The Ava Gardner Fest is a grassroots effort to celebrate the heritage of legendary film artist Ava Gardner. This festival honors Ava’s love for her hometown and her passion for music, film and art.

Festival events will include the Arts and Fine Crafts Marketplace, the Ava Gardner Film Festival, live music on the main stage, and special exhibits. Artists will have the opportunity to display and sell their work to visitors from around the United States. Our goal is to showcase regional talent and promote North Carolina’s artist community.

Profits from the Art and Fine Crafts Marketplace help support the mission of the Johnston County Artists Guild. Any profits from other Festival events help support the Ava Gardner Museum’s mission of preserving and displaying memorabilia from the life and artistic career of Ava Gardner.

The Johnston County Artists Guild is a non-profit organization founded in August 2005. It is an organization of artists dedicated to the education, development and sustainment of the visual arts in Johnston County and neighboring counties in North Carolina. Membership may be obtained at http://www.myspace.com/jocoartistsguild.

To register for the Arts Marketplace, please visit the Johnston County Arts Council website www.johnstoncountyarts.org

The Johnston County Arts Council recently received several donations for the 2008-09 Artists-in-the-Schools program year. KS Bank, BB&T, Four Oaks Bank, and Wachovia have all donated $1,000 each for the Artists-in-the-Schools’ tenth year. KS Bank, BB&T and Four Oaks Bank have all donated funds since the inception of the Artists-in-the-Schools program in 1999, and Wachovia joins in support for the first time this year.

Through financial support, these banks are demonstrating their commitment to making the arts accessible to every student. Jeff Lewis of Wachovia stated that “Wachovia appreciates the efforts of the Johnston County Arts Council and is proud to be able to contribute toward the future development of our young people.” Jason Hardy of KS Bank echoed these sentiments by stating that “KS Bank is proud to continue its support of the Arts in Johnston County.  We recognize that by making an investment in the Johnston County Arts Council, we are supporting the development of children throughout the county.”

Available for all students grades K–12 at each of Johnston County’s 38 public schools, the Artists-in-the-Schools program focuses on using the arts as a tool for learning and cultural enrichment. Supported by a strong community partnership between JCAC and the Johnston County Schools (JCS), over $1,000,000 has been raised since the program’s start in 1999. Through public, private, corporate, and individual support, the Artists-in-the-Schools is able to utilize the arts to reinforce and expand basic curriculum through exposure to performances, hands-on workshops, and residencies with professional artists. 

 Although he’s regularly panned as a “true artist” (whatever that means), Bob Ross is known around the country for his show that aired on PBS.  Here are some quotes from Bob Ross.  What’s your favorite? I’ve always loved “happy little trees.”

• That’ll be our little secret.

• In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home, the only thing I have power over, is the garbage.

• Remember our Golden Rule: A thin paint sticks to a thick paint.

• And that makes it look like birch trees, isn’t that sneaky? Heh. Ha. It’s gorgeous.

• You know me, I gotta put in a big tree.

• Here’s your bravery test!
  • Almost always before putting in a big tree.

• Gotta give him a friend. Like I always say ‘everyone needs a friend’.

• We don’t know where it goes. We don’t really care.
  • After painting in a path or snow drift.

• Any time ya learn, ya gain.

• Any way you want it to be, that’s just right.

• As my son Steve says, just ’smoosh’ it in there. It’s not a real word, but people seem to know what it means.

• Be sure to use odorless paint-thinner. If it’s not odorless, you’ll find yourself working alone very, very quick.

• Let’s just blend this little rascal here, ha! Happy as we can be.

• Clouds are very, very free.

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Contributed by local resident Jennifer Hinton: 

The Story of SSS Band follows below this quick announcement: 

Friends and Family Night
Friday, August 15, 2008
Location: Smithfield-Selma Football Stadium
700 Booker Dairy Road
Smithfield, NC  27577
Time: Performance is at 7:45 PM
Admission: FREE - Open to the General Public

Bring the family out to the Charles Tucker Stadium to watch the SSS Marching Spartan Regiment debut their 2008-09 field show entitled “Who.”  This sneak peek will take place on Friday, August 15. 2008 around 7:45 PM.  There is no admission cost.

And now for the history of the Smithfield Selma Senior High Marching Spartans…

The story begins, as many stories do, at the beginning – precisely in 1969.  The Smithfield-Selma High School was formed by bringing 6 high schools together in the town of Smithfield, NC.  One man was asked to head-up the Band Program and he did so with Spartan Spirit until his retirement in 1986.  That man was NCA&T Alumnus, John R. “Doc” Windley.  Mr. Windley was quite the character.  I had the privilege of studying music under him until he retired my senior year in 1986.  The Bands of Smithfield-Selma, also known as SSS (Pronounced Triple S), developed quite a reputation during the 70’s and 80’s because of Mr. Windley’s ability to supercharge his marching bands into some great street performances in local and national parades.  He has taken his marching bands to places like New Orleans, SeaWorld, Preakness and the Rose Bowl Parade. 

If you were to speak with locals who visited North Carolina parades in the 70’s and 80’s, they knew John Windley by name and they admitted they came to the parade mainly to watch the Mighty SSS Band breakout into the crowds or change direction with an abrupt about-face while “stepping out.”  As the self-proclaimed historian of the SSS Class of 1986, I have acquired quite a bit of film footage of the SSS Bands from 1985 and 1986.  Some of these videos consist of field show and parade competitions.  Some consist of championship football games. (The SSS Football team went to state 4A playoffs 3 consecutive years between 1984 and 1986.) One of my most cherished videos is of the SSS Band’s performance in the Governor Martin Inaugural Parade in 1985.  The SSS Band was the largest band in the parade that day sporting 182 members.  All of these videos have been donated to the Johnston County Heritage Center.

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I’m guilty of it.  I’ll bet you’re guilty of it.  Living in a place ripe with treasures and never seeing those things - although you’ll spend money to travel to other places to see their treasures.  I lived in Johnston County all my life, but didn’t visit the Ava Gardner Museum until I was 25 and I’ve never been to Mule Days (although I may be in the minority on that one).  I have a good friend that lived in Chicago for 8 years and went to the Art Institute the last week she was there. 

So with gas prices the way they are, no time like the present to have a “staycation” and check out what’s awesome about the place you call home.

From the Johnston County Visitors Bureau, a list of 101 Things to Do in Johnston County. 

1. First, get to know the county by visiting the Johnston
County Heritage Center to learn about the county’s history and its people at the exhibits on the first floor.

2. Spend the day on the restored farmstead at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum and see how Eastern North Carolina farm families lived, worked and played during the depression era. (more…)

The last performance scheduled for the Music for the Lunch Bunch series is Thursday, August 14 at 12:15pm at First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield Patrick Templeton will perform on saxophone and flute and the Daniel family will present several vocal selections. 

If you attended any of the peformances this year, let me know what you thought!

Born and raised in Boone, North Carolina, Patrick Templeton started playing saxophone in the public school system in 7th grade.  He went on to study music at East Tennessee State University, and will complete his degree this December in instrumental music education after student teaching.  He studied saxophone with Eugene Jones and Thomas Crawford, award-winning coach of the ETSU Saxophone Quartet and Watauga Saxophone Quartet.  Patrick studied flute with Rebecca Paluzzi, student of the famed Louis Moyse of the Paris Conservatory.  He played principal saxophone for the ETSU Wind Ensemble, principal clarinet in the ETSU Concert Band, flute, clarinet, and saxophone in the ETSU Chamber Winds, and lead alto and tenor sax for the ETSU Jazz Ensemble.  He has played with the Barter Theater, Theater Bristol, King College, and the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra as well as being a guest artist with local schools and churches.  He now plays trumpet in the Watauga County Community Band.

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Eric McRay of Raleigh will exhibit his artwork at The Clayton Center for the month of August, part of the monthly exhibits sponsored by Clayton Visual Arts.

A public reception for the artist will be held Thursday, Aug. 14, 6-7:30 p.m., in the lobby.

McRay, who paints with acrylics, has been featured on TV and radio and in numerous newspapers and magazines.  He has a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, where he received a four-year scholarship.

August Invitation

From the Art News Blog

I thought I should mention the Olympic Games, just because everyone else seems to be mentioning them. Peer pressure gets to me sometimes too and I think I should be like the rest of us.. it’s human nature to feel like one of the pack. So here’s a lovely picture that I stole from the ArtDaily newsletter.

I thought the photo looked a bit Sigmar Polke or contemporary Chinese art (without the gaping smiles).

I’m putting this up now because I will be on vacation so don’t get confused!  There is a Lunch Bunch at First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield this Thursday, July 31st at 12:15pm.  The next performance after that will be next TUESDAY, August 5th at FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH in CLAYTON.  It will still be at 12:15pm.   Jonathan Levin will perform on piano.

Jonathan Levin completed the Bachelor of Music degree program for classical piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City in 2007, where he studied with Nina Svetlanova. Jonathan is currently studying at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music pursuing his Masters Degree in piano performance under the tutelage of pianist Jeffrey Biegel. Jonathan began studying piano at age 8 with Dara Edwards of Clayton, who recommended him to Marilyn Brown, Director of Raleigh Conservatory of Music. Under Mrs. Brown’s mentorship and instruction, Jonathan was privileged to win numerous statewide and national piano competitions. He has been honored to have performed with the Raleigh Symphony, Durham Symphony, and the North Carolina Symphony Orchestras as a high school concerto competition winner. In the past, Jonathan has had the privilege of representing the N.C. Music Teachers Association at the Southeast Regional competition and was awarded Honorable Mention twice. The N.C. Federation of Music Clubs has afforded Jonathan the opportunity to compete and win in many state and national level competitions. Two major prizes have been the National Stillman-Kelley and the Eastern Music Festival Scholarships. At Raleigh Conservatory’s own “Spring Festival Competitions,” Jonathan has won 27 first place prizes in many different categories and levels over his years of study there. (more…)

The next performance scheduled for the Music for the Lunch Bunch series is Thursday, July 31st at 12:15pm at First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield. Ella Ann Holding will perform on Piano and Dennis de Jong will perform on trumpet

Ella Ann Holding is a native of Smithfield, NC. She earned a Bachelor of Music, Cum Laude, from Salem College, where she received the 1996 Distinguished Alumni Award. As a student of Bruce Simons, she acquired a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Yale University School of Music, twice winning the Concerto Composition. With additional study at Juliard School of Music on a scholarship, she studied with Katherine Bacon. Mrs. Holding was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London where she studied under Hilda Dederich. Mrs. Holding has performed with the Yale University Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and the Spoleto Festival. (more…)