 BOONE, NC— Appalachian State University’s annual summer arts attraction, An Appalachian Summer Festival (AASF), proudly celebrates its 37th season from July 2-31, 2021. This monthlong whirlwind of music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film programming has emerged as one of the nation’s leading regional arts festivals. After last summer’s transition to all-virtual programming, the festival is pleased to return to a full schedule of events featuring a variety of in-person outdoor and indoor performances, along with additional livestreaming and virtual options. Tickets for festival events will be available online and at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts box office beginning Monday, May 10 at 9am. For more information, visit www.appsummer.org or call the box office at 828-262-4046.
AASF will feature nearly 30 days of live, in-person, socially distanced and COVID-compliant performances starting July 2. The season will be staged across two outdoor venues, including Kidd Brewer Stadium and the State Farm Road Concert Lot, a university-owned space adjacent to the Greenway Trail, which will be outfitted as an outdoor theatrical stage with pod seating to ensure a fun, festive and safe concert setting. The Schaefer Center will host several limited-attendance events, including performances that offer two different show times and livestream options. The 35th Anniversary Rosen Walk, Turchin Center exhibition openings, and a variety of virtual offerings round out the festival's diverse arts menu this summer. Additional details about each event are available at www.appsummer.org “Feedback from our audiences and supporters in recent months has been tremendously helpful in determining how best to safely gather and celebrate the festival’s broad array of arts programming, while also creating the safe and protected atmosphere they are seeking,” said Denise Ringler, Director of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources. “Measures such as reduced capacity, socially distanced pod seating, enhanced cleaning protocols in our venues, elimination of intermissions and indoor concessions, touch-free ticketing, and digital communications are all designed to provide the health and safety assurances that are consistent with the university’s protocols, and which are so important to our audiences.” With 27 events set across these three venues, and with limited seating in each, An Appalachian Summer Festival will only support a fraction of its normal capacity compared to previous festivals. That will make tickets harder to get, but the decision to limit audience sizes, in accordance with current state and local guidelines, fulfills a critical goal: keeping performers and audiences as safe as possible while providing the live indoor/outdoor experiences synonymous with App Summer. To keep audiences spaced safely, tickets will be sold in seated pods of two, four and six. Select performances also feature a livestreaming component to accommodate patrons who are unable to attend in person. The Schaefer Center will be home to two artists on the Schaefer Popular Series slate, a celebrated dance company, and all events on the chamber music series. Comedian Paula Poundstone will offer two performances, the latter of which will also be livestreamed for a nominal fee, as will the performance by award-winning playwright Sarah Jones. New York City’s Parsons Dance will offer two in-person shows, with family-friendly price points set for the matinee performance. And the diverse chamber music series, which includes Emerson String Quartet, Canadian Brass, Tessa Lark and Michael Thurber, Tesla Quartet, and Julian Gargiulo, offers a livestream option in conjunction with the in-person concerts. The festival’s largest outdoor event features the wildly popular Americana band Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit entertaining an audience at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The new State Farm Road location welcomes Leslie Odom, Jr., star of Broadway’s Hamilton; Tony winner Alan Cumming and NPR personality Ari Shapiro in a cabaret-style show; and the Charleston, SC-based band Ranky Tanky, wrapping up the festival with some certified funk. The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts’ Summer Exhibition Celebration will welcome visitors using a timed-entry reservation system, and the 35th anniversary season of the annual Rosen Sculpture Walk will take place outdoors on the university campus. Virtual-only events include the play Freedom Summer, a Civil Rights-era drama by NC Black Repertory Company, preceded by a Meet the Artist event with the company’s artistic director, Jackie Alexander; the Weicholz Global Film Series, which features award-winning international films that spotlight human migration stories; a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young & Emerging Artists; and a series of visual artist Lunch & Learn events. “Our hope is to offer multiple ways for our audiences to enjoy the festival — whether it’s attending live events or continuing to enjoy festival programs via live streaming,” says Ringler, adding that the virtual and livestreaming experience over the past year has proven to reach audiences across the nation –– and the world –– who would have otherwise lacked access to these programs. The complete schedule for An Appalachian Summer Festival 2021: SCHAEFER POPULAR SERIES
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Canadian Brass, who has earned the distinction as “the world’s most famous brass group,” perform an engaging, spontaneous and virtuosic program ranging from Bach to The Beatles.
Award-winning violinist Tessa Lark and virtuoso composer/bassist Michael Thurber fuse classical and American music influences to create a wholly original sound. The pair will perform a program that includes works from Bach’s Two-Part Inventions as well as classic fiddle tunes and original compositions that pull from the duo’s paired backgrounds of bluegrass, Appalachian, jazz and bebop music.
Praised for their “superb capacity to find the inner heart of everything they play, regardless of era, style or technical demand” (The International Review of Music), the Tesla Quartet brings refinement and prowess to both new and established repertoire. The ensemble expertly interprets the many layers of Dvorak, Haydn and Bartok in the evening’s program.
Commonly referred to as “Pianist with the Hair” because of his distinctive look, Julian Gargiulo is a renowned classical pianist and composer who performs all over the world, in prestigious venues from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Singapore’s Symphony Stage, interacting with his audience to provide a truly memorable experience. “Expect to revise any preconceived notions you have about classical music concerts. … Saturday Night Live meets Carnegie Hall” —Huffington Post DANCE
THEATRE
FILM
*Quo Vidis, Aida? (July 7) *The Road to Mandalay (July 14) *Transit (July 21) *Complicity (July 28) VISUAL ARTS
35th Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Walk (July 10, Schaefer Center*, 10am) *participants will gather at the reception tent adjacent to the Schaefer Center Free; reservations requested The Rosen Sculpture Competition and Exhibition is an annual national juried competition presented by the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on the campus of Appalachian State University and brings an astonishing array of contemporary sculpture to the campus and community each season. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of this dynamic program, join competition juror Rachel Stevens on an educational outdoor tour of the nine sculptures from this year’s competition, with an additional sculpture available for viewing at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. The tour concludes with an outdoor reception adjacent to the Schaefer Center and will include a tribute to the Rosen family, a reflection on the 35th anniversary and an awards presentation. Made possible by the continued support and generosity of the Rosen Family.
July 26: Ruminations: Cheryl Prisco — From Studio to Gallery Indoor In-person Events Summer Exhibition Celebration, Paula Poundstone, Emerson String Quartet, Parsons Dance, Educators Workshop, Canadian Brass, Tessa Lark and Michael Thurber, Tesla Quartet, An Evening with Sarah Jones, and Julian Gargiulo: Pianist with the Hair Outdoor In-person Events Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, 35th Annual Rosen Sculpture Walk, Leslie Odom Jr., Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro: Och & Oy, and Ranky Tanky Livestream and Virtual Events Paula Poundstone, Emerson String Quartet, Weicholz Global Film Series, Canadian Brass, Lunch & Learn Lecture Series, Meet the Artist: Jackie Alexander, NC Black Repertory Company presents Freedom Summer, Tessa Lark and Michael Thurber, Tesla Quartet, Rosen-Schaffel Competition: 10th Anniversary Celebration, An Evening with Sarah Jones, and Julian Gargiulo: Pianist with the Hair Tickets for An Appalachian Summer Festival: With a wide range of ticket prices, as well as several free events, the festival offers unique opportunities for residents and visitors to create arts experiences suited to their individual artistic tastes and budgets. To purchase tickets or to register for virtual events, call or visit the Schaefer Center box office at 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046. Tickets can also be purchased online at appsummer.org. Registration is required for all streamed events with the exception of the chamber music concerts supported by The Violin Channel. About An Appalachian Summer Festival: Presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, this annual celebration of the performing and visual arts is held every July in venues across the university campus, and features an eclectic, diverse mix of music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film programming. An Appalachian Summer Festival began in 1984 as a chamber music series, and retains strong roots in classical music, combined with a variety of other programming geared to almost every artistic taste and preference. With an audience of 27,000, the festival has been named one of the “Top Twenty Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society in recent years. Festival Corporate Sponsors: Westglow Resort and Spa, McDonald’s of Boone, Mast General Store, Goodnight Brothers, Boone Area Visitors Bureau, SkyBest Communications, Appalachian Home Care LLC, PNC Bank, Peak Insurance, Scholars Bookshop at the University Bookstore, Holiday Inn Express-Boone, Courtyard by Marriott, Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants, Chetola Resort, and Creekside Electronics Festival Media Sponsors: WBTV, WCYB, PBS North Carolina, Spectrum Reach, Our State Magazine, Creative Loafing Charlotte, Yes! Weekly, Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News & Record, WNC Magazine, The Mountain Times, Watauga Democrat, High Country Radio, WHKY AM 1290, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WETS, and WASU 90.5FM.
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We are thrilled to announce: The Turchin Center is reopening to the public! Beginning on May 13, 2021  Turchin Center galleries will be open to the public on: Thursday's 12 - 4 PM Friday's 12 - 4 PM Saturday's 12 - 4 PM A timed reservation/ticketing entry system will be used in order to ensure the health and safety of museum visitors and staff. To make a reservation for timed entry visit: - Admission is free; however, reservations are requested. - Visitors with reservations will be given priority for entry, although visitors are also welcome on a walk-in basis, when capacity allows. - Open hours will be expanded as it is deemed safe to do so. - For more information about protocols and procedures visit: We invite you to explore: An Appalachian Summer Festival! Reservations and ticket sales open on May 10.  Explore the Visual Arts offerings including: - The Summer Exhibition Celebration - The 35th Rosen Sculpture Walk - Lunch and Learn Lectures - A K-12 educators cyanotype workshop Do you wish to subscribe to receive Turchin Center Updates? Sign up here to have the e-news delivered directly to your inbox. Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
423 West King Street, Boone, NC 28608 828-262-3017  We are building out our summer programming and have at least two facilities available from which to teach. We would love to enrich the community through arts education!
General Art Classes or Workshops: If you are interested in teaching classes or workshops of any kind, please look at your schedule, consider which format is best for you, and your target age demographic, and fill out our form. Teen/Youth programming: We would love to form a youth art community group. This group would get to explore all the facets of the art world here in Watauga County and beyond. We might have them tackle a mural project as well. We are seeking people who would like to help provide art experiences to this age group. We could do workshops or artist talks, demonstrations, backstage invites to shows, etc. Special Needs Art Classes: We are currently considering offering some art classes for people with autism or other disabilities. It takes a special kind of teacher to be able to handle this type of class. If you have experience and a heart to serve people with autism or other exceptionalities, please reach out. Spanish Speaking Art Classes: If you speak Spanish and love to teach art, we need you. We would love to open our doors to more minorities. Breaking down the language barrier can be a key step to making this happen. Trauma-Sensitive Classes/art groups: We understand that Art can be a powerful tool for helping someone who has overcome traumatic experiences. If you have experience teaching classes with this special focus in mind, please reach out. Music Instructors: If you have experience teaching music and are passionate about advancing this art form in the High Country, please reach out.  YOU are Needed! We are seeking to energize the Arts in Watauga County. In order to do so, we need to have a strong body of people who are committed to this mission! Here are a few areas where we could use some help:
General Help: If you are interested in helping with any of our initiatives but just don’t want to commit to a specific committee yet - we need warm bodies to help execute some of our plans. General help might include - helping around the office, teacher assistance, gallery/retail sitting, representing us at a booth for Art in the Park or the farmers market, etc. Volunteer Organizer: We could really use help managing volunteers. If you have strong administrative skills and like working with schedules and communication, this would be a great way for your to contribute. 40-year anniversary helper: Help us filter through some of our file boxes, photos, and more and find constructive ways to showcase our rich history. Donor Management, Fundraising Support, grant writing: We need help jump-starting our donor program. Preferably someone who has worked in nonprofits and understands how to tap into diverse revenue sources. We also need fundraising-minded people to join us with out-of-the-box thinking to help us raise capital in order to sustain our organization moving forward. This has been severely overlooked throughout the past 10 years and we need to get back on track in order to survive! Communications Leader: We could really use someone who is skilled in marketing and communications to join our team and assist our director in communication efforts. We have a lot of initiatives we want to push, it can often be too much for the Director to try to facilitate on her own, someone with this experience would be greatly appreciated! Interns would help do the busy-work, you would help facilitate, strategize and connect dots. Administrative Support: We could use someone who works well in an office setting who can help with filing, thank you letters, sending emails, donor management software etc. King Street Art Collective Leader: This person will be our lead point person for the King Street Art Collective. They will help facilitate the work of the gallery and programming committees for this space. They will help organize/lead committee meetings to ensure our schedule is understood and being implemented. This volunteer will have the help of a dedicated intern and other volunteers. Gallery Committee: We need a gallery chairperson to lead the committee. We would also love to build a strong team of gallery volunteers. Some of our previous volunteers have done it for many years and are ready to slow down. These volunteers will help facilitate gallery exhibitions at KSAC and other community galleries. Communicating with the artists, creating labels and artist statements for the exhibits, transporting and hanging shows according to set deadlines. This group will work with the communications committee to ensure detailed information and promotion about shows are being released. Programming: We are building our team of programming-minded people. If you have great ideas for events, art classes, workshops, or community programming - we want to hear from you. We are seeking people who to help strategize and implement arts enrichment in the community. Outside the box thinkers welcome. Detail-oriented people- yes, please!  In May 2017, 400 members of the Watauga County community came together to learn about the impacts of trauma and resilience on health, wellness, and opportunities. At first centered around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), the group has expanded their scope to include various forms of trauma and the lifetime impacts, such as higher rates of mental disorders, limited opportunities, and health problems, including a possible shortened life expectancy of up to 20 years. The experience was so profound and impactful that a grassroots organization was formed called the Watauga Compassionate Community Initiative. Prior to COVID, about 80 people from more than 40 organizations and groups met monthly to work on awareness, data, events, policies, and prevention. Since COVID, members have met by Zoom to continue this very important work. You can learn more about them at wataugacci.org.
Since the kick-off event in 2017, yearly conferences have continued to happen, with the last conference held in 2019 hosting a record 600 people. The 2020 conference was canceled due to COVID. With the cancellation of the 2020 conference, another event sprung up called the WCCI Wednesday Conversations. The lead of WCCI, Denise Presnell, started this event in August 2020 as a way to keep WCCI and the trauma and resilience work in people’s consciousness on a more regular basis. Happening weekly on Wednesdays at noon, the hour is spent talking with service providers or people with trauma backgrounds about the impacts of trauma and resilience, how people and events change the trajectory of people’s lives, and how we create and maintain wellness. As Denise shared her own high rate of childhood trauma and the factors that led to her healing, she connected with others with trauma experiences on the Wednesday Conversations. Through discussions with these folks and others, the concept of the “Faces of ACEs, Thriving Lives” series was born. Folks who are open to it share how childhood trauma impacted their lives and how their resilience and support systems helped them overcome their trauma experiences. As planning for the WCCI 2021 Virtual Conference took shape, an idea developed for the people involved with the “Faces of ACEs, Thriving Lives” series to contribute to the conference in a different way. About the Exhibit Most of the people from the “Faces of ACEs, Thriving Lives” series use art and words as part of their resilience and healing. Working with the Watauga Arts Council, they decided to do an exhibit with art they had created, titled Art After ACEs: An Exhibit presented by the WCCI Faces of ACEs, Thriving Lives series and the Watauga Art Council. Participants include Kat Dolan, Jordan Edmisten, Mollie Furman, Mary McKinney, Brooke Penley, Seleste Penley, Denise Presnell, Grace Presnell, and Ashley Wurth. The exhibit will run the week before the conference, the week of the conference, and the week after the conference (April 12-May 3rd). It will be held at Cheap Joe’s Art Supply, Monday-Friday 10 am - 6 pm and Saturdays 10 am- 5 pm. Admission is free. Enter through the retail store. Our Vision WCCI embraces a vision for Watauga County to be a relationship-driven, compassionate, and resilient community that is knowledgeable, inspired, and empowered to prevent harm, promote well-being, and heal from adversity. To heal from the abuses of the past and the present, implementing change requires individuals, families, communities, and systems to address historical trauma and eradicate racism. WCCI supports the worldwide demand for racial justice and commits to doing the work to embrace and support anti-racist policies and practices within our organizations and community. Our Mission The mission of WCCI is to promote health and resiliency in our community and to effectively prevent, recognize, and treat trauma by creating safe, stable, nurturing environments and relationships through education, advocacy and policy change.  Dates:
Saturday, April 24th, 5 to 8 pm Sunday, April 25th, 11 am to 2 pm Artists looking to donate their wares can drop off their items at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace building at 377 Shadowline Drive, Boone, NC 28607, from now through April 23rd, 2021. Hours of operation are M-F 9 am-5 pm. Call if needed: 828-264-1789. Potters, get to your wheels. Empty Bowls is Back! *Watauga County, North Carolina Empty Bowls is Back! Watauga High School, Watauga County Arts Council, and the Hunger and Health Coalition Partner to bring back a beloved community event The Watauga Arts Council is teaming up with the Watauga High School Art Department and the Hunger and Health Coalition to host Empty Bowls. Empty Bowls is an annual fundraising event organized by the High School art department. Proceeds of Empty Bowls go to the Hunger and Health Coalition - a large-scale local food pantry serving High Country residents who struggle with food insecurity. For the first time since its inception in 2001, Watauga High School Empty Bowls had to be canceled in 2020. "Because of the prolonged nature of the pandemic, an event at the high school was not plausible and we were searching for possibilities to continue with the spirit of the event”, says Brett McDonough, High School Ceramics Teacher. "Our event is built 100% on donations from generous local potters, restaurant owners, and artists. We were sensitive to even ask for donations due to the challenges many have faced this year. So, when Amber, the Director of the Watauga County Arts Council, reached out offering to help we were thrilled”, shares Dacia Trethewey, Watauga High School art teacher. Bob Meyers of Doe Ridge Pottery contacted Amber to let her know that Empty Bowls had been canceled again. “I knew Amber wanted to use the Arts Council to support the community and this seemed like a good fit. Empty Bowls is a fantastic event that people look forward to; it was really missed last year.” As the pandemic continued and many families in our community struggled to make ends meet, the Hunger and Health Coalition stayed open to ensure that our residents would have steady access to healthy foods. “Being a consistent and reliable resource for our neighbors in need has never been more important. We know that providing nutritious foods helps our community stay healthy and keeps their immune systems strong. We are honored to partner with this passionate group of local artists to bring back such a beloved event!”, shares Elizabeth Young, Hunger and Health Coalition Executive Director. “This has been such a tough year for so many people. I can’t think of a better way to lift spirits and encourage our residents”, said Amber Bateman, director of the Watauga Arts Council. “We feel so blessed to have the Blue Ridge ArtSpace and King Street Art Collective and want these spaces to be used for collaborative, creative purposes. We hope to see more of this in the future.” The Arts Council can offer structure and support to help facilitate this fundraising event. “Offering this to our friends at the High School and to the Hunger and Health Coalition while also inspiring creativity for our potters is the perfect way to showcase the spirit that makes the High Country so special,” Amber added. Empty Bowls* will be a simplified version of our traditional Empty Bowls. While we can’t offer the full soup-eating, social experience, we can offer beautiful bowls and t-shirts designed by Asa Markus, a senior at Watauga High School. Businesses who might want to sponsor this event are encouraged to reach out to the Arts Council. The event will be on Saturday, April 24th, 5 to 8 pm, and Sunday, April 25th, 11 am to 2 pm at the King Street Art Collective located at 585 West King Street, Boone, NC 28607, just above Doe Ridge Pottery. This year, ticketholders will be able to drop in to choose a locally-made bowl, listen to a live band, and check out the App State Senior Design Showcase. **Please note that due to the pandemic, Soup will not be served this year. To best keep our patrons safe, we are offering two different days and various pick-up times. To volunteer to help with this event, please go to our website and fill out a volunteer form and write Empty Bowls in the comment section of the registration form. For more information, contact the Watauga County Arts Council at 828-264-1789. App State's 20th annual Diversity Celebration will be held April 8–9 with a mix of virtual and in-person events. The Diversity Celebration features a wide array of music, eclectic dancing, delectable food, international films, and festivals. Appalachian students, faculty, staff, K-12 schools, and members of the local community are all invited to join in this celebration of cultures through art and entertainment. This celebration provides a venue where diverse perspectives, cultures, and values are accepted, appreciated, and celebrated. The event also supports and enhances the university’s commitment to be actively involved in addressing the educational, economic, cultural and societal needs of the changing region, state, nation and world. This program is funded in part by the Watauga County Arts Council and Grassroots Funds of the North Carolina Arts Council. SCHEDULE Thursday, April 8 6–7:15 p.m. Performance by Paul Tran, the award-winning slam poet, and author. This is a virtual event, and registration is required. Register Friday, April 9 9–11 a.m. Various virtual sessions. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Diversity Celebration Festival on Sanford Mall, featuring DJ Trellz, special diverse menus at the food trucks, museum displays, dance lessons, and more. 2–2:50 p.m. Virtual session. 3–4:30 p.m. Creative writing/poetry workshop with Paul Tran, award-winning slam poet and author: Toward Freedom: Reimagining the myth we tell about ourselves Participants in this generative writing workshop will read “Autobiography of Eve” by the poet Ansel Elkins. “I did not fall from grace,” Eve says. “I charged toward freedom.” We will write and share our own “Autobiography of...” poems, and in doing so, will talk about the myths constructed about us and how, from the classroom to the workplace, we reinforce or subvert these myths. 7:30 p.m. Drive-in movie night at State Farm Parking Lot, featuring “Zootopia.” Gates open at 7:30 p.m.
April 13, 20, 27: Launch Your Artist's Website Tuesdays 2-3 PM $575/Participant Learn how to easily set up your first website! No fumbling through buttons and templates, now wasted hours working on something only to realize you did it wrong. This can save you valuable time and tons of money. Website designs cost anywhere from $3000 or more. You can learn to design your own website with the help of an experienced professional, in the comfort of your home. This website building program will give artists an online foundation that they can build their artist's business on. In three hour-long sessions, launch your artist’s website. Build your home page, about page, contact page and art portfolio, with my step-by-step guidance. This event will take place over Zoom. The program will be a series of three sessions each 60 minutes long.
About the instructor: Sophia Ojha, a Squarespace Authorized Trainer, and Web Designer will give you a live demonstration on starting a new website specifically for artists, photographers, and creatives of all kinds. If you’ve wanted an easy to use website to showcase your work and eventually, sell your work online (shop covered in workshop 2), then this workshop is for you. Register: https://www.sophiaojha.com/artist-workshop-wcac PART 2... May 11, 18, 25: Sell Your Art Online Tuesdays 2-3 PM $575/Participant You have a basic website, now what? Sell! After you have built your website, you can begin to sell your creations in an e-shop, hold workshops and create a commissions page to get commissions for custom art. This event will take place over Zoom. This will be the next level program which gives the artists an online shop where they can sell their prints, originals and get commissions to do custom art. The program will be broken down into three sessions.
In order to take this workshop, you must have either completed the Launch Your Artist’s Workshop or have a current Squarespace website already. Register: https://www.sophiaojha.com/artist-workshop-wcac   Jump into the Craft Your Commerce Spring Workshop Series: The Craft of Selling. This spring, Mountain BizWorks Craft Your Commerce workshops are focusing on The Craft of Selling. We have all learned that 2020 threw us a curveball that no one saw coming and those creative and craft based businesses that had diverse revenue streams are the ones who were able to pivot, grow their sales, and meet their customers’ needs most easily. This series of workshops will explore a variety of skill development that will help you gain an understanding of how to create sales strategies, develop diverse revenue streams, and sell without having to feel “salesy.” Join us for this series of workshops where we are bringing in guest presenters who are subject matter experts in their field, exposing you to new ideas, and helping you find innovation and comfort in selling your products. We are offering these workshops at Pay What You Wish (PWYW) prices, so get your tickets today before seats sell out! Craftyourcommerce.com. DATES: March 17 from 2 – 4 pm - Selling With Intention: Creating Long Term Customer Relations With Digital Strategy This workshop features presenter Casey Nifong, who has multiple years of experience in industries that focus on organic products, sustainability, and investing in the future of our world. It is an introduction to creating long term relationships with your customers through building an intentional digital strategy. This session will dive into how to approach building beautiful relationships (ideally turning customers into friends) through your digital channels like market research, brand messaging, and online engagement that then leads to brand loyalty. The workshop will be held over Zoom. March 24 from 2 - 4 pm- Beyond Sales Funnels: How to Automate Customer Relations to Drive Sales This class will feature presenter Julio Chavez, Strategic Executive at Copy Identity and nationally ranked corporate sales manager. In this presentation we’ll be taking those ideas and skills taught in Casey’s Digital Strategies workshop and covering how to easily create long lasting customer relationships by building a sales funnel that nurtures and makes sales on autopilot. Come learn the basics of all sales funnels, and then learn how to automate them so you spend LESS time cultivating your customers, but have more sales! This is sure to be a fun and interactive workshop helping you grow your sales without being “salesy.” This course will be held over Zoom. March 31 from 2 – 4 pm- The Power of Being Niche: Creating Growth While Narrowing Your Customer Base This class will feature moderator Sarah Benoit, co-founder and lead instructor of the JB Media Institute, a digital marketing school, and President of Creative Original, Inc., a small business web design and consulting firm. Ever hear the saying “if you are marketing to everyone, you’re marketing to no one?” This is because most seasoned sales and marketing people know money is made when real relationships are strong. One of the ways you can build loyalty, repeat business, referrals, trust, and cash flow is to focus on a niche market. Niches don’t limit your business, they help you establish credibility in the marketplace. Over time you can expand to new niches that are the right fit for your products and services, and create long lasting growth. Want to learn more? Join us for this expert panel and learn from successful businesses that operate in a niche market. Come find out how to build your next growth strategy. This class will be held over Zoom. April 2 from 2 – 4 pm- Partner Marketing Made Easy: Low Tech Ways to Sell Online This workshop will feature presenter Derrick Duplessy, Founder of the Duplessy Foundation. He will demonstrate how to sell products online person to person – without complicated technology. Professionals from Acceleration Partners (AP) will work directly with each attendee on how to implement these low tech sales strategies. AP works with companies like Warby Parker, Reebok, and adidas to implement these strategies. Presenter Derrick Duplessy is the founder of the Duplessy Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to teaching the sales process to women, immigrants, and minority business owners. The workshop will be held over Zoom. April 7th from 2 - 4 pm- Creating Your Brand Story: How Your Brand Story Can Sell for You This workshop features presenter Alyssa Phillips, owner of Amp’d Designs. The workshop is an introduction to branding and how it can help your business grow. Together we’ll review different aspects that make up a brand, why these aspects are important, how to build your own brand story, and how to use it to market and sell your products or services. A worksheet and discussion will accompany the presentation. This event will be held over Zoom. March 15 - April 12, 6 - 8 pm (meets every Monday for 5 weeks)- Crafting Commerce Cohert (C3) Labs Facilitated by Gwynne Rukenbrod Smith, Craft Your Commerce Project Manager. This 5-week cohort experience will aid existing makers and creative entrepreneurs in integrating learnings and skills from the workshops series into their business practices. Join a group of your cohorts and analyze all aspects of your business, identify where you could improve your business, and implement the ideas shared in each workshop. These Live Labs are held throughout the workshop series. They are intended to answer any questions that you have after the workshops, help you implement any skills and ideas you learned, and get feedback from both the facilitator and your cohorts. Finally in this class you will develop 3 goals you want to achieve in your business and create an implementation plan to achieve those goals. The labs are held over Zoom. Craft Your Commerce is led by Mountain BizWorks in partnership with Center for Craft and UNC Asheville and with funding by the Windgate Charitable Foundation to support professional crafters, makers and creative businesses in Asheville and Western North Carolina. BOONE, NC - On Saturday, March 13 from 5 pm to 7 pm, the Watauga Arts Council is hosting a “Meet the Artist” reception at the King Street Art Collective, in downtown Boone. This reception is the last chance to see the incredible artwork of the “For the Love of Art” exhibit and meet the artists. Artists in attendance include: Lindsay Carrol, Patrick Richardson, Michael and Renee Askew, Tommy Lee, and John Bond. Amber Bateman, Executive Director of the Watauga Arts Council, will also be in attendance. The reception in this large gallery space will follow all COVID-19 guidelines. This event will conclude their popular February/March art exhibit which focused on life, love, and connection. Don’t miss your chance to meet the artist and enjoy an evening of good company, art and live music, this Saturday, March 13th, from 5 pm - 7 pm. The final days to view the exhibit are Thursday and Friday from 11 am - 5 pm, and on Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm. Appointments are available for community members who would like a private viewing of the art. The exhibit depicts these connections through a variety of mediums including oil, acrylic, mixed media with collage, watercolor, marble, wood, and more. Julie Davis, the Watauga Arts Council Gallery Chair shared why she appreciates this exhibit, “Artists are some of the most courageous people. Talking about love and sharing your deepest feelings are not easy things... but artists share what they care about most through their art. This exhibit showcases incredible talent and also depth.” Artists featured are Gary and Ann Thompson Nemcosky, Michael and Renee Askew, Lori Hill, Sir Tom Foolery, John Bond, Patrick Richardson, Brad Gates, Marion Cloaninger, and Lindsay Carroll. King Street Art Collective is a project of the Watauga Arts Council. The King Street Art Collective is located at 585 West King Street, across from the Jones House and above Doe Ridge Pottery. Appointments can be made Monday through Friday by calling the Watauga Arts Council office, 828-264-1789. |
AuthorsAmber Bateman- Council Executive Director Archives
May 2021
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