RCNews
February 2010
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From Africa To
Appalachia |
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From Africa To Appalachia Opening
Celebration
& Related Events
Rose Center is hosting the twenty-second From Africa to Appalachia exhibition in the Edith Davis Gallery through the month of February. An opening reception with art talk and music is Sunday, February 7 from 2:00 – 4:00 P.M. The exhibit opening is free to the public and Rose Center is open Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 P.M. Support for the 2010 project was received from the Tennessee Arts Commission, Ladies Reading Circle and the Howard Miller Memorial Fund. Work by Sammie Nicely will be on display in the Hal Noe Gallery.
Art from the collection of Jan and Sylvia Peters from Knoxville will be on display. The Peters’ collection of works by African-American artists is extensive and represents a keen sense of beauty. Forty works by three Chicago artists, Steve Walker, Frederick Jones, and William Carter will make up this exhibit. “We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Sylvia and Jan,” said Patty Gracey, assistant curator for From Africa to Appalachia. “Their art collection is absolutely awe inspiring.”
The Peters have been collecting art for more than forty years. They moved to Knoxville in the 90’s and brought with them a broad representation of African American art from Chicago. “We are so excited to be invited by Rose Center to participate in this celebration of Black History month,” said Ms. Peters. Sylvia is a leader, nationally and locally, in public education programs that support excellence in the public schools. Her efforts on behalf of the impoverished neighborhoods of Chicago and Atlanta spurred significant improvements in student effort and school performance. She is President of Whole Village / Whole Nation, involved in education management, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Knoxville Museum of Art.
The three artists each have accomplished careers that span the 1930’s to late 1990’s Chicago art scene. Carter and Jones were trained at the Art Institute of Chicago, and both earned national recognition and awards. Their works are in major collections throughout the country. “Sylvia recognizes the importance of collecting art and preserving it for future generations,” Sammie Nicely, curator for From Africa to Appalachia said. “I find this an encouraging and refreshing perspective.”
Rose Center received a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission to support the creation of an arts project in the elementary schools in Hamblen County. Sammie Nicely and William Isom will develop a photo and video documentation of the From Africa to Appalachia exhibit. Sammie will conduct hands-on workshops for about 30 students in each of the elementary schools the last week of April. The GFWC Ladies Reading Circle and funds donated as a memorial for Howard Miller support the arts education project.
Rose Center
Receives Music Grant
Rose Center received a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission for Morristown native and nationally recognized blues harmonica player, Wallace Coleman to conduct a Blues Workshop for area musicians. The Workshop is free and open to the public. In addition, the Wallace Coleman band will perform two concerts in Prater Hall as part of From Africa to Appalachia, on February 12, & 13, 2010.
The Tennessee General Assembly provides financial support to the Arts Commission through the sale of Specialty License plates. These funds assist organizations throughout the state to provide quality art programs. Due to the economy, every state in the nation, except TN, has slashed funding for their arts agencies. ‘Many programs conducted by Rose Center would not be possible without the funds raised by the Specialty License Plate program,’ said Robert Lydick, Executive Director.
Wallace Coleman returns annually to Morristown and the east Tennessee area to play music and visit family. Rose Center has benefited by many years of performances with Wallace and his bands. ‘We are especially pleased that Wallace is willing to conduct this music workshop. He brings a national reputation and experience along with his enthusiasm for the music to our local musicians and students.” says Patty Gracey, FATA member and Rose Center coordinator. The Workshop is open to all students of music – especially the younger members of community, on Saturday, February 13 at 1 pm. A special invitation has been sent to the East and West High School music departments. There is no charge for attending the workshop.
From Africa to Appalachia and Rose Center, bring together a series of events to celebrate Black History month. The FATA exhibition is in its second decade. Lectures, seminars, craft fairs, and other methods have been used in the past to demonstrate the wealth of Black Appalachian culture in east Tennessee. In conjunction with the From Africa to Appalachia Celebration, the Wallace Coleman performance will be the first in the 2010 Music at the Rose Concert Series.
For more information about From Africa to Appalachia and Music at the Rose, call (423) 581.4330.
National Endowment For The Arts
Award
For Rose Center
Rose Center & Council for the Arts received a $10,000 Challenge America Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the creation of architectural studies and designs for the Rose School. Rose Center will work with the East Tennessee Design Center to develop plans for the continued preservation and use of the building, which was built in 1892 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“This is an important first step for Rose Center in its improvement plans,” said Robert Lydick, Executive Director. “With this grant, the NEA recognizes the significance of Morristown’s community arts center. The need to develop plans for necessary improvements including the physical plant and programs – what the community wants from its cultural center – is an essential ingredient in our long-term planning.” Surveys and workshops will be conducted throughout the community to assist the organization in future planning, leading to the organization’s ability to realize its public service goals.
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
Rose Center applied to the NEA’s Challenge America Fast-Track Review program. Bill Kornrich, former director of Rose Center, who garnered several NEA grants for the Center in his eighteen years said, “This is a very competitive grant, and shows someone did their homework.” The total funds awarded in 2010 amounted to $1.7 million dollars to 170 organizations. Rose Center was the only grant recipient in Tennessee.
The East Tennessee Design Center serves the east Tennessee region. It works with community organizations and other entities in assessing their development and creating plans for the future. The ETCDC assisted Morristown in 1981 in developing plans for Rose Center. Many of those projects for space improvements have been implemented, while others were revised. It is estimated that over the past 34 years, upwards of $5 million dollars have been used to maintain and repair Rose School.
Rose Center & Council for the Arts, located in downtown Morristown, is housed in Rose School, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. As Morristown’s Bicentennial Project, the historic landmark has evolved into the hub of arts and culture for Hamblen County, and now serves the Lakeway Region as a Designated Agency of the Tennessee Arts Commission.
The Center’s galleries and classrooms are used year round for art and historical exhibitions, education in dance, music and art, as well as special cultural events. From Africa to Appalachia, Mountain Makins Festival and other celebrations are held annually at Rose Center. In addition, Rose Center houses art and historical objects in its archives and collects materials relevant to the history of Hamblen County – its people and industries. Besides business meetings, weddings and baby christenings, the grounds of Rose Center host many community benefit functions.
The NEA Funds will be used to conduct a series of public workshops and seminars over the course of several weeks at different locations throughout the community. These public sessions, facilitated by ETCDC will gather comments and ideas regarding what the community wants at Rose Center in its programs and facility. The ETCDC will present pubic exhibitions representing the information gathered from the series of public meetings. Commentary and revisions during these exhibitions will be collected and used to develop a final design package.
The Board of Directors will use this final design package in creating its road map towards the development of community interest and future programs for Rose Center. In addition, the project results will be used to work with architects and engineers to create specifications for improvements to Rose Center. “These are not short-term goals,” responded Vicki Porter, Chair of the Board of Directors. “These are planned steps being taken to garner funds to ensure the integrity of Rose School and maintain our organization’s mission to serve the community. We are very pleased and excited that the National Endowment for the Arts has recognized and rewarded Rose Center.”
Rose Center Elects Board Members
Rose Center & Council for the Arts at its Annual Membership Meeting elected eight new board members and re-elected two others. The new board will meet on the second Thursday in January 2010. Almost 20 members of the 200 plus voting members met in November to receive the annual report, update on projects and enjoy some fine food and friendship, as well as vote on the nominations for the board.
Returning to the board for their second three-year service are Elizabeth Campbell and Todd Morgan. Becky Skelton, Kaye Schwalb, Buddy Saulsbury and Tom Rush, former members of the Rose Center Board are newly elected once again.
The organization is excited to receive some wholly new voices in this year’s election. Andrea Alford has recently found a home in Morristown with two children and her husband, Alexander, plant manager at Alcoa-Howmet. Clark Taylor, Deputy Fire Chief is particularly interested in ensuring the safety of the facility. Kristy Lacy has been with Morristown Utility Systems for a number of years and looks forward to working on her first board in the community. Vicky Green, former Rose Service Guild President and an active supporter of many Rose Center projects has taken her first step into the management of the organization.
The Members extended their deep appreciation to the outgoing Board: Ann Cranford, Chair of the Personnel Committee who worked with Rose Center since the early days; Mary Coleman, retired teacher in Hamblen County Schools, also served a number of years; and Bob Schwalb who is a member of the Rose Family.
Rose Center completed fiscal year 2009 in the black and reported a number of other improvements at the annual meeting. Almost $400,000 was used to conduct its business last year, promoting the arts and culture of the area, educating the community, and preserving a historic landmark. Numerous accomplishments were attained by the outgoing board, including, cost reductions, receipt of Community Development Block Grants from the City of Morristown, and successful fund drives and projects. Difficulties facing the new board include the aging physical plant, maintaining budget under a fallen economy and ensuring programs are adequately staffed. “This has been a very hard working board. It is great to experience the dedication these people bring to their efforts on behalf of this community,” reflected Robert Lydick, Executive Director of Rose Center.
Rose Center, located in the Historic Rose School, has evolved through the years. Revenues are gained through membership, donations, grants from civic and government agencies, instructional fees and rental of the facility for special events. Members of the board expend time, effort and share their expertise with the community through their service to Rose Center. The board meets monthly on the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 P.M. at Rose Center.
Rose Center Receives Arts Access Grant
Rose Center & Council for the Arts received an Arts Access grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC). The grant supports the art exhibit and hands-on art project for From Africa to Appalachia in February 2010. The Tennessee General Assembly, through the Specialty License Plates, supports the TAC to provide funding for Arts Access grants throughout the state.
Sammie Nicely, curator for From Africa to Appalachia, and Rose Center’s Patty Gracey have arranged with Sylvia and Jan Peters of Knoxville to provide art for the exhibition. The Edith Davis Gallery at Rose Center will house a collection of thirty works by three Chicago African American artists through the month of February. Ms. Peters will give a presentation about the artists and the art of collecting. Ms. Peters serves on the Knoxville Museum of Art Board of Directors, and is prominent in the Knoxville community for her advocacy of arts education.
The creation of photo-documentation of the exhibition available to teachers on a compact disk along with a companion curriculum-based arts project are a significant component of the TAC funded project. Student tours are encouraged, but the hands-on art project based on the works in the exhibition will be a lasting benefit. Accomplished artist Sammie Nicely, originally from Russellville, is developing a project using pastels to explore imagery and color relationships. An engagement of the student’s appreciation for art collecting and the preservation of cultural history are key goals for this project.
The From Africa to Appalachia Foundation, in partnership with Rose Center & Council for the Arts and other cultural organizations, began a celebration of Black History Month in Morristown over twenty years ago. Exhibition, crafts, performance, special seminars, and other events, designed to share the cultural, creative, and artistic spirit of African-Americans for whom Appalachia is home, make up the month-long event.
Rose Center has a history of promoting arts education and is a strong advocate in the community. Education Coordinator Beccy Hamm in describing the importance of art and arts education stated, ‘Rose Center believes the sustainability of the arts is contingent upon arts education of our children. This exhibition and the creation of an authentic hands-on art experience for our students, using prominent nationally recognized African-American artists from a regional art collection, helps to demonstrate the passion and importance of art in one’s life.’
From Africa to Appalachia is among a wide variety of regular programs offered by Rose Center including Music at the Rose, monthly art and historical exhibitions, art and dance classes for children and adults, as well as Community Artists in the Schools. Rose Center is a community cultural center serving the people of Hamblen County and the Lakeway region. Its collaboration with the Tennessee Arts Commission helps provide programming and important preservation of Rose School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Many of you are entering the modern communication age using cell phones, e-mail and other forms of communication. Most of you have e-mail addresses that you access regularly and even receive on your phone. Rose Center is evolving to communicate more rapidly and timely using modern methods such as e-mail and Facebook®; we may even use Twitter® along with other online software tools in the future. We are sending fewer printed newsletters but would like to keep our members better informed by sending electronic newsletters and regular updates on new classes and activities as they are developed.
To stay in the know about what is happening at Rose Center, please update our records so that we can regularly send you messages via e-mail. We promise not to overwhelm your in-box with junk mail and absolutely will not share or sell our e-mail list (as we also protect our mailing list). Please update or send us your email address by sending a message to postmaster@RoseCenter.org.
W.G.
"Petie" Siler coached football, boys and girls basketball, track,
baseball, tennis, and golf for more than 30 years. Twenty-five years
of his career were spent at Morristown High School, where he touched
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives.
Petie's teams were winning teams-even when they didn't have the highest score. Petie was a great coach, mentor, motivator, counselor, disciplinarian, encourager, and friend. His name is on Burke-Toney Stadium and Isenberg-Siler gymnasium in Morristown, but his legacy is read in the students' lives he touched. They are winners in their families and communities.
The information and anecdotes in this volume were initially collected when Tom Pugh (Morristown High School class of '49) and a small group of Petie's former students and players presented Petie Siler for induction in the TSSAA Hall of Fame. That honor was granted on March 20, 2004, declaring to others what Morristown citizens have known for years-that Petie Siler was a great coach, a great teacher, and a great man.
The book can be purchased at the Rose Center for $27.50 and all proceeds benefit the Rose Center Endowment Fund.
George Herbert Prater, over eight decades in
East Tennessee, matured into a devoted family man, businessman,
entrepreneur, civic and political leader, patron of the arts, and
world traveler. When he sat down about two years ago to write a few
memories of his life, he only intended to have something for his
grandchildren. The project grew and the result is a book that is
part memoir, part local history.
George Herbert draws a clear picture of life in Knoxville, beginning in the early twenties, then tells about the growth of Morristown after World War II. This is an interesting history lesson as well as a personal visit with George Herbert and is being sold as a 100% benefit for Rose Center. Mr. Prater donated 700 copies of the book to Rose Center. All proceeds from the sale of these delightful tales will directly benefit the Rose Center Endowment.
The books are selling for $25.00. ALL of this amount - the entire amount - goes to the Rose Center Endowment Fund. When all the books are sold, the fund will realize a substantial investment - about $17,000.00. The significance of this contribution is to stimulate giving to the Endowment Fund.
The Rose Center Endowment was created to insure continued operation of Rose Center and its many programs into the future. However, since completion of a challenge grant match with the East Tennessee Foundation in early 1999, there has been no contribution to the fund. Your purchase of this piece of local history will have lasting impact and influence on the arts and cultural development of Morristown. The books are available at Rose Center, Ramsey's Farm Market, and Jefferson Federal Savings and Loan.
Rose Center E-Mail
Address:
postmaster@rosecenter.org.
Webmaster:
Mike Pittman.
Copyright ©1998-2010 Rose Center, Morristown, TN 37814. All
Rights Reserved.