Created in 1994, the Gorham's Bluff Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing arts and educational activities to northeast Alabama by:

• Committing to artistic development of the community, not only as audience members, but also as participants.
• Introducing artists to northeast Alabama who might not otherwise reach our audiences.
• Recognizing and honoring artists from this part of the country who may not be known outside their community.
• Creating facilities that provide artists with a venue in which to create and perform, and provide educational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.
• Encouraging artists of all stripes to tap into the inspirational power of the Bluff.

The Institute is one of the few organizations to provide ongoing cultural and educational activities in rural Jackson County and surrounding counties in northeast Alabama. Over the course of its existence it has:

• Held six theater festivals.
• Held six storytelling festivals.
• Taken over the reins of the Gerhart Chamber Music Festival, now in its 32nd year of performances.
• Become the home of the Alabama Ballet Summer Residency for the past six years.
• Presented numerous individual cultural activities ranging from informal gatherings of musicians to a new collaboration with the Chattanooga Traditional Dance Society to host periodic contra dances.

The Gorham’s Bluff Institute fulfills its commitment to the surrounding community by presenting innovative programs involving its visiting artists. These programs often include an educational component such as master classes, lecture demonstrations, open rehearsals, and/or informal discussions.

In 2002 the Institute held three extended festival/residencies (the Gorham's Bluff Storytelling Festival, the Gerhart Chamber Music Festival, and the Alabama Ballet Summer Residency) and four individual activities as part of its Meeting House Music and Dance Series (an evening with Karen Pell & Friends, the Huntsville Symphony Premiere Wind Ensemble, an acoustical evening with Daniel Jacobs, and a Contra Dance). Through these events, the Institute hosted a total of 18 outreach and educational activities and 16 public performances, reaching over 3,300 people. Through its 2002 programming, the Institute supported the activities of 56 artists.

Meet the Director

Nancy B. Moore, Director of the Gorham’s Bluff Institute, brings over 12 years of arts and community-based educational programming experience to the Bluff, serving as the Assistant Director of the Dance Center of Columbia College, as a Program Specialist for Arts & Culture with the Chicago Park District, and as a founding member and Vice President of the board of the Dance COLEctive, a Chicago-based modern dance company that has collaborated extensively with the Alabama Ballet. A former Peace Corps volunteer, she has also coordinated and taught adult basic education and English as a Second Language programs both in Chicago and abroad. She received a B.A. in linguistics from Michigan State University and a M.S.Ed. in Adult and Continuing Education from Northern Illinois University.