Greetings Friends,
I know you have been waiting with much anticipation for our last
installment, in a series of five reports, which outline the results of the
surveys and evaluations of the previous season. We have learned that you are
very interested in identifying future instructors and workshops, including when
and how they are structured. And our final finding relates to how the school
can best serve our ‘community’.
One individual commented: “I think there is an amazing
opportunity for this program to expand in a way that promotes broad community
engagement and support for the arts and also work of the artists.” We all wholeheartedly
agree, and are honored to have been entrusted with such a great responsibility
to not only our physical community, but to our community of artists as well.
Thus we came up with a variety of initiatives to address the
needs put forth by the results:
First, we wanted to address an accessibility issue. So
following in the steps of John C Campbell Folk School,
we have instituted a local tuition / stand-by option for residents of Ashe County.
We felt this was important as Florence Thomas was very adamant that the school
be located in the county.
Next, we wanted to increase community involvement through
open studios and demonstrations. Therefore, we extended an opportunity for all
of our instructors to host an open studio prior to their workshops. This
provides an opportunity for the general public and visitors to the area to experience
a variety of arts and artists; and for the participants to get to know their
instructor and classmates on a more personal level.
This incentive also led to the creation of our first ever Fiber
Demonstration Day and Fiber Market, made possible by a partnership with the Blue
Ridge Fiber Guild, which will be held in conjunction with our first annual
Fiber Arts Heritage Craft Week in June. This along with the open studios are provided
free of charge for both the general public and participants.
This leads nicely into our next initiative: Community
Partnerships. Florence
Art School
has had a long standing history with the Blue Ridge Art Clan, a local artist’s
organization founded by Florence Thomas and the Ashe County Arts Council. We
have recently formed a new relationship with the Blue Ridge Fiber Guild. Its
president, Sandi Basil and member Jane Campbell were very instrumental in
assisting us with obtaining a generous donation of four weaving looms from a
local family. They will also be partnering with us to offer the previously mention
demonstration day along with a fiber demonstration day just for kids as part of
the Ashe County Public Library Summer Reading Program.
While we are proud
of the various relationships we have formed in the past four years, we are
still looking for ways that we can partner with other organizations to better
serve our community. Just this past week, we have formed a partnership with the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area and will be hosting paint-outs in the park beginning in May. Check back for more information!
Our last and final initiative, I would classify as stage one
in a three-part process. Many surveyed appeared to be confused as to the intent
of our goal to “provide exhibition space.” This even came into question among members
of the board – was it solely to provide exhibition space for Florence Thomas’s works, the works of our instructors, students or artist in general?
All were in agreement that they would like to provide an opportunity
for both instructors and alumni to show case their works in addition to the Florence Thomas gallery. Thus, the Instructor
and Alumni Gallery concept was developed. In its first year, we will be
displaying works of our instructors in a gallery just off the classroom.
Pieces may or may not be for sale based on the
preference of the artists. We will assess the concept prior to stage two, which
will include works of alumni. Stage
three, will include an expanded gallery space and the option of employing additional
gallery staff as needed.
I would like to thank you for your attention and continued interest in what
we are doing here at Florence.
I hope to see you at one of our workshops, open studios, community
demonstrations or other special events. Please walk right up and introduce
yourself and tell me how together we can continue to make Florence a vital part of our community.
Sincerely,
Meghan B Minton
Executive Director
