Paper Flow. Kathy Coco, artist. Photo courtesy of BMCA
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts (BMCA) presents its annual Community Art Show, opening with a reception from 5–6:30 p.m. on Friday, February 9, and running through Friday, February 23, in the gallery. The year’s theme is REMIX: The Art of Music. The show is a collaboration with and fundraiser for the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program. “We are asking folks to create art from any discarded musical item: records, sheet music, CDs, old instruments,” says Lori Cozzi, executive director of BMCA.
BMCA hosts the Buncombe County JAM program, which provides children with the opportunity to learn traditional mountain music and dance. Buncombe County JAM is supported by a Traditional Arts Program for Students (TAPS) Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council.
“This grant underwrites our JAM program, allowing us to pay our talented music instructors a fair wage and helps us keep the program affordable for families,” says Cozzi. “We decided to partner with the JAM program on this community art show because it seemed like a perfect fit. We want to support the work of JAM as it serves kids in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.”
Story Dragon. Amy Boyd, artist
BMCA started hosting community art shows in February of 2022. Past show themes have included Check This Out, which featured art made from old card catalog cards, and Beyond the Binding, where submitted art was made from old books or pages from books. This is the first music-themed community art show and, as always, everyone is welcome to participate.
Submissions will be accepted at BMCA through Tuesday, February 6. Everyone who submits an artwork will be included in the show. All of the art will be available for purchase for a minimum of $35, with additional donations encouraged. “Age and technical art skills don’t matter,” says Cozzi. “Just have fun with the challenge of creating art from a music item.”
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 West State Street, Black Mountain. Find more information about the show, including submission instructions, at BlackMountainArts.org/callforartists.
