PCA Profile: Jean Wilhelm, Board Member Emeritus
Jean Wilhelm has been a Piedmont Council of the Arts member since its founding, with an unwavering focus on outreach to families and schools. She has served as a board member for many years and we are proud to have her as PCA’s first Board Member Emeritus!
Jean originally arrived in Charlottesville from Seattle in 1956 when her husband came here to practice surgery. She jumped into community advocacy immediately, helping the UVa Drama Department and the University League (now the Junior League) start a Creative Drama program for the city schools. She developed History and English classroom curriculum as background for improvisational drama activities and taught after-school teacher’s workshops and student classes. Jean was also a member of the Kennedy Center Education Committee for ten years and has been a collaborative representative of PCA in the following organizations: VSA Arts of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Charlottesville Schools Adult Education’s Festival of Cultures, and the Festival of the Book.
Jean’s work is in the area of child drama education encourages personal creativity in school curriculums and provides insight into other cultures. She serves on the Education Committees of the Ash Lawn Opera Festival and the Paramount Theater, working on programs that reach students, teachers, and families of Central Virginia. She is also a member of the PCA Arts Access Project. Additionally, Jean has served on Virginia Commission for the Arts panels and state arts organizations. She recently received the Emily Couric Award for Arts Advocacy from the Junior League for her work in the arts.
