Arts Alliance Mountain Empire

In Search of Appalachian Connections

The Appalachian, Scottish, and Irish Studies (ASIS) program at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) makes connections between Appalachia and the Old World, through study on campus and abroad.

In This Issue

Appalachia Connections: ETSU Programs ASIS is a program of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services (CASS), established in 2008 at ETSU.
Appalachian Connections: Jane MacMorran Jane MacMorran is a full-time adjunct faculty member and the director of the Appalachian, Scottish, Irish Studies Program at ETSU.
Appalachian Connections: ETSU Students Students talk about how the ASIS program has changed their lives.
Youth Spotlight: Chelsea Thrasher Chelsea Thrasher, an 18-year-old writer from Abingdon, Va., has proved herself as an emerging poet and playwright in the past several years.

A! Extra

Reviews: Barter Theatre Productions

Reminder: Art & Photography Workshops Fine Art & Photography Workshops sponsored by Arts Alliance Mountain Empire and Virginia Intermont College will be held Thursday, March 24, 2011.

Early Deadlines for May 2011 Print Edition Expect your APRIL A! Magazine on Wednesday, MARCH 30. And plan now to submit press releases and to advertise in the MAY edition of A!.

Tennessee Governor Announces Arts Awards Tennessee's highest honor in the arts will be awarded April 12, 2011 to eight recipients that exemplify the state's finest cultural traditions.

Abingdon Arts Future Taking New Shape The artisans' courtyard project planned by William King Museum has taken on new life since the announcement that the museum's Academy Drive campus is up for sale.

Just Bead It Lisa Wilson doesn't consider herself an artist. "I'm a plain old craft person," she said. But to the ladies of the Plumb Alley Bead Club, Wilson is an artist, a teacher and a hero.

Common Chord (two-part story) Bobby Hebb wanted to know how to write a song. He stood in an alley out back of the Ryman Auditorium, the home of the Grand Ole Opry. Folks passed by and paid him no mind....Down the stairs leading from the Opry's backstage came country's biggest star the

Country Music's Most Important Recordings Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman lives again. Likewise The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in general and the Bristol Sessions of 1927 and '28 in particular. Thank Germany-based Bear Family Records for that.

Milligan Professor Honors Auschwitz Orchestra Dr. Kellie Brown, chair of the Milligan College music department, will present her research on orchestras in concentration camps at the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Conference in Kansas City, Mo.

Guild donates Embroiderered Bookmarks to Bristol Library The Bristol TN/VA Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America helped the Bristol Public Library celebrate World Read Aloud Day on March 9, 2011, with the gift of 42 bookmarks for the library.

Knoxville Student Wins "Poetry Out Loud" State Competition From a competitive field of 34 students from across the state, Summer Awad of Hardin Valley Academy in Knoxville was named the 2011 Poetry Out Loud State Champion.

VMFA awards Fellowship to King College Student The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has awarded 43 fellowships to Virginia art students and professional artists in 2011-12 for a total of $258,000. Among the recipients is J. Adam Holsinger (photography) of Bristol.

Tusculum Student wins silver at Knoxville ADDY Awards Tusculum College student Nathan Carver was recently awarded a silver ADDY, one of the most prestigious awards in advertising and design.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Takes Home the Bronze Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion recently received the Bronze Kaleidoscope Award for Best Festival from the Southeast Festivals & Events Association.

Dominion Donates to Barter's Appalachian Festival of Plays Dominion recently donated $25,000 to Barter's Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights (AFPP).

Kingsport Photographer Featured in New Magazine Fine art photographer Jeffrey Stoner's images will be featured in the April 2011 inaugural edition of Still Point Arts Quarterly.

Val Lyle a Studio Artist at William King Museum William King Museum: Center for Art and Cultural Heritage, in historic Abingdon, invites visitors to look inside an artist's workspace.

Winners in Kingsport's Appalachian Art Show Kingsport's 2011 Appalachian Art Show will be on display through March 25.

'Round the Mountain Receives $20,000 Grant In an effort to provide needed artisan entrepreneurial training throughout the region, `Round the Mountain is working with Wachovia, a Wells Fargo company, to help make this a reality.

NEA Survey Says 3 Out of 4 Americans Participate in the Arts A new analysis of data collected by the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) reveals that nearly 75 percent of American adults participate in the arts.

Grant to support Dance for Adults with Disabilities

Most researchers at East Tennessee State University use grant dollars to purchase equipment and supplies — things like electron microscopes, laboratory instruments, sophisticated machinery and so forth — to support their scientific endeavors.