The Carrboro Art Scene

A new abstract and a show at Johnny's

2012-01-28T12:34:00.000-05:00

I'll hang a show in the back area of Johnny's Gone Fishing on W. Main Carrboro tomorrow, January 29th and it will be up through February. I've decided to show abstracts. Here's a new one. I pulled a failure from who knows when and saw a few glimmers of hope in it. After a couple of days of fooling with it something popped out. Finished and ready to go. This is Not a Stained Glass Window.

Saxapahaw is now a des-ti-nation!

2012-01-20T14:50:00.001-05:00

First it was the Washington Post, now the New York Times. We really must annex Sax into Orange County! The General Store where Hunt's Pizza was the best thing available when I lived in Sax

Johnny's tonight during 2nd Friday Artwalk!

2012-01-13T13:57:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder that tonight is 2nd Friday Artwalk so bundle up and go see some art in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. As I discussed here Karen has a show of photos at Johnny's Gone Fishing on West Main Carrboro. We won't have an official reception tonight but we will be at Johnny's starting about 7 after going to the Ackland beforehand. There is nearly always a good and fun crowd at Johnny's and you

Great art reading

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

I subscribe (free) to the daily ARTINFO Daily Arts Digest. Sign up here. It's fun, entertaining, sometimes catty and very informative....and informed. The Artinfo site is a must read for those interested in keeping up with the art world. They have a number of good blogs but by far my favorite is Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes. His recent commentary on a show at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in

Karen's new show at Johnny's Gone Fishing

2012-01-04T15:42:00.002-05:00

Two good things have happened lately in Carrboro. First, some wonderful people have taken over Johnny's at 901 W. Main Street, Carrboro. They've got local foods, good coffee, various local crafts and great bread from Bread & Butter, the new bakery/coffee shop at 503 W. Rosemary in Chapel Hill. Oh, I forgot the tamales and various food trucks such as the return of the crepes. They're also

The East End Holiday Craft Shop Pop-Up

2011-12-11T11:41:00.001-05:00

There is a good bit of interest in the Triangle in creating an energetic pop-up art scene. Pop-ups typically find temporary uses for underutilized space where artists, collectives, art groups, etc. take advantage of the surplus of available space in many of our towns and cities. I'm on the board of Triangle ArtWorks and we're researching options to identify sites, examine the legal and financial

Local artists interested in joining a Chapel Hill gallery?

2011-12-08T15:39:00.001-05:00

The Focal Point Gallery at 1215 East Franklin in Chapel Hill is accepting artist applications. The gallery is near Cafe Driad and near the campus. Go here to apply. I haven't visited yet but the photo on their webpage shows a pretty impressive space.

Reminder: Karen Stone Reception this Friday Dec 9 at Carrboro Town Hall

2011-12-08T13:04:00.001-05:00

In November I mentioned that the wonderful artist Karen Stone had a reception for her show of paintings and photos at the Town of Carrboro Town Hall at 301 W. Main Street, map here. She's at it again this Friday from 6-9 pm with lovely art, photos and good snacks and wine. Come by and visit with us and see the art including some new photos since she sold several pieces last month. A couple of

An occasional series on Carrboro galleries: Vespertine

2011-12-08T08:27:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to start a series on various galleries/art venues in Carrboro (and Chapel Hill). I'll start with a fairly new place that I have barely visited except virtually: Vespertine. Their story is here at their blog but you can like them on Facebook. For those not in Carrboro (or who like to do their shopping in slippers from the comfort of their keyboard) they have an Etsy site. And to

Today this is the Carrboro Love Scene blog

2011-12-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

Forwarding from a friend: Do you love Carrboro? Are you single? Have you ever wanted to be on TV? Do you want to be in love? If you, or anyone you know is single, and interested in applying for Oprah's new show Lovetown, USA. Find the link to the application and contact info below. You/they must live in Carrboro. Please forward and spread the word! http://

Part 1: A fond farewell to the Carolina Collects Exhibit at the Ackland

2011-12-05T17:53:00.001-05:00

The Ackland Museum on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (the last bit redundant in my mind) is a terrific resource for the art community. Easy to get to by foot, bike and bus with a very good permanent collection and free. Did I mention free? They have had some excellent shows during the 15 or so years I've lived here but none approach the recently closed Carolina

Paul Simon Kicks Ass at the DPAC

2011-12-03T10:53:00.001-05:00

Great seats BTW Okay whine about your age all you want. Just don't bring your complaints to 70-year old Paul Simon. Instead he brought his A-game to the wonderful Durham Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Dec 1. What a setlist: a great selection of originals (including three from the new album) spanning nearly 50 years with a few choice covers performed over 2 hrs. Take that Mick

Carrack Gallery Kickstarter update!

2011-12-01T09:27:00.001-05:00

As of today the Carrack Gallery Kickstarter campaign has 194 backers for a total of $12,200. In other words, they made it! There is still some time (till Saturday) to add to the total and help the gallery out even more.

Durham's Carrack Gallery nearing its Kickstarter goal! Help!

2011-11-30T09:10:00.001-05:00

Here's another very worthy place to put your dollars. The Carrack Gallery in Durham is a....well let's let them describe themselves: The Carrack Modern Art is a zero-commission, no-strings-attached exhibit space for artists in the downtown area of Durham, NC. We stay open entirely on donations from the community and encourage artists to take full control of their shows... why? There is a

Carrboro Film Fest Video Opener

2011-11-28T13:33:00.001-05:00

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Town of Carrboro the Film Fest Committee developed an opening video for the standing room only crowd. Matthew Krieg filmed and Nic Beery of BeeryMedia produced. I "played" UNC President Francis P. Venable. Carrboro was first known as West Of as in "west of Chapel Hill" and then Venable after the UNC president of the time. Along came cigarette magnate

Periodic artist apportunities from the NC Arts Council

2011-11-22T14:01:00.001-05:00

The NC Arts newsletters are a great way to keep up with opportunities for all kinds of artists. Check back often.

The 2011 Carrboro Film Festival was a great success!

2011-11-22T13:41:00.004-05:00

The 6th Annual Carrboro Film Festival was held this past Sunday, November 20th with 29 excellent short movies produced by filmmakers with North Carolina and Carrboro ties in front of a standing room only crowd. A committee of dedicated film lovers had to narrow down nearly 100 films to 29, about 15 hours to 3 1/2 and then choose winners amongst the 29. It was a tough but rewarding effort and I

KickStarter campaign for a non-profit gallery in downtown Durham

2011-11-21T16:45:00.001-05:00

From my friend Steven Silverleaf: This is an appeal for your help. Don't want to read this whole email? Get straight to the point by clicking here I am writing to a few of my (mostly) local artists friends to call your attention to a wonderful new exhibit space in downtown Durham, The Carrack Modern Art Gallery. It is located right in the heart of the city on Parrish Street, right across the

Sweet Baby James Taylor in Cary next Friday to support President Obama!

2011-11-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

From my email: Chris -- One of North Carolina's favorite singer-songwriters will be back in the state for a special concert in support of President Obama. On Friday, November 18th, James Taylor will be joining us for an evening in Cary -- and you're invited. James has been a long-time supporter of the President. He gave five concerts during the 2008 election and performed at the

Poetry Reading Friday, November 11, 7:30 p.m. at the Ackland Museum Store

2011-11-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

From Jay Bryan, Poet Laureate of Carrboro: On Friday, November 11, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., there will be a reading of poems by Stephanie Levine, Grey Brown and myself at the Museum Store at 100 East Franklin Street. Here is a link to a web page about Stephanie - http://stephanielevin.com/?page_id=24, and a link to Grey Brown's web page - http://www.greybrownpoetry.com/. Hope you might

Arts vanity license plates

2011-11-09T15:43:00.000-05:00

From the Orange County Arts Commission: ARTS SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATE. Help support Arts North Carolina by purchasing a specialty license plate! $20 of every plate sold goes to Arts North Carolina “to promote the arts” each year the plate is renewed. $10 of every plate sold goes back to North Carolina for the wildflower program, tourism, and welcome center accessibility. Cost: $30 in addition

Karen Stone Art Reception at Carrboro Town Hall This Friday, Nov 11th 6-9 pm

2011-11-07T16:48:00.001-05:00

My partner Karen has a reception for her new show of photographs and paintings this Friday 6-9 pm, Nov 11th at the Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main Street in Carrboro during the 2nd Friday Artwalk. The photos are mostly macro and the paintings were done mostly with credit cards instead of brushes. Wonderful work by my sweetie! (And most is for sale ;-) Oh and we pour pretty decent wine at our

Triangle ArtWorks -- a new Triangle non-profit promotes the region's arts

2011-10-31T11:32:00.003-04:00

New is a relative term, Triangle ArtWorks was founded in August 2010 with the following mission: MISSION: The mission of the Organization is to provide the services, support and resources necessary to cultivate and ensure a vibrant creative community in the Triangle region of North Carolina.Basically we (I'm on the Board) want to be the glue for the Triangle art community. One thing we've

Artists make more than the average worker!?

2011-10-31T11:13:00.002-04:00

A recent National Endowment for the Arts study reports that, on average, artists make over $43,000 per year. Hmmm, I'm guessing George Clooney, Jeff Koons and Lady Gaga sort of skew the average a bit! Here's the NYT's lead in: Artists in America constitute a tiny portion of the nation’s work force, but they tend to be more entrepreneurial, better educated and, with a median salary of $43,230,

Good site for artist opportunitities in North Carolina

2011-10-28T14:30:00.000-04:00

Are you looking for opportunities for funding your art? The NC Arts Everyday site includes a page that tracks arts opportunities both inside and outside the state. It's updated every couple of weeks. Good luck!