Community Leader: Pelham “Pat” Pearce
The Opera Buff: Pelham “Pat” Pearce
-Liesel Schmidt
The arc of Pelham “Pat” Pearce’s career reads like a libretto, following him on a journey that began in the late ’80s. His opening role was that of General Director of the Mobile Opera, where he served for a decade. In 1996, he left Mobile for Denver, Colorado to ultimately become the General/Artistic Director of the Central City Opera—the fifth oldest opera company in the nation. He was there for over 25 years before returning to Mobile in 2022, after which he took on the title role of Executive Director of the Eastern Shore Art Center in June of 2023.
“My job is the head administrative position responsible for managing the Art Center and working to bring its mission to life,” says Pearce. “That mission is to connect people of all ages and abilities with the arts through education, exhibitions, and outreach activities. I’m blessed with a wonderful staff and a committed board of directors who are tremendous ambassadors for this 72-year-old organization.”
Having spent nearly forty years in an industry that revolves around the performing arts, Pearce has cultivated a deep passion for his work that translates into his dedication to keeping the arts alive as well as an expertise that aids him in his leadership. “I have a clear knowledge about how non-profits work, an ability to work with people to accomplish great things and a creative mind that can see possibility,” he says. “My work life has always featured art and the people that create it and love it. There truly is no better place to be than surrounded by beauty and to be part of work that makes a community a better place to live. Over the course of my lifetime, I have seen what great art can do for individuals as well as the communities they live in. Art can help heal tragedies. It can highlight great accomplishments. It feeds the soul—and some would say we need that more and more as time and technology move on.”