OHC NEWSLETTER
Okefenokee Heritage Center In Review
By EJ Pond
2025 was a rewarding, exciting, and memorable year that saw the OHC celebrate a landmark anniversary, receive a highly prestigious cultural award, and install striking new signage. Among the components of the center, art is among the driving forces of OHC.
The OHC Art Gallery is among the most dynamic areas of OHC due to the diligent efforts of Executive Director Carla Garrett Cornett, OHC Art Gallery Director Bob Brown of Brown Ink Designs, OHC Photography Guild Chair Allen Allnoch, and OHC Art Guild Chair Susan Newman. There is also an off-site art display at the Lykens Art Gallery at Memorial Satilla Health, which is refreshed regularly. Most recently, Brown has instituted the OHC Historical Building Traveling Art Exhibition, bringing the work of local artists to venues throughout the community. Brown is behind the OHC being awarded one of only ten locations throughout the state to host the REIMAGINE: Contemporary Georgia Artists exhibit on loan from the Georgia Council of the Arts this past May. Guild Chairs Allnoch and Newman welcome artists of all abilities to attend guild meetings and schedule a wide variety of programming for members. Local artists are encouraged to participate in the Judge Ben Smith Juried Art Competition, which is held every Fall. The competition features works produced in a variety of media.
For younger artists, the OHC hosts summer art camps, which are always full and always fun. Teen and young adult artists are the stars of the Steve Bean Youth Art Exhibition, drawing as many as 300 young artists.
The OHC is also a keeper of the cultural heritage of the area. One cannot consider Waycross without remembering the importance of the railroads to the area. OHC is home to Old Nine, a newly renovated engine from Rockton & Rion Railway in South Carolina. On October 14, the renovations of REA baggage car, funded by GATX, from the Okefenokee Chief were celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The final renovation project will be the passenger car, transforming the train into a railroad museum. …
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