The difficult decision has been made to temporarily close the gift shop at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace.

​While we LOVE showcasing the amazing work of local artists, we found that the shop had become too cumbersome to manage. Finding volunteers to staff the shop had become difficult and the system for managing inventory and sales needed an overhaul. The amount of money we made in sales each year just did not justify the amount of work it was taking to keep it open. The gift shop was taking the largest room in our building.

The board has decided to use the former Gift Shop room to provide a space that is more condusive to art classes. The larger room will allow us to adjust to COVID guidelines for Physical distancing while still supporting arts education for our community.

All is not lost! We may reopen the gift shop after the dust settles from starting classes again or we may offer a hybrid solution by merging the gift shop with gallery space. We just needed to clear the space and start with a clean slate and approach that project with fresh eyes. Please let us know if you have ideas or thoughts about this. We want to hear from you. 

Some gift shop items have been donated for our yard sale on September 19, 2020. Please come by and purchase the beauitful work to support the Watauga County Arts Council. 

The building has been closed since March so we decided to take advantage of the time and clean out all the clutter that has been accumulating throughout the years.

We are hard at work preparing for a Yard and ArtSale next Saturday, September 19, 2020. This sale will help us raise money while also helping us start fresh. 

Inside, you can expect to find paintings, photography and the like on sale, along with donate gift shop items. Some artists may be on hand to clearance their own work. Outside, you can expect to find art supplies, picture frames and framing materials, office organizers, furniture, tools, housewares, craft books, CDs, and more! 

We encourage you to support the arts and donate items from your home that need a new beginning. You can drop items off all week. No clothes please.

If you are an artists who would like to clearance your work, please contact us for a booth space inside. You would be in charge of your own sales and we just ask that you give a donation of 10% or more back to the Arts Council at the end of the day. 

Watauga County Arts Council is undergoing some changes. As many of you already know, Cherry Johnson, our director of 28 years retired on August 1, 2020. We are grateful to Cherry for her years of service. 

We are excited to introduce our new Executive Director, Amber Bateman. Amber is a Boone native, born in raised in the High Country. She moved back to the area with her husband and three kids in 2010 and quickly got involved in service to the community. She founded two nonprofits, Quiet Givers and Back 2 School Festival, which continue to serve our community to this day. Most recently, she volunteered and helped direct High Country Beer Fest, a fundraising event for Fermentation Sciences at ASU. 

An artist herself, Amber is eager to marry her passion for the arts with her love for High Country. She is excited to bring some new ideas and fresh perspective to help enhance the art scene in Watauga County and beyond. She has a desire to make the arts a destination of the High Country by showcasing the talented artists that reside here. She wants to help the Watauga County Arts Council be the go-to location for how to get involved with the arts in this area. 

Amber is excited to meet the Watauga Arts Council members and patrons of the Blue Ridge ArtSpace. She welcomes all to drop by the office and say hello. She is open to new ideas and wants to you to get involved. 

The Blue Ridge ArtSpace has been closed since March so Amber is very busy working toward reopening the building so classes, workships, and community groups can resume. If you have interest in volunteering to help get these efforts underway, please fill out a volunteer registration form or contact us, 828-264-1789.

Please join us in welcoming Amber to our Watauga Arts Council / Blue Ridge ArtSpace family!