Columbus County Arts Council

          In March of 1984, recently married Mark and Mary Louise Bannerman relocated from Bloomington Indiana, where they had met working at a greeting card company, to Whiteville, NC. They continued to pursue their free lance illustration contracts.  Fate led them to both work at  JS Manns; and when Mark received an invitation to teach art at Whiteville High School, the  Bannermans art careers took a new direction they would follow for the next 30 years.  Mary Louise also became involved in art education, teaching first at Southeastern Community  College and then at Whiteville Primary and  Edgewood  Elementary Schools. In 1988 Mark and Mary Louise Bannerman opened Bannerman Art Studio, an after school program for grades 1-8, which served as preparation for countless students to then soar through what became an award winning visual arts program at Whiteville High School under Mark’s direction. Mark retired from teaching in 2013 and Mary Louise, after  teaching art in various locations, did so in 2018.  Now once again, working as free-lance artists as before, the Bannermans look back on the many student who passed through their classrooms and  marvel at their success in using their creativity to become, not only wonderful visual artists as many have done, but also successful individuals in other areas, guided by the skills of open mindedness and problem solving that were acquired through their student art making days.