If you know Mike Wiley, you know that he is full of expression, captures an audience almost instantly, and finds a way to pull out the inner theater artist in everyone he meets. This fall, students and teachers at Perry Harrison Elementary and Bennett School discovered this first-hand during Wiley’s performance of Jackie Robinson: A… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Curriculum Come to Life in Two Chatham County Elementary Schools
History, math, science – sometimes everyday curriculum can be difficult to grasp for elementary school students. The concept seems unfamiliar or too far removed from everyday life to grasp. But when a student becomes an integral part of dissecting and reconstructing it in a different way, the ability to connect with curriculum concepts is more… Read More →
Harry Lane Wurster
Artists-in-Schools: Mike Wiley Inspires Student Confidence in Two Chatham County Schools
In early January, nationally known theater artist, Mike Wiley, made his way to Siler City Elementary and Silk Hope School as part of the Chatham Arts Council’s Artists-in-Schools initiative. His goal was to weave literacy and history curricula into school-wide performances of Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart and classroom workshops. But what he accomplished, was… Read More →
Meet This Artist: Emma Skurnick Stumbles, Waits, Creates, and Shares
The fine folks at Hobbs Architects in downtown Pittsboro are powering our Meet This Artist series this year. Architecture is art, and the Hobbs crew values art in our community. They join us in inviting you to take a look. Meet your very inspiring neighbors. Meet This Artist . . . I got to sit down with… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Hobey Ford Taps Puppetry and Digital Animation to Engage Students in Science Curriculum
Hobey Ford is a puppeteer known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft. But what made his June visit to Siler City Elementary even more notable was the way he incorporated puppets and digital animation to teach literacy and science concepts, resulting in a compelling story of animal migration. The students watched with amazement as… Read More →
Meet This Artist: Gary Phillips, Poet Laureate & Multiple Hyphenate
Written by guest blogger, Elisabeth Lewis Corley. Gary Phillips, a life-long North Carolinian born in Appalachia and long-term resident of Chatham County, is the 2016-2018 poet laureate of Carrboro, North Carolina. He is a writer, naturalist, and entrepreneur with a special interest in conservation and land-protective strategies. He is also a real estate broker with… Read More →
Meet This Artist: Writer Michele Tracy Berger Celebrates Community in Speculative Fiction
This month’s “Meet This Artist” is written by guest blogger Elisabeth Lewis Corley. Michele Tracy Berger describes herself as a writer, professor, and pug-lover. Reenu-You, Michele’s sci-fi novella, was published in 2017 by Book Smugglers Publishing. In addition to science fiction, she writes poetry and creative non-fiction. Her work has appeared in The Feminist Wire,… Read More →
Go See This: Sunday Afternoon Poetry at the Joyful Jewel
This month’s “Go See This” is written by guest blogger Selbe Bartlett. Sunday, September 17th will mark the first in a regular monthly series of Sunday afternoon poetry readings at Pittsboro’s Joyful Jewel. This new series provides an ongoing, consistent time and space for poets and poetry lovers in the area to gather. It will feature established… Read More →
Go See This: Day of the Books / El Día de los Libros
“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”― Albert Einstein The annual Day of the Books/ El Día de los Libros is coming up on Saturday, April 29th, ready to bring books to life and delight in both… Read More →