Marshall High Studios became a non-profit in July 2025.
This is an exciting transition for us.

The Organization

In 2006 Rob Pulleyn and a minority investor, purchased the old schoolhouse on Blannahassett Island from Madison County. Pulleyn’s passion for the preservation of historic of historic building and his longstanding personal involvement in the arts led to the opening of Marshall High Studios in October of 2007.  Since that time, the Studios have become an important economic generator for the arts in WNC as well as a creative cornerstone for Madison County.

The non-profit was established in July of 2025 in order to preserve the Studio’s ‘legacy’ and to ensure that the Studio exists for years to come.

OUR MISSION:
To maintain a facility that supports accomplished, creative, diverse individuals, organizations and small businesses in Madison County and western North Carolina.

VISION:
Our Vision is to facilitate the development of a creative environment of exemplary artists, craftspeople, arts organizations and individuals in spaces that are both attractive and affordable and to positively impact the cultural environment of WNC.

Older man with glasses leaning against a tree in a forested area on a clear day.

Rob Pulleyn - Board Chairman

Rob spent 40 years as publisher of Lark Books which specialized in craft books and magazines. That overlapped with a 20 year stent as a ceramicist with works in the collection of many regional museums. He has served on boards, including the Center for Craft, the North Carolina Arts Council, Asheville Art Museum, Arts North Carolina, Penland School of Craft and the Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center.

He purchased the abandoned Marshall High School in 2006 as a project to keep himself busy. It has. 

A man with short, light brown hair, a goatee, wearing a white button-up shirt, standing indoors against a textured wall.

Dave Schmucker - Board Vice Chairman

Dave Schmucker, a property manager and construction project manager, was the former manager of Marshall High Studios for more than ten years. Dave returned to the Studios in the wake of Hurricane Helene to manage the recovery and reconstruction of the beloved building and organization. He is pleased to sit on the board of the newly formed non-profit organization and is dedicated to reestablishing the Studio’s role as a major player in the region’s cultural environment.

Close-up portrait of an elderly woman with short gray hair, smiling, wearing a blue shirt, against a blurred neutral background.

Betty Hurst - Secretary

Characterizing her working life in retrospect, she describes almost all of her jobs over the course of 40 some years as grassroots economic development. Her last position was with HandMade in America in WNC after she moved to Marshall from a job in Abingdon VA. Almost all her jobs were with non-profit organizations and Betty enjoyed them so much she don’t even regret that the benefits didn’t include retirement.

Betty has also served on a variety of non-profit and community boards. She looks forward to serving alongside talented and community-minded board members here in Marshall.

A smiling man with glasses wearing a checkered shirt and tie, indoors.

Boris Fernandez - Treasurer

Boris is an accountant for Hunter Praytor P.A. in Asheville and serves as the treasurer of the Marshall High Studios board of directors. He lives in the sleepy city of Hendersonville with his wife, Niki, and their beautiful baby boy, Emilio. The arts are an extremely important pillar of his life, and he is passionate about music. A multi-instrumentalist who has played in a variety of projects over the years as well as releasing his own music under the name "bearis".  Boris is honored to bring his knowledge and experience to this board, and to continue to see Marshall High Studios thrive.

Portrait of a smiling man with long hair in a braid, wearing a black t-shirt, standing against a light-colored brick wall.

Frank Lombardo, Board At Large

Using oil paint as his primary medium and the human figure as his primary subject, Frank creates work that involves repetition, movement, and layers of translucent form. His artistic influences from the past are rooted in the linear elegance of the High Renaissance, the serene yet compelling postures of classical sculpture, and the folds within folds of Baroque marble. His works have been on display at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. as part of the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, and his major paintings have been added to collections as far away as Kuwait. Francesco lives and works in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. 

A woman with long wavy brown hair and light skin, smiling while leaning against a tree trunk surrounded by lush green ferns in a forest.

Asia Suler - Board At Large

Asia Suler is an author, herbalist, teacher and the host of Remember Why You Are Here. For nearly a decade, Asia maintained a studio at Marshall High Studios, during which time she shipped medicines around the world from her apothecary, guided over 100,000 students through her immersive online programs and published her award-winning first book, Mirrors in the Earth (2022 Nautilus Book Award). Asia led fundraising efforts for the studios in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene and is honored to now serve on the board for this beacon of artistry, history and community. 

A middle-aged man with a beard and short hair, smiling, in front of a blue background.

Chuck Rice - Board At Large

Chuck spent nearly 18 years as an award-winning journalist at the associated press before he moved into development work in 2009, specializing in the media. He received a two-year Knight Foundation grant which took him to Mongolia to conduct training workshops with journalists at community radio stations and TV stations.

Chuck joined Developing Radio Partners in 2012 where he is now president and chief executive officer. 

For more than 35 years Chuck has managed numerous media projects for organizations around the world. He has lived in 12 different countries during his career. He was instrumental in starting WART at the Madison County Arts Council. Chuck looks forward to using his knowledge and experience to further the mission and growth of Marshall High Studios.

Anne Rawson, interim executive director of Marshall High Studios, an older woman with short gray hair, smiling, wearing a gray sweater and a gold necklace with a decorative pendant.

Anne Rawson - Interim Executive Director/Staff

Anne’s entire professional career has been in service, working with nonprofits first in California and then in North Carolina.

For the past 25 years Anne has called Madison County home. In her time here she has worked for a number of organizations, including the Madison County Arts Council. In addition, she has sat on numerous boards throughout the county and state. 

Anne was asked by Rob to serve as the Interim Executive Director for the newly formed nonprofit, Marshall High Studios, in February 2025. It has been a short and powerful time of transition for the studios. Anne is proud of the work that the board and staff has accomplished in this short amount of time. It has been a wonderful experience to learn about the depth and breath of the scope of artists, entrepreneurs and creators who are part of Marshall high Studios. She looks forward to being a part of the continued growth and resurrection.