Museums Present Holiday Programming
December 7, 2007

STATESVILLE - On Saturday, December 15, 2007, from 10:00 am-11:00 pm, children and parents will have the fun-filled opportunity to decorate original gingerbread houses at the Children's Museum located in the Signal Hill Mall, 1613 East Broad Street, Statesville. Decorating gingerbread houses is a wonderful holiday activity that brings lasting memories and a one-of-a-kind gingerbread house that is theirs to keep. Houses and extra trimmings will be provided. $18 ($15 members). Call 704.872.7508 to register.
   Christmas at the Cabins will be held at Iredell Museums' Heritage Farmstead located at 1335 Museum Road, Statesville, on Sunday, December 16, 2007, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Visitors will experience the 18th century Christmas traditions of drinking hot apple cider and eating Shrewsbury cakes while listening to old-time music alongside Century clad interpreters. Children will enjoy carolers and backcountry arts and crafts. Admission is free of charge.

Forming a Collage of Overlapping Narratives
October 29, 2007

STATESVILLE - Hanna Kutteh's work is torn from the pages of magazines, sheared out of family memories, ripped from personal experience and reconstructed to form a collage of overlapping narratives. Time and place intertwine into a new imagined reality, which is neither tied to a spatial consideration or conventional context. Image and pattern are interwoven to become the culmination of her many influences that have molded her identity and understanding of self.
   Born in Beirut, Lebanon, and adopted at birth by a couple from North Carolina, Kutteh spent her childhood in Statesville. Kutteh's father is a first generation American of Middle Eastern decent, while her mother was born and raised on a small family-owned tobacco farm in North Carolina. While living in the South and being close to her grandparents, Kutteh has been influenced by both her Lebanese heritage and Southern traditions. Old family photographs along with images torn from vintage magazines have been the inspiration behind her recent paintings.
    Receiving her BFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, Kutteh currently creates her own works and is also a fine faux decorative finish painter in Charlotte.
    Kutteh's paintings will be exhibited at the Court Street Gallery, 134 Court Street, in downtown Statesville from November 9 through December 14, 2007. An opening reception for the artist will be held on Friday, November 9 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The reception and exhibit are open to the public, free of charge. The Gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Celebrate Autumn with Harvest Day at the Cabins
October 10, 2007

STATESVILLE - Harvest Day at the Cabins will be held at Iredell Museums' Heritage Farmstead located at 1335 Museum Road, Statesville, on Saturday October 20 from 10 am to 2 pm. Visitors will enjoy the early crispness of fall at the log cabins by stepping back in time two hundred years to learn about the way of life during harvest season in Iredell County. Eighteenth Century clad interpreters will prepare cottage cheese as well as a meal of bean soup, corn muffins, gingerbread and persimmon pudding. Children will have the opportunity to make corn husk dolls, leather pouches and spice graters. Admission is free.

Pottery Inspired by Textiles, Nature & Architecture
September 6, 2007

STATESVILLE - In Its Right Place will feature the pottery of Amy Sanders of Charlotte, NC at the Court Street Gallery, 134 Court Street, in downtown Statesville from September 14 through October 26.
    An opening reception for the artist will coincide with the kick-off party for the Downtown Statesville Art Crawl on Friday, September 14 from 5-8:00 pm. The reception and exhibit are open to the public, free of charge. Regular gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.
    Patterns in textiles, architecture, nature and quilting inspire Amy Sanders to create works that invite touch and evoke a sense of comfort. Sanders often constructs pieces with the intention of exhibiting them in a grouping. Much like people, each work interacts with another, creating a rhythmic conversation by leaning or even touching.
    The isolation of working alone in her studio has heightened Sanders' awareness of the importance of people and true community in her life. In Its Right Place reflects Sanders' desire for a sense of place and history while living within a fast-paced, urban environment.
   Holding a bachelors degree. in art and certification in secondary education from Centre College, Danville, KY, Sanders is currently a ceramics instructor at Clayworks in Charlotte, NC. Honors include a recent grant from the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte and an 18-month Affiliate Artist Residency at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte. Sanders has also received awards for booth design at the Ohio Designer Craftsmen shows in Cincinnati, OH and has created corporate commissioned pieces and public art projects in Charlotte.
    More of Sanders' work may be viewed at www.theretherepottery.blogspot.com.

Iredell Museums Partner in Presenting First Downtown Statesville Art Crawl
September 6, 2007

STATESVILLE - The Downtown Statesville Development Corporation has partnered with the Iredell Arts Council, Iredell Museums, and the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce to hold the first-ever Downtown Statesville Art Crawl on Friday, September 14, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm in lovely Downtown Statesville.
    This event is free to the public and is sponsored by Sheri Bistreich and Associates, a financial advisory practice, Ameriprise Financial.
    Over 25 local artists will be displayed throughout the following downtown galleries, shops and buildings - Broad Street Gallery, City Center, Express Yourself Stationery & Gifts, R. Gregory Jewelers, Farmhouse Bakery, DJ's Bridal & Tuxedo, Frame Gallery & Gifts, Iredell Arts Council, Iredell Museums, La Dolce Vita, Montgomery Building, Opus Financial Advisors, Plyler Men's Store, Statesville Civic Center, Louise Gilbert Memorial Gallery at Mitchell Community College, as well as in the buildings located at 111 West Broad Street and 109 East Broad Street.

Juried Art & Live Music Along Banks of Gregory Creek
August 3, 2007

STATESVILLE - Iredell Museums will hold its 8th Annual Art on the Green juried art show and sale on the grounds of the Historic Pump Station location, 1335 Museum Road, on Saturday, August 25, from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Rain date is September 8. Admission is free of charge.
   Art on the Green promotes fine arts and crafts by North Carolina artists/fine crafters and provides participating artists exposure to individuals who are interested in and supportive of the arts. A festive marketplace atmosphere is created each year along the banks of Gregory Creek under a refreshing canopy of tall, cooling shade trees.
   Artists/Crafters represented this year hail from the following counties in North Carolina: Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Forsyth, Iredell, Lincoln, Wake, and Wilkes. Represented disciplines include: forged metal, fiber arts, furniture, jewelry, painting, photography, pottery, sculpture and woodworking. Applications for artists/crafters will be accepted until August 17. First-time applicants must submit photos or slides representative of their work. Call 704-873-4734 for an application.
   Food, music, and planned entertainment for children will be available throughout the day. Performing musicians include: Steve Bell (Guitar/Vocals); Veda Bafford (Fiddle/Irish); Tomm Dollee Band (Bluegrass/Country/Gospel); Camelot Knights (Folk/Rock); Roger Anderson (Folk/Blues) and The Verge (Blues/Rock).
   Parking will be available at McClure Park and at Western Avenue Baptist Church with free shuttle service running from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

Exploring Tension and Pathways
June 12, 2007

STATESVILLE - An investigation of tension and pathways binds together the collective works of Kenn Kotara, Sharon Dowell and Laura McCarthy. Their works will be presented at the Court Street Gallery from July 13 through August 17. An opening reception for the artists will be held Friday, July 13 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
    Kenn Kotara, combines intuitive and deliberate lines to form multiple routes, aggregate forms and spatial depths in both drawings and hanging screen installations. Receiving his MFA from Louisiana Tech University, he is currently a Professor at A-B Tech Community College in Asheville. Kotara's works are included in international collections such as the Asheville Art Museum, the Louisiana State Museum, GE, Park Hyatt Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Wachovia, SAS Institute, Neiman Marcus, Sumisho, Japan and the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica.
    Simultaneously capturing the collective energy of cities and individual personalities and cultures found within, Sharon Dowell documents her journeys in her paintings. Dowell is Co-Director of Center of the Earth Gallery in Charlotte and independently curates. She holds a BFA from UNC Charlotte, and her work was recently acquired by the Federal Reserve.
    Laura McCarthy's mixed media installations and prints concern thresholds and the spaces between chaos and calm, those moments when all time is concurrent. She received a BFA from UNC Charlotte and a BA from Davidson College. Honors include residencies at the McColl Center for Visual Art, the Vermont Studio Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, and most recently a grant from the NC Arts and Science Council.
    SYSTEMS GO was curated by Sharon Dowell and is funded in part by the N.C. Arts Council's GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM through the Iredell Arts Council. To view more of the artists' work, visit: www.kotarastudio.com, www.sharondowell.com and www.lauramccarthy.net.

Multicultural Children's Art Contest Exhibit
May 25, 2007

STATESVILLE -Iredell Museums will present winning entries from the Iredell-Statesville Schools 8th Annual Multicultural Art Contest at the Court Street Gallery from May 31 - June 29. An opening reception for the artists will be held Thursday, May 31, from 5 to 7 pm.
    The contest is co-sponsored by Iredell Museums and Iredell-Statesville Schools. The exhibit is made possible through generous support of Altrusa International, Inc., Engineered Sintered Components, Iredell Arts Council, Patina-V, Statesville Housing Authority, Vallereux's Photographic Art and the Wilson Foundation.
    In its 8th year, the contest allows over 1,000 English as a Second Language (ESL) students in the Iredell-Statesville Schools the opportunity to participate in creative expression as a way to develop greater language skills. 174 students in grades K-12, from 20 different schools and 17 different countries, submitted work for consideration. The theme of this year's contest was "School around the World." Contest entrants were encouraged to reflect upon and share what is special in their cultural background and were required to submit a few paragraphs describing their artwork in both their native language as well as in English.
   The exhibit's winning entries feature the work of 29 students from 12 schools and 8 countries as well as written descriptions allowing visitors the opportunity to experience not only the artwork but also the thoughts behind the artwork illustrated in the child's own voice. Also included in the exhibit is an interactive map of the world, multicultural mannequins, professionally rendered photographic portraits of 20 multicultural children from East Iredell Elementary and books which describe different customs and cultures.
   According to Theresa Golas, the museums' executive director, "The museum recognizes that not all children learn alike and many learn more readily by expressing themselves in a creative manner. The Multicultural Art Contest and Exhibit is designed to open the hearts and minds of young people to enable them to respect their own culture and learn how other cultures are unique and yet, very much alike. Through such education and exposure to diverse customs and traditions, children and families are taught tolerance of others and appreciation for a world of customs and traditions."

Mathematics Made Easy as Pie During Statewide Pi Day Celebration
March 12, 2007

STATESVILLE - On March 14, Iredell Museums will join museums and schools across North Carolina in celebrating Pi Day, an unofficial holiday held on the date of the first three digits of Pi (3.14). Twelve interactive tabletop math exhibits, designed for children in grades 3 to 8 along with their families and educators, will be on display at the Children's Museum, 1613 East Broad Street, Signal Hill Mall, Statesville. The exhibits will remain on display from March 14 through March 28. Admission is $2. The exhibit correlates with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Mathematics and was made possible through support from the National Science Foundation.
    Exhibits include:

• How Many Diameters Fit Around the Circle? - Can you remember the mathematical formula to calculate the circumference of a circle? This exhibit will allow you to remember the formula in a very simple manner. Children will have the opportunity to learn math terms while physically calculating the circumference of a circle.
• Which Sock Will You Pick? - Ever wonder why it's so hard to pick a matching set of socks out of a packed dryer? At this exhibit children will learn about probability while trying to make a match.
• Which Tool is Best? - What is the best way to measure a dinosaur? The size of its teeth. The span of its jaw. The overall length from head to toe. Children will compare different measuring tools to see what works best for the task at hand.
• How Many is a Million? - Ever state that you have a million things to do? Now you will have the opportunity to experience what a million really is. Children will learn that if they counted at the rate of one number per second, that it would take more than 11 days to get to a million!
• How Many Miles? - How far is it from Asheville to Charlotte? Children will have the opportunity to calculate the distance between cities in North Carolina.
• Which Gets More Money? - Should you ask your parents for $1 a week or 25 cents and double your money every week as an allowance? Children will have the opportunity to figure out which is better and also learn that knowledge is power!
• How Will You Pack? - Ever had a hard time deciding exactly what you should pack for vacation? Children and families will utilize principles of geometry to pack a trunk and figure out how shapes fit together.
• What Patterns do You See? - Have you ever held a seashell and looked at its patterns closely? Children will have the opportunity to experience the patterns in a shell and learn how to spot other patterns the world around them.
• Build a Bigger Cube - Have you ever played with a dollhouse or a train set? Children will learn the principals that architects use to make small-scale models.
• How will You Build the Tower? - Everyone has to get dressed in the morning and most people usually follow a certain order. Children will learn that the order of things is very important to construction works that carefully choose what they will do first when they construct a building.
• How Many Things are in the Box? - Ever try to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar? Children will use mathematical principals to calculate the number of things in a box, much like biologists estimating how many salamanders live in a pond.
• How will You Deliver all Three? - Ever try to multitask? Children will use animal figures to solve a logic problem.

    "The exhibits are designed to be fun as well as challenging. Most children won't even realize they are learning and reinforcing mathematical concepts as they participate in Math Made as Easy as Pi," says Iredell Museums Executive Director Theresa Golas.

Biltmore Estate Floral Designer to be Featured at Art in Bloom
March 6, 2007

STATESVILLE — The thirteenth annual Art in Bloom spring fundraising event will be held on Thursday, April 5 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Statesville Civic Center, 300 North Center Street, Statesville.
    Art in Bloom 2007 will feature floral design and decorating specialist Hope Wright from Biltmore Estate's "A Gardener's Place." Working from a garden shop in the historic 1895 conservatory, Wright creates elegant visual displays, hosts informal floral design and gardening workshops and enjoys "cutting privileges" within Biltmore's extensive gardens. Wright can also be seen in several segments of "Specialties of the House" on HGTV.
    Previously involved with Biltmore's floral design team, which plans and executes floral and plant designs throughout the estate, Wright played a key role in decorating for popular events such as Christmas at Biltmore Estate and Festival of Flowers.
    At Art in Bloom, Wright will share professional secrets used to design the magnificent floral creations seen throughout Biltmore. The program will start with a short presentation about Biltmore's horticultural legacy and continue with a hands-on demonstration of arranging styles and techniques. How-to tips on cutting from your own garden, conditioning flowers and preserving arrangements will also be shared. Using natural and artificial materials that are easily available, Wright will demonstrate surprising styles and techniques that are easily recreated at home any time of year.
    Theresa Golas, Iredell Museums' Executive Director, exclaims, "We are excited to have a passionate professional from the Biltmore Estate featured at our 2007 spring fundraising event and we are all eager to learn the secrets from America's largest home!"
    Art in Bloom was conceived in 1994 by the late Amy Steele, a tireless volunteer and passionate advocate of the arts. Today, the event has grown into not only the major fundraiser for the museum, but also a much anticipated annual program. The event also includes a bake and gift sale as well as a silent auction featuring original works of art, boutique items and special personal services. The ticket price of $35 includes admission to the event, morning coffee and a catered lunch.
    Committee members include: Susan Bellingham, Lisa Bograd, Sandra Campbell, Elizabeth Cannon, George Anna Chambers, Anna Gilbert, Mary Gilbert, Theresa Golas, Anna Gordon, Becky Hill, Janis Hilton, Louise Hunter, Re Johnston, Ann Kincaid, Teresa Kutteh, Lynn Lawton, Alyson McCall, Shelly McElwee, Tammy Pressly, Kathi Rankin, Michelle Rokes, Sue Walser, and Michelle Warren.

Mother/Daughter Painters Featured
March 5, 2007

STATESVILLE — Iredell Museums will present the work of mother/daughter painters Laura John of Sapphire, NC and Jodi John of Statesville, NC. The exhibit will be held at the Court Street Gallery, 134 Court Street, in downtown Statesville from March 16 through April 13, 2007. An opening reception for the artists will be held on Friday, March 16, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm The reception and exhibit are open to the public, free of charge. The exhibit is made possible through generous support of L. Gordon Iron and Metal Company.
   Laura John, born in Oak Park, Illinois, moved to Florida as a child and was educated at Broward Community College, Dade Community College and the University of Florida. She derives great joy from creating works of art that are whimsical and full of unexpected color. Laura does not wash her brush before choosing a different color. She will dab acra gold over a brush containing remnants of brilliant blue. The result is a breathtaking blend of color, and a metamorphosis of pigment. Although portraits are her specialty, Laura's range of style is astonishing; loose landscapes, children, flora, fauna, and whimsical bears cannot escape the artistic expression within her brush. Laura states, "Everywhere I look I see a painting. I can't wait to put it on canvas so it can be enjoyed by others." Laura's work has been displayed in several one-woman shows and she has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Highland Art League members' show People's Choice Award 1996, 1999, and 2006. She has taught art for many years and is currently teaching at Chestnut Hill in Highlands, NC.
   Jodi John was born and raised in Florida, but spent her summers in the North Carolina mountains. She received her B.S. in Cultural Anthropology from Appalachian State University, with a minor in Folklore. Jodi completed the first half of her Master's of Architecture at UNC-Charlotte before becoming a mother. She has been painting professionally since May 2001 in her home studio. A student and daughter of artist Laura John and architect Paul Robin John, Jodi has learned to combine impressionistic techniques with vivid color and the looseness of architectural field sketching. Her recent work depicts images of rural and family life. The title of Jodi's series displayed in the exhibit is "Life as a Mobius Strip: The Never-Ending Response to What We See." In her series, Jodi uses the mathematical idea of the mobius strip to relate how she sees things, and the way they are reproduced onto canvas and then they are seen again. Jodi currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Mitchell Community College in Statesville.

Folk Art of Theresa Gloster & Friends Opens MLK Celebration Week
January 5, 2007

STATESVILLE — Iredell Museums will exhibit the work of folk artist Theresa Gloster of Lenoir, NC at the Court Street Gallery from January 12 through February 23. An opening reception for the artist will be held Friday, January 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm The exhibit is funded in part by the N.C. Arts Council's Grassroots Arts Program.
   Gloster, one of twelve children born in Filbert, West Virginia and raised by her grandparents in Western North Carolina, paints scenes from her life and the stories she hears while working as a hairdresser. Painting on any surface, such as place mats, church fans, walls, vans, etc., her sometimes picturesque, sometimes playful, sometimes poignant paintings reflect the inherent joys and hardships of life in rural coal-mining West Virginia and the foothills of Western North Carolina.
   Author Billy Anthony Moore writes about Gloster in his book Sisyphus and the Struggle Within. "Theresa Gloster considers herself a 'Memory Artist' because her paintings spring from her own creative imagination inspired by God. Gloster's work depicts memories of her past, her family, the simplicity of daily life, the stillness, the noise, the chores, the joys, the pains, the acceptance of life, but most of all, the humanity of Appalachia's rural Black folk."
  Included in the exhibit will be works created in a Folk Art Workshop conducted by Gloster with children grades 2-5 from SHAKE (Success Helps All Kids Excel), a community program for children in the South Statesville area.
   The Theresa Gloster Folk Art Exhibit is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration "Dream, Dare, Do: Empowering and Restoring our Community" organized by partners Covenant House, Habitat for Humanity of Iredell County, IMPACT, Iredell Museums, Mitchell Community College, Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Zion Church, STAR, (Stand Together Against Racism), Statesville Branch NAACP, Statesville Chamber of Commerce, Statesville Housing Authority, Statesville Human Relations Council, Teen Health, W.H.E.E.L. and the YMCA of Iredell County.

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