Section B Olltl* HQ Section B
Wednesday, October 19, 1983 J -V1 -V Wednesday, October 19, 1983
'State Of The Arts' Title
Should Be Of No Surprise
By (JI.KNN MAYS
Travel Editor
To say that North Carolina is "The State of the
Arts" might surprise some people. But it should not.
North Carolina's folk art culture has been a main
stay throughout Tar Heel history. That image is
pervasive. But the reality of the arts in North
Carolina far exceeds the folk dancing, singing and
craftsmanship of pottery, fiber, wood or metal.
The Tar Heel State has pioneered preserving and
promoting mam phases of the arts from folklife to
the fine arts
In 1815, for instance, the state's legislators ap
propriated $l<t.(KM) to commission Antonio Canova to
do a statue of George Washington. The piece sat in
the state capitol rotunda until the building was
destroyed by file in 1831. Another piece to replace
the one destroyed m the fire, was done in 1970 and
today sits in the capitol rotunda.
North Carolina has been an arts leader in other
areas too
In 1932 North Carolina became the first state to
have its own state symphony. The symphony con
tinues as an educational and cultural asset today af
ter more than 50 years
In 1947 the state appropriated $1 million for a
public collection, the first state to allocate public
funds for such a purpose In 1983 the state's new
Museum of Art opened to the raves of some 20,000
visitors in its first weekend, having moved from
cramped quarters in downtown Raleigh occupied
since the mid-1950s, to a location just off Interstate
40 west of the fit\
The North ('arolina School of the Arts in Winston
Salem. opened m 1W5. was the first such facility in
the nation operated by a state. The high school and
college level program now attracts aspiring per
forming artists not onh from North Carolina but
from all over the country
Speaking there in 1982 renowned actress Helen
Hayes was asked What is the 'state of the arts'
today'.'" She commented without hesitation, "North
Carolina."
Anomer Firs', in Uie ai is 101 liit- staie cam ytrcsi
brings '.i.-.U.:» t>- i f .11 rus.> the state and the
nation. The roots of the outdoor symphonic drama
are firmly impianti'd into Tar Heel soil.
North Caro!in;> native Paul Green penned the first
such drama. 1'he I.ost <'olony" in the 1930s and it
was first performed in l'K17. The nation's second
oldest outdoor drama "Unto These Hills" at
Cherokee and third oldest "Horn In The West" at
Boone were Kermit Hunter's works and play each
year to thousands
Green s inaugural work, commemorating the
events of 1587 on North Carolina's Outer Banks, was
the forerunner for some 50 outdoor dramas in the
country today, Id of which play to audiences in
North Carohna.
The performing arts are evident everywhere in
the state. Community theatre groups like those in
Greenville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and
Winston-Salem play to full houses with a vast array
of drama spanning the full spectrum of the theater
from comedy to the most serious drama.
There's professional theater here too. A notable
example is the North Carolina Shakespeare Festi
val in High Point which provides more than a fare of
Shakespeare.
rtie Warren County Chapter of the North Carolina
Association of Educational Office Personnel sold
chances recently on a vacuum cleaner, donated to
the group by Warrenton Furniture Exchange, Inc.
Having been selected as the winner, Mary Austell,
kindergarten teacher at Northside Elementary
School, receives her prize from David Gardner,
vice-president of Warrenton Furniture Exchange,
Inc. The proceeds from the project will be placed in
the chapter's scholarship fund.
(Community Schools Photo)
For almost two months each year the works of
such playwrights as Moss Hart, John Steinbeck,
Eugene O'Neill, Molier and Shakespeare delight
audiences in High Point Theater. Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol" is performed during the
Christmas season, each year with a different twist.
As for music it too spreads across the state in
long-running festivals like the Eastern Music
Festival in Greensboro and the Brevard Music
Festival.
Dance, too, pervades the North Carolina country
side. Folk dances like clogging and square dancing
have long been a tradition here. But ballet now is
almost as commonplace as the folk dances. In 1978
the American Dance Festival relocated to Durham
from New London, Connecticut.
Another first for the arts also resides in Winston
Salem. It was there in 1949 that citizens founded the
Arts Council of Winston-Salem, oldest of its kind in
the country.
More recently, 1983 in fact, saw the grand opening
of The Stevens Center, a renovated 1,380-seat
theater in the heart of the city for use by the N. C.
School of the Arts and other professional theater.
The project took 10 years and $9.8 million to com
plete.
As for government support of the arts in North
Carolina another "first" emerges. The state's
General Assembly in 1971 created the Department
of Art, Culture and History (a name later changed
to Department of Cultural Resources) to become
the first state to give cabinet-level importance to
the arts. In 1973 the N. C. Theater Arts Division
became the nation's first state agency for support of
professional drama.
Folk art in North Carolina has thrived for years
and continues to be a growing success. From quilt
ing and weaving to woodcarving and instrument
making, North Carolina craftsmen are well known
for their fine quality.
Several schools and craft guilds continue the
tradition which has been well established for
decades. The John C. Campbell Folk School in the
tiny community of Brasstown in Cherokee County
opened in 1925 as one of the first of its type. In the
state's northwest mountains the Penland Craft
School also carries on a long tradition of quality in
struction in arts and crafts.
Throughout the state cities, towns and com
munities hold fast to the arts.
In Jugtown pottery is king. Charlotte's Spirit
Square combines the performing and graphic arts
in what once was a church saved from the wrecking
ball. In the small towns of Snow Camp, Valdese,
Kenansville and Waxhaw outdoor dramas bring
history to life on summer nights. In Flat Rock the
Flat Rock Playhouse has played as the "state
theater of North Carolina" since 1961.
What North Carolina has done and continues to do
with the arts is becoming more widely known. To
some the Tar Heel State is viewed as a national
model.
South Carolina officials pointed that out while
seeking information about arts programs in other
states for comparative purposes. "There was no
need to look further than North Carolina, which has
become one of the most fertile areas for cultural
growth in the country during the past quarter cen
tury," their report stated.
North Carolina is "The State of the Arts."
Your Week Ahead Horoscope
Forecast Period: 10/23-10/29/83
ARIES
Mar. 21-Apr. 19
TAURUS
Apr. 20-May 20
GEMINI
May 21-June20
CANCER
June21-July 22
LEO
July 23-Aug- 22
VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sepl. 22
LIBRA
Sepl.23-Ocl.22
SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
SAGITTARIUS
Nov.22-Dec. 21
CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
AQUARIUS
Jan.20-Feb. 18
PISCES
Feb. 19-Mar.20
Focus is on personal and partnership
financial dealings. Find ways to econ
omize. Avoid a tendency to act hastily.
Be prepared to make adjustments and
meet the other person halfway. Get
that chip off your shoulder.
A new work assignment spurs you on
to greater achievements. Listen to the
viewpoint of others.
Dragging an issue on to a bitter con
clusion strains relationships. Let peo
ple know you really care about them.
There's a tug of war going on between
domestic and public affairs. Use dis
cretion and don't force your plans.
Caution is urged in local travel. Sub
tle changes in financial affairs call for
a reassessment of needs.
Use diplomacy in financial dealing
with others. Avoid an impasse that
might threaten to upset the balance.
Prying into a partner's closet of sec
rets can only stir up a hornet's nest.
You'll be told when the time is right.
Put a little more effort into getting a -
long with people. You are not really
the petulant soul you are portraying.
So much to do it's hard to know whert
to begin. Change your programming,
allowing more time to hancH? fewer
tasks.
Unsettling news comes to you abouta
family matter. Tend to matters al
home and the business end will stra
ighten out.
You should make plans for just on<
more vacation trip before the cold wea
ther arrives. Satisfy the wanderlusi
in you.
Students at Brevard Music Center in Brevard ex
perience the beauty of music and nature in a rustic
setting. The center offers a six and one-half week
music education program for talented young
musicians each summer.
(N. C. Travel and Tourism Division Photo by Cla
Nolen).