FROM: Executive Director: Amber Bateman – Watauga Arts Council
Since Hurricane Helene, the WAC board, staff, and I have been very busy securing opportunities for each of you to generate revenue and raise support for our local artists. We hope you will access our resources and join us in efforts to support our creative community.
We are seeing a lot of survivor guilt and artists being hesitant to access funding that’s available because they may not have been hit as hard as others. It is essential that you know that we at WAC and NC Arts understand that each artist in this area has been impacted negatively by the storm. We are not comparing the depth of pain and loss.
The Watauga County Arts sector earns more than $24 million in revenue annually (you contribute to that impact!). YOU are an essential contributor to our economy. If you are healthy, secure, and productive, it helps the entire community.
Many of you want to find ways to use your skills to contribute to relief efforts. With some of the opportunities we provide below, you can receive help and contribute to relief efforts at the same time. Please consider joining us in supporting our creative community.
We at WAC are here for you. Stop by the office, give us a call, email AND Join us at some of our upcoming events.
Financial Support
Please visit the large list of resources on our website, we felt it important to outline the ones we think may be of most help to the general public. PLEASE reach out if you have technical difficulties, or if you just need help sorting through all the information. We are here to help you apply to any of the grant opportunities available to you.
- WAC Local Relief: WAC has raised money through the Hope After Helene fund to help local artists with their unique needs during this time of recovery. We are happy to cover registration fees, travel expenses, provide financial relief, and more. If we can help in any way please just ask. Please submit a request for support here and we will respond ASAP.
- $500 Emergency Relief Fund: Please Apply ASAP – before we reallocate funding!
Time is running out to receive $500! This is for YOU – no matter if you lost everything, lost income, or have had to divert time away from creative practice to respond to the storm. You all have been impacted! Your responses to the questions helps us gather important stories and information to raise more money. There is plenty of $ to go around, you are not taking from others by receiving $500. The application process is simple, all you need is your name, an ID (for proof of residency), and to provide some information regarding your work and the impact you may have faced due to the storm. We will do it for you if needed, please ask. Apply to receive $500 HERE.
- Cheap Joes is extending resources to artists who have lost their art supplies in the wake of the storm. Find out more HERE.
- Small businesses: You can apply for SBA loans and the Chamber of Commerce small business grant. The SBA received more funding and is now able to offer small business loans again after taking a brief pause. Their loans are 30 years, with no interest for the first year and a 4% rate after that. You can apply for an SBA loan here. MADE X MTS also has some quick bridge loans for businesses. The US Chamber of Commerce grant will award grants up to $5,000. You can find more information and check it out here.
If you have any issues with applications, or just want the help understanding what’s available to you, we are here for you! Send us a quick email (admin@watauga-arts.org) and we will support you as best we can!
Artist Opportunities
As stated earlier, WAC has a lot planned for the coming months. The following opportunities may be a great fit for you to earn some income that you may have lost due to the storm and the cancellations it brought. ALL OF THE FOLLOWING OPPORTUNITIES GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO EARN MONEY AND HELP US RAISE MONEY FOR RELIEF EFFORTS AND OUR MISSION.
- 6×6, 12×12 Challenge – Fundraiser
- Time to Start Creating! WAC is reimagining their annual 6×6 Showcase and adding a twist – artists will also be allowed to create works within 6×6 AND 12×12 parameters! We are also going to have a one night sale in order to encourage people to gather together. Left overs from the sale can be picked up at the show or from our office the following week. We have some frames that will fit a 5×5 image and reach 6×6 side at the office if you need any. (Thanks to the donor who dropped those off!)
6×6, 12×12 Challenge – Fundraiser
View, Purchase, Gather
November 20th,2024
Venture Chocolate and Wine Bar.
Deadline to drop off artwork at the WAC building by Nov. 19th.
Register to participate using this form
Please share this with your friends and family, we need help getting the word out!
- Time to Start Creating! WAC is reimagining their annual 6×6 Showcase and adding a twist – artists will also be allowed to create works within 6×6 AND 12×12 parameters! We are also going to have a one night sale in order to encourage people to gather together. Left overs from the sale can be picked up at the show or from our office the following week. We have some frames that will fit a 5×5 image and reach 6×6 side at the office if you need any. (Thanks to the donor who dropped those off!)
- Second Chance Sale Fundraiser
- This year, WAC is taking up what is traditionally Pat Birdsong’s Second Sale, where artists are encouraged to sell their perfect and imperfect pieces that otherwise may not be displayed at other galleries and stores. Artists can be on site to vend directly or they can drop off work for WAC to sell on your behalf. Please note, you do not have to submit only your ‘seconds’ work, you can submit your regular ‘firsts’ as well. Spots are limited and filling up fast. For more info and to register, use this form. A percentage of sales will help the Artist Relief Fund and WAC’s mission.
You’re welcome to submit art, but we also encourage you and your friends to shop, so help us get the word out!
Second Chance Sale
Watauga Arts Council Building
November 23rd, 2024
10am – 3pm sales time
More info and to register, use this form
- This year, WAC is taking up what is traditionally Pat Birdsong’s Second Sale, where artists are encouraged to sell their perfect and imperfect pieces that otherwise may not be displayed at other galleries and stores. Artists can be on site to vend directly or they can drop off work for WAC to sell on your behalf. Please note, you do not have to submit only your ‘seconds’ work, you can submit your regular ‘firsts’ as well. Spots are limited and filling up fast. For more info and to register, use this form. A percentage of sales will help the Artist Relief Fund and WAC’s mission.
- Painted Memories – Gifts for storm victims
- In collaboration with the High Country Watermedia Society, WAC is helping to organize this community-supporting activity. Artists can register to paint from a photo a pre-storm home or property for someone who lost theirs in the storm. Artists interested in helping with this initiative can sign up here. If you or someone you know is experiencing said damages and would like their home or property painted, they can submit their info, along with photos of their homes before and after the storm using this form. There is not a formal deadline for this project, but we do hope to organize an exhibit in the string with some of the paintings that are completed. We will include the possibility to sponsor an artist to paint these homes in our online auction. Painting size can be between in the size range from 8×8, 8×10, 10×10, 12×12.
Register to PaintHERE
Submit your home to be painted HERE
- In collaboration with the High Country Watermedia Society, WAC is helping to organize this community-supporting activity. Artists can register to paint from a photo a pre-storm home or property for someone who lost theirs in the storm. Artists interested in helping with this initiative can sign up here. If you or someone you know is experiencing said damages and would like their home or property painted, they can submit their info, along with photos of their homes before and after the storm using this form. There is not a formal deadline for this project, but we do hope to organize an exhibit in the string with some of the paintings that are completed. We will include the possibility to sponsor an artist to paint these homes in our online auction. Painting size can be between in the size range from 8×8, 8×10, 10×10, 12×12.
- End of Season Collective Showcase (for groups and guilds)
- Our gallery exhibition schedule got off kilter due to the storm, so we are opening an opportunity for groups who have been meeting throughout the year showcase and sell their artwork at our office gallery. If you are part of an art group or guild (like Plein Air Painters, Blue Ridge Fiber Guild, HC Watermedia, etc.) you can fill out this form to submit work that you would be interested in displaying and selling at WAC for these last two months of 2024. Deadline to drop off your artwork is November 22nd by noon, with the sale expected to happen from November 23nd through December 31st. If needed, you may pick up your artwork earlier, but please reach out to us beforehand so we can make that happen!
Watauga Arts Council Gallery
November 22 – December 31
Items must be ready to hang
- Our gallery exhibition schedule got off kilter due to the storm, so we are opening an opportunity for groups who have been meeting throughout the year showcase and sell their artwork at our office gallery. If you are part of an art group or guild (like Plein Air Painters, Blue Ridge Fiber Guild, HC Watermedia, etc.) you can fill out this form to submit work that you would be interested in displaying and selling at WAC for these last two months of 2024. Deadline to drop off your artwork is November 22nd by noon, with the sale expected to happen from November 23nd through December 31st. If needed, you may pick up your artwork earlier, but please reach out to us beforehand so we can make that happen!
- Online Artists’ Auction – Artists keep the proceeds
- Many people who live outside our region have expressed interest in supporting artists directly by purchasing their work or hiring them for performances. Rather than starting an online store that may be cumbersome to manage, WAC is planning to host an online, Artists’ Auction so artists can auction their artwork or services. Artists who register and are selected for the auction will be granted 100% of their sale earnings. The intention with this auction is to give artists a sales opportunity that isn’t confined to location, and instead has the potential to reach off-the-mountain clients. All mediums welcome – Visual, Service-Based, and Performing Arts – Musicians can auction performances, etc. Designers can auction design services, etc. If you’re -interested in applying, you can do so HERE.
Online Auction with in-person viewing opportunities
Live from November 20th through December 6th
In-person – Venture and the Famous Toastery
- Many people who live outside our region have expressed interest in supporting artists directly by purchasing their work or hiring them for performances. Rather than starting an online store that may be cumbersome to manage, WAC is planning to host an online, Artists’ Auction so artists can auction their artwork or services. Artists who register and are selected for the auction will be granted 100% of their sale earnings. The intention with this auction is to give artists a sales opportunity that isn’t confined to location, and instead has the potential to reach off-the-mountain clients. All mediums welcome – Visual, Service-Based, and Performing Arts – Musicians can auction performances, etc. Designers can auction design services, etc. If you’re -interested in applying, you can do so HERE.
More information may be released in the coming weeks regarding some of these opportunities, so keep your eyes peeled on your inbox or our social media and website for updates. We hope to see you, your friends, and your family partaking in some of these opportunities soon!
As always, we are here to help. If you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or feedback, we would love to hear from you. You can reach us at admin@watauga-arts.org
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