EEDC sat down with Jess to discuss life after COVID, how the Avalon successfully survived and thrived, and their exciting plans for the future.
EEDC: We hate to bring up COVID, but the arts and entertainment industry took a massive hit in 2020. How are you doing?
Jessica Bellis (JB): The Avalon Foundation is an interesting organization because while we should be thought of as an arts organization, our mission statement is about community building. So, we made sure that we followed all of the standards set by the CDC while also asking the question, ‘How can we continue to serve and build our community?’
EEDC: How were you able to do that?
JB: We have a strong team: Senior management and employees that have been with us for many years, a solid board, and great supportive donors who listen when we call them with crazy ideas. Because of them, we were able to do various things–whether it was the drive-thru farmers market (that feels like a millennia ago) or moving all of the local government meetings to be virtual and streaming. We ran the COVID call center for the health department out of our building and gave vaccines at the Multicultural Festival. We also found a way to do Plein Air Easton last year while also building an outdoor Performing Arts venue in the middle of a pandemic. We even held an outdoor play in December during COVID–point to another small town, where something like that happened.
EEDC: The Stoltz Pavilion does stand out as an incredible achievement.
JB: We have to acknowledge the Stoltz family and their role in helping us create the Pavilion, which was a way for us to continue building community during a pandemic. I mean, it’s just brilliant, remarkable. And from a management team standpoint, our heads were down, and we were in the grant world, and we are tremendously grateful for all of the funding sources available through COVID times. It is how we are going to be able to hit the ground running so hard this fall. We are going to be back in business.
EEDC: Is there a plan for the Pavilion?
JB: There is a committee working on a strategic plan and evaluating the future use of the Stoltz Pavilion. I want to be very clear: Do we want to have an outdoor performance space in downtown Easton? Absolutely. Is it feasible and viable in that space? What kind of criteria do we need to be able to execute that? The committee is answering those questions.
Our temporary use expires around the end of August. We are deciding on whether we’re going to be able to renew that temporary use through the fall or if the tent will come down while we continue to explore the long-term future of an outdoor Performing Arts venue downtown.
Also, as long as we have the Pavilion, it’s available for community use. We’ve got book clubs meeting there and quilters groups, and if you’re not ready to gather inside yet, and you’ve got a group that needs to get together, we’re certainly offering it out.
EEDC: It seems your message is ‘stay tuned!’ So, what about the Avalon Theater portion. Are there plans to rev that back up?
JB: The takeaway, and what I want readers to understand is, we are planning a really strong comeback for the fall. We plan to be back in business and hit the ground running, both in the theater and the Stoltz Listening Room. What people will start seeing is that we are beginning to slowly shift some programming. We will shortly be announcing new big acts like Suzanne Vega and old fan favorites like the Wailers landing back on the historic Avalon stage.
I think that during the pandemic, people would endure anything, but now they’re asking the question, ‘why are we sitting outside if there’s a big thunderstorm coming?’ With so many people getting vaccinated and since the mask mandates are loosened, you’re going to see events returning to the theater. To kick us off, our first show back inside the theater will be the Jersey Tenors on June 26th.
EEDC: What about some of the other things you’re known for?
JB: We’re going to be back on the streets with our outdoor concerts. We’re going to be back on the Carnival field by Target for ten days of carnival. We’re going to have our big Fourth of July fireworks. In-person: stage, live entertainment, food, whole nine yards. We’re back. High octane full, we’re back.
EEDC: Wow, there is a lot on your plate.
JB: We’re concentrating mostly on Plein air Easton right now, which is a huge part of what the Avalon foundation does during the summer. And I’m going to say all of our big beloved events are back: The Quick Draw is back, the collector’s party is back, the meet-the-artists dinner is back. We’re going to have 50 artists from all over the country traveling here and painting our landscape again, and they are pumped. Our supporters are pumped. It’s going to be a great year.
EEDC: You’re about to make a lot of people very happy!
JB: We’re doing one thing with Plein air Easton that is a little bit of a change from past years. We realize that there are people who are not going to be comfortable navigating the crowds in July. And so, instead of just having gallery space that’s open in downtown Easton for that weekend, which is usually so frenzied, we are going to follow last year’s model a little bit more.
We’re going to have satellite galleries throughout Talbot County that will be open so people can take a little driving tour and see a lot of artwork being produced. These will be in Oxford, St. Michael’s at the Maritime Museum, and on Tilghman Island. So, there’s a kind of a great all-American driving tour that you can take if you want to avoid the crowds and still enjoy the arts. Then, of course, we’ll also have the gallery at the Avalon.
EEDC: What about some of the big performers that we’re used to seeing at the Avalon?
JB: We’re certainly back in talks with some of the usual suspects and some new exciting names for the fall. We’re going to be announcing our fall programming really, really soon, or at least announcing a few shows. We’ve taken a lot of polls, and people are saying they feel safe coming inside…
EEDC: Masked? Unmasked?
We will follow CDC guidelines, and if that ever changes, we will change with it. We certainly encourage people to both get vaccinated and wear a mask. We’re working on getting vaccines offered at the carnival this year because making sure that people take care of themselves is how we get back to business.
EEDC: You’re right in the heart of downtown; what do you see now?
JB: I hope what I’m seeing is the end of the pandemic. I’m seeing people eager to be reengaged. It’s starting to feel lively again. So, I’m feeling a renewed sense of optimism, and that’s what I’m feeling around town, as well.
EEDC: Tell us about you and how you got involved in the Avalon world?
JB: My mom is Ellen Vatne, who was the founder of the Avalon foundation back in the day. If you had talked to my 16-year-old self, I would never believe that I would find myself in Easton. I am a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in finance. I had a great start to my career in commercial lending and financial analysis in the banking industry. It was sort of serendipitous in that the Avalon was in a growth period, and my mom was not sure how to navigate it. They needed some new energy, and my financial skill set seemed to match what they needed. I didn’t think that I would fall in love with it as much as I did. That was 17 years ago, and the $300,000 nonprofit is now a multi-million dollar one. It’s been a wild ride. And we’ve certainly really grown as an organization. And it’s been my pleasure to serve this community.
