SPRING 2009
Welcome to Artful Living
Spring's longer days and warmer weather are welcome invitations to explore authentic North Carolina arts. No matter where you live, there's a day trip or weekend excursion that will put you in the middle of craft, music, dance, theater and other home-grown expressions of the artful culture blossoming across our state.
Experience art during a downtown walk or as part of a leisurely drive through the rural countryside. Be among the first to see compelling new films and meet their creators at one of our state's many film festivals. Get outdoors and experience the arts at a festival honoring the unique heritage of a local North Carolina community.
Poetry is in bloom in the month of April with the arrival of National Poetry Month and the National Poetry Out Loud competition. Every day during the month of April, our Web site will feature a poetry performance by one of our 28 state district finalists as well as our state champion, Nadia Nasir, who will go on to the national competition in Washington, D.C. April 27-28.
The arts are in bloom across North Carolina! Discover the riches in your own backyard by taking an artful excursion this spring.
—David Potorti, the Artful Traveler
and
the Artful Living team, N. C. Arts Council
back to top
Spring 2009: Artful Trips Near Home
There are countless ways to rekindle your passion for our artful culture this spring. Join Arts Tourism Manager David Potorti on one of these journeys:
Be sure to check out past trips and features from the Artful Traveler online!
See the Artful Traveler »
back to top
April is National Poetry Month
This April, join us as we celebrate National Poetry Month! Last month, students, families and teachers gathered in Raleigh for the statewide Poetry Out Loud competition. Nadia Nasir from Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County was selected as the winner. She will represent North Carolina in the National Poetry Out Loud competition scheduled April 26 – 28 in Washington, D.C.
 Nadia Nasir
To celebrate Poetry Month, every day in April, we'll post a video of our state district winners and finalists reciting poetry on our Web site. View them online at www.ncarts.org/poetrymonth.
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to memorize and recite poetry while mastering public speaking skills, building self-confidence and learning about their literary heritage.
Visit our Poetry Month site and watch the winning performance »
back to top
Artful Traveler: African American Cultural Celebration
The African American Cultural Celebration at the Museum of History in Raleigh is one of many events honoring and acknowledging African American contributions to the arts in our state. The 8th annual celebration included a celebration of African American music, dance, spoken word, craft and traditional games. Experience a taste of this inspiring and educational family event in this video, and learn more about the artists it features.
Spring brings opportunities to enjoy some of our nation's finest African American performing artists:
- Traditional Piedmont blues comes to Oriental in a performance by guitarists Boo Hanks and Jeffrey Scott. Get your tickets for this April 17 event through the Pamlico Musical Society.
- Grammy-nominee John Brown brings his Jazz Orchestra to Thalian Hall in Wilmington on April 18. The wide-ranging big band performance will feature a special nod to North Carolina natives including John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, and others. Click here for tickets.
- Malian guitar virtuoso Habib Koité and his band Bamada come to Stewart Theatre at N.C. State University in Raleigh on April 25. Get your tickets for this NCSU Center Stage performance here.
- Bill Myers and the Monitors, along with Milton Bullock, "The Golden Platter" of "Only You" fame, come to the Boykin Center in Wilson on May 1.
Call the Arts Council of Wilson for ticket information: (252) 291-4329.
- The North Carolina Symphony's Blue Skies and Golden Sands is a program of early American gospel, rhythm, and blues and beach music featuring Durham a capella group The Gospel Jubilators and Kinston-area big band The Monitors, founded more than 50 years ago by former educator and band director Bill Myers. After getting rave reviews at Raleigh's Meymandi Hall, they're going on the road across the Carolinas in May, including stops in Charlotte (May 19) and Wilmington (May 23). Click here for ticket information.
Keep on top of upcoming festivals and cultural celebrations across our state by visiting our event calendar.
back to top
Special Offer: Artful Living Weekend
Dream, Design and Decorate with Local Architects and Artisans
Spend a few days gathering ideas about how to make your home come alive with art, pottery and furniture from North Carolina artisans at the Artful Living Weekend: Infusing Art into Your Everyday Life.
Mark May 29-31 on your calendar to attend the three-day event at the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, N.C. Seminars and workshops with artists, architects and interior designers will explore how you can incorporate art in architectural elements and home design.
"The weekend should be inspiring. There are so many North Carolina artisans, furniture makers, and visual artists whose work would make any home warm, inviting and even more vibrant," says Mary Regan, the executive director of the North Carolina Arts Council. "You can even build a home from the ground up, crafting a dream house that features North Carolina artist-designed doors, windows, cabinetry and more.
"This Artful Living Weekend brings some of the state's most creative minds together, brainstorming ideas for infusing art in your every day living," says Regan.
The event is a partnership between the North Carolina Arts Council, Our State magazine, and Handmade in America, a non-profit, nationally recognized, multi-dimensional institution that contributes to the economy, culture and heritage of western North Carolina.
The event starts Friday evening with a wine tasting while you mingle with North Carolina artists and designers. Saturday's full schedule includes helpful decorating seminars featuring the work of local regional designers and artisans, including Artisan Pottery in your kitchen with Karen Mickler of Yellow Branch Pottery, the Artful Home with architect Ken Gaylord and the 2008 Handmade House with Jenny Moore and architect Jim Samsel, and a tour of the 1917 English-style cottage, the Grovewood Gallery, led by interior designer Susan Drake Nilsson.
Session and Speaker Descriptions
Ken Gaylord
The Artful Home
Ken Gaylord Architects and Black Hawk Construction have been rethinking the art of building for 15 years. Providing a seamless integration of design, engineering, and building craft, we're in hot pursuit of the artistic, hand-built, carbon-neutral structure.
An artist and architect, Ken will share with you what it means to incorporate architectural elements into your home. How do you work with local builders and artists?
The Handmade House
Jenny Moore
Explore the 2008 Handmade House: Handmade In America—A model for integrating craft into home design, with Jenny Moore of Handmade In America. Jenny spearheads HandMade in America's Craft, Architecture, and Design program, which connects the building and design industries with craft artists who specialize in custom architectural elements and home furnishings. In her role as Associate Director she is involved in fundraising for the organization and advocacy for its constituents.
Jim Samsel
Jenny will be joined by Jim Samsel of Samsel Architects, P.A., the award-winning architect for the 2008 Handmade House. The firm has produced award-winning design in Asheville since 1985 ranging from custom residences, inns, restaurants, and art galleries to medical facilities and educational buildings. Every design—whether set in the heart of downtown or in a rugged mountain landscape—draws on the special character of our region as well as the individual features of the project site. Their designs become a new language of aesthetic, form and detail.
Karen Mickler
Artisan Pottery in Your Kitchen
For 30 years artist Karen Mickler has been inspired by clay. Hand mixing in her studio at Yellow Branch Pottery, she transforms the clay into tableware, ovenware, and useful, artful pots for the kitchen and table. Food safe glazes are mixed by hand. She'll share her process, ways to use pottery to create an artful table and even tell us about her husband's small herd of jersey cows used to make Yellow Branch Farmstead Cheeses.
The Artful House
Susan Nilsson
Susan Nilsson, ASID (Susan Nilsson Interior Design, Asheville) has designed interiors for the most discriminating clients all over western North Carolina. She was the designer for the 2008 Handmade House and will create an artful space at Grovewood Gallery using handmade crafts from North Carolina artisans. Located in a 1917 English-style cottage, next to the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Grovewood Galley exhibits 9,000 square-feet of handmade American crafts by more than 500 artisans.
Accomodations and Cost
The total cost of this fun and informative weekend is $799. Your weekend package includes:
- Two night's accommodations at the luxurious Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa
- Wine reception Friday evening
- Full-course breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings
- Dinner Saturday night
- Tour of the renowned Grovewood Gallery
- One-on-one design consultations
For reservations, call 1-800-438-5800.
Visit the event Web site »
back to top
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:
back to top
About the North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina a better state through the arts by building vibrant communities, creating opportunities for citizens to be more creative and productive, and ensuring that the state's culture remains strong and vital. 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.
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
back to top
|
