Photo of Michael J. Brown Mural by Laura Shmania
Mural by Michael J. Brown, Chapel Hill, NC

  • Arts and Tourism Make Money for Orange County
  • 2010 Marks 25th Anniversary of Orange County Arts Commission
  • Novelist Zelda Lockhart Chosen as 2010 Piedmont Laureate
  • Artists' Salon Series
  • Spring 2010 Arts Grants Awarded
  • Emerging Artists Program Deadline September 15, 2010
  • Piedmont Laureate Program Deadline September 20, 2010 for Creative Non-fiction Writers
  • Arts Commission Announces November 30, 2010 Fall Grant Deadline: Information Session October 19
  • "Opportunities for Artists" and More on OCAC Website
  • We Are the Orange County Arts Commission
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    Arts and Tourism Make Money for Orange County

    by Laurie Paolicelli and Martha Shannon

    Making art and making money rarely go hand-in-hand, but in Orange County our resident artists have helped to create an aura of fertile creativity here that draws a number of visitors to our area year after year. It’s only fitting, then, that The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) recently moved into office space in the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau in Chapel Hill.

    Please join us in welcoming the OCAC, along with celebrating the arts in Orange County, from 3-6 pm on Wednesday, September 8th at an Open House at the Visitors Center located at 501 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

    This is a perfect fit for Chapel Hill and for all of Orange County. The Orange County Arts Commission promotes and strengthens the artistic and cultural development of this entire area. According to the Travel Industry Association, cultural tourists spend more and stay longer than the average traveler. The arts industry attracts audiences who buy gas to drive to the exhibits, purchase dinner before the shows, pay for parking and/or child care while they’re attending concerts, make purchases at a retail shops along the way and, of course, purchase tickets to attend the performances. The role of the OCAC in tourism is to help local artists and arts agencies create the “product” (such as visual art exhibits, concerts, performances, etc.) that both locals and visitors alike come to Orange County to enjoy.

    For instance, one way the Arts Commission does this is through awarding grants for a variety of art projects. Just a sampling of some of the state-funded grants awarded in the Spring 2010 cycle include: production expenses for Deep Dish Theater Company’s Tenth Anniversary Season in Chapel Hill, the performance of the Sones de Mexico Ensemble and the 10 by 10 Theatre Festival at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, and a new Outdoor Sculpture Tour by the Hillsborough Arts Council in Hillsborough, and many, many more.

    The Fall 2010 OCAC grant application deadline for artists, schools, nonprofit arts agencies, and nonprofits sponsoring art-related projects is November 30, 2010. OCAC’s Fall grants are supported by county funds appropriated from the Board of County Commissioners, who are extremely supportive of the arts in Orange County. Please visit the OCAC’s website at www.artsorange.org or call 919/968-2011 for more information.

    What we’ve come to understand, especially as these difficult economic burdens we bear are getting no lighter, is that the we can’t get along without the arts, and the arts can’t get along without everybody else, locals and tourists alike. The synergistic collaboration of the Visitors Center and the Arts Commission will enhance the lives of us all.

    We hope to see you at our open house.

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    2010 Marks 25th Anniversary of Orange County Arts Commission

    Celebrating 25 years of advancing the arts in Orange County!

    MISSION STATEMENT - To promote & strengthen the artistic & cultural development of Orange County, North Carolina

    Chapel Hill News Article 3/10/10

    The Orange County Arts Commission, located in Hillsborough, is an agency of Orange County government, currently housed within the Orange County Economic Development Commission. Our sister agency within this department is the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. Appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, the Arts Commission's 15-member citizen Advisory Board meets the 2nd Monday each month (except for July) from 6-7:30 pm.

    Since 1985 the Orange County Arts Commission has been the official county-wide advisory body on the arts, serving as a clearinghouse for arts information, granting state and county funds for arts programming by non-profit agencies and/or artists, facilitating arts program development and advising the Board of County Commissioners on the arts.

    Created on February 4, 1985 by Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), the Orange County Arts Commission is the non-partisan countywide arts agency that provides funding & support for a broad range of high quality arts programs.

    Minutes from Orange County Board of Commissioners' meetings: January 15, 1985 PDF & February 4, 1985 PDF

    Nominated by the BOCC as the Local Distributing Agent (now called Designated County Partner) & approved by the NC Arts Council in 1985, the Arts Commission awards state Grassroots Arts Program funds in Orange County, adhering to state program guidelines.

    The Arts Commission also awards county-funded arts grants, sponsors programs (such as Artists' Salons, Piedmont Laureate, Emerging Artists, Congressional High School Arts Competition, public art projects, etc.) & serves as an arts information clearinghouse.

    The 1985 Resolution creating the Orange County Arts Commission says that “the Commission shall be the Local Distributing Agent (LDA) to advise the Board of Commissioners of the annual allotment of Grassroots Arts Program funds.”

    When the Grassroots Arts Program was established in 1977 the legislation stated that the role of the county commissions was to nominate an LDA, which if approved would have the final authority in determining the expenditure of its county Grassroots allotment.

    To quote from the bill: “Guided by the standards set out in Section 3 of this act, the board of county commissioners of each county shall designate to the Department of Cultural Resources an organization to serve as its distributing agent for Grassroots Arts Program funds. Upon the approval of the Department of Cultural Resources, the designated organization shall become the official distributing agent for that county and shall remain so until such time as it no longer meets the necessary standards. To receive its per capita funds, the official distributing agent must annually submit to the Department of Cultural Resources for its approval a plan for the expenditure of the funds allotted to that county and must account for the funds after they have been expended.”

    The Orange County Arts Commission has served as the Local Distributing Agent (now called Designated County Partner) in Orange County for 25 years, acting in accordance with Grassroots Arts Program policy that the final authority for determining the expenditure of Grassroots allotments rests with the board of directors of the LDA (now called DCP). This is the case with all of the Grassroots Arts Program DCPs in the state.

    From 1985-2010, the Orange County Arts Commission subgranted $487,129 in state funds to non-profit organizations sponsoring art projects in Orange County. From 1985-2010, $64,920 in state funds has been retained by the Orange County Arts Commission to help fund our own arts programming. The total state Grassroots Arts Program allocation from the NC Arts Council to the Orange County Arts Commission from 1985-2010 is $552,049. (This total does not include other state grants from the NC Arts Council to the Orange County Arts Commission for various purposes such as Arts in Education, Technical Assistance, etc.).

    From 1987-1996, the Orange County Arts Commission subgranted at least $93,042 in county funds to non-profit organizations sponsoring art projects in Orange County. During this period of time, additional funds were provided to the Orange County Arts Commission, primarily for administrative support. Prior to 1996, the Orange County Arts Commission was funded by Orange County as a nondepartmental agency.

    From 1997-2010, Orange County budgeted $336,660 in county funds to the Orange County Arts Commission to subgrant to artists and non-profit organizations sponsoring art projects in Orange County. Although the Orange County Arts Commission has made subgrants using state and/or county funds since its inception, the year 1996 is the first year the Orange County Arts Commission was funded by Orange County as a division within Economic Development.

    In addition to our annual Spring & Fall grant programs (for schools, arts projects for non-profit organizations, non-profit arts organizations, and artists), our other programs over the years include:

  • Public Art Projects at Southern Human Services Center (Chapel Hill), Central Orange Senior Center (Hillsborough), Seymour Center (Chapel Hill), Animal Services Center (Chapel Hill), Link Government Services Center (Hillsborough), Orange County Public Library (Hillsborough), Cedar Grove Park (Cedar Grove)

  • Purchase of Existing Work for Orange County Facilities (Hillsborough, Chapel Hill)

  • annual Fourth US Congressional District High School Art Competition (with Durham Arts Council and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County)

  • annual Emerging Artist Program (with Durham Arts Council, Chatham Arts, Granville County Arts Council, and Person County Arts Council)

  • annual Piedmont Laureate Program (with Durham Arts Council, City of Raleigh Arts Commission, United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, and Alamance County Arts Council)

  • "Studio Tourism" Workshop (with Chatham Arts)

  • "E-Marketing for the Arts Workshop (with Chatham Arts)

  • Arts Incubation Program (Orange County Artists Guild, Arts Advocates, Culture Zone)

  • FRANK on Franklin - Artists Collective and Gallery (with Town of Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau)

  • Public Art 360: Symposium from Seven Perspectives (with Percent for Art Collaborative, NC Arts Council, NC Dept. of Cultural Resources, Town of Chapel Hill, SC Arts Commission, Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission, Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau, Chapel Hill Museum, Cary Visual Art, Public Art Network of Americans for the Arts, University of North Carolina, Ackland Art Museum, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, etc.)

  • quarterly Artists' Salons (at ArtsCenter in Carrboro)
  • Our quarterly Artists' Salons are free skills development workshops for area artists. Printed information distributed at many of these salons is available in the Arts Commission office. If you'd like a copy, please email arts@co.orange.nc.us or call (919/245-2335) and provide your topic of interest. Artists' Salon topics/dates over the years are as follows:

  • Competing in the Public Art Arena (August 23, 2002)

  • Selling Your Art on the Internet (October 18, 2002)

  • Artists' Studio Space Needs (January 17, 2003)

  • Artists' Studio Space Needs - Part 2 (April 11, 2003)

  • The Arts and Downtown Revilalization (August 22, 2003)

  • Creative Connections: An Informal Gathering of Artists/Arts Organizations (November 7, 2003)

  • Legal Issues for Artists (February 20, 2003)

  • Digitizing Your Art (May 7, 2004)

  • Are You Ready for Public Art Commissions? (August 20, 2004)

  • Managing Your Art Business (November 5, 2004)

  • Marketing Your Art (March 4, 2005)

  • Whose Story Is It? A Writers' Workshop (June 3, 2005)

  • Outside-the-Box Ideas to Increase Your Bottom Line (September 23, 2005)

  • Holiday Social (December 2, 2005)

  • Getting Your Music Out There (March 3, 2006)

  • Marketing Your NC Crafts to Museum Shops (May 19, 2006)

  • Independent Film Making (August 18, 2006)

  • Selling Art to the Holiday Gift Market (November 17, 2006)

  • Customer Satisfaction (February 16, 2007)

  • Peak Performance: The Artists' Way (May 18, 2007)

  • Time Management for Artists (August 17, 2007)

  • Barter Your Art to Save Big and Boost Sales (November 16, 2007)

  • Health Insurance and Taxes for Artists (February 22, 2008)

  • Arts Marketing via Social Networking: Blogging and Podcasting (May 16, 2008)

  • Internet Resources for Creative Portfolios (August 22, 2008)

  • Art in Second Life (November 21, 2008)

  • Making Money Online Through Art (February 27, 2008)

  • Piedmont Poets' Roundtable (May 15, 2009)

  • North Carolina Songwriters Co-op (August 28, 2009)

  • Business Counseling for Artists (November 20, 2009)

  • Copyright Law (February 26, 2010)

  • Doing the Digital: Artists' Online Presence (May 21, 2010)

  • Writer's Grants with Krista Bremer, 2009 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award Recipient (August 20, 2010)
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    Novelist Zelda Lockhart Chosen as 2010 Piedmont Laureate

    Highly acclaimed Durham County novelist Zelda Lockhart has been selected as the region's 2010 Piedmont Laureate.

    The Piedmont Laureate program is dedicated to building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing. Co-sponsored by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Alamance County Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, Johnston County Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, the program’s key goal is to: “promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont region.”

    “The Piedmont Laureate program provides an important opportunity for residents in the Triangle area to connect with and learn about their strong literary heritage and the influence this area plays in the state’s literary landscape,” said Mary B. Regan, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arts Council.

    Ms. Lockhart is the author of Fifth Born, which was a 2002 Barnes & Noble Discovery selection and won a finalist award for debut fiction from the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Foundation. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Norfolk State University, a Master’s in English from Old Dominion University, and a certificate in writing, directing and editing film from the New York Film Academy. In 2007, Lockhart’s second novel, Cold Running Creek, was published, winning a 2008 Honor Fiction Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. In June 2010, Ms. Lockhart’s third novel, Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle, will be published. Her other works of fiction, poetry and essays can be found in anthologies, journals and magazines.

    “I am honored and excited to sharing my passion for literature…with the Piedmont community,” Ms. Lockhart stated. “During my tenure as Laureate, I plan to design and participate in programs that will help individuals self-define through the experience of literature…. I look forward to the many new people I am bound to meet and share precious time with over the next year,” she added.

    In her letter of support for Ms. Lockhart’s laureate application, well-known writer Dorothy Allison wrote: “Zelda has a strong commitment to beautiful and unique language. She gives us an unflinching view of the human spirit…. Her people read to me as real – fully rendered and difficult as any I have made myself. She is also an inspired and inspiring speaker, and I know she would serve eloquently as a laureate.”

    For being named the Piedmont Laureate, Ms. Lockhart will receive an honorarium of $7,000 and serve for one year. Her duties will include presenting public readings and workshops, participating at select public functions, and creating at least one original activity to expand appreciation of literature. A schedule of the Laureate’s 2010 activities will be posted in January on the sponsoring agencies websites and at the Piedmont Laureate website (www.piedmontlaureate.com).

    Applications for the laureate position were received from a five-county area. A selection committee comprised of recognized authors John Kessel, (well-known science fiction author and faculty member at NC State University) and Susie Powell, along with sponsoring agency representatives, reviewed all the applications and made recommendations. Banu Valladares, Acting Literary Director of the North Carolina Arts Council, served as the panel observer.

    “We are excited to have a program that recognizes the achievement of North Carolina writers across genres and that fosters a love of writing and reading in the state. Zelda Lockhart is talented and her work is rich and spellbinding. That, along with her commitments to her craft and to helping others find expression in writing makes her the ideal candidate for the Piedmont Laureate post,” Ms. Valladares stated.

    For more information about the Piedmont Laureate program, visit www.piedmontlaureate.com.

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    Artists' Salon Series - February 26, 2010 Artists' Salon Postcard PDF

    The next two Artists' Salons, sponsored by the Orange County Arts Commission, will be held on the following dates in 2010:

  • Friday, August 20th
  • Friday, November 19th

    Artists' Salons are held from 6:30-9 pm in the West End Theatre at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served. Salons are free, for artists of all kinds - performing, visual, literary, whatever! Come to meet, network, and build a better arts environment for all Orange County Artists.

    The topic for August is “Writer's Grants with Krista Bremer: 2009 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award Recipient”. Guest speaker is Krista Bremer, Associate Publisher of The Sun Magazine in Chapel Hill. Ms. Bremer will read from her works, and talk about her NC Arts Council grant and her Rona Jaffe Foundation award. The importance of grants for writers will be highlighted.

    The topic for November will be "Artists as Entrepreneuers - FRANK on Franklin". Several members of this artist collective in downtown Chapel Hill will discuss their progress since opening in April, 2010.

    The purpose of the salon is to bring together artists of all disciplines in a casual setting to share ideas, concerns and information. It is the hope of the Orange County Arts Commission to not only bring the artistic community together but to facilitate closer ties between artists and the general community of Orange County. Better serving the needs of artists is one of the goals of the Orange County Arts Commission. Artists often work in isolation and the salon can serve as a place to get feedback from peers as well as to share all of the problems and pleasures of being an artist with kindred spirits.

    The Orange County Arts Commission thanks the ArtsCenter for allowing us to use their space for this series.

    If you plan to attend, please RSVP to the Orange County Arts Commission at 919/245-2335 or email us at arts@co.orange.nc.us.

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    Spring 2010 Arts Grants Awarded

    The following organizations and individuals have been awarded Orange County Arts Grants to support arts programming during the Spring 2010 grant cycle:

  • ArtsCenter

  • Cameron Park Elementary School

  • Chapel Hill Carrboro Children's Museum (dba Kidzu Children's Museum)

  • Central Elementary School PTO

  • Deep Dish Theater Company

  • Estes Hills Elementary School PTA

  • Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County

  • Footnotes Tap Ensemble

  • Gravelly Hill Middle School

  • Hillsborough Arts Council

  • Hillsborough Elementary School

  • McDougle Elementary School PTA

  • Music Maker Relief Foundation

  • North Carolina Arts in Action

  • Orange Charter School

  • A.L. Stanback Middle School

  • Shelly Hehenberger

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    Emerging Artists Program Deadline September 15, 2010

    Durham Arts Council is currently distributing grant applications for 2010-2011 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grants. The Emerging Artists Grant Program is designed to enable individual artists who have mastered the basic techniques of their art form to complete projects that will further their professional careers. Grants may not exceed $1,500. Criteria for making the awards include the overall excellence of the applicant’s work, accomplishment and commitment of the artist, the feasibility of the proposed project and the impact the project will have on the applicant’s career.

    The application deadline is 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. The Emerging Artists Grant program is open to artists living in Durham, Chatham, Orange, Granville and Person counties. To be eligible for an Emerging Artists Grant, an artist must have lived in one of the five partner counties at least since September 15, 2009, must be at least 18 years of age and cannot be a student enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in their art form. Applications are available at the front desk of the Durham Arts Council building, located at 120 Morris Street, Durham, NC 27701 or by calling (919) 560-2720. Applications may also be downloaded from the Durham Arts Council web site at www.durhamarts.org and additionally at sponsoring agencies’ websites.

    There are 4 free information sessions scheduled for this grant program:

    August 3, 2010 - 6:00 p.m. (Tuesday)
    Adaron Hall, Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St., Durham
    Contact: Margaret DeMott, DAC Director of Artist Services, 919-560-2720.

    August 5, 2010 - 6:00 p.m. (Thursday)
    Multi-Purpose Room, Bldg. 2, 764 West Street,
    Central Carolina Community College, Pittsboro
    Contact: Molly Matlock, Chatham County Arts Council, 919-542-0394.

    August 10, 2010 - 6:00 p.m. (Tuesday)
    Meeting Room, Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Dr., Chapel Hill
    Contact: Martha Shannon, Orange County Arts Commission Director, 919-968-2011.

    August 11, 2010 - 6:00 p.m. (Wednesday)
    The Kirby Gallery, 213 North Main Street, Roxboro
    Contact: Kay Rudd, 336-597-1755.

    The Emerging Artists Program is cited repeatedly by local artists as providing important financial support and significant public recognition of their professional achievements. In its 26-year history the Emerging Artists Program has awarded more than $410,000 through 404 grants to individual artists. Durham Arts Council coordinates this program in partnership with the local arts agencies of adjacent Chatham, Orange, Granville and Person Counties. This joint effort provides an efficient, non-duplicative administration and allows area artists to participate in the Emerging Artists Program. The cooperative nature of the program has also helped build relations between arts organizations in these counties and has encouraged networking between artists in the region.

    The Emerging Artist Program is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, the Durham Arts Council's Annual Arts Fund and individual contributions.

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    Piedmont Laureate Program Deadline September 20, 2010 for Creative Non-fiction Writers

    The Piedmont Laureate program, started in 2008, announces the application process for its 2011 Piedmont Laureate, who will be selected from central North Carolina creative non-fiction writers — whose works would include biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, travel writings and new journalism. The program is dedicated to building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing. The program focuses each year on a different literary form.

    Five central North Carolina county arts groups co-sponsor this effort with the key goal to promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont area: the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Alamance County Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County.

    Applications for the 2011 Laureate are now being accepted only from creative non-fiction writers currently residing in Alamance, Durham, Orange and Wake counties. The Laureate, who will be selected by a committee appointed by the sponsoring agencies, will present public readings and workshops, participate at select public functions, and create at least one original activity to expand appreciation of literature. The 2011 Piedmont Laureate will receive a stipend of $6,500 and serve for one year (January 1-December 31, 2011).

    Additional information on the Piedmont Laureate program, including guidelines and the application form, is available at www.piedmontlaureate.com and additionally at sponsoring agencies’ websites. The deadline to apply is September 20, 2010.

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    Arts Commission Announces November 30, 2010 Fall Grant Deadline: Information Session October 19

    The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) announces a 5 pm on November 30, 2010 deadline for receipt of arts grant applications from nonprofit organizations, schools and individuals for the fall cycle:

  • Arts Program Grant funds up to $1,500.00 available to non-profit organizations coordinating arts projects benefiting the citizens of Orange County.
  • Arts in Education Grant funds up to $1,000.00 available to public or private schools, or parent and teacher organizations in Orange County coordinating arts programs.
  • Arts in Education Coalition Grant funds up to $5,000.00 available to three or more Orange County schools or parent and teacher organizations coordinating arts programs.
  • Artist Project Grant funds up to $1,000.00 available to professional artists coordinating arts projects benefiting the citizens of Orange County.
  • Fall Grants Project Period: The fall cycle of grants will fund arts activities taking place from January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011. A spring cycle will also be available for all categories including the General Arts Support grant, which is available annually (spring cycle only).

    Supportable Projects: Applicants may request funds to support a variety of arts programs in the visual, performing, literary arts.

    Deadline: Fall applications must be received by 5 pm on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at the Orange County Arts Commission office (this is not a “postmarked by” deadline). The Orange County Arts Commission office is located at 501 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC.

    Applications: Applications are available for downloading online (MS Word and PDF formats) at the "Grants" section of the Arts Commission's website. Hard-copies are available at the Arts Commission office, at all Orange County Public Libraries and at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

    Information Session: The Arts Commission will hold a free grant-writing workshop for potential OCAC fall grant applicants on Tuesday, October 19th from 7-8 pm in the large meeting room downstairs at the Chapel Hill Public Library (100 Library Drive) in Chapel Hill. To register for this workshop, or for more information about OCAC grants, visit www.artsorange.org/grants.html or contact the Orange County Arts Commission at 919/968-2011.

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    “Opportunities for Artists” and More on OCAC Website

    The Orange County Arts Commission’s website lists current opportunities for artists and includes information on:

  • OCAC Programs and Services
  • Grants
  • Events Calendars
  • Arts Resource Links
  • Local Arts Directory
  • Expanded OCAC Newsletter

    www.artsorange.org

    Check it out!

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    We Are the Orange County Arts Commission

    The Orange Arts newsletter is an online publication of the Orange County Arts Commission, the countywide arts agency working to promote the artistic and cultural development of Orange County.

    The Orange County Board of Commissioners appoints the fifteen members of this advisory commission. The Arts Commission is housed within the Economic Development Department. The Arts Commission recommends strategies to promote the artistic and cultural growth of Orange County, advises the Board of Commissioners on matters involving the arts, and acts as the granting panel for two annual funding programs available to individual artists and non-profit groups sponsoring arts projects in Orange County. Funding comes from Orange County and the North Carolina Arts Council.

    Services of the Arts Commission include administering these two grants cycles that support both Orange County arts organizations and individual artists, maintaining a web site including an online local arts directory, and sponsoring workshops and skills development for artists and organizations.

    If you are an artist, or a citizen interested in the arts, contact the Orange County Arts Commission office and inquire about Board positions and other Volunteer opportunities. We are always on the lookout for Orange County residents who can help us fulfill our mission to promote and support the arts in Orange County.

    The Orange County Arts Commission also welcomes newsletter submissions from artists and organizations. For more information about Orange County Arts Commission services, programs and publications, contact us at:

    Orange County Arts Commission
    Post: P.O. Box 1177
    Physical Address: 110 E. King Street
    Hillsborough, NC 27278
    Phone: 919/245-2335
    FAX: 919/644-3008
    Web: www.artsorange.org
    Email: arts@co.orange.nc.us

    Our local arts are exciting, vital, and they are happening right now – so get out and enjoy the arts in Orange County!

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  • Do you subscribe to the North Carolina Public Art Network listserv? If not, you can join at lists.ncmail.net/mailman/listinfo/ncpublicartnetwork. This listserv will send information on public art opportunities directly to your email address. Check it out!
  • Do you subscribe to the national Public Art Network listserv? If not, you can join by emailing Liesel Fenner at Americans for the Arts at lfenner@artsusa.org and ask to be added to the national Public Art Network listserv. This listserv will send information on public art opportunities directly to your email address. Check it out!
  • Artists! Check out WESTAF's Call for Entry (CaFÉ) website, which enables artists to apply online to multiple calls for entry through a central Web site, www.callforentry.org.
  • Chapel Hill’s Festifall: More Engaging Than Ever - Festifall, Orange County’s premier outdoor arts and entertainment festival, always provides an excellent opportunity to see and buy arts and crafts from more than 100 juried regional artisans, and to witness some of the finest dance groups and bands around.

    But this year, event-goers will be able to engage with the arts with all their senses. New attractions will give folks a chance to create individual and community works of art, sample fare from many of downtown’s nationally acclaimed restaurants, and experience the Kid’s Canvas, a family-friendly zone sure to please children of all ages.

    Festifall will be held in downtown Chapel Hill on Sunday, October 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, please visit our website at www.townofchapelhill.org

  • FLAMENCO CAROLINA AND UPCOMING PERFORMANCES - Please visit our wesites for more information on flamenco dance classes in your area: www.flamenconc.com and www.tocapurostudios.webs.com

    SEPTEMBER 11 @ 2:00pm: LA FIESTA DEL PUEBLO, Raleigh. Performing Sevillanas, Tangos, Solea, Alegrias, featuring guitarist Dennis Aberle. Open to the public and for all ages.

    SEPTEMBER 18 @ 3:30pm: DURHAM FEST. Performing Sevillanas, Tangos, Alegrias. Open to the public and for all ages.

    SEPTEMBER 19 @ 2:30pm: CARRBORO CENTURY CENTER. An hour of flamenco performance, lecture and hands on. Join us for an introduction to flamenco. Open to the public and for all ages.

  • FRANK, the new non-profit gallery at 109 East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill continues its Thursday evening series with informal networking and light refreshments beginning at 5pm. www.frankisart.com and more info on Facebook: FRANK, Franklin Street Arts Collective

  • Poetry Open Mic at the Looking Glass Cafe - Tuesdays at 7 pm. Sponsored by the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department. Come read your own or others' works. Contact the Looking Glass Cafe at 919/967-9398 for directions and more information.
  • Call for Artists - Town of Cary is now accepting applications for exhibitions in 2010-2011 solo and group art exhibition opportunities at Page Walker Arts & History Center, Jordan Hall Arts Center and other facilities around town. Artists working in any medium are invited to submit an application anytime. Application deadlines are February 1 and August 1. Download an application here (1.8 mb, Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view), pick one up at Page-Walker Arts & History Center or Jordan Hall Arts Center, or contact Denise Dickens, public art coordinator, at denise.dickens@townofcary.org.
  • CALL TO ARTISTS - Handmade greeting/note cards to be sold at the Orange County Visitors Center in Hillsborough, NC. The subjects of Hillsborough and Orange County will be especially considered.

    Pricing: The visitors center will be purchasing wholesale and adding 40% to artists wholesale price plus sales tax. The target retail price for the cards will be from $3.00 to $5.00.

    Please send one sample and 3 photos of other designs. List the medium used, sizes, quantities available and if the artist or an outside printer produces the cards. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of samples and photos.

    Mail entries to:

    Hillsborough Arts Council
    C/O Neil Stutzer
    102 West King Street
    Hillsborough, NC 27278

  • ARTCYCLE is a program that collects and distributes donations of new and used supplies to be used in our local schools’ classrooms.

    The schools that are served by ARTCYCLE include:

    Elementary Schools:
    Pathways
    Cameron Park
    Grady A. Brown
    Efland Cheeks
    Central
    New Hope
    Hillsborough

    Middle Schools:
    Gravelly Hill
    A.K. Stanback
    C.W. Stanford

    High Schools:
    Cedar Ridge
    Orange

    Requested materials for music, band and chorus are:

    Black three ring binders
    Clear sheet protector
    Any instruments in any condition
    Mallets/sticks for percussion
    Music stands
    Valve oil
    Woodwind reeds
    Electric Portable Piano, 88 keys
    Vocal music workbooks
    Choral/chorus sheet music
    Photocopy paper, printer, and scanner
    Pencils, paper clips, index cards
    Highlighters
    Piano bench
    Cables for amps/guitars
    Slide grease
    Reeds, stronger then 2”
    5 Small stools
    CD and I pod player system
    Small CD player/boom box
    Piano humidifier device
    Requested supplies for the art classrooms are:

    Drawing - paper and cardboard (any size, color or stock,) brown grocery bags, pencils, erasers, markers, pens, chalk, and crayons, matboard
    Painting – Brushes; Paints: poster; acrylic, oil, watercolor, and tempera paints; varnishes; house paints, canvas
    Sculpting - polymer, low fire and sculpting clays, glazes, tools, glue
    Printmaking Supplies
    Craft – glue, kids’ scissors, beads, buttons, yarn, yogurt cups, popsicle sticks, hardware, styrofoam sheets, wire, tiles, tin, pipe cleaners, fabric
    Special Needs - blenders, irons, hair dryers, rolling pins, sewing machines, hammers, plastic bins and boxes, cutting tools

    Drop off locations:

    Churton Street Realty, 121 North Churton Street, Hillsborough
    Call 919/732-1855 to contact any agent for a drop off time

    Coldwell Realty, 114 West King Street, Hillsborough

    The Studio Supply, 421 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill

    Last Fridays Event, The Old Courthouse, Hillsborough Arts Council booth

    Orange County Board of Education, Hillsborough

    Tax letters available on request.

    More participants will be added as we grow! Would you like to be involved? Please call or email Hillsborough Arts Council for further information.

    Recycled Supplies for Art Education
    Hillsborough, North Carolina
    919/643-2500
    Hillsborough Arts Council
    nstutzer@hillsboroughartscouncil.org

  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched an online program through its Kenan-Flagler Business School that would offer business knowledge to non-business majors.

    UNC says the program, known as UNC Business Essentials, includes a total of six courses. Students who complete the program would be granted a certificate that they could reference on their resume.

    It is offered to both current students and college graduates.

    “UNC Business Essentials allows the non-business major to become fluent in the language of business to stand out in an interview with a company, make a more meaningful impact in a non-profit or start their own business or organization,” says Susan Cates, associate deal of UNC Executive Development at Kenan-Flagler. “The program is a must-have for students and recent graduates who need to build their real-world relevant business knowledge and add a valuable credential to help distinguish them in the job market.”

    The program includes six courses: Introduction to Business, Financial Accounting, Economics and Finance, Marketing, Business Operations and Business Communication.

  • Art & Soul Studios in Mebane is currently accepting applications for membership in its cooperatively run gallery. For information please visit www.artandsoulmebane.com/membership_info.htm or call (919)563-2300. Art and Soul Studios is located at 122 West Clay Street in Mebane, NC.
  • The FedEx Global Education Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is currently requesting proposals from artists wishing to display work in our gallery. The Center is a hub of international and educational activity and on average hosts well over 1,000 people each week, including members of the University community (students, faculty and staff), local community and visitors from around the world. See Call for Artists below. For more information, contact Laura Griest, Events Coordinator, FedEx Global Education Center (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 301 Pittsboro Street, Office 1207, Campus Box 3268, Chapel Hill, NC 27599). lauragriest@unc.edu. 919/962-0318 work, 919/843-4814 fax, www.global.unc.edu.
  • FedEx Global Education Center - Call for Artists

  • 501 Diner is seeking local artists to display their work at the diner. Please contact Paula Kemp at 919/933-3505.

  • Last Fridays in Hillsborough are scheduled from April through September on the last Friday of the month from 6-9 pm at the Historic Orange County Courthouse in downtown Hillsborough, NC. The next Last Fridays event is scheduled for Friday, August 27th, 2010. For more information about this free event, please visit the website of the Hillsborough Arts Council, the sponsoring organization.
  • The next Orange County Arts Commission Artists' Salon will be held Friday, November 19th, 2010 from 6:30-9 pm in the West End Theatre at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. Free. November's topic is yet to be determined. The presentation begins at 7 pm. Join us, have some refreshments, get some questions answered and make some good contacts.
  • The next 2nd Friday Art Walk will take place from 6-9 pm on Friday, September 10th, 2010 in various galleries and venues in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area. Free. For more information and a map of participating venues, please visit www.2ndfridayartwalk.com.
  • North Carolina Arts Council – The annual deadline for most organizational grant requests to the North Carolina Arts Council is March 1st. The deadline for Artists Fellowships is November 1st. For more information about their programs and grants, call 919/733-2111 or visit their website at www.ncarts.org.
  • Practicing artists with successful teaching experience are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and resume to the Alamance County Arts Council. Instructors are needed for various age levels, in a range of artistic disciplines (including visual, performing and literary arts). Competitive pay, supportive administration. Please email letter of interest and resume to maryruth@triad.rr.com or mail to Mary Ruth, Education Coordinator, Alamance County Arts Council, 213 S. Main St., Graham, NC 27253. Phone 336/226-4495.
  • Art and Ag Driving Tourism Trails Create New Cash Crop for Area Counties - Farms. Chefs. Attractions. Roadside produce stands. Writers. Festivals. Restaurants. Museums. Galleries. Art studios. Nightclubs. Musicians. Photographers. Historic sites. Poets. Grocery stores. Banks. City halls. Community colleges. Visitors centers. Artists.

    What do they all have in common? They may qualify to participate in a project created by the North Carolina Arts Council, www.homegrownhandmade.com, the first statewide effort to create thematic driving trails featuring art and agritourism. To see a sampling of what has already been developed in the eastern part of the state, click on the site and check out the trails.

    The project is free to all participants and is paid for by grants from the Golden L.E.A.F. Foundation, focusing upon counties that have traditionally had some form of agricultural based economy. The goal is to create a new "cash crop," blending tourism, arts and agriculture together.

    The trail in this area will include Chatham, Orange, Lee, Randolph, Guilford and Alamance counties.

    Are You One of These?
    - Restaurants/hotels/B&Bs serving locally produced food
    - Restaurants/hotels/B&Bs displaying locally produced art or featuring local performers
    - Restaurants serving recipes indigenous to the community (like: BBQ, catfish, Brunswick stew)
    - Galleries
    - Retail stores
    - Visual art studios/shops
    - U-pick-it farms
    - Roadside stands
    - Farmers' markets
    - Arts Councils
    - Visitors Centers
    - Festivals
    - Events
    - Cultural events
    - Corn mazes
    - Historic walking tours featuring buildings with architectural significance
    - Night clubs featuring local performers
    - Public gardens
    - Museums
    - Recreational Parks and Reserves
    - Farms open to the public

    Do You Meet Criteria?
    - Standard hours of operation (can include "by appointment only")
    - Safe, clean, tidy
    - Significant proportion of North Carolina merchandise
    - No shops that feature imports
    - Welcoming to people from outside the community
    - Related to cultural, heritage, agricultural, and natural resources
    - Compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act
    - Directional signage
    - Hotels/B&B's "connect" to arts and agriculture
    - Interpretation ? signage, brochure or knowledgeable staff
    - Focus on authenticity and quality

    Does Your Restaurant Meet Any 5 of These Criteria?
    - Shows local art on the walls/display cases and/or uses handcrafted items as tableware
    - Has interpretive materials that tell about the arts on premises and/or the history of the place
    - Regularly has live music
    - Features locally grown produce
    - Offers a selection of N.C. indigenous foods
    - Serves indigenous N.C. recipes, such as bean bread
    - Is in an architecturally significant building
    - Is popular with locals
    - Has a unique authentic regional claim to fame, such as "N.C.'s oldest restaurant"

    Greta Lint, local project coordinator for the North Carolina Arts Council, says, "This is the most in-depth, cutting edge tourism effort ever created in our state. Each trail runs through 3 or 5 counties, offering the traveler opportunity to hear local music, eat locally grown food, pick locally grown produce, see locally made crafts and spend more money. By digging deeper into what communities offer, it allows businesses and artisans opportunity to capitalize upon the tourism dollar. In 2003, tourism generated nearly $18 million in direct and indirect spending in North Carolina."

    For more information, call Greta Lint at 336/626-0527 or visit www.homegrownhandmade.com. You may also call Rebecca Moore, Director of Marketing, NC Arts Council at 919/733-2119 or visit www.ncarts.org.

  • The Orange County recycling division is now crushing its green glass bottles instead of sending them off to Raleigh for recycling. Right now it's a relatively small size particle with some blue in it, quite attractive and might have some application in art tiles or mosaic or other similar applications. There is a pile of about 100 tons at the landfill. It's about half pea sized gravel and about half 'sand'. If someone wanted to view the pile and see if they can use the material at either its current particle size or a larger size, they can contact the landfill manager, Paul Spire at pspire@co.orange.nc.us or via phone at 919/624-0221. The material will be for sale at less than $25 per ton, price is not firm yet. They will load larger quantities for anyone who wants it. For more information, please contact Blair Pollock, Solid Waste Planner, 919/968-2788.
  • PROVENCE RESTAURANT in Carrboro looking for artists to exhibit paintings with mediterranean influence (landscape, villages, coast line,etc). Please contact in the afternoons: Felix Roux, Provence, 203 W. Weaver st., Carrboro, NC. 919/968-5008.

  • Panzanella is requesting artists to display their works in this Carrboro restaurant. Please use the contact information on the following "Call for Artists" (pdf). (Please note that there is also an application form/artist agreement to be signed.)

    Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

    If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, download it first (click on the icon above or click on www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html). Then come back to this page and download the following pdf file.

    Panzanella - Call for Artists

  • Be sure to check out the Triangle Community Foundation's website often for grant/scholarship opportunities: www.trianglecf.org.
  • If you are a craft artist and need emergency assistance, check out the Craft Emergency Relief Fund at www.craftemergency.org/emerassistance.html.
  • Call for Artists - Town of Cary Art Exhibitions. The Town of Cary announces solo and group art exhibition opportunities at Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Jordan Hall Arts Center and more. Artists are invited to submit an application at anytime for future exhibitions. Applications submitted by March 15 will be included in the next review. Applications submitted after this date and by September 15 will be held for the fall review. To request an application, contact the Public Art Coordinator at 919/465-4791. or pick up an application at Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Jordan Hall Arts Center, or any Cary community center. There is no fee to apply. Applications can be downloaded from the Town of Cary website, www.townofcary.org/depts/prdept/events/gallery.htm.
  • WHEN WORKS PASS INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN - Lolly Gasaway, University of North Carolina, has created a chart that clearly lays out when works pass into the public domain. The chart may be freely duplicated or linked to for nonprofit use. www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm".
  • The University of North Carolina School of Law created the Community Development Law (CDL) Clinic to help meet the legal needs of nonprofit and community development organizations. In the CDL Clinic, third year law students, under the supervision of law school faculty, furnish free corporate and transactional counsel to nonprofit organizations whose missions are to build and strengthen under-resourced communities.

    The CDL Clinic is a two-semester program in which third-year students provide corporate and transactional counsel to North Carolina nonprofit community development organizations. CDL students work on a wide variety of business law projects including: forming corporations and limited liability companies; spinning off subsidiaries for existing nonprofit corporations; advising organizations regarding local, state and federal taxation; negotiating and drafting contracts on behalf of nonprofit organizations; assisting organizations with real estate acquisitions; helping structure joint ventures between nonprofit and for-profit entities; obtaining necessary state licenses for nonprofit programs. Students in the CDL Clinic take primary responsibility for interviewing clients, structuring the legal projects, negotiating on behalf of their clients, and drafting all necessary legal documents. The goal of the CDL Clinic is to help students develop skills in corporate and transactional law, show them how those skills can be put to use in serving under-resourced communities, and at the same time provide valuable legal services to community organizations serving those communities.

    If your organization could use legal counsel in some aspect of its program, or if you would like more information about the clinic, please contact Mark Dorosin (CDL Clinic Supervisor) at 919/843-9909 or dorosin@email.unc.edu or visit UNC Community Development Law Clinic.

  • The Southern Arts Federation, a service organization for the arts in the nine southeastern states, has launched a free job listing web site - www.artsopportunities.org. We encourage all North Carolina arts organizations to list their vacancies on this site and all job seekers to search the site for openings.
  • Copyright Information for Artists - Check out www.nea.gov/artforms/Manage/Copyright2.html.
  • Health Insurance for Artists - check out The Artists' Health Insurance Resource Center on the Americans for the Arts web site.
  • Web Site Development for Artists - Check out the New York Foundation for the Arts web site at www/nyfa.org/level2.asp?id=38&fid=1.
  • Art Gallery offering retail and studio spaces for rent. No commission, 6 month agreements, available January 2003. Opening special: month of January rent - half price. Call 919/742-3878 (Siler City, NC).
  • The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has launched NYFA Source, "the nation's most extensive database of awards, services, and publications for artists of all disciplines." Artists, funders, arts organizations, and the general public can access NYFA Source for free at www.nyfa.org/nyfa_source.asp?id=47&fid=1.
  • Board Café, at www.boardcafe.org/, is a newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Check it out!
  • Tips for Nonprofit Accountability. Charles B. Maclean, PhD and founder of PhilanthropyNow has developed a self-audit for nonprofits to help prevent behaviors that could have a negative impact on donors. In his article, Maclean offers tips for nonprofit accountability. www.pnnonline.org/article.php?sid=734.
  • STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR ETHICAL BEHAVIOR. Independent Sector has announced a new accountability initiative to help boards and staff of nonprofits develop clear standards and procedures for ethical behavior. The organization has produced an online compendium of the standards of more than 60 nonprofits. www.independentsector.org/issues/accountability.html.
  • IMAGINING AMERICA. A national movement to link universities with the communities they serve through arts, design, and humanities projects. www.ia.umich.edu/.
  • The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) announces a new free online database of grants, residencies, publications and sources of information and assistance for artists of all disciplines. NYFA Source identifies more than 2,600 award programs, 2,000 services and 700 publications for artists in dance, music, theatre, performance art, visual art, design, media art and literary arts. The database may be accessed through www.nyfa.org.
  • National Heritage Fellowships: Nomination Information. As part of its efforts to honor, assist, encourage, and present artists and artforms that reflect the many cultural traditions that make up our nation, the NEA annually awards up to 12 one-time-only National Heritage Fellowships for master folk and traditional artists. These fellowships are intended to recognize the recipients' artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage. For information on how to nominate someone, go to their website at arts.endow.gov/guide/Heritage02.html.
  • The Creative Arts in Public/Private Schools (CAPS) Program of the Durham Arts Council provides creative ways for students and educators in public and private schools of Durham and Orange counties to access arts education. Students are taught history through dance, language through poetry, science through photography, and other core curriculums through the arts. If you would like information on how to become a CAPS Artist-in-Residence, check out the Durham Arts Council's Artist Services Update. To find out how to place a CAPS artist in your child's school, contact Jane Williams at 919/560-2718 or jwilliams@durhamarts.org.
  • Triangle Community Foundation is building a database of all eligible non-profits so that its donors can get involved in community organizations serving Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham counties, and have access to the full range of granting opportunities in their fields of interest. If you're interested in submitting an agency profile, contact Jan Muller at 919/474-8360 or email to jan@trianglecf.org.
  • Durham Arts Council offers revised Exhibit Directory for Durham, Orange and Wake Counties. There are approximately 140 exhibit opportunities listed in this guide with contact names, numbers, addresses and suggestions on how to approach galleries. Exhibit spaces are divided into Commercial, Nonprofit and Alternative spaces. Copies are available for $5.00. Send request and payment (made to Durham Arts Council) to Jennifer Collins, Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris Street, Durham, NC 27701.
  • North Carolina Handmade is a new on-line gallery featuring arts and crafts made in North Carolina. Unlike a typical gallery, North Carolina Handmade will focus on handmade copies of original works instead of more expensive one-of-a-kind pieces. North Carolina Handmade is looking for artists and craftspeople who might be interested in having North Carolina Handmade sell their work. They plan to market pottery, jewelry, fabric arts, glasswork, woodwork, toys and dolls, and any other item handmade in North Carolina. North Carolina Handmade's mission will be to focus on promotion, maintaining a web store, customer service, and shipping while freeing each artist to focus on creating. They have put together a sample web site, www.nchandmade.com, so that they can demonstrate what we have in mind. The site includes sample arts and crafts, sample artist profiles, customer service information pages, and information for artists about working with North Carolina Handmade. For more information, contact Cheri DeRosia or David Brown at info@nchandmade.com or 919/401-9912.
  • Updated September, 2010