Caroline Koontz is director of Tulare County’s Arts Consortium. Before participating in a panel about the role arts play in building communities, Koontz sat down in the Zócalo green room to talk about discovering art in liquor stores, who gets to hear her sing, and her grilled cheese sandwich skills.
What dessert do you find impossible to resist?
Almost anything. I love sweets.
Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Probably my board treasurer. He calls me a lot.
If you could be any animal, which would you choose?
Maybe a panda bear. They’re kind of cute.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Flakiness.
Describe your singing in one sentence or one word.
Only my kids can hear it.
What’s the strangest place you’ve encountered art in Tulare County?
There’s a liquor store in my hometown, Woodville, population 1,500. Art takes up a whole wall of the liquor store—and it looks pretty random.
What’s your hidden talent?
I’m really good at making grilled cheese sandwiches.
Who was your childhood hero?
Jimmy Carter.
Where would we find you at 9:00 on a typical Friday night?
At an arts event with my family.
What’s the last live performance you saw?
I saw a few minutes of a band performing at the Taste the Arts festival in downtown Visalia.