Longtime GPCAAC volunteer, Karen Evans, is the new volunteer president for the arts council. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

PORT CLINTON – Like the former presidents of the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council (GPCAAC), Karen Evans will bring unique skills to the position. Evans, who started her term as president in January, offers leadership and business skills she gained as the owner of a photography business, an employee of the Columbus Dispatch, a state employee working in the Legislative Service Commission at the Ohio Statehouse, and a legal secretary.

Plus, Evans is no stranger to GPCAAC. She served as the group’s Volunteer Coordinator beginning in 2022 and became the Membership Chair in 2024.

“Serving as president is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and it was time,” she said.

Karen Evans will utilize her business skills to prepare the arts council for the next generation of artists. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

GPCAAC, which is housed in The Arts Garage (TAG) in Port Clinton, supports and promotes local artists. Evan’s art is photography. She has been interested in photography her entire life and became serious about her craft in 2003.

“I took a dark room class, and one of my fellow students asked me to help shoot a wedding,” Evans said.

She agreed and then panicked about the decision. She was intimidated by the responsibility of capturing images of one of the most important days in a person’s life. But by the end of the day, she knew she’d found a new passion.

Karen Evans is a photographic artist and owner of Karen Evans Pictures who took this photo of the Evan and Emma Kovach wedding. (Photo by Karen Evans)

“I realized this is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life,” she said.

Eventually, she started her own business, Karen Evans Pictures. Prior to that, she had a colorful life working for a newspaper, for a law firm, and for the State of Ohio.

“I worked for the Legislative Service Commission, which is the bill drafting agency of the state government,” she said. “It was really interesting. I did all kinds of jobs there and got to see how laws are changed.”

Evans was working for a Columbus law firm when her photography business took off. She quit her job and went into business fulltime. Her work eventually morphed into a focus on large corporate events, and when Covid shutdowns canceled events, her business was greatly affected. In this new season, she decided to move to Danbury Township.

This photo wedding photo of the Sanabria family was taken by Karen Evans of Karen Evans Pictures. (Photo by Karen Evans)

“All my work went away,” she said. “We had bought a house here in 2019, so we moved up here permanently.”

Today, Evans is semi-retired. She still does occasional photography gigs for weddings and parties, but she now has time to devote to GPCAAC. She is grateful to former presidents Carol Morgan and Barbara Radebaugh for establishing a strong foundation for the group.

“Barbara and Carol were instrumental in bringing about some things that will make my job easier,” Evans said.

Now, Evans will utilize her professional and business skills to bring TAG into a new season of promoting local art and supporting local artists.

“I want to help get everything set up for the next generation,” she said.