CAA History

CAA FOUNDED ON GIVING

In May 1989, local residents Susan Foster, Jan Clarke and Jeff Ellis, along with many other volunteers, organized the first Grayton Beach Fine Arts Festival.  In 1991, Foster and Hilda McDonald founded a children's art festival, eventually to become the Flutterby Festival, designed to offer scholarships to children for after-school art classes.  Because of these events, it became necessary to form an organization through which these grants and scholarships could be made. Foster gathered the key players to say, "Now is the time to form a legitimate arts association in South Walton, " and a board was formed.  Numerous trips to Tallahassee were made to meet with the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs, and the CAA qualified to receive technical assistance to aid in the organization of the association, and the first membership drive was held at the 1993 Grayton Beach Fine Arts Festival.

Over the past fifteen years, the CAA has continued and fine-tuned these traditions. The Educational Giving Program was established to grant money to Walton County teachers, need-based students, and college and continuing education students.  The Grayton Beach Fine Arts Festival moved to Eden State Gardens in 1996 where it became ArtsQuest and then moved again to its current home in the Village of Baytowne Wharf to accommodate larger and larger crowds.  The Flutterby Festival, still focused on children, is a constant favorite of locals and visitors, taking place each fall to celebrate the arts and the migration of the Monarch butterfly through our area.  The CAA also offers weekly arts workshops and unique events focused on bringing the arts to the forefront of our community.

In October 2008, the CAA received designation by the County and State as the official local arts agency (LAA) of Walton County.  The CAA also was designated as the recipient of all revenues from the sale of the Florida Arts license plates in Walton County. In order to reach out to the entire county, the CAA was officially renamed The Cultural Arts Association of Walton County, Inc.  The board and staff look forward to fulfilling its mission of being an umbrella organization for the arts through leadership, advocacy, funding, programs and education.