Arts Council News
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Press Releases & Open Letters

PRESS RELEASE: New Artist Residencies for Buncombe County Schools
Just in time for NC Arts Education Week, the Asheville Area Arts Council (AAAC) is proud to announce a new partnership with the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF) and Buncombe County Schools (BCS) to expand the Teaching Artists Presenting in Asheville Schools (TAPAS) program into county classrooms.

Open Letter Regarding Mask Mandate
I urge you to pass an indoor mask mandate for Buncombe County in accordance with the recommendations put forth by the CDC at the end of July. I would also ask you to please consider a mask requirement for large outdoor mass gatherings where six feet social distancing is not feasible.

Arts Council Launches New Arts Coalition
The arts council serves ALL arts professionals and organizations in Buncombe County, and it is our hope that this coalition will help us gather more input from the sector, aid in prioritizing and unifying our advocacy efforts, and create more support for policy initiatives,” says executive director Katie Cornell.

Open Letter to the Vance Monument Task Force
Across the nation, communities are looking at long-standing public artworks in a new light. Are these valuable pieces of our history or are they symbols of oppression that continue to reinforce inequities in our society? What is clear is the public art we choose to place in our city square makes a decisive statement about our shared values.

Arts Impact Survey Shows $18.7 Millions in Losses Since March
On July 24, Asheville Area Arts Council launched the Buncombe County Arts Business Impact Survey to quantify the impacts of COVID-19 on our local arts community. Over 100 arts businesses replied to the survey. Responses came from organizations that are primarily located in Asheville, Black Mountain, and Weaverville.

Lead artists selected for Asheville’s Black Lives Matter mural
Artists Jenny Pickens, Joseph Pearson, and Marie T. Cochran will lead the design and implementation process for a Black Lives Matter mural in Asheville’s central business district. The street mural will be located in Pack Square, and extend from N. Pack Square to S. Pack Square.
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