Following North Carolina arts issues

ARTS North Carolina is the group you need to know about if you want to keep up with arts advocacy and politics (funding, arts programs, museums, etc.)   Here's who they are:

We are North Carolina’s statewide advocacy organization for the arts. ARTS North Carolina calls for equity and access to the arts for all North Carolinians, unifies and connects North Carolina’s arts communities, and fosters arts leadership. We speak for the arts wherever there is need.

 You can keep up using their various web activities:

Main web page
Facebook page
Their blog
and Twitter!

"Playing with Paint" an art series class with Maggi Grace

Back in my dark ages, circa 2006, I began painting as a form of therapy.  I was lucky enough to have Maggi Grace take me under her wing.  She taught me techniques and such but mostly she opened my mind to my possibilities. 

She continues in her quiet way to try to make the world a better place, whether it is teaching painting and poetry, traveling to India to volunteer (her idea of a vacation), or simply in the way she lives her life.  She has a class coming up that she calls "Playing with Paint." I encourage those of you who have always wanted to paint but thought that was only for "artists" to give her class a try.  The same holds true if you've painted before but seem to be stuck.  I promise you'll discover your inner creative self.

Playing with Paint

                     

7 Tuesdays this Spring   (April 13, 20, 27; May 4, 11, 18, 25) 

    10:30 am-1:00 pm * 

Description   "You begin with the possibilities of the materials”—Robert Rauschenberg

It’s spring.  What a perfect time to paint and play!  Here’s a course for anyone who has ever said, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body!” or “I couldn’t even draw a stick figure,” but who is secretly attracted to the world of painting. Get acquainted with PAINT in a safe, non-threatening, non-competitive environment. We’ll play with different paints, colors, textures, shapes and various surfaces to paint, and experiment with the brush and lots of unexpected tools.

Instead of trying to duplicate exactly what we see, we'll play with paint and see what we have created.  Playing with Paint allows you the luxury of creating at your own pace, focusing on possibilities instead of the results. Whether you’ve never touched a paintbrush before or you are an artist needing a new spark, join us for this workshop as a SPRINGboard into new creative thinking.  (Flexible schedule available)  Continuing students may bring their own projects to work on here.

* Class is held in the artist’s Carrboro studio. (Two creative cats live there, too). 

* Please wear comfortable, non-precious clothing (or bring a painting smock/shirt). 

* Contact me with any special needs  maggi.grace@gmail.com  

   (Visit:  www.maggigrace.com)

* Choose Any 6 of 7 Tuesdays* for $235.  Nothing to buy-ALL materials included !      (*Will adjust fee for desired times &  number of sessions.)  

 

Sex Pistols Baton Rouge, January 9, 1978

This post has nothing to do with Carrboro except I live here and only a tenuous relationship to art depending on your perspective.  Instead it has to do with me finding a very good recording of the 4th of 7 Sex Pistols concerts in the US, specifically January 9, 1978 in my home town Baton Rouge, LA.

I have few regrets in my life but most of them have to do with missing concerts.  The Stones in Baton Rouge performing Star F***ker with Mick jumping up and down on a giant inflatable dildo at the first show of their 1975 tour or a teenage U2 playing a little club in Chico, CA, cover charge 97¢ for example.  Well I didn't go to this show either.  What a loser.

The band is obnoxious, the crowd is worse and they rock (band and audience)!  So here's a hot and noisy version of EMI which is of course a blatant copy of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers' Roadrunner.  The finale was Liar, the first 30 seconds or so are spent with the crowd arguing with Johnny Rotten (lots of f-bombs -- Joe Biden was in the audience and an odd fellow screaming "Bay City Rollers" over and over) before Rotten screams "Shut up!" and then they rock.  (Right click to save them to your drive.)

Full show here.

A little promo blurb on WCHL on the Carrboro Community Arts Project

The station called me yesterday and interviewed me about the Carrboro Community Art Project that is coming up in May (but you have to get your art by April 24th!)  You can listen to about 23 seconds of the interview here.  I sound coherent in the first clip, the second clip....not so much!

Thanks to WCHL 1360 AM for supporting us and being a strong member of our community! 

FRANK opening in downtown Chapel Hill!

Chapel Hill's new community non-profit art collective will open on April 9th during the 2ndFriday Art Walk.  There is not much yet on their website but put it on your calendar.  I'm hoping this a great opportunity to liven up the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Triangle art scene.  I also can see it positively improving the  economic impact of arts in the local community and putting more money in the pockets of working artists.

Announcing the Carrboro Community Art Project!

The Carrboro Arts Committee will be sponsoring a community art event for the 2nd Friday ArtWalk on May 14th at both the Century Center and Town Hall.  It will coincide with Carrboro Day and 101st 2ndFriday ArtWalk.  We'll announce more details soon but there will be a reception and music at both venues.

Anyone with a Carrboro connection -- live, work or play -- is invited. Pieces must delivered to the Century Center on Saturday April 24th (this post and the card below have been corrected for the typo of a non-existent Saturday April 26th) between 10 am and 1 pm.  They'll be up through June.  Full details are available here.  Basically if its ready to hang and no greater than 16x20 you're covered.  No jury!  We really want to fill up the Century Center and Town Hall so get painting, collaging, scribbling, dripping, photographing, printing or whatever mostly two dimensional artistic technique moves you!

You'll be able to sell your work but it will be between you and a buyer as we want no part of that.  I suggest selling your work in exchange for a donation to a worthy charity -- that's what I'll be doing.

The Carrboro Citizen & the Mill has the art scene scoop

Every month the Carrboro Citizen produces an insert on the local art scene -- music, comedy, visual art, festivals, film, books, food etc.  Called The Mill, it is one of the best places to keep up-to-date on what is going on.  You can also download it as a PDF, the latest is here.

Handmade Travels blog post on Carrboro's NC Craft Gallery!

Handmade Travels is dedicated to finding and promoting handmade products.  Their latest post is on our very own NC Crafts Gallery.  It includes a fairly in-depth interview with owner Sara Latta Gress.  Stop by 212 West Main Street at the corner of Weaver Street in Carrboro and say hello or visit them during the 2ndFriday Artwalk.