June Arts and Crafts Show at The Shoppes at University Place June 13-14. Charlotte, NC. Application Deadline: May 15. Over 50 artists and craft makers from around the region will showcase their unique work at this upscale suburban shopping complex. For more information contact Roger Brown at 704-962-8488 or roger@pursestoo.com.
The Mitchell County Historic Courthouse Foundation is working diligently on the restoration of the old courthouse in downtown Bakersville. We are beginning our Capital Campaign and in the planning process have begun to think about the Donor Wall. Because we have such a unique art community, we would like the expertise and interest in our art community to be reflected in the design of it. We invite you to submit a design for the donor wall for consideration. We will be glad to work with you on the specific requirements that the Foundation has for recognizing donors when you get to the stage in the design process where you need this information. We look forward to your participation.
Please meet with us on Tuesday, April 28, at the Mitchell County Library in Bakersville at 5 pm for our initial planning session. If you can’t attend but would like to participate please email ronmck@verizon.net.
LOCAL INDUSTRY, a participatory cloth-making project at the Knoxville Museum of Art within the exhibition “Anne Wilson: Wind/Rewind/Weave,” January-April. Conceptual foundation: participation in a collaborative group process for the purpose of thinking about the contemporary production of textiles, and crisis of production, worldwide. The project engages in the multi-faceted discussions about new participatory forms in contemporary art. It is also a re-use project: the fibers/threads are not bought new but collected from both factory mill ends in the southeast and individual studio contributions.
One exhibition space at the KMA will be set up as a bobbin winding production site/workshop, multiple tables with winders at regular intervals for groups to work (adults/college + university classes, and kids), amassing wound bobbins to be hand woven into a striped cloth, woven collectively by experienced weavers from Knoxville and surrounding areas in the southeast. One loom will also exist in the space along with the winders. The completed bolt will be given to the KMA collection with a complete archive of all who participated. This project interests Wilson from intersecting positions as both artist and educator, and the Knoxville location (histories of industrial and hand crafted textiles in the southeast) is a key reason to locate this project at the KMA.
Weaving Plan: STRIPES -Transitions and Color Passages
Using the bobbins wound during the run of the KMA exhibition, the plan is to weave a ‘bolt’ of striped cloth, a weft face weave, stripes woven continuously selvedge to selvedge. Selecting a group of bobbins, each weaver works with the concept of transition and passages of striped color. Once one weaver has completed a passage of stripes, the next weaver responds to that passage, making a color transition that moves into new striped color passages. In proceeding this way, and although abstract, there are relationships to the Surrealist exercise of “exquisite corpse” drawing. The emphasis of this project is about all weavers being “visual thinkers,” working to create a visually dynamic woven striped cloth.
If you are interested in participating, please email Anne Wilson <awilson@saic.edu>
Spring Jury
Toe River Crafts in Celo will be accepting work through Friday April 17 for jury. Please bring 5 representative pieces marked with RETAIL prices, artist information (descriptions, bio, etc) and contact information. Consignment members receive 60 percent, Working members receive percent and are responsible for approximately 7 days working the shop and three workday/meetings per year. Contact Becky Gray 675-4998 to drop off work or for more information.
Arts Council Solicits Requests for Qualifications for Two Commissioned Works
The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has issued a request for qualifications from artists interested in providing commissioned works for the new Downtown Center for the Arts in Winston-Salem. Work on the Center is scheduled for completion in fall 2010. The request is being circulated nationwide and submissions must be posted online at http://www.intothearts.slideroom.com by Friday, May 15.
Two areas within the Center have been selected for placement of commissioned works: the entrance level on Spruce Street and the lobby of the black-box HanesBrand Theater. A total of $100,000 has been allocated for the projects. Each of the two commissions will include artist’s fees, materials, fabrication, installation, and travel expenses.
The complete Request for Qualifications is posted on The Art Council Web site www.intothearts.org. To qualify an artist must submit a portfolio of prior works, three concept sketches for the Downtown Center spaces and biographical material.
Arts Council officials say there are no preconceived themes or limits on the style or choice of material beyond inherent physical limitations of each of the two locations. The Arts council would like to see works that celebrate the diversity of live, people, careers, and local history and stimulate excitement and interest in the role of the arts in daily life.
Little House at Penland with Stacey Lane and Wendi Gratz. June 15-19, 9 to 4 pm. Ages 6–12.
Step into the world of the Little House on the Prairie books in this fun, all-day camp. We’ll start by making our own prairie-bonnets to protect us from the sun as we play outside all week. We’ll make jam and butter, craft simple toys, play games, and sing songs - all inspired by the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Please bring a bagged lunch.
Stacey Lane serves as Manager of Community Collaboration at Penland School, where she has worked on Penland’s programs serving youth for many years. She is also a studio jeweler. Wendi Gratz also works at Penland and has taught crafts to kids at Penland, Spruce Pine Montessori School, and several bookstores. For more information go to www.Penland.org.
Luscious Leather, April 27 - 30 and May 1, Mon – Fri, 9 to 5 pm (1-hour lunch break) Instructor: Dea Sasso.
$525 + materials fees $35-$65, depending on leather/paper selected a variety of leathers and papers will be available, materials fee also includes handouts, boards, gold, glue, pastes, threads and use of tools. This in depth class will guide students through the basics of traditional leather book binding and hand tooling. Demonstrations and instruction on paring, adhesives, sculpting headcaps and corners, knife sharpening, gold stamping, in-painting and on-lays. From start to finish, students will be guided through sewing a text block, preparing and working with leather to make a case bound leather book. Register for this workshop online at www.ashevillebookworks.com or by phone at 828-255-8444
Exciting things are happening in Glendale Springs at the new Florence Thomas Memorial Art School We are offering 40+ classes this year—from drawing, to Plein air, photography, bookmaking, rug-hooking and even children’s classes. Classes range from 1-day workshops up to 5-day sessions. Most are $90/day including all materials (unless specified otherwise in class description), continental breakfast, and lunch. We have 20 rooms available for campus lodging on a first come, first served basis. It is for artists of all levels and interests who want excellence in instruction. View the website for course descriptions and additional information about instructors and registration. www.florenceartschool.org.
The Fine Arts League of the Carolina’s 2009 Spring Session, begins Monday, April 20th and there are still open spaces for full or part-time students.
The depth, span and intensity of the education offered at FALC is rare, and now our core curriculum classes (Anatomy, Cast Drawing/Painting, Drawing and Materials 101) are available to part-time students. So whether you only have time for one class or can commit to the full-time schedule, now is the right time to go back to the drawing board. It is always a pleasure to welcome new students into the fold, so please call and make an appointment with our faculty for a portfolio review. Basic requirements are the joy of expression and the love of craft. Contact www.fineartsleague.org or call 828-252-5050 for more information.
Penland’s third session metals class will be a Radical Jewelry Makeover extravaganza and we need your help. The Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) is an event that takes donated jewelry and uses imagination and craft to transform it into new objects. These are then sold to raise money for Ethical Metalsmiths, an organizations working to stimulate demand for responsibly sourced jewelry materials.
Everyone is invited to “mine” their homes, “uncovering” gold, silver, and other jewelry (non-precious materials are welcome) that is no longer used and “deposit” (donate) their “lode” for use by the class. All donors will receive discount coupons that can be applied to the purchase of a piece of redesigned jewelry. The discount value (max. $50) will be determined by the precious material content of the donations. The Penland RJM sale will take place on July 1 and 2 and after that, RJM objects will be available online.
For details and an RJM donation form, visit the Makeover Donation Page of the Penland website, www.penland.org