Georgia Council for Arts welcomes new staff

ATLANTA — Georgia Council for the Arts is welcoming two new staff members.

Kenny Oaster is GCA’s new Visual Arts Manager. He will oversee the state art collection and also put together a traveling exhibit that will tour the state in 2025. Oaster is an Atlanta-based visual artist and educator. He has previously held positions at the High Museum of Art, where he developed programming and educational resources for K-12 students and teachers, and the Center for Puppetry Arts, where he managed museum operations.

He received a bachelor of arts degree in Applied Linguistics and a bachelor of fine arts degree in Art Education from Georgia State University.

Olivia Byers is the new Administrative Coordinator at the Georgia Council for the Arts. She will assist with processing grant contracts, paperwork and payment requests.

Byers received a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership, as well as a bachelor of fine arts degree in Dance and a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Georgia. She has performed with numerous companies, including CORE Contemporary and Aerial Dance Company and the Martha Graham Dance Company.

Byers also is a certified mentor in adolescent and youth mental health first aid. She has worked with various Georgia-based arts organizations through grant writing, fundraising, volunteer management, program evaluation, and more.

In addition to her dance endeavors, Byers has pursued interests as a musician, painting, photography, and creating multimedia design video content.

Special Photo: GCASpecial Photo: GCA