Staff Highlight: Willard Watson III, Programs & Outreach Director
Willard came to BRAHM as Program and Outreach Director in the fall of 2017. In this position, he aims to present the rich culture and heritage of Southern Appalachia to BRAHM’s audiences. Willard organizes regularly scheduled programs like Scholars & Scones, Movies at the Museum, Thursday Art & Culture (TAC) Talks, The Maker’s Table, and concerts. He has also curated a number of community-focused exhibits including The Way Watauga Works; Farm Forage Feast: High Country Food Ways; Sound Machines: Stringed Instruments by the Capozolli Guitar Company; and the current exhibition, Terra Ludis: Play Ground. His work is truly at the heart of BRAHM’s mission.
Willard attended Appalachian State University for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. It wasn’t until after coming to Boone that he discovered familial roots in Watauga County. His grandfather, Willard Watson I, was a legendary toy carver, moonshiner, and dancer from Deep Gap. In 2010, while working towards his bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Development, Willard took an internship with the Doc and Rosa Lee Watson MusicFest in Sugar Grove. There he became inspired by the organizers who were “investing their free time to share stories from their community with the world”. This was a formative experience. Afterward, Willard began to get involved with other local non profits. “I was inspired to see people coming together, all working for a greater cause.” His day jobs between grad school and BRAHM funded his volunteering habit.
His museum work has nourished Willard’s passion for community building and cultural preservation through the creative arts, using BRAHM as a platform to bring people together and inspire positive change in the community. “How do our exhibits and programs bring in people from all walks of life and unite them around the culture, heritage, and creativity that exists in our community?” This question guides his work at BRAHM.
For the current exhibit, Terra Ludis: Play Ground, Willard interviewed several local residents whose passion and/or employment is outdoor recreation- a topic that immediately connects many. “Within those interviews, environmental conservation is peppered throughout. Same with the food exhibit (Farm, Forage, Feast).” Viewers often have an emotional response to these stories, and that emotion can create motivation to support a greater cause.
Willard’s proudest moment since working at BRAHM was during the Stories: Yes! program in 2018, for which he provided documentary film training to eighth graders at Bethel School. Bethel is a remote community in Watauga County. “Coming from such a secluded place, some of these kids have a tough time integrating with the other county students when they enter high school.” When BRAHM held the premier for the documentary films the students had created, they arrived proudly and in their best dress. “It was a great feeling, seeing the pride on the faces of their parents. And knowing the students felt proud of the stories they were able to tell." He strives to provide meaningful experiences, not just for visitors, but for the participants as well. It’s fulfilling when they are pleased with the result and grateful for the experience.
Willard so effectively brings his passion and interests directly to BRAHM and then out into the region and the world. “I am really grateful that BRAHM has enabled me to do things I am already passionate about. The most challenging aspect of my job is when I have to sit at my desk. I don’t like to be still. I like to be out connecting with people. That’s what gives me energy.”
In addition to his passion for community engagement, Willard also loves spicy food and anime. He plays bass in a band called Mexican Hot Chocolate with his partner Melissa and they have a sweet cat.
-Interview by Jasmin McFayden
