Special Events Raise New Audiences and Special Support for the Arts
By Jessica Klarp

Six or seven times a year the Black Mountain Center for the Arts offers something new. But then any creative endeavor, by its very nature, is always new and innovative.

“Special events are designed to stretch us,” said Gale Jackson, Executive Director for the Center for the Arts, referring to those opportunities that fall outside the dozens of regularly scheduled programs and hundreds of individual classes that occur each year at the historic building on State Street. “They are frequently designed to help raise awareness in the community about what we are doing here at the Arts Center. They also accomplish the goal of bringing new people into our facility who might not have otherwise been aware of it. Underlying all of that is the hope that we will raise additional income to support our regular programming.”

Art in Bloom is a great example of a successful special event that touches more than a thousand people in one weekend. It is an enormous undertaking that requires months of planning, hundreds of volunteers and encompasses multiple events in four days. Art in Bloom is truly a distinctive special event.

Included in this year’s Art in Bloom were:  an incredible art exhibit in the Center’s Upper Gallery that highlighted both floral arrangements and the extraordinary art loaned to the event from local collectors and artists; a tour of ten fabulous local gardens with plein aire painters; a gala preview party; a special demonstration of flower arranging by the crowd pleasing, internationally recognized Ron Morgan; a fashion show of “wearable art” from Bellagio; and a concert featuring The Magills.

 “Our second year of Art in Bloom was spectacular,” Jackson noted. “We had about 1500 people from all over the region giving kudos to Black Mountain. By including floral design and gardening along with fine art, we expanded our audience. The weekend attracted many people who visited us for the first time.”

And it raised money - which is key, because without funding, the Arts Center can’t exist. And where Art in Bloom and the Annual Arts Auction are fun and do their job of raising money and awareness; other events are fun, but end up costing the Arts Center.

Jackson is the sort who is so devoted to the Center she treats her programs and events with a special affection. And if one doesn’t work she tries and tries – with the help of the board and volunteers – to make it work. This is the case of the Annual PumpkinFest.

Since before the Arts Center moved into its home on State Street, the PumpkinFest was held as a way to build community support for the planned Arts Center. Local and regional families have come to depend on the PumpkinFest with its carnival-like atmosphere that included music, dancing, pumpkin painting, carving demonstrations, and hands-on art activities as a way to celebrate the arts and the change of seasons.

But each year, despite efforts to cut costs and get sponsorships, the PumpkinFest lost money the Arts Center didn’t have to spare. Thousands of local families took advantage of the event but, Jackson said with a catch in her voice, “we weren’t getting the financial support we needed to keep it going. It was labor intensive with lots of volunteers and some in-kind donations, but the board decided it was too much effort and thought we needed to save us from ourselves.” So with great regret and mixed emotions, this year there will be no celebration of Autumn in the parking area behind the Center.
This Fall, the Arts Center is trying something new and completely different. The first annual Will Kennedy Memorial Golf Tournament will honor the legacy of the former mayor of Black Mountain and one of the Founders of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. The tournament will take place at the beautiful Black Mountain Golf Course on the first day of Fall, September 23. Deadline for registration and sponsorships is September 12. 

“This Special Event is bringing together a lot of people in town, and it is very different from what we have ever done. We hope it will become an annual event and honor Will for all he contributed to the Town of Black Mountain and to the Center. It is a fun way to support the Arts,” Jackson said. Response to the Golf Tournament has been positive and many local businesses have sponsored holes and foursomes. Anyone who is interested can call the Arts Center at 828/669-0930 for more information on sponsoring or playing.  You can also visit www.BlackMountainArts.org

“People often ask how we support a non-profit community Arts Center and the answer is ‘every which way we can!’” Jackson said. “Of course we work for earned income, but we wouldn’t exist without all the other avenues of funding including grants, Town of Black Mountain in-kind facility support, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, memorials, contributions to our BMCA endowment fund, designated gifts and, of course, income from special events.”
This week the Arts Center is starting its direct mail fund drive. When the envelope arrives, consider becoming a more significant part of the arts by contributing to this important local resource. Or take an extra step and go by the Arts Center and make a contribution that will sustain the Center for years to come. No amount is too small, but if you want Special Events like the PumpkinFest to return and more opportunities for yourself and your children, make a donation that proves you care.

And like Jackson said, “Just about everything we do here is special.”