• Supporting emerging artists with grants, education and exposure
• Providing arts in education opportunities
• Protecting and enlivening Appalachian Heritage Arts and Crafts
• Providing the community with the joy and quality of life that vital artistic endeavors bring.

Funding to support the work of the Watauga County Arts Council comes from federal, regional, and state grants, from private foundations, from local government support, from business sponsorships, and, most importantly, from contributions from private individuals.

The WCAC was founded in 1981 and, since the late ‘80’s has made its home in the Jones House Community Center in the heart of downtown Boone. We are also working on renovating an 8500 square foot facility next door which we are calling the Blue Ridge ArtSpace and which will house studio space for area artists, classrooms, a retail shop, and a large gallery/performance area. Our mission is “To sponsor and encourage the cultural arts in Watauga County.” We use the slogan, “Making the Arts a Presence in Our Community” to keep us focused toward that common goal. We are a diverse and growing organization which is heavily involved in economic development and cultural tourism planning in our community as well as in presenting diverse programming throughout Watauga County.

History

In 1981, a core group of Watauga County residents who love the arts and wanted to protect Appalachian culture and crafts gathered together and formed the Watauga County Arts Council. Their goal was to create activities and events that shared their love with the community, that educate children, that continue the tradition of artistry and craftsmanship in the High Country, and that provide artists with the assistance they need to grow and develop their voice.

In the years since, the Watauga County Arts Council has grown from this seed of committed individuals to an organization that includes many of the community’s citizens as its supporters, benefactors and celebrators. The WCAC counts its largest success as having remained a nonprofit agency that succeeds in its mission through the generous gifts, grants and donations of local individuals, business entities, and collectively through the city and county governments. The organization also enjoys the support and largess of state artistic organizations’ contributions.

As we look ahead to the future, we develop our dreams and mission to help art thrive in our community, and to help our community thrive through the arts. If you would like to contribute to our effort with ideas, time, resources or financial support, please contact us. We would love for you to join our family.

Contact Information

Watauga County Arts Council
604 West King Street (Downtown Boone)
PO Box 366 DTS
Boone, North Carolina 28607
Phone: 828.264.1789
Fax: 828.262.4599
Website: www.watauga-arts.org
Email: wcac@watauga-arts.org

The 2006 Watauga Arts Council Annual Report is now available online.

Newsletter

April 2006

Past Newsletters

WCAC Board

Board of Directors Officers:
President: Jo Ann Hallmark
Vice-President: Harry Davis
Secretary: Barbi Quatrano

Board Members:
John Bond
Louise Harris
Shelby Lane
Kathleen McFadden
Janet Montgomery
Bruce Richter
Ivette Rubio
Ruth Smith
John Turner
Dan Veilleux

Advisory Council
Kay Borkowski
Unal Boya
Rachel Brandon
Andrea Capua
Wayne Clawson
Hank Foreman
Sandy Kadyk
Joe Miller
Roland Moy
Jimmie Owen
Cullie Tarleton
Helen Taulman
Ned Trivette
Jonnie West
Mike Wise

Map to Jones House Community Center

The offices of the Watauga Arts Council are located in the Jones House Community Center at 604 West King Street in downtown Boone.

Map of 604 W King St
Boone, NC 28607-3420

WCAC Staff

Cherry Johnson lives in the Boone area and has served as the Executive Director of the Watauga County Arts Council since 1992. Since she began working with the Arts Council the organization has more than quadrupled in size and scope and now serves the entire community in countless ways, among them a wide array of children’s programming, community programming which includes a popular summer concert series, grants to local organizations and artists, and a variety of services to benefit and assist the artists of Watauga County. As the Executive Director of the Arts Council, she also works with the Town of Boone to manage the Jones House Community Center where the Arts Council’s offices and galleries are located.

Cherry is also active in community and church work and is a member of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce (serving on their Board of Directors for nearly nine years), the Boone Sunrise Rotary Club, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts Board of Directors, and numerous committees and boards throughout both Watauga County and the region. In addition, Cherry and her husband have five children and 3 grandchildren.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration as well as a Bachelor of Science in Arts Education from Appalachian State University. Additionally, she holds an Associate in Arts degree from Wingate College and is a graduate of the Blue Ridge Leadership Challenge as well as several other professional training programs. Contact Cherry by email at cherry@watauga-arts.org.

Charlotte Smith is the Community Arts Education Coordinator for the Watauga County Arts Council. This is a shared position with the Arts Council’s partners, Watauga County Schools and Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs. In this position, which she has held since its creation in 1998, Charlotte administers arts in education programming for the community on behalf of the three partner organizations. She also currently serves as the Vice-President for The Children’s Playhouse, a creative learning center for families, and is the President Elect for the Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina (WAANC).

Previous to her employment at the Arts Council, Charlotte worked with the Support Our Students program at the Watauga Youth Network, an after school program for at-risk middle school students. Charlotte received her Bachelor of Science degree in English for Secondary Education from Appalachian State University in 1996, where she was a Teaching Fellow; and she holds a North Carolina teaching license for Secondary English. Originally from Rutherfordton, North Carolina, she has lived in Boone since 1992. Contact Charlotte by email at charlotte@watauga-arts.org.

Mark Freed, our Folklorist, was born in Clarion, Pennsylvania, but has been living in the western North Carolina mountain region for the past three years. Originally driven to this location due to his passion for the banjo and mountain music, he enrolled in the Appalachian Studies masters degree program at Appalachian State University. With a thesis still to write, Mark is finishing up his degree while working halftime for the Watauga County Arts Council. He sees his role as folklorist as an opportunity to provide traditional arts programming and community outreach rather than a documenting and analysis position. Mark has taught a course on Appalachian string band music for ASU and worked as a teaching assistant for Mary Greene in her Appalachian Music course. Starting in the spring semester, 2006, Mark will begin teaching the Appalachian Music course for ASU’s music department. He was the chair of the Appalachian Heritage Council, a student group at ASU, promoting and organizing music, storytelling, traditional crafts, and other concerts, workshops, and events dealing with the Appalachian region. One of these events, the Black Banjo Gathering, turned into an international event celebrating African and African American banjo roots and contemporary players. While you can often find Mark around the town and region playing his banjo and helping coordinate music events, he also brings a passion for all of the traditional arts of the region and is looking forward to providing opportunities for our local community. Contact Mark by email at mark@watauga-arts.org.

Jenny Schrum is our Administrative Assistant and came to the Arts Council in the Summer of 2004 with a varied professional background: She worked as a journalist on a local newspaper, taught middle school students analytical writing, worked as an interim teacher for the academically gifted, substituted in middle school language arts classes, and sold lift tickets at a local ski resort.

She has lived in Watauga County for most of the past 24 years with her husband and three children. Active in church and community activities, Jenny enjoys the part-time working schedule afforded her at the Arts Council.

Jenny received a Bachelor of Arts from Appalachian State University with major in English and a minor in Communications. Contact Jenny by email at jenny@watauga-arts.org

Lydia Coffman is the Financial Secretary for the Watauga County Arts Council. Her job responsibilities include all the financially-related aspects of the Arts Council, including its exciting new ArtSpace Project. In addition to normal bookkeeping responsibilities, she oversees the Consignment and Retail Shop which is located in the Blue Ridge ArtSpace.

A lifetime Watauga County resident, Lydia attended Watauga County Schools, Appalachian State University, and Caldwell Community College. She is currently pursuing an Associates degree in Information Systems from Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. She and her husband have two children. Contact Lydia by email at lydia@watauga-arts.org