August 2026 Director’s Report
Summary: Amber shares updates about behind-the-scenes work at Watauga County Arts Council, including attending conferences about trail programming and regional development, announcing a Junior Appalachian Musicians endowment fund started by Betty Bond, public art projects, and more! She encouraged everyone to complete an important creative economy survey for Western North Carolina. Finally, she thanked local government for their funding support and asked for sponsors and volunteers for Buskers Fest, providing information on how to get involved.
Behind the Scenes: Growing the Arts in Watauga County
By Amber Bateman, Executive Director, Watauga County Arts Council
Good afternoon, friends!
I wanted to take a few minutes to say hello and share a little bit about what happens behind the scenes at the Watauga County Arts Council.
If you follow us on social media, visit our website, or receive our email newsletter, you already know that there is always something happening. From artist opportunities and classes to community events and ways to get involved, there are countless ways to engage with the arts here in Watauga County.
But there is also a lot of work happening behind the scenes every single day to make sure the arts remain an important part of our community.
More Than Events: Building a Stronger Community Through the Arts
Our work goes far beyond putting on events, classes, and community engagement. We work to elevate the arts in community planning, create opportunities for artists to make a living here, connect artists with resources, and help strengthen the economic, social, and cultural fabric of Watauga County.
A big part of that work is building relationships and learning from communities across our region.
TRAVEL:
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Great Trails State Conference in Winston-Salem, where I was invited to speak on a panel about programming on trails. I was there to talk about our work with the Blue Ridge Conservancy on the Middle Fork Greenway, including our vision for an eight-mile public art corridor.
It was especially meaningful because the organization hosting our session, Made by Mountains, previously awarded us a grant to support our strategic planning for Art in the Outdoors. Being able to return and talk about the work that has grown out of that planning was a wonderful full-circle moment.
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and for the connections that continue to help move this work forward.
At the end of August, I'll also be attending the Blue Ridge Rising Summit in Asheville. This gathering brings together leaders from 29 counties along the Blue Ridge Parkway and creates an incredible space for sharing ideas, resources, and wisdom.
The conversations around economic development, tourism, workforce development, and community resilience all help inform the work we're doing here through the arts. Many of the projects we're developing are strengthened by what we learn through these regional connections.
Investing in the Next Generation of Appalachian Musicians
I also want to give a very special shout-out to Betty Bond, who has created an endowment for the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program in honor of her late husband, John Bond.
Betty Bond (middle) pictured with Mark Freed (left) and Amber Bateman (right)
JAM, based at the Jones House, is celebrating its 20th year of training young Appalachian musicians here in the High Country.
John loved music and always wanted to play the banjo, while Betty is continuing that love of music herself by learning to play an instrument. Their shared passion for music and their desire to see young people have opportunities to learn and grow made this endowment a particularly meaningful gift.
The funds will help young musicians pursue professional development, purchase or upgrade instruments, and continue developing their skills.
The Arts Council is honored to partner with the Jones House on this effort. The Arts Council will receive and administer the funds to awardees, while the Jones House will manage the grant program itself.
Investments like this are an important part of ensuring that Appalachian music continues to thrive for generations to come.
Art in the Outdoors Is Growing
A sample of what the mural could be….
Our Art in the Outdoors Initiative continues to move forward, and there is a lot to be excited about.
We're working once again with the Downtown Boone Development Association to bring another mural to downtown Boone. This one will be located in the alley near Alumni Hall and Common Good.
That particular alley has been a frequent target for graffiti, and there's a large white-painted wall that is highly visible from King Street. Because of Historic Preservation Commission guidelines, we can't paint directly on unpainted historic brick—but this large white wall gives us an exciting opportunity to create something meaningful and beautiful.
We're currently working through the approval process, so keep an eye out for an amazing new mural coming to downtown Boone.
Our Trust Project is also progressing nicely. We submitted a progress report to the Educational Foundation of America. We can make that available to anyone who wants to see.
Several elements of the project are currently out for quotes, which means we're getting closer to seeing development and fabrication begin on the large-scale public art installation planned for Boone Gorge Park.
And one of the most exciting parts of this work is the opportunity to bring students into the process.
We're collaborating with Appalachian State University professors to incorporate Art in the Outdoors projects into two classes this semester.
Beth Davidson's documentary filmmaking class will be creating projects connected to our Hellbender mural and the Doc Watson mural. Students will draw from existing educational resources about the hellbender, local lands and wildlife, Appalachian music, Doc Watson, and Merle Watson.
The result will be a collection of short films that can serve as engaging introductions to these stories and point people toward additional resources. We hope they'll help visitors understand not just what they're seeing, but why these artwork and the stories behind them matter to our community.
Tom Hansel is also working with graduate students on a design challenge focused on developing new opportunities for engagement and public art in other areas of Boone Gorge Park, drawing from elements of the truss, stories, and ideas emerging from the project.
We're excited to see what these students create.
Public Art Project Images
Your Voice Matters: Take the Creative Economy Survey
There's one more thing I want to emphasize: please take the creative economy survey!
The North Carolina Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Arts Council have partnered on a survey designed to better understand Western North Carolina's creative economy.
The goal is to identify gaps in services, resources, and support for people working in the creative sector.
When you complete the survey, you can identify the county where you work, which means the information can help paint a clearer picture of the needs right here in our region.
We're currently working on a project that we hope will serve a six-county region in the High Country. Our region has a unique makeup, and we know that some of the resources available elsewhere aren't always reaching our communities in the ways we need them to.
That's why this survey is so important.
If you're an artist, work for an arts organization, own an arts business, or operate a business connected to the arts, please take about 15 minutes to complete the survey—and share it with others who should participate.
The more people who respond, the better picture we have of what our creative economy needs. And the better we understand those needs, the better positioned we are to strengthen and support it.
Thank You to Our Community Partners
I also want to take a moment to thank the Watauga County Commissioners and Boone Town Council for their continued support of the Watauga County Arts Council.
Both provided funding to the Arts Council this year, and we are especially grateful to the Town of Boone for increasing its investment.
That additional support will allow us to pursue public art projects in the greater Boone area, beyond the Downtown Boone Development Association district.
We already have several ideas percolating, so you should start seeing new public art opportunities throughout the greater Boone community thanks to this investment.
And Don't Forget Buskers Fest!
Of course, there's plenty more happening, and Buskers Fest is coming up on September 12!
We're looking for volunteers, sponsors, and community members who simply want to come out and be part of this special day.
If you'd like to support Buskers Fest or the Arts Council's work throughout the year, please consider becoming a sponsor, making a donation, or becoming a Friend of the Arts.
We need business support. We need individual donors. And we need people who believe that a thriving arts community makes Watauga County a better place to live, work, visit, and build a future.
Your dollars go a long way.
There Is So Much More to Come
These are just a few highlights of what's happening behind the scenes at the Watauga County Arts Council.
Every mural, program, partnership, artist opportunity, student project, and community event is part of a bigger goal: to build a community where the arts are valued, artists are supported, and creativity is an essential part of our economic and cultural future.
Thank you for being part of that work with us.
If you'd ever like to talk about what we're doing, have an idea, or simply want to learn more, please reach out. Give us a call, send an email, or let's get together for coffee.
And most importantly, keep showing up for the arts.
We can't do this work without you.