HCA, Johnson honored for expanding arts in Holmes County

Holley Johnson may not have grown up in Holmes County, but the former professional ballerina has quickly endeared herself to many through her creativity, generosity and hard work.

During the 2023 Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism award banquet, Johnson, executive director of Holmes Center for the Arts, was bestowed with the annual Holmes County Chamber Community Service Award.

“Thank you for giving us this opportunity to pause and reflect,” Johnson said. “The Holmes Center for the Arts is a testament to this community. I’ve lived in 10 different states, and Holmes County is the last, best place on the face of the Earth. I believe that, and I want to thank all of you for allowing me to use my gifts and talents and for pouring your gifts into the center with your counsel, encouragement and financial gifts. We would not be here without your support. It’s been a blessing.”

The fact HCA has grown in leaps and bounds since Johnson came on board is no coincidence. Her tenacity to do whatever work is necessary to make plans come to fruition and her willingness to dream big have helped the HCA’s new facility in Berlin spring to life.

The HCA facility continues to grow, with a new Black Box Theater the next big addition to a building that is designed to help the community and young people in particular explore their passion for the arts, whether it is through dance, singing, acting or art.

Eddie Steiner, Commercial & Savings Bank CEO, said of Johnson and the HCA, “In any community the quality of life encompasses a whole number of factors, from opportunities for gainful employment and economic development to health, education, places of worship and entertainment. Access to the arts is an important component of the quality of life because it adds flavor to the community experience in our lives.”

He said the organization not only understands that necessity, but also acts upon it, creating a range of activities that help the community to experience and practice the arts.

“Holley in particular has championed the effort to expand arts in Holmes County,” Steiner said. “And it has blossomed.”

Of experiences such as hands-on classes for music, dance, and live theater like Arts Under the Stars and “The Nutcracker,” Steiner said, “These are things that have brought the arts to us, nurtured budding talent and fostered a keener appreciation for local artistic expression.”

He said the HCA’s addition of after-school programs and even language classes only furthers the role HCA plays in the community.

A former professional ballerina, Johnson wondered if her days in the arts were over when her family moved to Holmes County.

Several months after moving here, she had people inquiring as to whether she could teach their children ballet. Coming from the nonprofit world, she didn’t want to charge big prices as had been the case in the big cities where she was formerly employed.

Her initial thought was a nonprofit arts center, but then people approached her about starting an arts center.

“Why not?” Johnson said. “We started with an embarrassingly small amount of money in the bank at the time.”

She said she quickly surrounded herself with people she knew would invest their time and effort into building the center, people she said knew much more about the business world than she did.

With their hopes set on creating something unique, the center eventually raised enough capital to move from a church in Millersburg to its new digs on the west edge of Berlin, where a stunning facility drew even more participants.

This semester’s dance class now consists of 178 students, and the theater program continues to grow.

The theater group has held shows like “The Nutcracker” at Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek, but Johnson is eager to be able to host other smaller productions at their own facility.

The visual arts programs also have grown, and in partnering with NextGen, they have developed an after-school program for teens and youth, who do mentoring and devotionals.

In addition, they have been able to give away $15,000 in financial needs scholarships, ensuring nobody is denied a chance to pursue their dreams.

“This organization — that I would characterize as in, of and for Holmes County — is meeting the needs of the young, the not so young and the in-betweeners right where they have an opportunity to explore their gifts of creativity, their giftedness of expression and to provide an opportunity for the rest of us to appreciate people as they show that giftedness,” Steiner said.

In accepting the honor, Johnson said with their active schedule, they often don’t take the time to pause and reflect on their journey to where they are today and the many challenges they’ve overcome.