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For more information, please  contact Joey Toler, Executive Director, Beaufort County Arts council,
at 252-946-2504

 

BCAC Hosts Greer Native American Exhibit

Red Sky Moon by Stephen Greer


WASHINGTON, NC - The Beaufort County Arts CouncilÕs first exhibition of 2009 will open on Thursday, January 15 in the Washington Civic Center gallery. Titled "Still", the exhibit will feature over twenty acrylic works by Jacksonville artist Stephen Greer celebrating the cultural identity of North Carolina Native Americans. The public is invited to an opening reception from 5:30 - 7:00 pm on the 15th, and the exhibit will run through March 12.

The paintings in the exhibit document the reclamation of tribal identity, and are inspired by ceremonial regalia and dance. According to artist Stephen Greer, sketches, photographs, and memories from the pow wows of North Carolina Native American tribes are the visual references used in creating the impressions in the exhibit.

The Beaufort County Arts Council (BCAC) is the third presenter of this exhibit in eastern North Carolina, after successful showings at the Onslow Council for the Arts in Jacksonville and the Community Council for the Arts in Kinston in 2008. According to executive director Joey Toler, the exhibit is unique to BCACÕs gallery schedule. Says Toler, "The exhibit makes a powerful statement. The works are very large and full of color, and the subject is one we are happy to present for its historical and cultural significance."

The exhibit is free and open to public and hours are from 9am - 4pm Tuesday through Friday. The Civic Center is occasionally closed for private functions, so arts patrons are encouraged to call the Arts Council at 252.946.2504 to verify gallery hours.

For more information about this and other Arts Council programs, call or email beaufortcountyarts@embarqmail.com.

 
     
     
 

Poet Glenis Redmond Concludes Beaufort County Schools Tour

Glenis Redmond and Beaufort County students
Dec 19, 2008

WASHINGTON, NC - Kennedy Center teaching artist and performance poet Glenis Redmond recently spent three days working with students at four different locations in Beaufort County. Redmond was hosted by the Beaufort County Arts Council in cooperation with Beaufort County Schools beginning December 17 and continuing through December 18.

Over the three-day residency, Glenis served close to 1000 middle school students in the county. She presented literary programs and/or workshops at P.S. Jones Middle School, Northeast Elementary School, and S.W. Snowden School.

Redmond also conducted a three-day residency with select students from the Beaufort County Ed. Tech. Center. The residency concluded with students sharing original poetry by reading aloud the results of their creative efforts. Over the course of three days, Redmond guided the students in the development and creation of individual 'praise' poems about themselves. Redmond worked closely with principal Victoria Mallison and English teacher Katherine Norris in advance to customize a residency program that would specifically address the students' needs.

The Beaufort County Arts Council works closely with representatives from the Beaufort County Schools to provide arts programs to students above and beyond the classroom experience. Support for these programs comes from Beaufort County Schools, Beaufort County Community College, Beaufort County Government, North Carolina Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and Louise & Harold Lane. For more information about Arts Council programs, call 252.946.2504 or email beaufortcountyarts@embarqmail.com.

 
     
 

Arts Leaders Gather in Raleigh

From left to right: Sandy Landis, Executive Director of Community Council for the Arts in Lenoir County; Abel Sutton, Arts Education Director of Arts of the Albemarle in Pasquotank County; Laura A. Martier, Executive Director of Dare County Arts Council; Lisa Winslow, Executive Director of Arts of the Albemarle in Pasquotank County; Senator Marc Basnight; Feather Phillips, Executive Director of Pocosin Arts Folk School in Tyrrell County; Charlotte Witosky of NC Theatre Arts Educators; Joey Toler, BCAC Executive Director

May 15, 2008

WASHINGTON, NC - Arts leaders from across the state gathered in Raleigh May 13 and 14 to remind state representatives of the importance of continued arts funding from the NC Legislature. Beaufort County Arts Council (BCAC) Executive Director Joey Toler was among the many arts administrators present for the two-day event billed as Arts Day.
Arts Day is an annual event presented by ARTS North Carolina, a statewide advocacy organization for the arts. ARTS North Carolina calls for equity and access to the arts for all North Carolinians, unifies and connects North CarolinaÕs arts communities, and fosters arts leadership. Arts Day enables local arts leaders to connect with local representatives.
While in Raleigh, Toler was able to meet with Representative Arthur Williams and Senator Marc Basnight to thank them for their continued support for arts funding and to let them know how this support benefits the population of Beaufort County. State arts funding comes to Beaufort County through the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) in the form of grants, special program initiatives, and partnerships with surrounding counties. NCAC is a state agency of the Department of Cultural Resources.
BCAC uses state funds to support local arts organizations such as the Beaufort County Choral Society, the Pamlico Playhouse, the Beaufort County Orchestra, the Natural Fibers Group, as well as arts programs in the Beaufort County Schools and special programs presented by BCAC. For more information about BCAC and its services, call 252-946-2504.
 
     
     
 

WalMart Makes Donation to BCAC

WASHINGTON, NC
The Washington Wal-Mart recently presented $1,000 to the Beaufort County Arts Council (BCAC). Vice-chair John Tate (left) accepts the contribution from store manager Reed Clark. The contribution will support arts programs in Beaufort County.

 
 

Beaufort County Arts Council

Music in the Streets, foot-stomping Blue Grass in Belhaven, a regional Fine Art Show that’s growing in size and reputation, a Holiday Arts and Craft show nearly overstuffed with goodies, and performances in all corners of Beaufort County – that’s the public side of the Beaufort County Arts Council.

But there’s another side, too. In the spring, the Beaufort County Arts Council along with the Beaufort County Schools will be among the presenters at the first state-wide conference on 21st Century Arts Education sponsored by North Carolina Department of Public Education, the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) and other agencies. This is an honor accorded the BCAC because of its commitment to the mission established 34 years ago to be “a moving force that provides cultural opportunities through initiation, support and presentation of artistic programs in Beaufort County.”

In the early days, the Arts Council brought the “Art Train” to Washington, played a major role in the Bicentennial Celebration and was a principal force in the renovation of the Washington Civic Center, helping remake the abandoned railway depot into a facility that is at the center of community life.

Today, the Arts Council reaches out to young and old and to the growing diversity of Beaufort County’s population. Performers you see on stage might well have spent the afternoon giving a school performance, conducting a workshop, or adapting their programs to the needs of the clients of the Blind Center. The music of Mexico and Latin American countries helps draw our Hispanic population into the mainstream of community life while the resounding sounds of Gospel and Blue Grass remind us of our Downeast heritage.

Throughout the years, the Arts Council has maintained its commitment to children. Working with the Beaufort County Schools and through a patchwork of grants, the BCAC provides cultural experiences ranging from piano lessons, after school arts projects, and arts in the classroom to the annual Student Art Show. Creativity is celebrated mightily when the Civic Center gallery is filled with art work, and the young artists, families and friends gather at the show’s opening reception.

Cultural tourism is big business in North Carolina, and, here, too, the Beaufort County Arts Council has a role to play. Up to 40 percent of tourism in North Carolina is cultural travel, travelers spending three times as much as residents to attend arts events, according to a study by the NCAC. With a regional arts consortium, the BCAC has produced “Eastern NC Visual Arts Voyage,” a brochure available at statewide visitors’ centers that leads tourists to the heart of our region.

Music in the Streets brings guests to town, and “Crabs on the Move,” a project of the Pine Needles Garden Club, provides public art and support for four local agencies. The BCAC oversees the music and, by taking on “Crabs on the Move” as a special project, acts as fiscal agent and provides administrative support for the Pine Needles’ outstanding effort.

It is due to strong community support that the BCAC has evolved into a leading force in Eastern North Carolina and is recognized for its accomplishments by the NCAC and other organizations. That support comes from the City of Washington, Beaufort County, the business community, more than 400 members, clubs and grants, principally the NCAC, National Endowment for the Arts and the Southern Arts Federation.

The arts are alive and thriving in Beaufort County, thanks to all.



Marilyn Roth is past chair of the BCAC. She is an active volunteer, passionately believing in the value of the arts to enrich and change our everyday lives.

 

 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Arts Council’s Plate & Palette

  Now in its second printing, Plate & Palette was originally published in September 2002 after almost two years of volunteer work.  Prior to the first printing of 3,000 books selling out in February 2003, BCAC ordered and received a second printing of 1,500 cookbooks.

Proceeds from Plate & Palette are designated for the Beaufort County Arts Council’s Arts Alive endowment to provide future support for arts programs and services.

Plate & Palette is available at the Beaufort County Arts Council, fine retail shops and businesses throughout the county for $25.

For more information, please contact the Beaufort County Arts Council at (252) 946-2504 or email: beauxarts@coastalnet.com.

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