| woven together | fund drive 2022
Dearest Friends of the Foothills Arts Council,
Exciting developments are underway for the new Foothills Arts Center at Historic Chatham Mill. The beloved landmark that serves as our new home is undergoing repairs and improvements designed to make the facility safe for all who visit our campus. Those renovations are the first of many that will transform the center into an open floor plan reminiscent of the original civic design, creating state-of-the-art studio, classroom, and gallery spaces.
While the facility remains closed during these critical repairs, we have enjoyed an active year engaging with the community and promoting the arts, as we fully embrace our mission to enrich creative lives through immersive arts and craft education and entertainment. We’ve welcomed many of you at exhibits and events, proving that the joy of creative expression surpasses any structure and remains relevant to our daily lives and a celebrated part of our community culture.
When you choose to join us a member or sponsor by making a charitable contribution to the Foothills Arts Council, a 503(c) nonprofit organization, your tax-deductible gift supports the vitality of the arts, with annual programming initiatives including:
| Elkin Roots Music Fest | Hosted by The Reeves Theater & Café, this festival brought a family-friendly roots music event to town in June.
| The Foothills School of Violin Making | Students travel from across the country to train under the tutelage of a master violin maker Joe Thrift. This distinctive semester-based program just began its third year of operation.
| Foothills Theatre & Foothills Children’s Theatre | The vibrant group presented Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap in dinner theatre format in March, Disney’s 101 Dalmatians in June, and most recently, an enchanting performance of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella in July.
| Reevestock Music Festival | This charitable music festival continued in its mission to “Keep Yadkin Valley's Music Alive (and Kickin')” in August with a packed schedule of performances and an impressive crowd enjoying the magic of Elkin’s Hidden Amphitheater.
| Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention | A competitive showcase of regional talent returned at the end of September after a nearly three-year hiatus, kicking off in true fiddler fashion with a square dance.
| Plein Air Painters | Our group invites novice and established plein air artists on monthly excursions to scenic venues for coffee and creative community. The series culminated with a three-day plein air festival in October, in a collaboration with Grassy Creek Vineyard and will resume again next spring.
| The Yadkin Valley Fiber Center | In addition to fiber arts instruction, dye labs, and fiber preparation classes already offered, the center is developing a tiered master weaving program, piloting next spring and formally launching next fall.
| Youth Art Enrichment | Elementary, middle, and high-school artists experienced a week of summer art enrichment in June at a studio retreat, where they experimented with a variety of media. Regular classes for youth will resume at the start of the spring semester.
| Free Community Events | We’ve invited members of the community to interact with and be inspired by quarterly exhibition openings, concerts on the lawn, and other inclusive opportunities to enjoy the arts during First Fridays @ FAC and at The Studio.
recent events include Front Porch Pickin’, the Charlotte Textile Group show, and the Tapestry Weavers South New Works exhibit, an exhibition of local celebrated plein air artist Elbert Shubert, and a community Día de los Muertos ofrenda.
upcoming events include our annual Merry Makers Market in collaboration with The Wisdom Table, and a traveling international fiber arts exhibit entitled Small Expressions, opening in early 2023.
Furthermore, your generous donation is an opportunity to be part of a monumental project to preserve a structure that will provide enjoyment and enrichment as a thriving regional destination that enhances the visual and performing arts and honors timeless heritage crafts and local history. We can’t wait to welcome our new and returning members and sponsors back to campus; in the interim, we'll be delighted to see you at one of the many events presented by the FAC or our affiliates!
Dan Butner, Executive Director Sydney Sieviec, Assistant Director
| Affiliates | Elkin Roots Music Fest, Foothills Theatre, Reevestock Music Festival, Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention, The Yadkin Valley Fiber Center
| Board of Directors | Marianne Luther President, Mike Cheek Vice-President, Jay Morphis Treasurer, Debra Garing Secretary, Jill Bellia, Leslie Fesperman, Joe Fisch, Laura Garing, Jacey Gorman, Susan Pasch, Beanie Taylor, Beth Sumner-Wall, Jennifer White