|
If you can perform, add your name to the list
Can you sing? Play an instrument? Dance? Tell a story?
Dillsboro musician and potter Karen Barnes is looking for Jackson County folk who do all of the above. She's hoping to compile a list of them all to serve as a resource to the community.
"We're trying to figure out what we have to offer," said Barnes of Western North Carolina's quick-growing cultural tourism industry. "We want to be able to get musicians together with an audience that's going to enjoy them."
The project started with a cultural tourism planning workshop Barnes recently attended that was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina and AdvantageWest, a regional economic development commission for WNC.
"Basically, we were looking to see how arts and tourism could benefit each other," she said.
Barnes also coordinates entertainment for Dillsboro's annual December luminary festival, and says the experience has taught her that the area is a wealth of talent.
"We're just barely scratching the surface with Luminaire," she said.
Barnes plans to make the list of performers available to the public through the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Jackson County Arts Council. She'd also like to include teachers of music and dance on the list as well.
"Somebody's always saying, 'My kid wants to learn guitar. Do you know someone?" she said.
In addition to helping better connect the local performance scene, Barnes said the list may be a boon when Jackson groups apply for cultural tourism grants.
Performers and teachers submitting names should include a biography, current contact information, and if they'd like, photos and sample CDs or tapes, Barnes said.
Contact Barnes at 586-3601 or riverwood.pottery@gte.net.
Area music stores, the Chamber and Arts Council are also helping with the effort and will accept performers' information, Barnes said.
Contact the Chamber at 586-2155 or jctta@nc-mountains.com, and the Arts Council at 293-5458 or dipk2@earthlink.net.
Arts Council president Perry Kelly has maintained a similar list of visual artists since the mid-1990s. He said that he welcomes new names and updates.
|
