A! Magazine for the Arts Archive

"From These Hills" at WKRAC

"From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands" officially opens with a reception from 7-9 p.m. Friday, June 29 at William King Regional Arts Center in Abingdon, Va.

In This Issue

• Arts All Around: Art in Public Places

  Throughout July, myriad final tasks of Bristol's Art in Public Places project will occupy a team of dedicated volunteers. Operating under the auspices of Arts Alliance Mountain Empire, the AiPP committee is marching forward, for the second year

• Art in Public Places Juror Discusses the Process

  Vaughn Whitney Garland, Director of the Arts Library at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, and a graduate of Emory & Henry College is the juror for Bristol's 2007 Art in Public Places.

• Youth Spotlight: Milligan College

  I'll never forget that first company meeting. the majority had worked together before. None imagined the journey we were about to take.

• Johnson City Businessman Named Chairman of Tennessee Arts Commission In June 2007, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredensen appointed Ed Gerace chairman of the Tennessee Arts Commission.
• Youth Orchestra Conductor Selected Ross Bader has been selected as conductor of the Symphony of the Mountains Youth Orchestra based in Kingsport, Tenn.
• Symphony Executive Director Resigns At the end of June 2007, Ann Myers is leaving her post as Executive Director of the Symphony of the Mountains to return to her native Texas.
• "From These Hills" — The Jurying Process

  "I found the jurying process especially difficult because there was so much good work submitted." — Dr. Howard Risatti, guest curator for "From These Hills: Contemporary Artists in the Southern Appalachian Highlands" at William King

• "From These Hills" — Dr. Risatti Discusses the Art Submitted

  Guest curator Dr. Howard Risatti comments on the artworks selected for "From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands" June 29-Sept. 30 at William King Regional Arts Center in Abingdon.

• Bristol Library Commissions Mural for Children's Area One year from now, children visiting the Bristol Public Library will find themselves on a trip around the world.
• "From These Hills" — Anne Armentrout Snipped from magazines, her photo collages merge vanity and spirituality.
• "From These Hills" — Alison Pack, Baldwin True North, Mindy North Sculptures small and fantastical.
• "From These Hills" — Lou Haney Celebrates and questions the joys of consumption.
• "From These Hills" — Lee Coburn Pressing social commentary.
• "From These Hills" — Misty Stratton Fragile and transitory as memories.
• "From These Hills" — Elaine Fleck A clash of scale and perspective occurs.
• "From These Hills" — Robyn Raines, Joseph Champagne Both challenge our modes of understanding.
• "From These Hills" — Charlie Brouwer, Jennifer L. Collins Sculpture real and imaginary.
• "From These Hills" — Joshua Coleman, Thomas Schram Nature and land are featured.
• "From These Hills" — John W. Hilton, Bonnie Moreno, Pat Pilchard Works strike a very different chord
• "From These Hills" — Gay Smith 3-Dimensional Works
• "From These Hills" — Mary Alice Kelly Metaphor for the individual's personal struggle.
• "From These Hills" — Mary Tartaro, Marvin Tadlock Haunting visions
• Barter Actors in Civil War Film

  When I recently rented a DVD entitled Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories (2006), what to my wondering eyes did appear but two familiar faces from the Barter Theatre resident acting company: Nick Piper and Eugen

A! Extra

• Harry Scanlan retires as Paramount Center director

  Scanlan has been at Paramount's helm since 1994.

• The Arts as Therapy: Rheumatoid arthritis doesn't cripple dance ministry
• Vote for "The Best Place to Listen to Bluegrass Music" HINT: Bristol VA/TN — the official "Birthplace of Country Music" and home of the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival, held each year in September.
• Stardust Book/Film in Publisher's Weekly

  Neil Gaiman has won success in many different storytelling mediums.The movie "Stardust" — based on the 1998 fantasy novel [by Gaiman and local fantasy illustrator Charles Vess] — opens in theatres on Aug. 10.

• Historical Society salutes Director of Outdoor Dramas As during all wars, there's much discourse today of patriotism in America. Each year, the last three weekends in July at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton, the early patriots of the new country are remembered and their efforts for life a
• Letter to the Editor: A! Magazine Story solved Dilemma

  Thank you so much for the timely article on the jurying process for the "From These Hills" exhibition [at the William King Regional Arts Center in Abingdon].

• John Sevier descendants to participate in Liberty! at Sycamore Shoals The national organization of the descendants of John Sevier will convene for the first time at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, on the ground where their famous ancestor first rose to prominence.
• NEW! Announcing the Americans for the Arts Job Bank

  The new Americans for the Arts Job Bank is your resource for making online employment connections in the arts field.

• Tennessee Arts Commission announces Grant Awards for Fiscal Year 2008 About "$4.7 million of the Tennessee Arts Commission's grant funding is made possible through the sale of specialty and collegiate license plates which Tennesseans voluntarily purchase each year," Ed Gerace, chair of the Tennessee Arts Commission.
• Stardust: "Gold is Where You Find It" Everyone is always looking for "the gold." Most everyone thinks it is anywhere but where they are. Charles Vess, a local artist, recognized his gold when he was just a child in the 1950s in Lynchburg, Va.
• MECCA Singers enchant Audiences from Abingdon to Hungary

  Members of the Mountain Empire Children's Choral Academy have continued to sing and enchant audiences from Abingdon to Hungary this summer.

• Abingdon receives Big Read Grant from NEA

  Barter Theatre and Washington County Public Library will be part of the program.

• Actor to take Final Bow at Barter Theatre John Hedges, a longtime member of Barter Theatre's Resident Acting Company, will be taking his final bow at the venerable State Theatre of Virginia Sunday July 29 in the theatre's current production of Tradin' Paint by Catherine Bush.
• Russian Dancer offers Specialized Ballet Instruction to Young Men Rostislov Dzabraev, 21, joined Kingsport Ballet in April 2007 as an artist in residence, to teach, perform and forge a new life. Dzabraev left St. Petersburg, Russia on Easter Sunday to travel to the U.S. where he now makes his home in Kingsport, Tenn.
• MECCA names new director of East Tennessee Children's Choir Beth Perkinson McCoy, artistic director of the MECCA and director of the East Tennessee Children's Choir since 1994, announced in May that she will step down as director of the ETCC beginning in August 2007.
• Liberty! As the outdoor drama presented at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton, Tenn. nears its third decade, organizers and sponsors believe the time is right for a fresh look and, to them, "liberty" says it all.
• Ballerina wins Miss Virginia Title

  Hannah Martine Kiefer is the new Miss Virginia.

• The Arts Mean Business: Arts & Economic Prosperity National study reveals the arts generate $166 billion in economic activity.
• Barter Replaces Candide with Driving Miss Daisy Audiences will not want to miss Driving Miss Daisy on the historic Barter Theatre stage beginning Oct. 5.
• Stardust: New Characters, Downloads, Features, and Contests! The chase for the star continues. Many new residents of Stormhold have appeared, more information on the making of the film is available, and the Starry Sky section is now open!
• IN FOCUS: Birthplace of Country Music Alliance
• A Theory of Craft: Function and Aesthetic Expression by Dr. Howard Risatti What is craft? How is it different from fine art or design? Dr. Howard Risatti examines these issues in his new book, A Theory of Craft: Function and Aesthetic Expression. Risatti is the guest curator for "From These
• Stardust Books