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The Watauga County Arts Council Announces Numerous Opportunities for Artists Throughout the High Country

The Watauga County Arts Council announces the following opportunities of particular interest to artists. Further information about all of these opportunities is available at www.watauga-arts.org, by calling the Arts Council at 828-264-1789, or by visiting the Blue Ridge ArtSpace at 377 Shadowline Drive (at the corner of Shadowline and State Farm roads).  

Upcoming Open Exhibitions: The Arts Council is hosting two more open exhibitions during 2017. In September the Main Gallery will feature “Appalachian Farms and City Vistas”.   Artists may submit one or more works of art which fit this theme.   Work must be brought to the Blue Ridge ArtSpace on August 31st through September 2nd. A second opportunity is the upcoming Holiday Originals show where artists may bring artwork appropriate for holiday gift giving or holiday themed work. The Arts Council devotes all four galleries to this exhibit and holiday sales have grown each year. Information about both of these open exhibitions is available on the WCAC website or at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace.

Regional Arts Exhibition: The Watauga County Arts Council has once again been asked to organize an exhibition for the months of September and October, 2017 at the Northwest NC Visitor Center located on Highway 421 just east of Wilkesboro. The purpose of this exhibition is to showcase the arts in the Watauga community for the benefit of visitors to the High Country who are en route to the area. Information and applications are available on the WCAC website and at Blue Ridge ArtSpace. Work must be delivered to ArtSpace between August 22nd-25th. It will remain on exhibition through October 30th.

Grants for Artists: The Arts Councils of Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, and Wilkes are once again accepting applications for the Regional Artist Project Grants, which is a grant awards program just for artists. This partnership offers competitive grants to artists living in these four counties. It is intended to provide project support to a broad range of visual, performing, literary, and inter-disciplinary artists that will have a significant impact on the advancement of their career. Regional Artist Project Grants have been offered in this region since 1998 and, since then, over $109,000 has been awarded to 173 artists. Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply and Regional Artist Project winners from 2016-2017 must wait one year to reapply for funding. Awards generally range from $250 to $1000.  Application deadline is Friday, September 15th. Information and application forms are available at www.watauga-arts.org under the “grants” tab.

Free Workshop for Artists: A free informative grant workshop for artists considering applying for a Regional Artist Project Grant is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23rd at 4:00 pm. This workshop is designed to help artists make their applications more competitive. Artists interested in attending the workshop are asked to email wcac@watauga-arts.org so adequate materials will be available.

Arts Placement Service: The Watauga County Arts Council has, since 1993, sponsored a program which places 2-dimensional works of art for sale at area businesses. Artists interested in exploring this opportunity to sell their work through this program are encouraged to attend an informational meeting at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace on Tuesday, August 22nd at 6pm.

Bargain Basement Frame Sale:   The Arts Council was recently the recipient of a large donation of assorted frames. These are being offered for sale through the month of August.   This sale offers deeply discounted prices on frames suitable for paintings, photographs, etc. and is open to anyone interested during the hours of 1:30-5:30 Tuesday – Saturday.

ArtShare: On the last Thursday of each month from noon until 2pm the Arts Council invites artists to gather for a free information sharing session focused on resources, exhibition techniques, and business tips focused on 2-dimensional art over lunch (artists are encouraged to bring their own lunch).   The next ArtShare session will take place on Thursday, August 31st.

Yarn Circle: The Watauga County Arts Council hosts a weekly gathering for those interested in working with fiber arts such as knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, lap quilting, etc. This free session is open from noon until 3pm each Wednesday afternoon on a drop in and visit basis.

Gallery Applications Now Being Accepted: Applications are currently being accepted for gallery exhibitions in the galleries of the Blue Ridge ArtSpace. Application forms are available online at www.watauga-arts.org under the “gallery” tab and may be submitted via email, mailed, or hand-delivered. Exhibitions are one month in length and each month the WCAC hosts a 2nd Saturday Celebration of the Arts at which the exhibiting artists are honored.  Applications should be turned in as soon as possible since the Gallery Committee is currently developing the 2018 exhibition calendar.

For more information on these opportunities, check the Arts Council’s website at www.watauga-arts.org, call them at 828-264-1789, or visit them at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace (located at the corner of Shadowline Drive and State Farm Road).