McArts Hires First Full-Time Employee Dina Brown

McArts' artistic director, Jean Battlo, proudly announces that the organization has hired its first full-time employee, artist Dina Brown. In a luncheon meeting with the executive board members, Reba Honaker and Mary Lou Odum on January 4, 2006, the board started the new year right by hiring Ms. Brown as the resident artist to create new pieces for the coal figurine enterprise. The decision was made with the consultations with the EDA's Rachel Lester who has spearheaded the project with funding obtained through the exegesis of Senator John Pat Fanning.

Brown is already famous in McDowell County ; for the past two years she has captured the entire audience with her unique portrayal of Mother Jones in “Terror of the Tug”. The board first has to be assured that Dina would reprise her role this summer.

Born October 17, 1959 in Mattoon , Illinois , Dina graduated in 1977 from Wapakoneta High School in Ohio . Wapakoneta has another celebrity also: Neil Armstrong. Following graduation, Dina received a B.A. from Wapakoneta , Ohio .

During the interim of 1986-92, Dina worked in Williamsburg and Jamestown , Ripley, Stonewall, Jackson Jubilee, Weirton , Kentucky Crafted, Louisville , KY , one of the top 25 arts and crafts fairs in the United States . In view of these latter achievements, Brown will be assisting Battlo in the numerous and varying venues McArts is moving. Most notable, Dina will help develop spring and fall Phoenix Festivals further in McDowell County's own festival of arts.

Dina currently lives in Princeton but has been part of McArts production as, “The Body” in “A Highly Successful WV Business”, both by Tiny Tim and Granny in the 2004 production of “Coal Camp Christmas Carol”, Lodocia in the Little Theater's Production of “Hamlet” and Mother Jones.