The North Carolina Arts Council recently announced the awarding of grant funding to three Johnston County organizations. Johnston Community College was awarded $5,000 for the development of an International Artists performance series, the West Johnston Band Parents Association was awarded $6,000 for two artist residencies that will result in the composition of new high school band or chorus music, and the Johnston County Arts Council was awarded $51,731 for various arts programs, administrative support, and subgrants in Johnston County.

The Johnston County Arts Council receives funding each year from the North Carolina Arts Council through the Grassroots Arts Program, which allows the Johnston County Arts Council to disperse funds to local organizations. The North Carolina Grassroots Arts Program is the only program in the United States that insures every North Carolina resident has access to the arts. The amount awarded in 2008-09 is an increase of $8,163 from 2007-08.

The North Carolina Arts Council will invest $7,427,425 in grants for arts programs and projects across North Carolina during 2008-2009. (more…)

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. 

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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Caption: Representatives of the Johnston County Arts Council and the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield attended The Big Read National Orientation on June 8-9, 2008 in Minneapolis, MN. From left to right, Ruby Smith, Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia, and Jessica Meadows, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council.

The Johnston County Arts Council and the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield today announced that they have received a $6,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to host The Big Read in Johnston County.

Johnston County is one of 208 communities nationwide to receive a grant to host The Big Read from September 2008-June 2009. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 23 selections from American and world literature. The Big Read in Johnston County will focus on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Activities will take place from January 31-February 28, 2009.

The latest Big Read grantees represent 46 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To date, the NEA has given more than 500 grants to support local Big Read projects.

“As The Big Read grant is the first time Johnston County has received direct funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, we are both honored and excited to embark on what will become the Arts Council’s most ambitious and extensive program in the organization’s 36 year history, with the goal of reaching every Johnston County resident,” stated Jessica Meadows, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council.

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Just wanted to let you all know about a great opportunity to show your pride in the ARTS in our state and support a good cause at the same time.
 
ARTS North Carolina has begun the process to create an ARTS specialty license plate. Legislation has been introduced in the legislature by Senator Tony Rand and Representative Becky Carney. Once the legislation is passed and the DMV and Highway Patrol approve the design, ARTS NC must sell 300 plates and submit that money to the DMV before they will start printing the plates. SO…..we want to sell these first 300 as quick as we can!
 
To facilitate the process, ARTS NC is distributing the attached interest forms to be sent into them. Once everything has been approved, they will send applications and information to those folks who have submitted forms indicating an interest.
 
The design for the plate is below, created by Rachel Godwin, former graphic artist with the North Carolina Museum of Art. This will be the FIRST digitally produced full-color plate in the state! The plates will cost $30 more than the standard NC plates. Of that fee, $20 will go to ARTS North Carolina to support the invaluable advocacy work of that organization.
 
Hope you like it!

License Plate Design

License Plate Interest Form

As a native of Morganton, NC and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bill Leslie, WRAL-TV5 news anchor, is a Tarheel through and through. Not only a talented story-teller, Bill is a world renown musician, praised by famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma as “one of the greats in modern Celtic Music.”

The Clayton Historical Association is proud to present an afternoon of Bill’s music, with a cultural event entitled Tarheel Tales and Tunes, to be held at The Clayton Center, located at 111 East 2nd Street, in historic downtown Clayton, NC on June 1, 2008 at 3pm.

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ARTS DAY 2008 is scheduled for May 13th and 14th.  If you don’t know what ARTS DAY is, its an annual event hosted by ARTS NC, the arts advocacy group for North Carolina, to learn how to legally and strategically advocate on behalf of the arts to state legislators, as well as an opportunity to network with arts advocates from across the state. 

If you can’t make it on ARTS DAY, you can still get involved.  Johnston County receives funding each year from the state through Grassroots Arts Funds, the funding of which is included in the annual North Carolina state budget.  Last year, Johnston County received $42,784 for arts funding from the state, which was then granted to 12 county organizations for cultural programming.  Contact your state senators and house reps to thank them for past funding, to tell them why you believe the arts are important in your community and to ask for future support of the Grassroots Arts Program.   For Johnston County, the Senator is Fred Smith  and the two Johnston County house representatives are James H. Langdon and Leo Daughtry. 

The Johnston County Arts Council also receives public funding at the local level from the Johnston County Government.  Last year we received $12,500, which was an increase of $2,500 from previous years.  This year, the Arts Council is asking for $15,000.  Contact the County Commissioners today with a letter thanking them for their past support, detailing how the arts have impacted your life, and asking that they consider increasing the funding to $15,000 in 2008-09.

If you don’t get involved, someone else will!

Bear Creek Center Announces Kickin Back at the Vineyard With Music by Kickin Grass

Live bluegrass by Kickin Grass, wine tastings, arts and crafts, plenty of food, raffles, games and door prizes all will be part of Kickin Back at the Vineyard, a fundraiser to be held at the Hinnant Family Vineyards and Winery on Saturday, May 10, 2008, to benefit the Bear Creek Center for people with disabilities in LaGrange.

Hinnant Family Vineyards, located in Pine Level, will host an afternoon-long event that promises to appeal to anyone who enjoys bluegrass music, fine wine, good food and more within the natural beauty of a working wine vineyard, according to Debbie Valentine, events planner for Bear Creek Center.  The vineyards are conveniently located just off I-95 and Highway 70 between Smithfield and Goldsboro.

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The Johnston County Arts Council works hard to provide quality arts programming for the entire county.  To do that, we hold fundraisiers like the golf tournament in the fall, and our Annual Meeting next Tuesday, May 6th.  We write grants, ask for donations from corporations, request funding from the state and from the county level, and we ask Johnston County Residents to become members. 

The 2008 Membership Campaign goal was $6,500; as of April 30, 2008, we are at $6,365.  We’re so close!  Help us reach our goal and become a member today.  You can go here for a membership form or you can contact me at the Arts Council office for a brochure-919-553-1930.  Even if you can’t afford a membership, every little bit helps, so send in your donation of $10, $5, or $1!