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UCAA NEWSLETTER January 2009
UCAA’s Cultural Inventory is underway! The following press release was sent to all newspapers in the Upper Cumberland. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance receives $10,000 grant from Tennessee Arts Commission to conduct regional cultural, heritage inventory
(BYRDSTOWN, Tenn., Dec. 30, 2008) – The art of the rural Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee has deep roots, stretching back to the pioneer days -- and even as far back as the era of the indigenous Native American.
By the end of the 18th century, settlers were growing their own food, weaving textiles to make clothing and blankets and quilts, building their homes and furniture, running foundries for tool-making and forging horseshoes — and after a long day in the fields or in their shops, they were gathering on front porches to tell stories and play songs.
Now considered forms of art and craft, those skills are still being passed down by local residents, and they’ve been supplemented by a more individual and contemporary approach to art, which is being collected by people who appreciate the heritage and expression of those artists.
No single group, however, knows for sure how many people in this area work in those fields – and a lot of groups covet this information, which could be used to boost the visibility of the arts in this region.
Toward that end, the Tennessee Arts Commission is supporting a local initiative by the Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance to conduct a cultural inventory of the artists living and working in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. The commission has granted the group $10,000 to collect the information and develop a database that can be shared with art groups, local chambers of commerce and others interested in promoting the arts as a networking and economic development tool for the region.
“Our heritage is culturally rich and varied,” said UCAA President Alice Maiwald, who lives in Byrdstown in rural Pickett County. “When people think of our area, they think of farmlands and beautiful countryside, but increasingly, they also think of the utilitarian arts: the quilt-makers and woodworkers, the potters and weavers and metalsmiths and singers – all the folk artists and, more and more, the fine artists as well.
“Many times, those people don’t consider themselves ‘real’ artists, because what they make was once considered just a necessity, but their work is being collected, and it’s appearing in galleries and retail shops all over our region. And those places are perfect magnets for tourism,” said Maiwald.
Arts Alliance “surveyors” are beginning the cultural inventory in early January, and the survey will be conducted through the end of February. They’ll be searching for names and contacts in the traditional 14-county Upper Cumberland: Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren and White.
Arts surveyors are seeking skilled practitioners in the visual arts; dancers, musicians, actors and storytellers in the performing arts; writers and graphic artists associated with fiction and nonfiction; people involved in the graphic and structural arts, such as architecture and industrial or interior design; and even skilled artisans in the “homecrafts” – landscape and environmental designers, culinary specialists, vintners at local wineries, and more.
To request a survey for an individual or group, call the UCAA at 931-265-0338.
The Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance is a grassroots arts advocacy group that seeks to forge a stronger connection among the many artists and arts groups in the Upper Cumberland. It sponsors the Arts & Cultural Center located in the Sutton Store in the historic riverboat town of Granville in rural Jackson County. The Granville Arts & Cultural Center is made possible in part by a grant from the Buhl Family Advised Fund and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Learn more about the UCAA by visiting its web site at www.uppercumberlandartsalliance.com.
The Tennessee Arts Commission seeks to stimulate and encourage the presentation of performing, visual and literary arts throughout the state. The commission works to build better communities by investing public dollars in Tennessee’s nonprofit arts industry, providing services to citizens, artists and arts organizations, and undertaking initiatives that enhance Tennessee’s cultural life. These activities give citizens a better quality of life, provide children with a more complete education and attract tourists to Tennessee.
Contacts: Alice Maiwald (931-265-0338, uppercumberlandartalliance@yahoo.com) Laura Clemons (931-520-0002, lauraclemons@frontiernet.net)
PRINT AND WEB RESOLUTION PHOTOS AVAILABLE FOR THIS CUTLINE: UCAA cultural surveyors gather near the Performance Pavilion in Cookeville’s Dogwood Park, a popular venue for the performing arts in the Upper Cumberland. Symphony orchestras perform on the pavilion stage, as do actors in local theater productions including the annual Shakespeare in the Park series. From left, UCAA members and the counties they represent: Julie Styer (DeKalb, Putnam); Priscilla Oby (Cannon, Warren, White); database administrator Jerry Stout; Maxine Osburn (Jackson, Overton, Smith); Sharron Eckhart (Cumberland, Fentress); and UCAA President Alice Maiwald (Pickett).
Workshop Sessions at the Appalachian Center for Craft
For more information on these workshops check out http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/wkshops.html _________________________________________________________
Nashville Public Television Three UCAA artists have been filmed for the NPT, Tennessee Cross Roads show. The producer of the Tennessee Crossroads show saw the art work at the Granville Arts and Culture Center. We will let you know when they will be shown on TV. Sheryle Bruno was shown on Sunday November 2nd at 10:00 am. So the next two shows are to be aired in the first quarter of 2009. Thanks to the Tennessee Cross Roads show on Nashville Public Television Network
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Call for Art – for the Granville Arts and Culture Center - - -Granville is strongly promoting the UCAA’s Arts and Culture Center. We had a lot of accolades, traffic, sales, and even some commissions from the work in the Center in 2008. We can expect even more in 2009! More detail on this will be forth coming.
CACE - Cumberland Artisans for Creative Expression - will sponsor Art in the Park, a fine art and fine craft festival on Thursday & Friday, July 23 & 24, 2009 at the Cumberland State Park in Crossville. Applications will be available in mid-January via the CACE website, www.cumberlandart.com.
Sandy Darrow has re-opened her gallery on Thursday through Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Sandy’s shop is located at 2740 W. Broad Street, in Double Springs area, about a mile from the Dipsy Doodle. Her number is 931-260-2369.
Granville Tennessee is a unique and pristine place. This Sutton Store in Granville is the home of Granville Arts and Culture Center that is sponsored by UCAA, and also has many other activities throughout the year. Every Saturday night, the Sutton Store has a home-style dinner and bluegrass music. (Reservations for dinner are necessary) The music is taped for later broadcast over 7 radio stations. As the audience, you are involved in the taping of this show. It is the entertainment our parents and grand parents would have enjoyed in their day. Not only do you go back in time with the music and memorabilia, but you also return to the present with the arts and serenity of the area. Call 931-653-4151 for more information and dates of special activities in Granville.
Be sure to visit the NEW website at: www.uppercumberlandartsalliance.com UCAA can be contacted via e-mail at uppercumberlandartalliance@yahoo.com Or phone 931-265-0338. (Please note the difference in our e-mail address and website address- - there is no (s) in the word art in our e-mail address but there is an (s) in the word arts in our website address)
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