The Traditional Voices Group, the Yancey County Cultural Resources Commission and Carolina First Bank of Burnsville will host the second annual Riddlefest whose them is: “Water Tank Jam–a Tribute to Lesley Riddle” on Feb 21 at 7 pm in the Burnsville Town Center. Admission is $10 with children under 16 admitted free. Tickets may be purchased online at www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSale?, Mountain Heritage Center, Burnsville Town Center, Yancey Chamber of Commerce, and the Toe River Arts Council in Burnsville and Spruce Pine.

The Arts Matter in Mitchell County
Creative thinking is critical as we live in a world that changes rapidly. Self-expression builds confidence in oneself and empathy among peers. Children who are engaged in their work learn more effectively. The arts offer a window into global culture and expand kids’ views of the world. These are just a few reasons why the arts matter!
The Arts Matter is a group of teaching artists, arts administrators, classroom teachers, school administrators, community organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting education through the arts. The Arts Matter group meets monthly and welcomes participation by any community member interested in supporting arts activities for youth in Mitchell and surrounding counties. If you are interested in being added to the e-mail list for the Arts Matter group, please contact Stacey Lane at staceylane@penland.org.
The goals of our meetings include:
-Establishing a collaborative forum for information and resource sharing for arts providers, educators and arts supporters;
-Raising awareness about arts activities and opportunities in the community;
-Discussing arts initiatives and activities of individual organizations in order to maximize consistency and minimize duplication of arts experiences for students throughout their K-12 education;
-Making the arts more visible in the schools;
-Fostering and expanding the dialogue about the role of the arts in education in our community;
-Providing a “think tank” type forum to help group members address challenges;
-Acting as a “cultural catalyst”;
-And creating a support network for one another so we can all best achieve our goals.

500 Cabinets
Editor: Ray Hemachandra
Lark Books seeks excellent images of one-of-a-kind, handcrafted contemporary cabinetry and casework to publish in a juried collection scheduled for Fall 2010 publication.
From wall cabinets, chests, armoires, credenzas, and buffets to jewelry, china, curio, and wine cabinets to sideboards and consoles, we welcome pieces in all materials–wood, metal, glass, repurposed materials, mixed media, and more; and encourage the submission of work in diverse aesthetic styles, including both modern and traditional cabinetry. There is no entry fee.
Artists will receive full acknowledgment within the book, one complimentary copy, and discounts on the purchase of additional books. Artists retain copyright of their work.
Entries must be postmarked by April 1, 2009.
We encourage you to pass along this call for entries to other talented furniture makers, designers, artists, and craftspeople and to post it to appropriate organizations, Web forums, or blogs. Guidelines and entry forms are now available on Lark’s website:
http://www.larkbooks.com/submissions/artist-submissions

National Outdoor Drama Auditions, Sat March 14 in Chapel Hill. Looking for actors, singers, dancers, technicians. For more information, phone 919-962-1328 or email outdoor@unc.edu. www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/auditions

Arrowmont’s Artist-In-Residency Program application deadline is Feb 1. Total benefits associated with the Residency Program value over $11,500 per resident. This includes a $300. monthly stipend, private studio, housing, professional development funds, exhibition opportunities and all meals (provided during our spring, summer and fall sessions).
The Arrowmont Residency Program provides a variety of opportunities in the way of professional development, teaching and gallery experience and interaction with professional artists, educators and students who attend Arrowmont each year. Established in 1991, the program is designed for pre-professional, self-directed artists who are at transitional junctures in their careers. For a more comprehensive description of the program, facilities, privileges, responsibilities and the application form, please visit:
www.arrowmont.org/residency.html

Fletcher, NC, Jan 15 – The Asheville Regional Airport Authority is now accepting applications for Art in the Airport. This rotating exhibit showcases the work of Western North Carolina artists in a dedicated gallery space as well as throughout the airport terminal. With approximately 600,000 passengers traveling through the Asheville Regional Airport each year, artwork on display receives tremendous attention, and pieces have sold from nearly all of the previous exhibits. Artwork selected for the upcoming exhibit will be on display from March 13 until June 30.
Artists are invited to submit between four (4) and ten (10) pieces of artwork in any medium, bearing in mind that artwork must be suitable for all audiences. Applications must be received by Fri, Feb 6. To be considered for Art in the Airport, artists must reside in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania or Yancey Counties. Visit www.flyavl.com to view a downloadable brochure and application packet, or e-mail art@flyavl.com or call (828) 654-3236 for more information.

Singular Vision / Community Goals + Relationships / Self-reflection + Collaboration / Artistic Freedom + Public Impact
The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University invites photographers (and all interested in pursuing photography as a career) to the 2009 Doc U Arts Institute: Focus on New Work by Young Photographers, Feb 5-8, in Durham, NC.
Three very successful young photographers, Misty Keasler, Lauren Nakadate, and Taj Forer, share how they got started in photography and how they have developed their careers. They will show past and current work-which spans editorial and fine art photography, filmmaking, and documentary projects and photojournalism-and talk about how they have presented that work to the public, as photo-essays, books, films, exhibits, and in the classroom.
This intensive weekend institute will feature lectures (including keynote address by internationally renowned photographer Sylvia Plachy), discussions, and small group portfolio review sessions. Registration for Doc U Arts includes all events (Thurs-Sun). Cost for the institute is $375. Professionals interested in taking this institute for CEUs may contact Garry Crites, of Duke Continuing Studies, at gjc3@duke.edu.
For a more detailed schedule of events and the bios of all our instructors and special guests, please go to the CDS website at http://cds.aas.duke.edu/courses/workshops.html. For additional information, please contact April Walton, Director of Learning Outreach, awalton@duke.edu, or Dionne R. Greenlee, Learning Outreach Coordinator, dionne.greenlee@duke.edu.

Fellowships
Application Deadline: Mar 2. Residency Application. The Bray will award five fellowships in 2009: the Lilian Fellowship, the Lincoln Fellowship, the Taunt Fellowship, the Matsutani Fellowship, and the MJD Fellowship. Each fellowship awards $5,000 to support a long-term resident artist who demonstrates exceptional merit and promise. The Fellows are expected to embrace the Bray experience of community and creative exchange, and have the opportunity to focus their attention to produce and exhibit a significant body of work during their residency. Although the fellowships are non-renewable, the artists may elect to extend their residency for up to a second year. For more information, go to http://archiebray.org/residence_program/fellowships_scholarships.html

Summer Scholarships
The Bill and Stirling Sage Scholarship Fund was established by Evelyn Sage in honor of her late husband Bill and their son Stirling. The Bill and Stirling Sage Summer Scholarship awards an annual $800 scholarship to a promising young artist between the ages of 18 and 35.
The Eric Myhre Scholarship was established in 2002 by Tootie Myhre in honor of her late husband. The award provides a $750 scholarship to a summer resident artist of any age who demonstrates exceptional merit and promise.
The awards are given to short-term summer residents and are determined by a residency selection committee. For more information, go to http://archiebray.org/residence_program/fellowships_scholarships.html

WAYNESVILLE – This month, the Waynesville Public Art Commission will issue a call for artists for its second commissioned public art project. This piece is to be installed in the landscaped area between the two retaining walls along the edge of East Street, outside the new Waynesville Police Station and Development Office building now under construction at Main and East Streets.
The theme for this second commission is FOLKMOOT, the international dance festival that takes place in Downtown Waynesville and the greater region throughout the month of July each summer.
As Folkmoot is a celebration of dance, culture, community and world friendship, the Commission is particularly interested in color and movement and a sense of diverse elements coming together in peace and harmony.
The Call is open to all artists residing in the 25 counties that comprise the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area: Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Swain, Macon, Jackson, Haywood, Transylvania, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.
More information about the project and complete application instructions will be available mid Jan at the Waynesville Town website at www.townofwaynesville.org. (Rollover Public Art button at top of page and activate Request for Qualifications, Pac Application Process, Site Map and Architectural Rendering.)
Application instructions may also be obtained by calling the Downtown Waynesville Association at 828 456-3517 or emailing downtownwaynesville@charter.net.

CALL FOR ENTRIES
2009 Juried Competition. OPENS Jan 18. Deadline Apr 1. “WIPI 2009 Competition” is open to all photographers and will be juried by an accomplished panel of professionals. Nine placement winners with galleries and BIO clips as well as 30 honorable mention images will be showcased on http://www.womeninphotography.org in June 2009.
THREE CATEGORIES—FAMILY GATHERINGS, LANDSAPES, SELF-PORTRAITS
WIPI 2009 welcomes images taken with any type of digital or film camera.
All photography including mixed media accepted. Color, B/W, alternative or any digital photo image, manipulated, scanned film or scanned prints and submitted as a JPEG file, no date restriction, ALL subject matter accepted. DEADLINES are FIRM, sorry, we do not extend competition deadlines Go to: http://womeninphotography.org/Events-Exhibits/2009_competition/call_for_entry.html. Questions? Please contact
2009competition@womeninphotography.org