On the wall 4:30 p.m. Immediately after the round table discussion, there will be a gallery talk with Guest Curator Dr. Stephanie Beck Cohen from 5 to 6 p.m. and a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. In addition to the reception events,

‘Liberian Quilters,’ images courtesy of Guest Curator Dr. Stephanie Beck Cohen. there will be an Artist Talk on “Cultural Diplomacy, Why Art Matters” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, and a curator talk on “Art in Embassies” from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, March 23. All events are free and open to the public. For further information or to schedule a tour, visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or call 828.227.3591.

WCU to screen ‘Mango Dreams’

N.C. Arts Council grant programs The 2017 grant application season has launched and guidelines and applications for the North Carolina Arts Council’s seven grant programs for organizations are now available. The deadline for receiving 2017-18 grant applications is Wednesday, March 1, and applications must be completed electronically through the North Carolina Arts Council’s online portal.

To be eligible for Arts Council funding, an organization must: • be nonprofit (or an organization that has applied for nonprofit status using fiscal agent). • have been producing quality arts programs for at least two consecutive years. • have prior-year organizational cash operating expenses of at least $20,000. Please read eligibility and program requirements carefully and contact the appropriate staff prior to submitting your application. For more information, visit www.ncarts.org/ resources/grants/grants-organizations.

• Paint Nite Waynesville will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. $2 off beers for anyone painting. Food truck and live music from singer-songwriter Chris Minick will also be onsite. Sign up on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page (search event: Brush N. Brew) or call Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com. • An “Abstract Expressions” exhibit will run through Feb. 25 in the Gallery & Gifts showroom at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. The exhibit will feature several local artists. Free and open to the public. www.haywoodarts.org.

ALSO:

• The next meeting of the Western North Carolina Woodturners Club, Inc. will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Alternative School in Sylva. Alex Bolden plans to demonstrate the various methods to mount a bowl blank on the lathe. The school is located on Skyland Drive. Drive to the back of the school to the woodworking shop. Visitors are always welcome. The club

Open call for artists The Waynesville Public Art Commission is sending out a “Call for Artists” for a new piece dedicated to the Plott Hound. The Plott Hound originated in Hazelwood (an area of incorporated Waynesville) and is the state dog of North Carolina. All information related to the specifics of the project, the location for the finished product and an overview of the Plott Hound characteristics are included in the packet. For more information, contact Amie Owens, assistant town manager at aowens@waynesvillenc.gov.

meets the first Tuesday of every month. • “The Magic Starts Here” exhibit will run through Feb. 25 at The Bascom in Highlands. Featuring numerous students from the Master of Fine Arts program at Western Carolina University, there will be a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at The Bascom. www.thebascom.org. • The “Women Painters of the Southeast” exhibition will run through May 5 in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu. • The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. An afternoon of creativity and camaraderie. Supplies are provided, or bring your own. Beginners are welcome as well as those who already enjoy this new trend. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 828.524.3600.

Smoky Mountain News

The next film in the Southern Circuit series at Western Carolina University will be “Mango Dreams.” It will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the University Center theater in Cullowhee. The film tells the story of a Hindu doctor with dementia and a Muslim rickshaw driver forming an unlikely friendship as they journey 1,000 miles across India in a rickshaw. All showings in the Southern Circuit Film Series are free for everyone. The event is part of the Arts and Cultural Events series at WCU. For more information about the ACE series, contact Brandon Lokey, assistant director for campus programs, at 828.227.7206 or by email at bklokey@wcu.edu.

The Western North Carolina “Artists Count” project is hosting a series of exhibitions to highlight the rich visual contributions made by area artists. The first such exhibit, “Smoky Mountains Sampler” is now open at the Welcome Center north of Asheville on Interstate 26. Eighteen artists from Jackson and Swain counties are included in the premier exhibit along with six illustrated panels that direct visitors to places where they can see and buy art. Sites include artisan studios, galleries, museums, shops, and community organizations in Bryson City, Cherokee, Dillsboro, and Sylva. The “Artists Count” project was inspired by the fact that Western North Carolina is celebrated for its heritage arts and crafts, but there is a gap between the excellent work produced here and its exposure to wider markets. Data suggests that 60 percent of surveyed craft consumers came from outside the state. The project strives for authenticity and promotes “homegrown” entrepreneurs. The six display panels are aimed at helping to connect visitors to the arts and to encourage them to buy local art during their stay. Artists in the exhibition include potters Susan Coe and Ed and Kari McIlvaine along with painter Barbara Robinson from Bryson City. Artworks from Cherokee include a cornhusk doll by Polly Rattler, a “Seven Clans” bowl by Dean Reed, a mask by Judson Bradley, and a basket by Ramona Lossie.

February 1-7, 2017

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the Bardo Arts Center is currently showcasing the exhibition “Soft Diplomacy: Quilting Cultural Diplomacy in Liberia” through May 5. There will be a reception on Thursday, Feb. 9. Curated by Dr. Stephanie Beck Cohen, “Soft Diplomacy” explores quilts made in Liberia, West Africa, and gifted across the Atlantic Ocean as part of cultural diplomacy with the United States. During the 19th century, American settlers carried this artistic tradition to Liberia. In the centuries that followed, quilts served as both an anchor to their American heritage and a medium through which Liberian women visualize their daily lives and their nation’s history. “Soft Diplomacy” demonstrates the strength, endurance, and changing nature of textiles and the relationships between the women who make them, their patrons, and collaborators. The exhibition brings together Liberian quilts used in political exchange, depicting political and national themes for the first time, highlighting the works of Liberian women from the 20th and 21st centuries who visualized cultural memory and trauma before, during and after Liberia’s civil war. The series of events related to this exhibition begins on Thursday, Feb. 9, with a roundtable discussion on, “Africa, Cultural Exchange and Soft Diplomacy” from 3:30 to

Sylva artist Sharon Bunting is showing a series of colored pencil drawings, while Isabella R. Jacovino is exhibiting a digital print. Blown glass by Judy McManus and digital photography by Teri Leigh Teed are also on view. Cullowhee artists Neal Howard is showing her woven silk, metalsmith William Rogers is displaying a set of forged candlesticks, painter Susan Lingg has a watercolor on view, and Lee Budahl is showing a trompe l’oeil painting. Glenville is represented by Beth Bowser with a fused and slumped glass piece and Ken Bowser who is showing an oil painting. Smoky Mountains Sampler is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, Jackson County Arts Council, and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. The inaugural exhibit will remain on view until July.

arts & entertainment

WCU ‘Soft Diplomacy’ exhibition

Jackson and Swain artists showcased

• “Stitch,” the gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library. All ages and skill 23 levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.