Performing Arts Creative Education Fellowship

About the Fellowship

The Performing Arts Creative Education Fellowship is a new initiative designed to expand access to performing arts education through community centers and public facilities. Working with Raleigh Arts, the Office of Strategy and Innovation, and Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, the Fellow will identify gaps and develop innovative strategies to connect local artists and arts educators with City spaces and residents.

Over the next year, the Fellow will:

Serve as a creative strategist and advisor to the City, identifying ways to embed performing arts education into community centers and public facilities.
Build connections between local arts organizations, teaching artists, and City departments to create new educational opportunities.
Pilot programs that expand access to performing arts experiences for all ages and skill levels.
Develop recommendations for sustained performing arts education programming across the City.

The Fellowship includes a $25,000 contract for a year-long engagement (approximately 40 hours per month), with additional resources available for pilot programs and community events.

Through this collaborative initiative, Raleigh Arts aims to celebrate local creativity, strengthen connections between artists and residents, and ensure performing arts education is accessible to everyone in our community.

About the Fellow

Smiling artsy white woman with bright red glasses.

Seed Art Share, led by Executive Director Renée Wimberley, is the City of Raleigh’s Performing Arts Creative Education Fellow.

About Renée

Renée Wimberley is a Triangle-based actor, director, caregiver-artist advocate, and educator specializing in arts integration. With over 30 years of experience teaching theatre arts in Wake County Schools, homeschool co-ops, and local programs such as Raleigh Little Theatre and Applause Youth Theatre, she brings deep expertise in building creative learning communities. Her teaching experience also includes work with Meredith College, NC State University, and William Peace University, as well as national touring work with The Missoula Children’s Theatre.

Renée holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts Education from UNC-Greensboro and was nominated for Broadway World Regional’s “Theatre Arts Educator of the Decade” in 2020. Her favorite local stage roles include Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (The Justice Theater Project), Joyce in The Sum of Us (Honest Pint Theatre), Smitty in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (RLT), and The Duchess of York in Richard III (Sweet Tea Shakespeare). As founder and Executive Director of Seed Art Share, Renée is passionate about supporting caregivers in the arts and exploring community spaces through site-specific productions.

About Seed Art Share

Seed Art Share’s mission is to create community through interactive theatre, arts education, and parent-artist support programs. The organization is known for its site-specific productions that bring stories to life in collaboration with partners such as the City of Raleigh Museum, Mordecai Historic Site, Dix Park, Downtown Raleigh Alliance, and the Towns of Cary and Garner. In addition to its performance work, Seed Art Share offers theatre technique classes and workshops that integrate drama skills with academic curricula, taught by experienced educators who have worked with Raleigh Charter High School, Enloe High School, Bugg Elementary, and Raleigh Little Theatre. The organization also provides programs designed to support caregivers and families, helping them attend, create, and work in the local theatre community.

Raleigh Parks Performing Arts Programs

There are more than 200 parks in Raleigh featuring classes and programs, art centers, athletic facilities, community centers, lakes, nature preserves, dog parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, greenway trails, historic sites, open spaces, and more!
Raleigh Parks primarily focuses on visual arts through the Pullen Arts Center and Sertoma Arts Center, which offer classes, studios, and galleries within parks. Most community centers do have performing arts programs, a few of which are highlighted below.

Learn more about Raleigh Parks and programs.