As one of the most joyful people known to the Guilford community, it’s no wonder why Barbara Shulman has joined the board for non-profit GreenStage Guilford as its director of community outreach or, as her fellow board members like to think of her, “Director of Fun.”

The well-known artist, gallery owner, entrepreneur, and healing arts practitioner is excited about the possibilities involved in raising community awareness of GreenStage. Barbara’s volunteer work will involve enlisting volunteers, helping produce events, and connecting the community with offerings from this extraordinary organization through new programming opportunities and partnerships.

One group effort underway is trying to extend outreach beyond GreenStage’s biannual festival of performances which envelope the town for seven days in September. The 2023 festival premiered five new works and presented nearly two dozen other performances in music, drama, dance, and storytelling, plus a dance residency for people of all abilities.

“We’re trying to be more than an every-other-year event. We’re really looking to expand and do more continual performances and events,” Barbara says. “We’re really in a stage of blossoming and expanding and becoming bigger and better and more.”

For example, GreenStage is running three open mic nights at The Marketplace in downtown Guilford this summer, with the events taking place on Friday, June 28; Friday, July 26; and Friday, Aug. 23. All performances begin at 6:30 p.m. Free-will donations at the door will support this and other GreenStage programming.

“I’m excited about what we do,” says Barbara of working with her board peers. “I love the feeling and the enthusiasm of the group in terms of really helping all of us explore new ideas with the diversity of thoughts and experiences and art creations that they’re putting on and really gifting to our community.”

Barbara knows that the Guilford community will embrace these opportunities, as well.

“Our community is such a rich community in and of itself, but I think diversity of ideas and thoughts and expression are necessary for everyone in the United States right now and in probably in the world,” Barbara notes. “GreenStage is literally a vessel to promote artists to express themselves, to give them freedom of expression, and a stage to do it.”

As an artist herself, Barbara appreciates the importance of supporting artists with venues where their work can reach the public. Over 20 years ago, Barbara and a group of five other local artists teamed up to form the Shoreline Arts Trail. Now, she’s ready to assist GreenStage.

“Being an artist, it’s a wonderful way for me to be on the other side of it and helping to really encourage the community to broaden our ideas of what art is, what life is—the big questions in life,” says Barbara. “I love doing that, so I’m really excited about being involved in community outreach for GreenStage.”

Barbara’s own art journey began with pottery and led to her work with glass. She founded BSK Design and opened her popular cooperative gallery, gift shop, and arts hub space, Chroma, in the Quonset building on Church Street. Five years ago, she moved into the Greene gallery space, where she also continued her work as a forgiveness practitioner, providing therapeutic guidance to help clients grapple with life’s adversities and improve their self-awareness, emotional well-being, and resilience.

Last August, Barbara closed the gallery, ending nearly two decades of artistic presence Guilford. She continues to offer her art out of her home studio, as well offering healing for her clients at her home.

“I love what I’m doing, but after closing my gallery, I really realized I missed being a part of this central hub of this village of Guilford that we are so lucky to live in,” says Barbara. “Going back into service and being a board member of Guilford GreenStage seemed like the perfect opportunity for me.”

Barbara previously served her community as a board member of the Women & Family Life Center.

Recently, she reached to out GreenStage Guilford Board Chair Peter Hawes to see if she could help. Barbara first met Hawes when he stopped in her gallery about four years ago and asked if she would offer the space as venue for a performing arts event.

“I thought it was such a fabulous idea,” says Barbara.

Barbara hosted an author’s talk by a direct descendant of the sculptor who carved the faces of Mount Rushmore. She said it was memorable and impactful to hear the author pridefully sharing stories about the monumental talent and prowess it took to carve something like a nose that was 10 times the sculptor’s height.

“I was riveted. Those are the stories that we miss unless we have the opportunities to see them, hear them, and literally feel them,” she says.

As a result, Barbara became an instant fan of the organization and, in very short order, good friends with Hawes and his wife, Meg Smith.

“We’ve had some discussions about how I could best contribute to GreenStage as a volunteer and, because I’m lucky enough to be in touch with the community, and I love people and talking with people, director of community outreach seemed like the perfect fit for me,” says Barbara.

It’s no secret that her unofficial title is “Director of Fun.”

“I love that title! GreenStage is already a heck of a lot of fun, but I think today, especially, all of us need more lightness and levity and fun in our lives. I think every organization could use a pinch more fun,” Barbara says.

For more information on GreenStage Guilford, vist greenstageguilford.org.