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Fall & Winter 2013
www.blackmountainnews.com
Arts in downtown Black Mountain By Ron Vinson
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts, centered in downtown Black Mountain at 225 W. State Street, is a community arts center open yearround. Stop by to see the Upper Gallery and fnd out about events.
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blackMountainArts.org (828) 669-0930. Executive director, gale Jackson
Among north Carolina towns, black Mountain stands as an enclave for the arts. Around the world, that reputation came about largely through Black Mountain College, which existed here from 1933 to 1956. Within the region that distinction is now due in part to a local institution, the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, located in the renovated old city hall at 225 W. State Street. The mission of BMCA is “to bring arts to the people and people to the arts.” Through theatre, concerts, exhibits, festivals, workshops, classes and outreach, this community arts center offers to both visitors and residents opportunities to participate in and enjoy the arts. incorporated in 1995, the Center is well into its second decade as a non-profit arts institution serving the eastern part of Buncombe County and the communities of Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Montreat, and ridgecrest. it is not an affiliate of county or town governments, but is a stand-alone organization responsible for raising its own funds and promoting its own programs. The residents of our community pull together each year to support the Black Mountain Center for the Arts through arts events and fundraisers, class tuition, donations, grants, and more. When a group of local residents found that the original city hall, c. 1920s, was to be torn down, they chose to rally around the stately brick building at the west end of downtown, to raise money to save and renovate it, and to turn it into a center for community arts that everyone could use with pride and excitement. once the funds were raised, the orange shag carpet, pine paneling, and truck entrance were MIKAM
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removed, the former holding cell jail was turned into a visual art classroom, the upper level town library was refurbished into a gallery, the town council chambers were restored into an acoustic concert/theater room, the firemen’s sleeping quarters became a reception room/dance classroom, and the city garage was recycled into a functional clay studio. Today, classes and workshops open to the public are held every weekday in one of the various areas of the fine arts – music, visual arts, pottery, writing and dance. Arts events including concerts, theater productions, summer camps, gallery openings and exhibits are scheduled on a regular basis. A garden with sculpture by local artists in the back yard is adjacent to the clay studio, which has murals installed by nationally recognized artists on both the east and west walls - public art that enhances Black Mountain’s downtown. A tile wall located in the ground level was part of the original fundraising for the building renovation and includes tiles painted by school children who will some day raise their own families in this Valley. each year the Black Mountain Center for the Arts sponsors annual events that bring people in to hear live music, see visual art, view theatrical performances, take home locally produced art, visit local gardens, and meet others in the community. From a Books and Brown Bag series to the annual Art in Bloom flowers and art event to the run for Your Art 5K to an art photography exhibit, there is something for everyone to enjoy at BMCA. .125 from Trim Trim Line Bleed Line
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