At 6 years old, Rich Holly came down the stairs of his house and saw a program featuring a band playing on the television. The camera zoomed in and focused on a drummer, and Holly immediately knew what he wanted: a set of drumsticks. His father gave him a pair, and from then on, Holly played on every available drumming surface. He did, eventually, get his first snare drum and later went on to study percussion in both his undergraduate and graduate programs.
Holly has studied African, Cuban and Brazilian drums and drumming, but currently he has a different concentration for his efforts: Holly is the new executive director for ARTS NC STATE.
After being asked to apply to the position twice and turning it down once, Holly decided to consider it. He was working as the dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University, though he found a new and interesting relationship with the arts of NC State.
“I would like to think a student that participates in the arts here is going to have such a great experience that when they become a full-fledged adult, and they have an extra $40 in their pocket, they might say, ‘hey let’s go to this concert; let’s go to this ballet and be supporters of the arts,’” Holly said.
Holly is a major advocate for the arts, after becoming concerned about the lack of audiences, the lack of people going to galleries and museums and the prevalence of school boards cutting arts programs in public schools.
Currently, Holly is doing a lot with outreach both at NC State and connecting with arts non-profits in the community, as well as providing art teachers in communities where the school board is trying to cut the arts with resources to prevent the loss of their programs.
In addition to performance and craft, ARTS NC STATE works with students in the Arts Village, as well as classes offered across campus. The Gregg Museum of Art and Design currently has more than 34,000 objects and works to bring in classes to connect the curriculum to the objects they are examining as well.
“The best thing we can do for students who have had no arts experience before is to let them know there’s this whole other world out there that for whatever reason they haven’t been able to take advantage of,” Holly said. “And we are here to help them take advantage of it.”
Holly said he is incredibly excited to be at NC State and running the ARTS NC STATE program, and he finds everyone working for him incredibly friendly, helpful and “fabulous.” According to Holly, everyone is eager to do more, and everyone works to create an open and professional environment.
“I’m on what I call my listening tour; I’m spending several hours every week meeting with every employee of ARTS NC STATE,” Holly said. “Ultimately, it will probably take me six months to meet with everybody, but I’ll eventually get there. I’ve been very clear with everyone that my position is one of service— and yes, there are times when I have to make a decision but I’m not going to make that decision in a vacuum — I need to hear from other people about opinions, and thoughts and history.”
Holly has two main initiatives he wishes to complete: find a new marketing person for ARTS NC STATE to better inform the general public of its presence and everything it offers; and getting off campus to meet as many non-profit arts in the region to find possible future partners, such as having the North Carolina Opera conduct a vocal workshop for students.
Holly is not the only one excited about being here and working with ARTS NC STATE. Both the directors for the Crafts Center and Center Stage are thrilled to have him here.
George Thomas, the director for the Crafts Center, shares a love of drumming with Holly — he pursued his love of drumming through high school before selling his drum set and dedicating himself to woodcarving.
“[Holly] had his dream with drums, and the passion, but in talking with him, the idea that working within education does open your eyes to all kinds of possibilities and makes you ponder, particularly at the collegiate level, and he comes in with that experience tied to a passion,” Thomas said.
Sharon Moore, the director of Center Stage, was part of the committee that initially contacted Holly. According to Moore, Holly is a good listener with an easy manner and loves what he does. His energy is infectious, and he is welcoming and open, which she feels is a benefit since the arts suite of Talley Student Union where the ARTS NC STATE offices are located is such as small space.
“It feels like he’s been here longer than a few months, which is great,” Moore said. “He fits into the workings here seamlessly.”
Holly is very much about serving the students and serving the state, and according to Moore, the real role of executive director is to create relationships, which Holly has been working on since he came to NC State.
“The arts make us human, and without the arts, you’re not teaching a child all the possible things they can experience in their life, including emotions,” Holly said. “I’m very fond of telling people who are not familiar with the arts that the arts make us think.”
