Looking for SPRING FLING Volunteers Apply today!
Do you love Flat Rock Music Festival? Are you living on a budget like most of us? Then join the Flat Rock Music Festival volunteer staff. If you work 8 hours during the course of the weekend your weekend pass to the festival is free!! Get to know the staff and the behind the scenes crew of FRMF and help us make the festival more enjoyable for everyone. Visit our web site (put a link to the volunteer page here) and download an application today! For questions please contact sarahbenoit@charter.net or call 828-251-4544. All positions are filled on a first come, first serve basis.

The Madison County Arts Council, a strong, vibrant rural arts council whose work impacts all facets of the community, is seeking an Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall function of the organization which includes development, grant writing, public relations, marketing, fund-raising, community and organizational relationships, staff management, office structure and fiscal responsibility for the organization. The ED also oversees programming. The position demands a strong multi-tasker with excellent communication skills and an affinity for rural life. Background in nonprofit management a must; arts background a plus. Send resume to MCAC, PO Box 32, Marshall, NC 28754 or e-mail rbowling@madisoncountyarts.com. No phone calls or
drop ins please.

Workshops at John Britt’s Pottery Studio
Plaster Mold Making Workshop at John Britt’s Pottery Studio. The workshop is Saturday, March 7, from 10-3pm. This is a one day hands on class in basic mold making. $60 (includes plaster and a delicious lunch).

Raw Material and Basic Glaze Chemistry Workshop at John Britt’s Pottery Studio. The workshop starts on Monday March 9, at 9 am and runs through Friday, March 13 at 5 pm. The workshop will focus on basic glaze chemistry and raw materials. $450 (plus a $50 materials and firing fee) for the workshop, which includes a glaze notebook.

Basic Digital Craft Photography Workshop at John Britt’s Pottery Studio. The workshop is Saturday, March 28, from 10-3:30 pm. Joy Tanner and John Britt will conduct a one day, hands on class on how to take digital photographs of your three dimensional ceramics/crafts using a simple, low tech approach for the beginner. $60.00 (includes digital photographs of 2–3 pieces and a delicious lunch). Limited to 8 people.

Oil Spot Firing Workshop at John Britt’s Pottery Studio. The workshop starts on Friday March 27 @ 6:30 pm and runs through Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 pm. The workshop will focus on understanding and firing cone 10 Oil Spot Glazes. You bring your bisque ware. $220 for the workshop (plus a $30 materials and firing fee). Space is limited.
Call 828-467-5020 or email jbritt@main.nc.us for information on registering. Space is limited.

TRAC member, and potter, Gay Smith, will be leading a pottery workshop series at La Meridiana in Tuscany, Italy, from May 17-23 and/or May 24-30. Choose to attend for one or two weeks. Accommodation, many gorgeous Italian meals, tours to Florence and surrounding area, and tuition, materials, and firing are included in the very reasonable cost of 900 euros for one week or 1600 for 2 weeks. (The euro is currently a little over a dollar, less than it’s been for some time). To sign up, or for more information contact: http://www.lameridiana.fi.it/pottery_workshops_gay_smith_21_09.htm

Conceptual artist Mel Chin will deliver a talk at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, in Room 130 of the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University. A reception will follow in the FAPAC Star Lobby.
Chin, who will visit WCU as part of its Artist-in-Residence Program, is known for a broad range of approaches in his art. Environmental, political, cultural and social themes dominate his work, which often requires multidisciplinary, collaborative teamwork.
During his presentation at WCU, Chin will speak about his Fundred Dollar Bill Project, a nationwide effort to highlight the issue of lead-contaminated soil in New Orleans. The project encourages students, artists and concerned citizens to each design a “fundred” dollar bill. Chin hopes to collect three million bills by mid-2009 to deliver to Washington, where organizers will request an even exchange of money and services from Congress to support solutions to lead-related health and quality-of-life issues challenging New Orleans.
For more information about Chin’s visit or about local efforts in the Fundred Dollar Bill Project, contact Marie Cochran at (828) 227-3599 or mcochran@wcu.edu.

SPRING FLING 2009. Come out for music, song circles, open jams, camping, swimming, boating, food/craft vendors and the kid’s “Trash Boat”
The FLAT ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL presents a Spring Time Event on May 2, 1pm-Until?? at beautiful Camp Ton-A-Wandah in Flat Rock, NC.
RAIN OR SHINE –The event is indoors!!
SIX bands, camping, boating, swimming, open jams, song circles and
food vendors all for one low ticket price of $35.00!!! Kids (11-17) only $17.50!! Kids 10 and Under FREE!!
For more information or to purchase tickets: www.flatrockmusicfestival.com

Here are some of the events sponsored by the Main Street Organization in Spruce Pine. For more information, contact Kay Goins at spmainst@bellsouth.net.
Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith Festival–April 25: 10 am - 4 pm. Locust Street, Lower Street
Toe River Storytelling Festival–July 18: 10 am - 4 pm. Riverside Park, Spruce Pine
Mineral City Heritage Festival–October 10: 10 am - 4 pm. Locust St,Lower Street
Rhododendron Cruisers Car Shows are held the 2nd and 4th Saturdays from April–October.

Women In Photography International - 2009 JURIED COMPETITION
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.
CALL FOR ENTRIES: ONLINE JPG SUBMISSION, 3 categories: FAMILY GATHERINGS, LANDSCAPES, SELF-PORTRAITS
FINAL BEST SAVINGS thru Feb. 28th (2 for 1)
MEMBERS: minimum 2 maximum 10
Feb 16-28: 2 for $30  All entries two for one
March 1-15: 2 for $30 (first two); additional images $20 each
March 15-April 1:$25 per image (2 entry minimum)
NON MEMBERS minimum 2 maximum 10
Feb 16-28: 2 for $35 All entries two for one
March 1-15: 2 for $35 (first two); additional images $25 each
March 15-April 1; $30 per image  (2 entry minimum)
DEADLINE, APRIL 1. Notification of Winners, May 1. Online Presentation June 1-Dec
Online Jpeg submission only. http://www.womeninphotography.org

Arts & Culture Alliance “Smoky Mountain Visions” - Call for Entries
– The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville announces a call for entries for its “Smoky Mountain Visions” Juried Exhibition. Smoky Mountain Visions was developed to allow national artists to compete and display work created in response to the Great Smoky Mountains experience in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the national park. The selected art features contemporary 2- and 3-dimensional artwork by national artists focusing on the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and will be exhibited at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, from June 5 – July 30, 2009. The deadline for entries to be postmarked is Saturday, April 4, 2009.
The call for entries is open to all artists living within the continental United States.  Entries must be original works completed within the last five years in the following categories: Painting, Graphic Arts, 3-D, and Photography. Download a prospectus and application at www.knoxalliance.com, or send an SASE to Suzanne Cada, Arts & Culture Alliance, PO Box 2506, Knoxville, TN 37901.

2009 Arts Business Boot Camp. Haywood Community College. Clyde, NC - March 7 and 8. HandMade in America is pleased to announce that the Arts Business Institute (ABI) will be presenting the sixth Arts Business Boot Camp at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC on March 7th and 8th.  The Arts Business Boot Camp is a weekend workshop that addresses the fundamentals of marketing for artists.
This year’s ABI faculty is Nancy Markoe, gallery owner and designer in St. Pete Beach FL, and Milon Townsend, glass artist and writer in Rochester, NY. ABI is nationally recognized for a curriculum and faculty specifically designed to provide relevant information and business strategies for craft artists in today’s economy. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or an emerging artist or gallery owner, you will leave the Arts Business Boot Camp energized and ready to implement new strategies for your arts business! The cost for the two-day workshop is $160 per person. For more details and to register, go to www.artsbusinessinstitute.org and click on Haywood. You may also call Megan Williams at Handmade in America: 828-252-0121