Artwork for podcast Artsville
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area: How Western North Carolina is Crafting a Comeback
Episode 4020th January 2025 • Artsville • Crewest Studio + ArtsvilleUSA
00:00:00 00:44:11

Share Episode

Shownotes

Art and crafts are emerging as vital engines for recovery in the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastation in Western North Carolina. Join host Louise Glickman as she chats with Angie Chandler, executive director of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and Robin Johnston, the Crafts Trails coordinator, to explore how small towns and artists are working to revive their communities through creative endeavors. 

Their discussion delves into the rich history of crafts in the region, highlighting the unique cultural narratives tied to its land and people. The conversation underscores the importance of connecting artists with audiences and fostering a resilient arts economy to ensure the survival of these traditions. This episode of the ArtsvilleUSA podcast serves as a profound reminder of the resilience of Western North Carolina's artists and their significant contributions to the local economy. It highlights the role of craft as a means of expression and an essential economic driver, showcasing the historical context of craft in the region—from its Cherokee roots to the modern-day crafts movement.

Listeners will find inspiration in stories of community solidarity as artists and organizations unite to aid recovery efforts, fostering a spirit of hope and collaboration amid challenges. Our conversation with the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area emphasizes the importance of preserving the region's rich cultural heritage while inviting audiences to explore and support North Carolina's arts scene.

Don't miss this episode, & be sure to check out the links below for more information:

ArtsvilleUSA

NOT REAL ART

For more information, please visit https://www.artsvilleusa.com/blue-ridge-national-heritage-area

Transcripts

Speaker A:

Foreign.

Louise Glickman:

Welcome all you artists and art lovers out there.

Louise Glickman:

You're listening to the Artsville USA podcast coming to you from Asheville, North Carolina.

Louise Glickman:

I'm your host, Louise Glickman and I'm inviting you to enjoy our very special guest today, Angie Chandler, who's executive director of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and the Crafts Trails coordinator, Robin Johnston.

Louise Glickman:

We want to focus on art and crafts as an engine for recovery and there's no better way to do it than with these two folks who are committed to areas which are primarily outside of Asheville.

Louise Glickman:

So we're going to talk about the small towns that have been so impacted by Helene.

Louise Glickman:

But in fact, many of these towns where our artists work, live and then sell their art all over America.

Louise Glickman:

So we will be right back after our music intro from our friend Dan Ubik at Blue Danube Productions and the Conduit Music Channel at Not Real Art.

Speaker A:

Hartsville, Hartsville, the happening town where art abounds.

Speaker A:

Hartsville, Hartsville.

Speaker A:

From Asheville town we're Art Abound Hartsville, Hartsville.

Speaker A:

Feeling mountain high and Inspire North Carolina.

Speaker A:

That's where you'll find us amazing artists and designers.

Speaker A:

Oh yeah, Artsville.

Speaker A:

From Asheville.

Louise Glickman:

This is Louise Glickman and I'm back to to welcome you to Artsville USA where we celebrate American contemporary arts and crafts from Asheville and beyond.

Louise Glickman:

Our monthly podcasts introduce you to world class movers and makers, their art, their craft and their most unique careers@artsvilleusa.com and most major podcasts channels.

Louise Glickman:

I'm particularly excited to reacquaint with Angie Chandler who's going to talk to you about the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and what it means to western North Carolina and also how it has been profoundly impacted.

Louise Glickman:

So just a news note, when I first came to Asheville, which was over 20 years ago, I worked for what was then the Economic Development Agency and that is where the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area actually began.

Louise Glickman:

And at that time I traveled throughout this region and met with folks in 23 counties and we brought together the arts leaders in these very small towns through their arts councils or like community organizations and basically began to build dialogue between community leaders, elected officials, artists, musicians, performers to help rebuild what was a suffering economy because of jobs lost, but also because of downturns in things like mining and forestry, which are so important to this region.

Louise Glickman:

Angie, tell us a little bit about the inspiring story of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area because it tells this story that people don't always hear and that is about our rural, rural communities and neighborhoods that are significant in our history and our culture and the stories that we tell.

Louise Glickman:

So I'd love to know about your role.

Louise Glickman:

You've been with the heritage area a long time, so let's start with you.

Angie Chandler:

Thanks so much, Louise.

Angie Chandler:

And it's just.

Angie Chandler:

It's wonderful to see you again.

Angie Chandler:

It's been a long time, and I'm just so excited to be a part of your podcast today.

Angie Chandler:

I've been the executive director of the Blue Ridge National Heritage area for almost 15 years.

Angie Chandler:

So I've been with the organization a long time, and it's very much a passion of mine because I have my own family history goes back seven generations in this region.

Angie Chandler:

And so it is both a personal and professional passion.

Angie Chandler:

But the Blue Ridge National Heritage area is part of a system of national heritage areas.

Angie Chandler:

And we are 21 years old.

Angie Chandler:

We were created back in:

Angie Chandler:

We are one of the largest heritage areas, and we actually have added a couple more counties.

Angie Chandler:

We actually have 25 counties, one within our footprint today.

Angie Chandler:

And our whole focus is to preserve and to help develop the heritage of this region, which is western North Carolina, also known as the North Carolina Mountains and foothills, which is an area that's about the size of the state of Maryland.

Angie Chandler:

And within that, we bring together our natural heritage, which is our scenic beauty, which is one of the most.

Angie Chandler:

This region is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world.

Angie Chandler:

And that is because the elevation of our region from the foothills all the way up to the high mountains is very significant.

Angie Chandler:

And so just within an hour's drive, you can basically go from one microclimate into another.

Angie Chandler:

Also, agricultural practices started first with the Cherokee with corn, beans, and squash.

Angie Chandler:

And then early settlers came, and so there's just.

Angie Chandler:

And then other cultural expressions of food.

Angie Chandler:

So we have a tremendous food ways program within this region.

Angie Chandler:

And then, of course, craft again.

Angie Chandler:

So many of what of the things that we do actually had their history, starting with the Cherokee.

Angie Chandler:

This area is the ancestral home of the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians still residing here today.

Angie Chandler:

They began, of course, with their handmade crafts.

Angie Chandler:

Then it was very utilitarian as early settlers came in and all the influences that helped to mold what our craft focuses today.

Angie Chandler:

And then in the turn of the 20th century, we had the crafts movement reemerge, and several ladies in the area actually helped create schools, craft schools, which are now internationally renowned.

Angie Chandler:

And through this, craft became both still utilitarian, but an art form and also an economic driver.

Louise Glickman:

So one of the things about Artsville is that we talk about stimulating the arts and crafts economy.

Louise Glickman:

I'm going to talk for a second about crafts and.

Louise Glickman:

And the importance of that, because when I first came here, which was just about the time that the heritage area began, crafts was.

Louise Glickman:

We were known as the center for Crafts in America.

Louise Glickman:

People came here to buy crafts.

Louise Glickman:

I think a lot of that began, of course, with the Cherokee Nation.

Louise Glickman:

But then the schools that you're talking about, such as the Penland School, which is in Spruce Pine, that was my first trip here, was actually going to Spruce Pine and using the craft trails book that was created by Handmade in America.

Louise Glickman:

And I spent a week going to studios, and here I am, full circle, talking to you all, who are the pros and which is fabulous because you are a resource and you are a marketing tour de force.

Louise Glickman:

But the reality of it is, when I started in cultural tourism development, there was very little of it.

Louise Glickman:

Becky Anderson, who is still on your board today, and I were probably the grandmothers of cultural tourism, because actually, there wasn't a word for it back in those days.

Louise Glickman:

Now every city is jumping into tourism development through arts and crafts.

Louise Glickman:

And one of my goals for today is to use this podcast so that people look very directly at how to elevate and acknowledge us once again in that area of the arts, because it's one of the things that is our special niche and still goes on today.

Louise Glickman:

So the Penland School of Craft I've been involved with now since actually before my arrival, the John C.

Louise Glickman:

Campbell Folk School.

Louise Glickman:

And then just an hour plus away across the border in Tennessee is the Aramont School.

Louise Glickman:

So we are the very pinpoint of arts and crafts training in this area.

Louise Glickman:

And then our artists are acknowledged throughout the world, often particularly in contemporary craft.

Louise Glickman:

But what we're going to do today is also talk about the importance of traditional craft.

Louise Glickman:

So, Robin, we're so glad you, you are here.

Louise Glickman:

As I said, the way I first got started was going to studios throughout these rural areas, particularly around Spruce Pine.

Louise Glickman:

Spruce Pine, Michelin.

Louise Glickman:

Yancy Counties have been absolutely devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Louise Glickman:

So I'd like to talk a little bit about your contributions from the craft trails.

Louise Glickman:

And then I think we ought to talk about what we're going to do about bringing this all back.

Robin Johnston:

Well, thank you so much, Louise.

Robin Johnston:

And it's so, so devastating how any community near a river, plus many more were devastated.

Robin Johnston:

And, you know, Spruce Pine, the Ceelo area in Yancy county, in Burnsville, Marshall, the River Arts District, Biltmore Village, all these places are such centers for craft and so important.

Louise Glickman:

Well, I think It's a cruel reality, but it seems like a lot of the arts communities throughout western North Carolina artists wanted to be near water.

Louise Glickman:

And it was these rivers that rose 27ft.

Louise Glickman:

It is hard to even imagine and came down with such a force from the top of these beautiful mountains that we so love and ended in our river Arts district.

Louise Glickman:

So it is very hard to understand that the fact that our roads have been washed out, that you couldn't reach people, water systems, We've had terrible problems with our water systems.

Louise Glickman:

They're old, they're under underfunded, and not apparently well maintained.

Louise Glickman:

All these things feeds into this recovery.

Louise Glickman:

And in the meantime, it will be up to people who are focused on the arts, like you in the Heritage area and like us here in Artsville, to keep this story alive long enough to have both the energy and the funds to recover.

Louise Glickman:

So where do your trails go?

Robin Johnston:

Well, we're in the 25 most western counties of North Carolina.

Robin Johnston:

So from the Foothills region, could you.

Louise Glickman:

Explain what that is?

Louise Glickman:

What is the Foothills?

Louise Glickman:

And where does it become Blue Ridge?

Louise Glickman:

And then where does it become Appalachia?

Angie Chandler:

And I think within western North Carolina, we have sort of what we call three distinct regions within that 25 counties.

Angie Chandler:

And again, it's the size of a state.

Angie Chandler:

And so you have to figure out a way to divide it up.

Angie Chandler:

And it starts at the South Carolina border and the Georgia border, and those are our foothill counties.

Angie Chandler:

And so they're foothills because they're not within the high mountains.

Angie Chandler:

And then as you go up north and west, you reach the central Blue Ridge.

Angie Chandler:

And this is where you're going to find Asheville.

Angie Chandler:

And you're also going to find Spruce Pine, Yancey County, Burnsville, many of these places that really struggled with landslides and other.

Angie Chandler:

The storm just came right through the middle of the region, basically.

Angie Chandler:

And then once you get past Asheville and head, if you're heading like I40 west, you're going to go to Cherokee, for example, and there are many.

Angie Chandler:

Cherokee is kind of the central point.

Angie Chandler:

That's what we call the far west counties.

Angie Chandler:

And the koala boundary, known as Cherokee, is sort of the central point of that.

Angie Chandler:

And then you have counties to the north of that and to the south.

Angie Chandler:

And the northern counties border the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Tennessee, and the southern counties, again, border Georgia.

Angie Chandler:

So really, this whole region is surrounded by South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee.

Louise Glickman:

That is the best explanation I have heard for all of this.

Louise Glickman:

So there's so much history.

Louise Glickman:

And of course, I think people think of this Area as an area for stories, storytelling.

Louise Glickman:

So let's talk a little bit about that, Robin.

Robin Johnston:

Sure.

Robin Johnston:

Well, I'll just say, first of all, the Blue Ridge Craft Trails is a.

Robin Johnston:

An online resource, but it's also a driving tour.

Robin Johnston:

The point is to be able to get visitors out and visit studios and galleries and arts organizations all throughout these counties.

Robin Johnston:

So our website is set up to help facilitate that with Google Map functionality and things like that.

Robin Johnston:

But so connecting with the artists and seeing them in person and seeing how they make things and listening to their stories and how they got to where they are is a really important part about it.

Robin Johnston:

And then, of course, the rich history of the area, too.

Robin Johnston:

There's so many stories with all that.

Louise Glickman:

We always say that Artsville tries to get people to use their ears, their eyes, and their feet.

Louise Glickman:

So the ears are for the podcast, like what we're doing here.

Louise Glickman:

The eyes are.

Louise Glickman:

Because we have a very strong online presence full of stories that post every single day@artsvilleusa.com but the feat, the feat is bringing people from all over the world here to let us take them into these studios and see what we're talking about when we talk about an arts and crafts center for the world.

Angie Chandler:

And if I can add to that, too, I will just say some of our artists have a history back to their grandfathers or great grandfathers.

Angie Chandler:

Bullock Pottery, which is out of the Lenoir area.

Angie Chandler:

And Blowing Rock has that whole process, has been in their family history for generations.

Angie Chandler:

Then you have other folks who grew up here, were around craft and decided to take it up.

Angie Chandler:

And then you have folks that came from other places and realized how wonderful it was.

Angie Chandler:

And so there's such variety.

Angie Chandler:

There's so many types of craft.

Angie Chandler:

And then I think the other thing that I think is really beautiful about this area is that it is absolutely environmentally and scenically gorgeous.

Angie Chandler:

And the craft artists use that inspiration for the work they do.

Angie Chandler:

And they also use natural materials in the making of their products, and that's plentiful here in this region as well.

Louise Glickman:

Robin, I understand you're also an artist.

Louise Glickman:

You work with textiles, am I correct?

Robin Johnston:

Yes, and I don't have an active studio practice right now, but, yeah, that's my background.

Robin Johnston:

I'm a weaver.

Robin Johnston:

I actually moved to this area to be an artist in residence at Penland School of Crafts.

Robin Johnston:

So I was there from:

Robin Johnston:

And then from there, wanted to settle, stay close enough to my community and friends, but settle in a City.

Robin Johnston:

So that's how I ended up in Asheville.

Louise Glickman:

It's the same thing for me.

Louise Glickman:

I've been involved with Penland ever since I arrived and I take classes there whenever I can.

Louise Glickman:

And I was trained as a fashion designer, so textiles is my gig as well.

Louise Glickman:

So we'll have to talk further about that.

Louise Glickman:

And I too don't have time to be in my studio.

Louise Glickman:

So we share that experience.

Louise Glickman:

But what are some of the places if I were going to take a driving tour and particularly take a driving tour right now when there's a lot of road issues.

Louise Glickman:

Give me three places you tell me to go.

Robin Johnston:

Well, there's just so many.

Louise Glickman:

I know this is political.

Louise Glickman:

Maybe I'm not supposed to ask you.

Angie Chandler:

But maybe we'll choose one from each region because we have 350 craft artists galleries and cultural sites on the Blue Ridge Craft Trail.

Robin Johnston:

I mean, so I do know that in Burnsville and Spruce Pine and Bakersville for instance, there's still some, some roads that may not be accessible.

Robin Johnston:

But right in the main centers, for instance, in Burnsville there's Hearth Glass and Gallery, which is a place where you can take classes and buy work from multiple glass artists in their gallery.

Louise Glickman:

We actually just posted a story, I think it came out last week about Hearth Gallery.

Louise Glickman:

So you see how aligned we are.

Robin Johnston:

I'll say one more about Central Mountains if that's okay.

Robin Johnston:

Mica Contemporary Craft Gallery in Bakersfield has just an amazing group of artists and community members there and it's just world class.

Louise Glickman:

That's a good choice.

Louise Glickman:

And what about some of the other regions?

Angie Chandler:

I would say probably one of my favorite locations, if you look at the foothills and I believe it is Night Owl Metalworks and Leathercraft and they just do such an amazing job and you can go in there and watch them as they're making their different pieces of art.

Louise Glickman:

What town is that in?

Robin Johnston:

It's in Rutherfordton.

Louise Glickman:

Rutherford.

Louise Glickman:

So not far from Asheville.

Angie Chandler:

About an hour.

Louise Glickman:

It's within that hour.

Louise Glickman:

Touring region.

Angie Chandler:

Exactly.

Angie Chandler:

Yeah.

Angie Chandler:

And then I'm thinking of a place out west.

Angie Chandler:

Of course you've got to go to Cherokee and visit the artists there that are actually making baskets and using bamboo and other materials for that.

Angie Chandler:

Some award winning artists in that area.

Angie Chandler:

And then you're near John C.

Angie Chandler:

Campbell.

Louise Glickman:

Folk School and I've taken my grandkids.

Louise Glickman:

Boy, did they love it.

Louise Glickman:

They really loved that whole Cherokee experience.

Louise Glickman:

And you know, we're going to take them back.

Louise Glickman:

That museum is quite remarkable there and they have done such an amazing and authentic job.

Louise Glickman:

So that's a really good example.

Louise Glickman:

Now, do they still do it with a book or is it all digital now?

Angie Chandler:

Well, the book is still available, but I think, you know, Handmade was our founder, Becky Anderson, as you mentioned.

Angie Chandler:

And, you know, since those books or that book came out, of course, we have truly embraced the digital age.

Angie Chandler:

And one of the things that we really wanted to do with this redevelopment of into the Blue Ridge Craft trails, we wanted to capture and engage younger audiences.

Angie Chandler:

And so we knew that it was important.

Angie Chandler:

We do have some still paper publications, but we knew that it was important to capture folks that were going to be looking and planning their trips online.

Angie Chandler:

And so it is.

Angie Chandler:

There are publications, but it's also a web portal.

Louise Glickman:

So I'm interested in sort of how we're going to keep this alive for the future.

Louise Glickman:

We've had tremendous damage here.

Louise Glickman:

Now, you all are a federal agency?

Angie Chandler:

Yes, we are actual.

Angie Chandler:

We receive a grant each year from the National Park Service, but we are a nonprofit organization, a full nonprofit organization.

Angie Chandler:

And every dollar that we receive through those federal funds has to be matched by another dollar that is not federal.

Angie Chandler:

So it is.

Angie Chandler:

We are definitely an organization that is a nonprofit.

Angie Chandler:

And of course, we're fundraisers just like others.

Louise Glickman:

It is a very heavy lift right now.

Louise Glickman:

So one of the things being in the marketing side, as you are, Robin, is that right now everybody's talking bricks and mortar, rightfully so.

Louise Glickman:

It's not only that we give housing, that we give organizations, a place that we rebuild our fabulous retail, including arts and crafts galleries and shops.

Louise Glickman:

All of that is massive.

Louise Glickman:

Okay.

Louise Glickman:

I am from New Orleans, so I know that this has taken New Orleans 20 years and there have been so many climate disasters, so the media tends to look for the next shiny disaster.

Louise Glickman:

And without staying in the public eye long enough and with enough vim and vigor to tell these stories, the arts becomes rather secondary.

Louise Glickman:

But for us here, this is why people come.

Louise Glickman:

This is why they live and love to be in the mountains, because of its beauty.

Louise Glickman:

Because who the heck ever expected this to happen in the mountains because of these wonderful educational opportunities that we have to make a living here.

Louise Glickman:

So what is the heritage area's connection to keeping craft as a business alive?

Angie Chandler:

Yes, and let me just address that.

Angie Chandler:

It's like a three legged stool.

Angie Chandler:

It's preservation, product and promotion.

Angie Chandler:

And all three of those are synergistic in a circle, if you will.

Angie Chandler:

And in order to keep heritage alive and keep craft alive, you have to have product and you have to have promotion, and it has to be consistent and ongoing.

Angie Chandler:

And you can never let up.

Angie Chandler:

And what that helps in the long run is also maintain preservation.

Angie Chandler:

Because something that is valued and if you have a product and you're promoting that product, there's going to be constant value placed on that product.

Angie Chandler:

And people are going to come and they're going to visit and they're going to buy.

Angie Chandler:

And that is the bedrock of the Blue Ridge Craft Trails is to connect makers and buyers and telling those stories also as part of the preservation.

Angie Chandler:

But that is included in being part of that product as well.

Louise Glickman:

Well, this is so completely in line with what Artsville does.

Louise Glickman:

This is exciting for us.

Louise Glickman:

The issue for us is we are a relatively new nonprofit and we don't have the federal government to support us.

Louise Glickman:

So finding sources to fund storytelling, fund media marketing, books, publications.

Louise Glickman:

We do some of that at Artsville, but we want to do more.

Louise Glickman:

And so you are a much larger tour de force.

Louise Glickman:

Perhaps you even need more organizations like us as what you call partners.

Louise Glickman:

I've seen that word partners used in a lot of your materials.

Louise Glickman:

What is a partner?

Louise Glickman:

Who is a partner?

Angie Chandler:

A partner is any organization that is aligned with us in our five distinct heritage areas or heritage focused themes.

Angie Chandler:

Those things that make our region so different and unique.

Angie Chandler:

It's either in the natural environment realm or outdoor recreation.

Angie Chandler:

It's agriculture, craft, music and Cherokee.

Angie Chandler:

So it has to fit within those alignment areas and partners.

Angie Chandler:

And the reason we speak so much about partners, because that was the way that we were formed.

Angie Chandler:

When you think about public private partnership and that whole concept around economic development and building, really building community, it takes a public sector and a private sector.

Angie Chandler:

And so partners are those that match, help us match that public sector to take that much further than it could possibly go if it was just only one sector.

Angie Chandler:

So we're always trying to work to bring those together.

Louise Glickman:

Well, no man is an island.

Louise Glickman:

So how do you communicate?

Louise Glickman:

How do you network?

Louise Glickman:

How do you meet with these people?

Louise Glickman:

So much since COVID has been done online, but what we're talking about is live participation.

Louise Glickman:

So how does that work?

Louise Glickman:

Do you sponsor events, concerts, or all of the above?

Angie Chandler:

And we have a small staff, too.

Angie Chandler:

We're not a large organization, but we use the tools, digital tools, if you will.

Angie Chandler:

But we're also out in the region and Robin can talk more about this.

Angie Chandler:

Of course, we have the website, we have E newsletters that we send out.

Angie Chandler:

We use social media.

Angie Chandler:

We partner with tourism organizations, which is so important to the arts that they're talking with each other because tourism can help amplify that message.

Angie Chandler:

We have peer to peer learning programming where artists come and may hear from an engaging speaker, but they have that opportunity to connect with each other.

Angie Chandler:

We have roundtable discussions that involve tourism, artists, musicians, a wide variety of different folks from within the region.

Angie Chandler:

And those are so valuable because they don't, you know, it's so easy to be, to get isolated.

Angie Chandler:

And especially I think post Covid, I think we're all really struggling with that face to face again.

Angie Chandler:

I mean, I've just seen it over and over.

Angie Chandler:

But you've got to have that so that the ideas and the energy and the programs can flow from that.

Louise Glickman:

Well, I think what I have found to be very interesting is we have covered both artists and art leadership from around the region.

Louise Glickman:

And we started this organization during COVID It was really an early version of a virtual gallery and selling experience.

Louise Glickman:

And of course we never, we don't take any commissions or anything like this.

Louise Glickman:

Everything we do goes to the artists.

Louise Glickman:

And we have done some training programs with our virtual gallery artists.

Louise Glickman:

And in the five years, you know, we have touched in some way the careers of about 250 artists and.

Louise Glickman:

But we cannot do this alone.

Louise Glickman:

So I totally get what you're talking about, the networking, the marketing.

Louise Glickman:

We found out two things.

Louise Glickman:

First of all, a lot of people started doing art during COVID through online classes.

Louise Glickman:

They needed something that touched their soul, frankly, and that has had a large impact on how many people now are following arts.

Louise Glickman:

Our audiences have grown substantially out of COVID and really out of pain.

Louise Glickman:

I think there's a lot of pain in our hearts right now.

Angie Chandler:

So very sad.

Angie Chandler:

I mean, when you think, I mean, we have a long way to go.

Angie Chandler:

But I do want to say, even with that, I think that arts and culture can be very healing.

Angie Chandler:

And I have to say about the people of western North Carolina, this region is extremely resilient and persevering.

Louise Glickman:

So Robin, tell me about what is going on with the artists themselves right now, because I have found the same thing, just a remarkable spirit.

Louise Glickman:

But I also know because I saw a lot of my work washed away in New Orleans.

Louise Glickman:

You get tired and this commitment has to last for a long, long time.

Louise Glickman:

This is not going to be a recovery tomorrow.

Louise Glickman:

And for right now, we need the businesses, we need to target where they can come on the road, where they can get to.

Louise Glickman:

So what are the artists saying?

Robin Johnston:

Well, I mean, I do think there's definitely.

Robin Johnston:

There's so much resilience and so much just active movement in rebuilding.

Robin Johnston:

First cleaning, now maybe some people are still cleaning, then rebuilding and recovering.

Robin Johnston:

But also, I mean, of course, I think it's very natural.

Robin Johnston:

And I have heard from people that they're feeling down and that it's hard to, you know, it's hard to focus on yourself and your work for a lot of people when, you know, there's so much suffering, you know.

Robin Johnston:

So I think it takes a lot to pick back up and just move on.

Robin Johnston:

But so many people are doing that so well.

Robin Johnston:

And in all the regions we talked about earlier, there are people just on it moving and that I could list the village potters from the River Arts District have.

Robin Johnston:

They're cleaning up their building.

Robin Johnston:

They're looking for a new building.

Robin Johnston:

They're supplying clay to the region.

Robin Johnston:

After high water clay was destroyed, Local cloth is a force in fiber arts and organized a supply sale for people whose materials in their own building were washed away and ruined.

Robin Johnston:

Tow River Arts in Mitchell and Yancey counties, raising funds for Artist Relief Treats Studios in Spruce Pine.

Robin Johnston:

Right away, they immediately created a very easy to use website where people could go on and either donate directly to GoFundMe sites for artists that could very easily upload their own information.

Robin Johnston:

So basically it was like very.

Robin Johnston:

Seemed so easy for people to get involved and or buy from their websites for those that had work to sell.

Louise Glickman:

Well, this is like a quilt.

Louise Glickman:

You know, we're all kind of sewn together in this.

Louise Glickman:

And actually every one of the organizations you have named, we have stories or podcasts about them@artsvilleusa.com so this is very enlightening to me to find out just how connected we are and also glad to be.

Louise Glickman:

But I want to ask specifically about the markers.

Louise Glickman:

So when you do drive around western North Carolina, you see quilts on barns and now there's a mural trail.

Louise Glickman:

So can you talk for just a second about that?

Robin Johnston:

Well, we have quilt on the Blue ridgecraft trails.

Louise Glickman:

Are those real quilts on those barns?

Robin Johnston:

They're paintings.

Robin Johnston:

They basically like a mural, but on a canvas or it's more of a board, I think, so that it can stand outside.

Robin Johnston:

But those in a lot of counties, they have their own barn quilt trails.

Robin Johnston:

We have those on our website and we promote them and are very happy that they're part of what leads people around to different areas.

Angie Chandler:

And I want to say too, we've talked about the artists, but the artists are so much.

Angie Chandler:

And we did speak a little bit about rural.

Angie Chandler:

And most of our towns are rural communities and artists are so much part of that.

Angie Chandler:

I mean, they're part of those main streets, but also the murals and the barn quilts, in some ways tell a story.

Angie Chandler:

They tell something historic or something interesting about that town because.

Angie Chandler:

And that's what also makes western North Carolina so distinctive and unique, is that each.

Angie Chandler:

Not only does each artist have a story, but each town has its own story.

Angie Chandler:

And it's part of their heritage and part of their.

Angie Chandler:

It's their pride in their own communities.

Angie Chandler:

So.

Angie Chandler:

And that comes together in many ways with art.

Louise Glickman:

Well, it's really fascinating because there are many ways to hear those stories and some wonderful books as well, full of old, fabulous stories.

Louise Glickman:

And it is what sets us apart, and it is the expression of our history and our culture and how it weaves itself with where we are today and how we're going to keep that.

Louise Glickman:

So I really appreciate this.

Louise Glickman:

I think of it as a wayfaring system, so you could travel that trail.

Louise Glickman:

And there's also, I think, a music trail.

Louise Glickman:

We are expressing this every day.

Louise Glickman:

And of course, as organizations within arts and crafts and culture and history, we got a lot of work to make sure we work more closely together.

Louise Glickman:

And I look forward to working more closely with you at the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

Louise Glickman:

And I think there are a lot of people in our audience who would like to do the same.

Louise Glickman:

So if you would tell us how they would get in touch with you.

Angie Chandler:

Certainly the best way to connect with us is to go on our website.

Angie Chandler:

That's the simplest thing.

Angie Chandler:

BlueRidgeHeritage.com or if you're interested in craft, we do have a micro site with the craft trail.

Angie Chandler:

That's blueridgecrafttrails.com or blueridgemusicnc.com wow, that's a lot.

Louise Glickman:

And I hope people go to all of that and come back because we will be having.

Louise Glickman:

When the weather turns, we are going to have a number of events, festivals, come hell or high water, we are going to come back better than ever.

Louise Glickman:

And New Orleans has done that.

Louise Glickman:

They have now a renowned reputation as a place for arts and not just booze.

Louise Glickman:

And the same applies here, although you can still get a little moonshine and lots of beer.

Louise Glickman:

But it's not just what we're known for now, and that is such a relief.

Louise Glickman:

So we know how to get in touch with you.

Louise Glickman:

And before we close, is there anything that you would like to say?

Angie Chandler:

One of the things I want to say is that we are just so appreciative of the support of so many people outside our region who've come in to help.

Angie Chandler:

And that has been a true blessing for the folks here in western North Carolina.

Angie Chandler:

And just one other thing I want to mention that we have a charity drive going where folks that are knitters or crocheters can create handmade items.

Angie Chandler:

And we're working with a statewide volunteer organization to get those out to families in western North Carolina and impacted communities over the holidays and beyond into January.

Angie Chandler:

And the outpouring that we have so far, it's been from all over the country, and people have come from all over the country to lend a hand and to give of their time and their.

Angie Chandler:

And their pocketbook.

Angie Chandler:

And we're just, you know, we just are so thankful for that.

Louise Glickman:

Well, I think being grateful and being grateful every day is one of the lights that shine here in the mountains and one of the things that is going to keep us going.

Louise Glickman:

So it is our flame and we want to keep it alive.

Louise Glickman:

Artsville uniquely markets creativity to the world as a platform for the talents of Western North Carolina artists who want to show, sell, tell and learn about creative business practices so that they can sell their work.

Louise Glickman:

Our distinctive blend of Artsville's news and stories, podcasts and exhibits are refreshed with new features weekly, new podcasts each month.

Louise Glickman:

I'd also like to thank our committed and creative staff of talents that make all this possible on a very limited budget.

Louise Glickman:

Elise Wilson, who steers the Artsville ship with creativity and organizational genius.

Louise Glickman:

Our editor, Morgan Lawrence, who brings a superb level of professional writing and editing skills to everything we produce.

Louise Glickman:

And with special appreciation to my partner and our mentor, mover, maker and shaker, Scott Power, who heads up our affiliates at Crew West Studio and Not Real Art out of Los Angeles.

Louise Glickman:

We keep all of this going with a special passion for building the careers of artists and bringing their stories to our community of subscribers.

Louise Glickman:

So with that, please help us continue to grow by donating, by donating online and subscribing to our website, both of these@artsvilleusa.com you keep us on our toes at all times so that we may bring eyes, ears and feet, I.e.

Louise Glickman:

visitors to Asheville and beyond for the very best in American contemporary arts and crafts.

Louise Glickman:

Thanks for listening and please know that this interview will also become a feature story on our website.

Louise Glickman:

So if you prefer to read rather than listen, you can enjoy learning about what we've discussed today.

Louise Glickman:

Until next month, this is your host, Louise Glickman signing off from Ashevilletown.

Speaker A:

We're Art Abound Artsville, Hartsville.

Speaker A:

Feeling mountain high and inspired in North Carolina.

Speaker A:

That's where you'll find us amazing artists and designers.

Speaker A:

Oh yeah, Artsville from Asheville.

Links

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube