams County.

All who live and/or work in Adams County are invited to share their stories, music, and participate in the creation of the visual art pieces as part of this year’s project. To get your group involved in painting, music, or storytelling, or for more information about how you can share your story of “home” as part of the 2024 project, contact [email protected].