North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, Names Lindsey Lambert as Center’s New Director

The board of directors of the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, are pleased to announce the hiring of Lindsey Lambert as the center’s new executive director. He will officially start at the beginning of June.

Lambert is the former director of the Brock Historical Museum and College Archives at Greensboro College, a position he held for over a decade, and he is the current board president of the North Carolina Museums Council (NCMC), an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization comprised of several hundred museum professionals across the state.

Lambert has a BA in History from NCSU and a MA in Public History from Appalachian State University. On NCMC’s board, he has previously served as nominating chair, treasurer, and vice president. He comes to the Pottery Center with a solid array of museum, technical, networking and grant writing skills, as well as a youthful energy and a sound appreciation of pottery and its traditions. Mark Hewitt, current president of the Pottery Center’s board, says, “It is good news that the Pottery Center has someone so capable to direct its activities, and we expect his tenure to coincide with increased visibility for the Pottery Center, its mission, and all the potters of North Carolina.” Lambert was born, raised and still resides in Randolph County.

Of the Pottery Center, Lambert says, “Working collaboratively we can help the Pottery Center to better realize its full potential of promoting public awareness and appreciation of the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina. In addition to serving as the Pottery Center’s director, I am also becoming a member at the Sustainer level because I support the center’s mission and feel that it is important to support it financially as well as through my work.”

Hewitt also says, “Thanks must be given to the tireless Board members and advisors who wrote grants to Z. Smith Reynolds and the John Hanes Foundation that provided funds for the position. Thanks go also to the members of the search committee for identifying our new director. There are many fine people working on behalf of the Center, and we are delighted to have Lambert leading such a talented and dedicated team.”

Currently on display until July 27 is an exhibit entitled “Big Red: Chrome Red and Other Red Glazes of the North Carolina Piedmont.”

Exhibitions are made possible through the generosity of our membership, the John W. & Anna H. Hanes Foundation, the Mary and Elliott Wood Foundation and the Goodnight Educational Foundation. This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Thank you!

The mission of the North Carolina Pottery Center is to promote public awareness of and appreciation for the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina. The Center is located at 233 East Avenue in Seagrove, NC. Hours of operation are Tue. – Sat., 10am – 4pm.

For more information, please call 336/873-8430 or visit (www.ncpotterycenter.org).

Clayworks in Charlotte, NC, Receives $50,000 Grant for Claymobile

Clayworks, Charlotte, NC’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to the instruction and the creation of ceramic arts, was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Women’s Impact Fund to purchase and equip a claymobile. A conversion van will serve as the claymobile and will be outfitted with a potter’s wheel, clay and glazing materials in order to expose Mecklenburg County’s underserved populations to high-quality visual arts experiences in their schools and neighborhoods.

Clayworks now serves more than 7,500 individuals a year at its facility at 4506 Monroe Road in east Charlotte. The 8-year-old organization is dedicated to the promotion of ceramic arts, advancement of artists and students and enrichment of the communities it serves. With the use of the new claymobile, Clayworks will transport everything needed for a ceramics class including an instructor. Finished ceramic pieces will be transported to the Clayworks facility for firing and then returned to the students.

“It’s always been a wish of mine from the inception of Clayworks to reach people who have never been exposed to ceramic art and therefore don’t know the joy that comes from creating in clay,” said Clayworks Executive Director Adrienne Dellinger. “There are so many children and adults who don’t have transportation or who can’t afford to take classes. With the claymobile, we can bring the clay instruction to underserved populations.”

The claymobile will provide cost-effective ceramics instruction to educational and cultural programs by sparing host institutions the need to obtain equipment and expertise to produce ceramics. The claymobile’s teaching artists will collaborate with host staff to design projects that directly tie into classroom curriculum and/or organization-wide themes, ensuring an academically enriching experience for participants. The claymobile program will begin with the 2013-2014 school year and will provide 60 ceramic classes to the YWCA after-school program.

“Clayworks is grateful to the members of the Women’s Impact Fund who collectively choose the Clayworks claymobile project as the arts and culture grant recipient this year,” said Gary Knight, Clayworks Board President. “This is a highly competitive grant process and we’re honored that the Women’s Impact Fund saw great value in our project, which will enhance and inspire Mecklenburg County residents through the experience of ceramic art creation.”

Clayworks is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the ceramic arts through classes, workshops and community outreach. The organization provides studio space to 22 local artists, state of the art equipment, professional development opportunities and workshops. Clayworks offers adult ceramic classes as well as independent study programs and master classes led by nationally known ceramic artists. The organization is located at 4506 Monroe Road, Charlotte NC 28205.

For more information visit (www.clayworksinc.org) or call 704/344-0795.

The Women’s Impact Fund is a Charlotte-based nonprofit organization that maximizes women’s leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating its membership, increasing charitable contributions and strengthening communities through the impact of collective giving. The more than 400 members are dedicated to changing lives and addressing critical needs in Mecklenburg County. The fund has awarded $3 million to 39 nonprofits since 2003.

For more information visit (www.womensimpactfund.org).

Rockingham County Arts Council in Wentworth, NC, is Accepting Applications for North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts Program Subgrants – Deadline June 28, 2013

Since 1977, the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program has provided North Carolina citizens access to quality arts experiences. Using a per capita based formula, the program provides funding for the arts in all 100 counties of the state through partnerships with local arts councils.

Rockingham County Arts Council serves as the North Carolina Arts Council’s partner in awarding subgrants to local organizations for arts programs in Rockingham County.

Applications are available for non-profit organizations whose purpose is to promote and develop diverse cultural arts programming in Rockingham County. Funding priority is given to qualified arts organizations (theaters, galleries, choral societies, festivals), arts in education programs conducted by qualified artists, and other community organizations that provide arts programs in the county. Grassroots funds are not generally awarded to arts organizations that receive funding through the North Carolina Arts Council’s State Arts Resources. Projects must occur between July1, 2013 – May 30, 2014.

Application forms and grant guidelines are available on the Rockingham County Arts Council website at (www.artsinrockingham.org) or may be picked up at the Rockingham County Arts Council office Monday, Thursday &  Friday between 11am-2pm. Rockingham County Arts Council will also mail applications and guidelines upon request. Applications must be received no later than 5pm, June 28, 2013.

Grant applications are evaluated by a diverse panel of community members and voted on by Rockingham County Arts Council Board of Directors. Awards are announced in September each year.

Please note: Budget changes by the General Assembly may affect the grant allotment we receive for 2013-2014.  Please consider contacting our representatives and let them know you support funding Grassroots Grants.

RCAC is the focal point/umbrella organization for the arts and information about the arts in Rockingham County. Our mission is to nurture and enrich the cultural life in Rockingham County.

For questions or more information, contact Rockingham County Arts Council by calling 336/349-4039 or e-mail to (info@artsinrockingham.org).

Yadkin Arts Council in Yadkinville, NC, Calls for Submissions for Eye of the Artist Juried Show – Deadline June 10, 2013

The Yadkin Arts Council announces that submissions are now open for the “3rd Annual Juried Show – Eye of the Artist”. The award total has been increased this year to $3,000. Winners will be announced at the opening reception the evening of Friday, July 12, 2013 at 6pm.

The show is open to all North Carolina artists over the age of 18. The submission deadline is June 10, 2013. Both 2D and 3D works may be submitted. The show will be judged in entirety.

Page Laughlin, a Professor of Art at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, will be judging the exhibition. Laughlin has exhibited in numerous galleries throughout the US from New York to San Francisco and was awarded a North Carolina Arts Council fellowship in 2007. She was also a nominee for the USA Artist Fellowship. Her paintings have been shown in 39 solo and group competitions.

Details and application forms for the juried show are available at (www.yadkinarts.org).

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, NC, Offers Lunch and Lecture – Contemporary Photography – May 18, 2013

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, in Fayateville, NC, will offers a Lunch and Lecture – Contemporary Photography on May 18, 2013, from 11am-1pm, at the Arts Council, located at 301 Hay Street in Fayetteville. Limited space available!

Ever wonder how photographers become famous? Hear about work by nationally and internationally known artists whose images are in the collection of contemporary photography at the North Carolina Museum of Art – a collection with now over 200 pieces.

Reserve your space at the Arts Council to hear Linda Johnson Dougherty, chief curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

This special session includes lunch, a discussion on Contemporary Photography, and an overview of current and upcoming photography shows at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Registration is $10 for Arts Council and NC Museum of Art members. Non-members registration is $15. The fee includes a light lunch. Space is limited.

Registration and payment are required by May 9, 2013. Registration can be made by cash, check, or credit to The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County.

Visit (http://www.theartscouncil.com/Exhibits/Registration%20Form%20LunchLecture2.pdf ) for a printable registration form. You can pay securely online using PayPal (full rate): by clicking here.

For more information contact Christina Williams at 910/323-1776, ext. 234 or e-mail to (christinaw@theartscouncil.com).

Guerrilla Artists Group in Mooresville, NC, Calls for Participation in the 3rd Annual Fine Arts Festival – Deadline Aug. 1, 2013

The Guerrilla Artists Group in Mooresville, NC, calls for participation in the 3rd Annual Fine Arts Festival to be held at 355 South Broad Street in Mooresville on Oct. 12, 2013, from 10am-5pm. The event includes fine art, live music and food.

The deadline to apply is Aug. 1, 2013.

Apply online at (http://www.guerrillaartistsgroup.org/fine-arts-festival.html). This is a juried fine arts festival. $15 jury fee and $40 for your booth space once accepted. Jury Fee is non refundable. No Refunds for inclement weather. You will need to provide your own 10 x 10 canopy or pop -up tent and any display materials.

Please submit  5-10 jpg. samples of your work no more than 2 years old and no larger than 2MB, e-mail to (guerrillaartists@yahoo.com) or mail CD and information to:

Guerrilla Artists Group  Attn: Ilisa Millermoon,
425 E. Statesville Ave.
Suite 105 Mooresville, NC 28117.

You must include your website, phone number, address, and e-mail address. You may pay the application fee via Paypal below or check by mail including the artist information requested. No registration form needed.

Acceptance notice will be given by Aug. 15, 2013, via e-mail.

Volunteers will be available to offer breaks and watch your booth if you need a short break. There are only 60 spaces available.

Grand Prize:  Featured Artist at Greystone Gallery & Gifts located in Mooresville, NC, for a duration of one month.  An artist reception will be held for you with wine and hors d’oeuves. Chosen by the owner of Greystone: Mikki Speed. As well as a $300 Blick Art Materials Gift Certificate; Second Place Prize:  $200 Blick Art Materials Gift Certificate; Third Place Prize:  $100 Blick Art Materials Gift Certificate.

Five Booths for Local Non Profit Organizations will be available at $55 per booth. You will need to provide your own 10 x 10 canopy or pop -up tent and any display materials.

SaxArt Gallery of Fine Art in Saxapahaw, NC, Offers Mother’s Day Shoppng Opportunity – May 4 & 5, 2013

The SaxArt Gallery of Fine Art in Saxapahaw, NC, will be hosting a special Mother’s Day shopping opportunity featuring jewelry by Nancy Raasch and hand painted silks by Joanna White.

This event is the premier Trunk Show event at the SaxArt Gallery, held on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, from 11am-5pm.

Raasch’s jewelry is influenced by nature, repurposing and up cycling. She designs and crafts her jewelry using unremarkable scraps of corrugated cardboard, green packing material, hand-made paper, hand felted paper, paper mache, cement, bits of wire and renders them into unexpected creative wear. Each piece is unique and is the clash of the mundane and precious.

White is a full-time fiber artist in the Piedmont of North Carolina. She is primarily a mixed media artist specializing in creating one of a kind art to wear and accessories in silk. Each piece is painted with a single brush utilizing a variety of fiber techniques including nuno felting, batik and watercolor techniques.

Both Artists creations are sure to be a hit for any mom!

The SaxArt Gallery of fine Art is located in historic Saxapahaw. Situated in the former General Store for the Dixie Yarn Mill, the gallery is a short distance form the Triangle or Triad Regions.

For more information call 336/525-2394 or visit (www.saxapahawartists.com).

Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC, Offers Free Community Day – Apr. 27, 2013

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC, will host “Kings and Queens of the Silver Queen,” a free Community Day celebration, on Saturday, Apr. 27, 2013, from noon to 3pm. The afternoon will feature music, performances, and art activities inspired by the Hollywood glamour of the 1920s and ’30s.

In addition to exploring the historic house and enjoying the Aeolian pipe organ, which will play jazz tunes twice an hour, visitors are invited to tour the exhibition “Star Power: Edward Steichen’s Glamour Photography,” where Steichen’s work featuring the great stars of the ’20s and ’30s is on display alongside gowns and jewelry from the museum’s costume collection.

Michael Huie will perform “3 Hats,” a one-man show he wrote celebrating the great silent clowns Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton; and Winston-Salem Festival Ballet will perform on the front lawn.

Students from R.J. Reynolds High School who staged their own Steichen-inspired photography shoot in March will also participate in the day’s events. The students selected costumes, make-up, lighting, and props to create their own vintage-like portraits, a selection of which will be on view during Community Day. The student models, photographers, and designers will be on site to discuss their project.

The fun and festive day will also include a sidewalk-chalk walk of fame, a gallery scavenger hunt, and collage and origami art activities for children of all ages. Food vendors will be available outside.

Reynolda House Museum of American Art is one of the nation’s premier American art museums, with masterpieces by Mary Cassatt, Frederic Church, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe and Gilbert Stuart among its collection.  Affiliated with Wake Forest University, Reynolda House features changing exhibitions, concerts, lectures, classes, film screenings and other events.  The museum is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the historic 1917 estate of Katharine Smith Reynolds and her husband, Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Reynolda House and adjacent Reynolda Gardens and Reynolda Village feature a spectacular public garden, dining, shopping and walking trails.

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held rain or shine. For more information about Community Day and other exhibition-related events, please call 336/758-5150 or visit (www.reynoldahouse.org).

Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, NC, Offers Lecture and Conference on F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design) – Apr. 25 & 26, 2013

The public is invited to join a roster of chefs, writers, historians, and international designers – led by internationally renowned architect Michael Graves – who are visiting the museum later this month for a conference devoted to the innovative Mint-organized “F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design)” exhibition. Graves will be speaking on Apr. 25, 2013, as part of the Mint’s Contemporary Architecture + Design (CAD) Series at Mint Museum Uptown, in Charlotte, NC, which will serve as the F.O.O.D. Conference’s keynote address, and the day-long conference which follows on Apr. 26, 2013.

Michael Graves and his firms have received more than 200 awards for design excellence since he founded his practice in 1964, including the 1999 National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. Michael Graves & Associates provides planning, architecture and interior design services, and Michael Graves Design Group specializes in product design, graphics and branding. As one of the most well-recognized contemporary architects in the country, Graves is widely credited with the ‘democratization of design’ through his partnership and accessible product line with Target.

“Good design not only addresses practical problems, it humanizes the products we use daily. Fittingly, the Mint’s CAD Series (Contemporary Architecture + Design) concludes its season and opens the F.O.O.D. Conference with a lecture by Michael Graves, the visionary architect and designer. More than anyone else, Graves has changed the field by championing good design as essential to everyday life, and by creating objects that are accessible, intuitive, functional and beautiful,” said Cheryl Palmer, the Mint’s director of Learning & Engagement.

Graves’ lecture begins at 7pm and the lecture is $5 for museum members, $15 for non-members, and free for students with valid ID. A light reception precedes the program at 6pm. Registration is required by visiting (www.mintmuseum.org/happenings).

The F.O.O.D. Conference promises a day of learning and creativity with presentations from industry leading writers, historians, chefs, and designers to complement the museum’s current exhibition devoted to objects designed to prepare, cook, and present food. The conference sessions mirror the four sections of the “F.O.O.D.” exhibition – Kitchen, Pantry, Table and Garden.

Presenters include Jessica Harris, author of 11 cookbooks and contributor to magazines such as Gourmet and Saveur; James Beard Award-winning author, bread expert and Johnson & Wales chef Peter Reinhart; Darra Goldstein, food historian and founding editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, named the 2012 Publication of the Year by the James Beard Foundation; Asheville-based architect Ken Gaylord, and Matteo Bologna, founding partner and principal of Mucca Design in New York.

Designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of the FormaFantasma Studio, who created the work “Autarchy” for the Mint’s “F.O.O.D.” exhibition, will also be presenting. Based on a prototype from 2011, this version of Autarchy was created especially for the Mint, and is made of agriculture waste, spices such as turmeric and paprika, and Geechie Boy corn meal. The two Italian designers are based in The Netherlands and their work seeks to bridge the relationship between craft, industry, object, and user. This is the studio’s first showing in an American museum. In 2011 the studio was nominated as one of the 20 most promising young design studios by Alice Rawsthorn, the design critic of The New York Times and Paola Antonelli, the senior design curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

“Designers are creative individuals who apply art and engineering to solve a problem. Regarding food, that problem might be making a spoon that holds just the right amount of liquid, that is comfortable to hold, and that looks really cool.  It might be creating a kitchen that incorporates sustainable appliances, green machines, and ergonomic furniture.  And it could even be coming up with a typeface, and innovative graphic designs, for restaurant advertisements, menus, or cookbooks. The Mint’s F.O.O.D. Conference brings together top international talent – chefs, culinary historians, designers, and architects –  to discuss their perspectives on the meaning of table, pantry, kitchen, and garden in our lives today,” said Annie Carlano, the Mint’s director of craft + design.

The conference runs from 9:30am-4pm and the cost for Mint or Center for Craft, Creativity and Design members is $60 with a box lunch and includes admission to Michael Graves’ CAD lecture. Cost for non-members is $85 with a box lunch, or $100 for lunch and admission to the Graves CAD lecture. Registration is required at (www.mintmuseum.org/happenings).

The conference is co-presented with The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design in Hendersonville, NC, and funded by the Founders’ Circle. In-kind partners include Johnson & Wales University and The Mother Earth Group. Michael Graves’ lecture is generously supported by a grant from the Arts & Science Council.

The “F.O.O.D.” exhibition features approximately 300 modern and contemporary pieces, including unique and mass-produced works chosen from the Mint’s permanent collection, loans and new acquisitions. The exhibition is co-organized by the research center FoodCultura, Barcelona, and remains on view through July 7, 2013. “F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design)” is made possible through major support from PNC with additional support from Piedmont Natural Gas. Acquisition support was provided by the Design Committee of The Mint Museum.

For more information, visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC, Invites People to “Slow Art Day” Event – Apr. 27, 2013

“Slow Art Day” is the global all-volunteer event with a simple mission: help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art. Join us in the Ross Gallery on Central Piedmont Community College Central Campus in Charlotte, NC, on Saturday, Apr. 27, 2013, at 11am to SLOWLY view 5 predetermined pieces of art by artists Amy Bagwell and Kit Kube.

Lunch and discussion to follow at Viva Chicken on Elizabeth Ave. Register now at (http://slowartcpcc2013.eventbrite.com/#).

You can see more about Slow Art Day and the mission behind it at this website at (http://SlowArtDay.com).

For more information, contact CPCC Art Gallery Coordinator Grace Cote by e-mail at (grace.cote@cpcc.edu) or call 705/330-6211.