We hope this note finds you safe as we face the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s devastation. Our hearts go out to everyone who lost their homes and had damaged property.
We are incredibly encouraged by our community’s resilience and unity in the face of this tragedy. Our residents and neighbors near and far have been selfless in service. Thank you for your contributions.
We are committed to serving our residents and helping our artists during this difficult time. We are here for you. Come by the office anytime if you need to talk, charge your devices, use Wifi or our kitchen or make cards with us. We have drinks in the fridge.
Please reach out if you want to help in these efforts. You may have ideas for ways we can provide hope and healing for our community using the arts that we could help facilitate. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering to help support the upcoming initiatives.
Below, you will find some of the efforts we currently have on our agenda. We look forward to your input and involvement in these plans.
Art Classes
There will be no regularly scheduled weekly classes for the month of October due to the impacts of Helene.
We are hosting free workshops and drop in classes for kids and adults this month, to keep kids busy and to give adults an escape. To find out more about our classes: follow us on our socials, check out our classes and community page on our website, or click here to be directed to our class calendar.
Youth Makers Market
Due to damages caused by Hurricane Helene, the Watauga County Farmers Market is forced to downsize by half. As a result, the remaining Youth Makers Markets have been canceled.
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel! To continue to support our young creators in the face of this loss, WAC is excited to invite all youth makers to participate in the First Friday Art Crawl this December, titled “Festive First Friday.” Join us on December 6th, where youth makers will be invited to showcase their works at F.A.R.M. Cafe.
If you’re interested in signing your kid(dos) up, click here to learn more and register!
Boone Fall Fest/Buskers Fest
WAC is sad to announce that Boone Fall Fest, a two day festival comprised of Buskers and Boonetoberfest, has been canceled for this year. The logistics of rescheduling and promoting new dates grew more complicated by the day. Stay tuned for other efforts to help support the over 200 artists who were going to be participating in the unique event. More artists were affected by the cancelation of Wooly Worm Festival, Art in the Park, and Valle Country Fair. We are working with our partner agencies to find creative ways to help our arts sector make up for these lost opportunities.
To regularly stay in the loop on big announcements like these, we recommend following our socials on Facebook and Instagram.
DONATE: The Hope After Helene Fund
WAC has released its own initiative in response to Hurricane Helene: The Hope After Helene Arts Relief Fund.
We created this fund to respond to the unique needs of our community. We recognize the presence of regional and state resources, but they could be limiting or otherwise designated for specific use. Our fund at WAC will allow flexibility in both responding to the needs of our local individuals and organizations, but also help to provide hope and healing for the arts of Watauga county as a whole.
Hope After Helene is a WAC-led and local based initiative. You can learn more and donate by clicking the ‘Hope After Helene’ button below. Please share to help us spread the word. Help us help artists!
If you are interested in supporting a regional initiative, hit the ‘NC Arts Relief’ button below to be directed to the North Carolina Arts Foundation relief fund.
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