A! Magazine for the Arts Archive

Celebrating Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month, A! Magazine for the Arts asked several black artists to reflect on their experiences growing up in Appalachia.

In This Issue

• Black History: Artwork Inspired by African Heritage Sammie Nicely is a contemporary folk artist who works in sculpture, ceramics and mixed media.
• Black History: "Growing up African-American gives you a special perspective." Jasper McGruder is a New York-based performer and director who lives in Abingdon when he works with Barter Theatre.
• Black History: Segregation, Tolerance and Reflection Dr. Jerry L. Jones recently completed his book, Go and Come Again — Segregation, Tolerance and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle.
• Black History: Classical Music is "Color Blind" Unlike her male counterparts in this article, Cherylonda Fitzgerald says her identity as a black woman "has not been a huge factor in my life."
• Youth Spotlight: Jocelyn Wilson Jocelyn Wilson plans to practice family medicine. She also wants to be a published writer, penning poetry and fiction, children's books, and stories about real people.

A! Extra

• Regional Winners of Poetry Out Loud Competition On February 6, the Virginia Region 1 Poetry Out Loud competition was held on Barter Theatre's Stage II in Abingdon.
• Breaking Through...Together Little Kaitlyn Baker of Pound, Va., and McKenna Andrews of Kingsport, Tenn. are on the cusp of stardom.
• Look for March A! Magazine on Wednesday, FEB. 29 Expect your MARCH A! Magazine on Wednesday, FEB. 29, 2012. And plan now to submit press releases and to advertise in the APRIL 2012 print edition of A! Magazine for the Arts.
• Review: 39 Steps is Back at Barter The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va., seldom, if ever, brings anything back right off the bat, but The 39 Steps is making a big exception.
• Dance with Daddy Dancing with his 11-year-old daughter at Sunday's father-daughter dance, Dennis Gibson lamented the likely reality that it was the last time he'd be her date.
• Don't Stop the Music The winter wind blew cold, and the steel-gray sky spit sleet as a white-haired man in black, hands stuffed warmly into his coat pockets, stepped cautiously among the tombstones of the hilltop family cemetery.
• ETSU Students Building Custom Electric Guitars Bill Hemphill is always looking for new ideas to benefit students.
• Some "Kind" of Love Once upon a time, the sassy owner of One of a Kind Gallery fell in love with a hard-working "Prince Valiant".....
• Two Grammy Nominations for "Bristol Sessions" Boxed Set "The Bristol Sessions 1927-1928: The Big Bang of Country Music" Box Set has received two Grammy nominations in the Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes categories.
• ETSU Professor leads Drumming Circles Dr. Arnold Nyarambi is one of the 2011 winners of the Patricia E. Robertson Diversity Leadership Award at East Tennessee State University, honored during a reception and award presentation in December 2011.
• The Book of Ballads in Library of Congress An official letter of acknowledgment has been received from Allene Hayes, Chief of the Library of Congress, on the acceptance into their collection of Charles Vess' award winning work entitled The Book of Ballads.