Rocky Mount Arts Center Celebrates 50 With Project Focusing on Citizen Involvement
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Area residents are being asked to go behind the camera lens to help Rocky Mount Arts Center celebrate its 50th anniversary.
More than 100 citizens will be given disposable cameras to document their hometown for a special exhibit slated for late 2007‚ says Catherine Coulter‚ curator for the Rocky Mount Arts Center galleries.
“The project is titled Public Perception: a Photo Journal‚” Coulter says.
The photos will be exhibited in conjunction with the Rocky Mount Community Theatre production of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder‚ which runs throughout November 2007.
“We’re getting people from all different backgrounds and ages and from different parts of the community to participate‚” Coulter says.
“We’ve gotten some good response from the public. There are groups‚ older adults and some children who want to be part of it.”
The citizen photographers are being asked to capture images that best reflect their hometown as they know it‚ Coulter says.
“They’ll be able to keep the camera for a while‚ so we expect to have some summer and some fall shots‚ too‚” she says.
The photographs will be displayed around the city from October through December. Boddie-Noelle Enterprises‚ a sponsor of the project‚ will feature the photos in area restaurants owned by the company‚ such as Hardees and the Texas Steakhouse and Saloon. Representatives from City Hall and other public agencies also have expressed interest in showing the works‚ Coulter says.
Some of the shots will become part of a time capsule that the arts center is putting together to be opened in 2057. Other objects included in the capsule will be the written observations and artistry of local residents on special cards created for the occasion. The inscribed cards will be displayed in late 2007‚ and several will be chosen for inclusion in the time capsule.
It’s particularly fitting that the public join in the center’s anniversary celebrations‚ because it was a group of private citizens who started the arts organization in a small house in 1957.
Today‚ the city of Rocky Mount operates the Arts Center‚ a Children’s Museum and Science Center and a Community Theatre at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences.
The arts center plays host to concerts throughout the year‚ as well as theater productions‚ and major art shows in sculpture‚ fine crafts and art.
The center offers about 45 adult classes every year‚ from drawing to Japanese embroidery. The center also operates about 40 youth programs throughout the year.
Art in a variety of styles‚ including folk art and crafts‚ is available for viewing at the center. Those who want to bring art into their own homes will find plenty of choices inside the center’s Galleryshop‚ where the crea tions of many North Carolina artists are showcased.
The Galleryshop features works made from clay‚ wood‚ glass‚ metal jewelry and more.
Story by Cristal Cody
Photo by Ian Curcio
