Macon Magazine

32 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2025 grandfather, artist and architect William Woodward. "He was instrumental in establishing the School of Art and Architecture at Tulane University, and he and his brother Ellsworth – my great-great- granduncle – started Newcomb College Pottery, an applied arts program for women when women had few educational options. Between their and their students' works, my family's legacy is represented in museum collections across the world. These kinds of influences trickle down, so as an artist myself and having these influences, working in an art museum feels very special to me, very personal." Welsh's tenure at MAS has shown her to be both a down-to-earth administrator and an out-of-the- box visionary. She owes much of her ability to think imaginatively to one special mentor. "Mrs. Phyllis Levitt was a wonderful mentor who taught me AP English in high school," Welsh said. "She encouraged us, almost forced us, to see things objectively from various points of view rather than subjectively, and to think outside the box." Though born in Atlanta, Welsh said her family spent time in Delaware, where she graduated from high school in 1987, and was then off to the University of Georgia majoring in English and literature. "Mrs. Levitt knew my interest then was journalism and speechwriting," Welsh said. "I had received an AP award for an op-ed piece and another recognizing our student newspaper for excellence. Mrs. Levitt went so far as to introduce me to the writing of Anthony Lewis, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. She took it upon herself to take me several hours away to "Her unwavering support of the creator community has given filmmakers a platform to share their work while giving Macon audiences the rare chance to experience the best in fulldome filmmaking." hear him speak and meet him. I later learned she had written him multiple times requesting that he reserve time to spend with me. The encounter widened my worldview exponentially, and he and I exchanged letters during my high school and college years." Levitt's example of understanding the needs of those she served, and going an extra mile for them, was also trickling down to Welsh. A THOROUGH APPRECIATION FOR FAMILY Welsh said she takes seriously the responsibility she has to families at MAS to educate new generations, even when it means taking bold action to further the scope of the learning opportunities there. More on the museum in a moment, but first, realize it comes from a deep commitment to her own family, which brought her to Macon. "I met my husband-to-be, Steve, in Delaware," she said. "We were high school sweethearts. Yeah, I married my first boyfriend. I know that's either really boring or really romantic, depending on how you look at it. He finished a year ahead of me and went away to school at Duke University, and then I went to the University of Georgia. When Steve finished Duke, he moved to Atlanta and lived with my parents, who had returned there. He was going to be a lawyer and worked with an Atlanta firm. When I finished, we decided to get married before law school. Most people wait until after to marry, but not us. We married and moved to Macon and Steve entered law school at Mercer University. If not for that, I probably would have moved to Washington, D.C. to become an intern speechwriter, living off ramen noodles." At UGA, Welsh took art courses that interested her, but concentrated on writing, literature, creating award-winning articles, doing a college radio talk show, and drafting speeches for football players and the athletic department. Notably, while there, she was the only person in her dorm with a personal computer. She found the technology and productivity fascinating and gained a campus job as a computer lab assistant. Then came Macon. "We thought we'd just be he for the three years of law school, but almost immediately we fell in love with Macon, made great friends, and enjoyed the close- knit community," Welsh said. Welsh's first job in Macon turned into a 10-year stint as a human resources director with L.E. Schwartz & Son, the iconic family roofing business. "The business was growing, and I was given a lot of responsibility LEFT Ian Brill's Plume for the Wonderspaces series. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Sciences.

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