HOLIDAYS 2009
Celebrate the Holidays Across N.C.
From basket makers in the mountains to potters in the Piedmont to jewelry makers down East, you'll find a flurry of artful activities and gifts for the holidays all across our state. Whether it's a new twist on The Nutcracker or the Nativity or a special deal on tickets or museum memberships, our Artful Holidays Guide makes it easy to connect with visual artists, craftspeople, musicians, dancers, singers, authors, playwrights and other artisans living and working in North Carolina.
There are performing arts milestones to experience this season as well. PlayMakers' eight-hour extravaganza Nicholas Nickleby brings Charles Dickens' classic to the stage with 25 actors and 150 characters. Mark the 25th anniversary of PineCone, a Piedmont musical institution, by buying its new CD compilation or tickets to its star-studded two-day Winter Music Festival with Kris Kristofferson, Tift Merritt, Tony Rice Unit and a host of others.
Celebrate the holidays by experiencing our rich artistic heritage, and support the artists who make North Carolina the creative state.
—David Potorti, the Artful Traveler
and the Artful Living team, N.C. Arts Council
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Artful Holidays on the Web
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with unique one-of-a-kind gifts made by local artists who reflect the rich traditions of our state? Open studio tours, holiday craft shows and art crawls are festive opportunities to meet artists over a glass of cider while looking for one-of-a-kind gifts made by hand.
Our holiday Web site, www.ncarts.org/artfulholidays, is the place to find authentic North Carolina happenings, homegrown traditions and locally produced items perfect for giving. Let special ticket packages inspire you to give the gift of theater and other performing arts experiences, not just around the holidays but throughout the year. Visit a museum gift shop for a holiday sale, or make a gift of a museum membership or a scholarship to an art school. Expand horizons with a new book or CD by a North Carolina author, poet or musician. Take advantage of uniquely North Carolina experiences at one of our state's historic theaters or at a performing arts event. Find gift ideas and more with our Artful Holidays Guide!
We'll be updating the site with new content throughout the holiday season. Explore these topics:
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Share Your Favorite Holiday Arts Memory
With our Artful Holidays site, we're launching a new site where visitors can experience North Carolina arts everyday. To celebrate, we'd like to offer one lucky winner a selection of North Carolina guidebooks and art guides—perfect for helping you check off your gift list or to keep as a present for yourself!
To enter, we're asking readers to leave us a comment sharing their favorite holiday arts memory. Remember a special heartfelt and hand-crafted gift? Perhaps a holiday performance of the Nutcracker left you with visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? Share your N.C. story on this post and one randomly selected winner will receive a copy of our Blue Ridge Music and Cherokee Trails guidebooks, an audio CD guide to North Carolina's Happy Valley and more! We'll choose the winner at noon on Friday, Dec. 18.
Share your story and enter in the giveaway »
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PineCone Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music (PineCone) marks its 25th anniversary season this year. The organization was launched in 1984 with the goal of calling much-deserved attention to the distinctive old-time music traditions of the Piedmont region.
PineCone's new CD compilation, Going Down to Raleigh: Stringband Music in the North Carolina Piedmont 1976-1998, marks the occasion with two discs featuring 48 unique field recordings of those regional songs and dance tunes. The two-disc anthology was produced by Wayne Martin and sponsored by PineCone with funding support from the N.C. Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Watch performances from the CD Preview event »
Listen to music from the CD »
PineCone's two-day Winter Music Festival Jan. 30–31, 2010, brings an all-star cast to Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh for a blow-out celebration. Musical artists will include Bearfoot, Tony Rice Unit, Tift Merritt, Kris Kristofferson, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dale Ann Bradley, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.
Become a PineCone member »
Reserve tickets for the Winter Music Festival »
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PlayMakers to Stage Nicholas Nickleby
As Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol gets the holiday treatment in venues across the state, PlayMaker's Repertory Company presents another Dickens classic in an ambitious stage performance spanning two parts totaling eight hours. Nicholas Nickleby uses comedy, tragedy and romance to tell the story of a boy, left penniless after his father's death, making his way in the world while protecting his mother and sister. British playwright David Edgar adapted the book for the stage.
PlayMakers' production is unique in its scope and magnitude—it features 25 actors portraying 150 characters. To help audiences sort them out, PlayMakers instituted a Nicholas Nickleby blog last June which discusses not only actors and characters but costumes, scenic design, history and a host of related issues. The entertaining and informative posts are must-reads for anyone with an interest in the book or planning on attending the production.
Nicholas Nickleby runs through Dec. 20 at the Paul Green Theatre in Chapel Hill. There are multiple opportunities to see each part of the play, as well as to see both parts on a single day. Buying a ticket to part one entitles you to a 25 percent discount on a ticket for part two. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind storytelling experience at PlayMakers Repertory Company.
Reserve your ticket for Nicholas Nickleby »
Read the PlayMakers blog »
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Regional Arts Resources
For a complete list of other arts events in North Carolina, visit www.ncarts.org/events or check out these regional resources:
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About the North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina The Creative State where a robust arts industry produces a creative economy, vibrant communities, children prepared for the 21st century and lives filled with discovery and learning. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger and North Carolinians—young and old—who enjoy and participate in the arts. For more information, visit www.ncarts.org.
The N.C. Arts Council is a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina's arts, history and culture. www.ncculture.com
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