Our Newsletter: Arts Orange County

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Arts Incubation Program

The first participant in the Arts Incubation Program was the Orange County Artists Guild, a group of professional "artists aiding artists." The Orange County Artists Guild is now established as a non-profit organization. The Artists Guild coordinates the annual Orange County Open Studio Tour, sponsors a members' Spring show and participates in the Arts at the Meadow (at Meadowmont). For more information on the Orange County Artists Guild, visit their web site at www.orangecountyartistsguild.com or contact Gordon Jameson at 919/932-3438 or jame5916@bellsouth.net.

The second (and newest) participant in the Arts Incubation Program is Arts Advocates, Inc., a newly incorporated nonprofit promoting Orange County arts and artists to the public by displaying, interpreting, demonstrating, and marketing the work of Orange County Artists. Their first project is the establishment of a nonprofit gallery to be called the East End Gallery located in 300 sq. ft. of space fronting Main Street in Carrboro at The ArtsCenter. ArtCenter Advocates, Inc. will operate this gallery featuring the work of Orange County artists and promoting the educational opportunities of The ArtsCenter. For more information on ArtsCenter Advocates, Inc. please contact Mary Harley Kruter at 919/969-9513 or mhkruter@earthlink.net.

A Call to Artists and application form for the East End Gallery can be downloaded (pdf file) below:

  East End Gallery Application

Artists' Salons

The next Artists' Salon, sponsored by the Orange County Arts Commission, will be held on Friday, February 16th, 2007.

Artists' Salons are held from 6:30-9 pm in the West End Theatre at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served. Salons are free, for artists of all kinds - performing, visual, literary, whatever! Come to meet, network, and build a better arts environment for all Orange County Artists.

The topic for February will be “Customer Satisfaction”. Guest panelists will include Carol Hewitt (W.M. Hewitt Pottery) and Rob Fox (General Manager, PlayMakers Repertory Company).

The purpose of the salon is to bring together artists of all disciplines in a casual setting to share ideas, concerns and information. It is the hope of the Orange County Arts Commission to not only bring the artistic community together but to facilitate closer ties between artists and the general community of Orange County. Better serving the needs of artists is one of the goals of the Orange County Arts Commission. Artists often work in isolation and the salon can serve as a place to get feedback from peers as well as to share all of the problems and pleasures of being an artist with kindred spirits.

The Orange County Arts Commission thanks the ArtsCenter for allowing us to use their space for this series.

Please RSVP to the Orange County Arts Commission (919/245-2335 or arts@co.orange.nc.us) to let us know if you plan to attend.

Congressional High School Arts Competition -

Each spring, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, committed to the importance of our cultural heritage, join together to recognize the creative spirit of American high school students in a nationwide art competition. The Congressional High School Arts Competition is implemented by the Members in the Congressional Districts and features paintings, drawings, and prints. Each Member brings a winning entry back to Washington, D.C. to be displayed in the corridor of the U.S. Capital. Launched in 1982, this nationwide event has produced thousands of local competitions, yielding more than 500,000 high school winners.

The deadline to apply for Orange County students is Wednesday, May 3, 2006. The Orange County Arts Commission, the Durham Arts Council and United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County work together to make this fourth district competition a success.

If you are interested in participating in the 2006 Congressional High School Arts Competition and you live in Orange County, contact your high school art teacher or click here for the 2006 application form and guidelines.

Curriculum, Music, and Community Project

The CMC Project is a statewide initiative launched by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Curriculum in Folklore and School of Education) and the North Carolina Arts Council, with five local participants that includes a partnership of the Arts Commission, the Orange County School System, and New Hope Elementary School.

The artists participating over the course of this 3-year Orange County Arts Commission sponsored project at New Hope Elementary School included: The Badgett Sisters, Cathy Friedman, Mel Jones and Randy Gardner, Bobby and Kendall Gales, John Dee Holeman and Marc Lee, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, A.C. Overton, Bruce Piefhoff, Carole Weatherford, and Tony and Gary Williamson.

This program was funded, in part, by the Orange County Arts Commission and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Dreams of Flight Project

During the fall of 2003, June served as our artist-in-residence with the fourth graders at New Hope Elementary School (Orange County School System) and with eighth graders at Smith Middle School (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School System). June worked with the students and teachers to focus on flight through creative writing, science and technology, and art and music. Students also collaborated electronically with schools in Ohio to celebrate the Wright brothers' achievements.

This program was funded by the Orange County Arts Commission, New Hope Elementary School PTSA, Smith Middle School PTSA, Orange County School System, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School System, and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Please visit www.dreams-of-flight.com to view some of the artwork created through this program in Orange County.

Fund for Young Dancer Commemorates
the Life of Kaia Parker

The family and dance studios (Dancentre, The Ballet School of Chapel Hill, Carolina Friends School) of Kaia Parker have joined in partnership with the Jewish Community Foundation to house a memorial fund that will support the artistic growth of young dancers in the Triangle. The Kaia Parker Fund for Young Dancers will offer grants to deserving young dancers for summer projects that will benefit their futures in dance.

The fund commemorates the life of Kaia Parker, a talented dancer who was a graduate of the Carolina Friends School, and whose Hebrew name means "she lives." On August 19, 2000, when Kaia was to start her freshman year at UNC-Chapel Hill, she did not survive a crash in which she was a passenger. Carol Richard, co-owner of the Ballet School of Chapel Hill assisted her family in founding The Kaia Parker Fund to demonstrate their love and respect for Kaia by aiding talented young dancers in need, with a similar passion and appreciation for dance.

The Kaia Parker Fund will support young artists between the ages of 12 and 18, residing in Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake counties. Proposals may request funds for any summer dance project, activity, or course with a positive impact on the future dance career of the applicant. The application deadline is Tuesday, March 15, 2005. Revised guidelines and application to the Fund will be available for downloading at the website by the end of January. For more information, or to make a donation to the Kaia Parker Fund, please visit www.kaiaparker.org.

On the Road Again: An Exhibit of Creative Transportation Design

The Orange County Arts Commission and the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission are co-sponsoring “On the Road Again: An Exhibit of Creative Transportation Design” at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA (980 Airport Road, Chapel Hill) from March 11-April 22, 2005.

This exhibition illustrates, through images and artifacts, that transportation design projects can enhance the city, town, community or neighborhood. An artist, working together with the community and transportation engineers, can transform a sterile concrete canyon into an attractive “sense of place.” Through large photomurals of completed projects throughout the U.S., and three-dimensional examples of design materials, the exhibit has been developed to fit into a variety of venues.

Transportation design categories covered in the exhibition include roadway improvements (street design and widening, sound walls), bridges (pedestrian/bicycle, freeway overpass), highway design as landmark gateway for a community/city, alternative mass transit design (bus shelters, transit centers, light rail), alternative light transit design (bike paths, trails, walkways), street amenities (lighting, seating, bike racks), landscape design (related to intersections, medians, exit ramps) and artists serving as design team members.

The photomurals can also be viewed online at www.craftcreativitydesign.org/community/transportation.php on the website of the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design.

This exhibit was created to provide a point of discussion within the community on best national practices and designs in transportation. The exhibit was researched and developed by the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, a regional center of the University of North Carolina in Hendersonville with support from the National Endowment for the Arts Design Arts Program, and the North Carolina Arts Council.

(Photo of Grasshopper Bridge, 7th Avenue and Coral Gables, Phoenix, Arizona, 1997. Artist Ed Carpenter. Phoenix Arts Commission.)

Percent for Art Designated by Orange County for Southern Community Park and Homestead Aquatics Center Projects

Homestead Aquatics Center Public Art Project

Homestead Aquatics Center Public Art Project

Southern Community Park Public Art Project

Southern Community Park Public Art Project

On Oct. 1, 2003, the Board of County Commissioners designated 1% of county funds allocated for the Southern Community Park and the Homestead Aquatics Center projects for public art. The Orange County Arts Commission was also given permission to work collaboratively with the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission on these two projects.

The first meeting of the Homestead Aquatics Center Public Art Selection Committee was held on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at the Chapel Hill Public Library. The Homestead Aquatics Center Public Meeting was held at 7 pm on January 14, 2004 at the Chapel Hill Community Center to hear concerns about the pool equipment and amenities prior to the start of major design.

The first meeting of the Southern Community Park Public Art Selection Committee was held on Friday, January 16, 2004 at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

108 responses were received for the Homestead Aquatics Center Public Art Project, and 48 responses were received for the Southern Community Park Public Art Project. Public comments were also solicited and received concerning the finalists' proposals.

Artists have been selected for both of these public art projects. The artist team of Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan (Seattle, WA) have been selected to join the design team for Southern Community Park. Artist Ray King (Philadelphia, PA) has been selected for the Homestead Aquatics Center Public Art Project. The artists selected have excellent credentials and years of relevant public art experience. They were chosen primarily for their artistic merit and their ability to work successfully in the public art arena.