ASAP has launched the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund to
strategically address the emergency needs of farms during COVID-19 disruptions. Funds will be used for public health preparedness grants to farmers markets, to subsidize essential farm product packaging, and to purchase unsold food for donation to hunger programs. Donations to the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund can be made online at asapconnections.org or by mail or phone.

Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener Certificate of Merit

Ecological gardening is a way of thinking about gardens and landscapes in which gardens are no longer seen as a collection of plants, but a community with complex interdependencies between plants, animals, soils and the environment. This certificate program explores ecological principles for creating and managing a healthy, self-sustaining garden and landscape in a changing climate. Students enrolling in the Certificate of Merit program will work to complete 120 hours in core classes on topics including principles of ecological gardening, seasonal plants and tasks and sustainable landscape design along with electives on hardscape, edibles, seed saving and other subjects of interest to participants. View current class offerings for credit in the Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener program here.

To begin your program, complete an application and return it to the Education Center along with a one-time, non-refundable $55 application fee.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts is closed, but as it notes on its homepage, it’s “digitally open.”

That includes livestreaming performances and an expanded lineup of digital learning activities and workshops, which are all available for free online.

https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/center-for-puppetry-arts-livestream-performances-for-free/KuBGQBiqLKxYs2l0WORhWO/?fbclid=IwAR17Ds6ftqLlyHEMda-rNXz3a9PHlERNkHuILTYJON58mQ005dZtC-DkUSc

FREE Video Course by Wild Abundance

Discover delicacies growing right outside your door.

Your guide through this course is seasoned Wild Abundance instructor Luke Cannon, who has practiced wild food foraging for over two decades. More than a botanist, Luke is a long-time pursuer and teacher of the magic and medicine of plants. An avid naturalist, Luke draws from a diverse pool of knowledge, combining his natural history studies with his life experience in organic farming, natural building, permaculture, nature-based mentoring, and rural homesteading.

Getting started gardening can be exciting, and it can feel daunting.

Your teachers, Natalie Bogwalker and Chloe Lieberman share experience-based, practical instruction for growing their top ten vegetables to really fill your plate, belly, and larder. We put together this class so that you can begin with the crops that are most likely to be successful and rewarding. Or, if you’ve got some experience gardening but want to expand your repertoire, this course will help you do so in a way that makes sense and yields abundantly.

Many farms across North and South Carolina have added on-farm pickups, home delivery & online pre-orders to accommodate for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Please see the listings below for more information, and check out our interactive Google Map for farm locations near you!

Are you a farmer interested in being listed? Email [email protected]

Please:

• DO NOT show up at farms without prior permission.
• Follow specific instructions provided by each farm.
• Stay home if you are feeling ill.

Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence at Home

Around the world, people of all ages have joined Mo Willems in his studio for weekday LUNCH DOODLES. The three-week run, all 15 episodes and their downloadable activities, are archived below. Let the doodling continue! Please tag your artwork on social media with #MoLunchDoodles so that we can all see it!

We applaud the many other authors and illustrators who are sharing stories and leading activities online. For a short list of people to visit, click here. [Please note that this list is just a small number of the many wonderful artists who are sharing their talent and insights at this time. So, grab a favorite grown-up and look around the internet to discover authors/illustrators who are new to you!]

You can always visit Kennedy Center @ Home to enjoy free videos of extraordinary live and on-demand performances. Our KC Ed Now site also has fun educational activities to do at home.

Mo Willems and the Kennedy Center thank YOU for sharing your creativity with us! This pandemic is going to require some time to get better.  It is also going to require lots of kindness, lots of empathy, and lots and lots of doodles. Doodle on, fellow ART MAKERS!

WELCOME TO THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL ARTS ACTION DIGITAL SUMMIT!

Designed to bring advocates the latest updates in federal arts policy, compelling up-to-the-minute data, and successful advocacy techniques, the National Arts Action Digital Summit is the best way to prepare yourself to make key asks of your federal elected officials and to learn how to be the best arts advocate you can be.

Amid the health crisis of COVID-19 and wanting to prioritize the health and safety of our attendees, we made the difficult decision to cancel the traditional in-person gathering of the National Arts Action Summit originally planned for the end of March. Now we are delighted to bring advocates a brand-new experience to engage with one another digitally, and to have an entire suite of arts policy webinars at your fingertips!

Advocating for the arts is more important now than ever, and we’re excited to present over a dozen plenary and issue-specific breakout session webinars live from April 27 – May 1, 2020. Over these five days, you’ll gain a depth of knowledge from policy experts at Americans for the Arts and many of our National Partners. You’ll also be able to watch a recording of these webinars whenever you like to refresh your understanding of the issues.

As the growing season ramps up and social isolation continues to define our days, gardening is the perfect way to get outside, ease your mind, and support our local ecosystem – all while maintaining appropriate social distance. Whether you’re nurturing a decade old garden or are using your quarantine time to put plants in the ground for the first time ever, our new program has the tools and certifications for all levels of expertise. Certified gardens receive an official certificate and have the option to purchase one of our Certified Pollinator Habitat signs!   Find more information about this program along with tons of resources about pollinators and plants that they love!

Since 1930, the Guild has exhibited the handmade crafts of the people of North Carolina and the Southeast, and today is one of the strongest craft organizations in the country, representing just over 800 makers in 293 counties from 9 states. What started as a way to bring together the area’s creativity and arts while boosting income — during the Great Depression the Guild cultivated commerce for craftspeople in the Appalachian region — has become an iconic fixture of the craft revival movement.

https://www.facebook.com/shcraftguild/

Many of us will be spending more time in our gardens as we shelter in place during the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our gardens will continue to grow and we will continue to have gardening questions.

To answer those questions, Extension Master Gardener℠  Volunteers of Buncombe County will be working from home to keep the Garden Helpline open to the public. We are available to respond to your phone calls and emails. Send an email or leave a voice message at any time and a Master Gardener will respond during the Helpline hours listed below.

The information we provide is consistent with NC State University horticultural research and an integrated pest management approach which includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
FRIDAY: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Open March through October.

VESSELS OF HOPE: A CALL FOR HELP FROM THE VILLAGE POTTERS CLAY CENTER

Sarah Wells Rolland is making 500 vessels in fundraiser for TVPCC.

Sustaining TVPCC through this season of closure has become my primary job. I have applied for multiple loans, EIDL, PPP, from my personal bank, and now we wait. I am filled with hope! I believe that what we began here in 2011 is just now becoming fully grown.

So, I asked myself, What can I do? Vessels of Hope came to me immediately and I knew I had to do it. I am personally embarking on a challenging labor of love, making 500 vessels, each unique just like you. I am asking you to become a vessel of hope with me and our wonderful community for The Village Potters Clay Center.”

Sarah will be at the wheel making these Vessels of Hope for the next 12 weeks, and glazing them using a broad palette. Every vessel will vary in shape, surface and color, each one unique. They will be fired regularly as there are enough for a kiln load, expecting at least 4 firings among the large gas kiln, the new Rolland kiln, and the Kazegama wood ash kiln at TVPCC to complete this project.

As this is written, Sarah has made 121 vessels, and 120 are already purchased. During this process, pictures and videos of Sarah making the vessels will be posted to social media and shared with benefactors, so we all feel connected and continue to nurture hope in this time. When the vessels are all completed, The Village Potters team and volunteers will gather and pack them, but there will be no specific allocation of pots to people. Locals will be welcome to come by and pick up their vessel, and whether for shipping or pick up, pots will be distributed from the packed boxes, so nobody will know which pot they receive until the box is opened .

Sarah’s goal is for 500 benefactors, people who believe in the mission at The Village Potters Clay Center, and who are in a position to help. A minimum donation of $100 is asked for each Vessel of Hope, which includes shipping. For those who are able and would like to purchase more than one as gifts, individual pick up or shipping may be arranged. *10% of the proceeds generated through this project will be donated to artists in the River Arts District who are also struggling to stay open.

More from Sarah Wells Rolland: “These “Vessels of Hope” are a joyous creative pursuit for me personally, and you can be a part. I thank you for your love and support!”

The Village Potters Clay Center Team: Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Lori Theriault, Judi Harwood, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, Tori Motyl, and Lindsey Mudge,

With classes and jobs moving online in the wake of COVID-19, the UNC Asheville community is missing being in each other’s company, and we’re missing being on our beautiful campus in the springtime. It’s an especially lovely time of year, and while photos can’t capture the smell of flower blossoms or the warm breeze in the new leaves on the trees, we hope you’ll enjoy this photo tour of our campus in bloom.

https://stories.unca.edu/springtime-on-campus

While staying at home and practicing safe social distancing are the best courses of action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn’t mean we have to miss out on cultural landmarks around the world. Thanks to the Google Arts & Culture Project, from New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, to Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, here are 6 museums you can tour right now from home.

MoMA, New York

The first museum founded to showcase modern art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York has been doing just that for more than 90 years. From Picasso to Van Gogh, the MoMA is home to incredible pieces of history from the world of contemporary art.

Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City

Tour La Casa Azul, the former home of world-renowned artist Frida Kahlo – and current home to the museum honoring her life and legacy. Visible here are not only works from Kahlo, but also numerous personal belongings including her clothing and a body cast she famously painted while ill.

Musée d’Orsay, Paris

On display at the Musée d’Orsay, you’ll discover famous works from French artists who lived and worked between 1848 and 1914. Paintings by Monet, Gauguin, and Cézanne – among others – are featured on this Parisienne art tour.

La Galleria Nazionale, Rome

With just about 500 of its approximately 20,000 artworks digitized for this virtual tour, La Galleria Nazionale in Rome features everything from antiquities to seminal pieces representing the Futurist and Surrealist art movements.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe

Honoring one of America’s preeminent artists, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum settled in the same New Mexican desert she once called home. It is dedicated to enriching visitors in the incredible legacy left by the late artist with its collection of her paintings; of which 30 can be viewed online.

Rijks Museum, Amsterdam

One of the more thoroughly digitized experiences is Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. With over 145,000 works available to view virtually, enjoy incredible works from artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Verspronck, to name a few.

ASAP has launched the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund to
strategically address the emergency needs of farms during COVID-19 disruptions. Funds will be used for public health preparedness grants to farmers markets, to subsidize essential farm product packaging, and to purchase unsold food for donation to hunger programs. Donations to the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund can be made online at asapconnections.org or by mail or phone.

Getting started gardening can be exciting, and it can feel daunting.

Your teachers, Natalie Bogwalker and Chloe Lieberman share experience-based, practical instruction for growing their top ten vegetables to really fill your plate, belly, and larder. We put together this class so that you can begin with the crops that are most likely to be successful and rewarding. Or, if you’ve got some experience gardening but want to expand your repertoire, this course will help you do so in a way that makes sense and yields abundantly.

As the growing season ramps up and social isolation continues to define our days, gardening is the perfect way to get outside, ease your mind, and support our local ecosystem – all while maintaining appropriate social distance. Whether you’re nurturing a decade old garden or are using your quarantine time to put plants in the ground for the first time ever, our new program has the tools and certifications for all levels of expertise. Certified gardens receive an official certificate and have the option to purchase one of our Certified Pollinator Habitat signs!   Find more information about this program along with tons of resources about pollinators and plants that they love!

Visit Us Virtually

Spring has sprung and we are excited to share with you all the wonderful blooms and plants that are awakening right now. Take a virtual tour of our gardens and see what’s beautiful today at The North Carolina Arboretum.

While staying at home and practicing safe social distancing are the best courses of action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn’t mean we have to miss out on cultural landmarks around the world. Thanks to the Google Arts & Culture Project, from New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, to Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, here are 6 museums you can tour right now from home.

MoMA, New York

The first museum founded to showcase modern art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York has been doing just that for more than 90 years. From Picasso to Van Gogh, the MoMA is home to incredible pieces of history from the world of contemporary art.

Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City

Tour La Casa Azul, the former home of world-renowned artist Frida Kahlo – and current home to the museum honoring her life and legacy. Visible here are not only works from Kahlo, but also numerous personal belongings including her clothing and a body cast she famously painted while ill.

Musée d’Orsay, Paris

On display at the Musée d’Orsay, you’ll discover famous works from French artists who lived and worked between 1848 and 1914. Paintings by Monet, Gauguin, and Cézanne – among others – are featured on this Parisienne art tour.

La Galleria Nazionale, Rome

With just about 500 of its approximately 20,000 artworks digitized for this virtual tour, La Galleria Nazionale in Rome features everything from antiquities to seminal pieces representing the Futurist and Surrealist art movements.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe

Honoring one of America’s preeminent artists, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum settled in the same New Mexican desert she once called home. It is dedicated to enriching visitors in the incredible legacy left by the late artist with its collection of her paintings; of which 30 can be viewed online.

Rijks Museum, Amsterdam

One of the more thoroughly digitized experiences is Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. With over 145,000 works available to view virtually, enjoy incredible works from artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Verspronck, to name a few.