From the Director's Desk: Winter 2013-14

"We're sorry; Dr. Fluhrer is away from his desk."

2013.  Can someone tell me what happened to 2012?  We're through January, just opening the door to February, and soon -- too soon -- we'll close the door on May and another school year will have whizzed by! It was just August last week, wasn't it?  

Here we are in the middle of things: the semester changing, visual arts students moving to different disciplines, the other programs doubling down on their curricula, faculty pushing students to do even more.  The dancers are traveling hither and yon auditioning for programs, sophomores and juniors in all of our areas are already looking at summer programs, and the faculty is no less active.  By the time you read this, Teri Parker-Lewis will have been to New York and back with students auditioning for college and university programs. Two faculty members are waiting to hear if they'll be recipients of $5400 in grants from the National Arts Teachers Fellowship Program.  Katy Cassell, 3-D metals teacher, already a winner, will be spending a week in England toward the end of June, having received her grant last year.  Donna Shank-Major wants to spend some time in Italy studying book binding with an Italian master.  (This is good for our program because all visual arts students begin the year by making their own sketch books.  Some students make three or four during the course of a year and make books for sale!)  The aforementioned Teri Parker-Lewis would like to stay in the states but spend her time on the west coast studying performance techniques in California before moving up the coast to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  The last time we had three faculty members receive this prestigious award was the year that Jim Campbell, Jon Grier and Jan Woodward received the grant.  These grants are great ways for the faculty to renew themselves, discover new things about their work and what is happening in other parts of the world -- the big world and the world of art -- and how the world interacts with their creative imaginations.  And, of course, what they learn is passed on in some form directly to our students.  

Think about it.  Think how lucky these teachers and students are -- not only those seeking grant funding but those who use their funds to bring in guest artists to enrich their studios and their students.  With the guest artists in the building, the teachers are working alongside the artists, incorporating the demonstrated skills and discussions into their own work and into their classrooms. The students are being challenged by artist/teachers who are out there, in the larger world, earning their livings in their disciplines.  That's one of the reasons why our students are so good and in such demand at the nation's leading colleges, universities and conservatories -- it's their preparation, their knowledge, their skill, which are all learned here under the tutelage of incredible artist/teachers.  And, incidentally, one of the reasons that you won't often find me at my desk -- I just love being in the classrooms, watching our students' ideas ignite! 

Fine Arts Center School Rings

Jostens will be in the school from Tuesday, Feb. 19, to Friday, Feb. 22, to take orders for Fine Arts Center rings.  All current sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in getting a ring should make plans to place their orders on those days.  Jostens has payment plans to make it easy to get a remembrance of your time at FAC.
If you want to know what the ring looks like, please ask to see Dr. Fluhrer's ring.

Creative Writing

National YoungArts Foundation was established in 1981 with the mission "to identify and support the next generation of artists and to contribute to the cultural vitality of the nation by investing in the artistic development of talented young artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts." High school students from across the nation compete in nine arts categories for the opportunity to attend the YoungArts week in Miami, Fla., where they work with some of the top artists in their fields and further compete for significant scholarships to be awarded later in the spring. This year the Fine Arts Center was well represented in the YoungArts competition. Sophomore Adina Lasser and senior Hayden DeBruler were both awarded Honorable Mentions in Poetry, a distinction which comes with a $150 cash award. Senior Kathleen Cole was a Finalist in Fiction and traveled to Miami to attend the program in the second week of January. While there, she read her award-winning flash fiction piece to an audience of distinguished artists, writers and patrons of the arts. 
Earlier this fall, Kathleen also traveled to Princeton University, where she was one of three high school students to attend the Princeton young artists weekend. She toured the school and sat in on some creative writing classes. 
Closer to home, the February issue of TOWN Magazine features work by two Fine Arts Center students as a part of their look at literature in the upstate. Hayden DeBruler's poem, "A Drink," and Adina Lasser's poem, "The Eleventh Wife," are both included.
The Fine Arts Center's online magazine, Crashtest, debuted a new issue at the end of January. Featuring high school age writers from England, China and Kentucky (among other locales), this issue also includes 10 new prose poems by Mathias Svalina, co-editor of Octopus Books and Octopus Magazine, whose first collection of poems, Destruction Myths, was published by Cleveland State University Press in 2010.  

Dance

FAC Dance Alumni Taught Classes at the Greenville Dance Festival

Peter Base Teaches Ballet for Boys

Fine Arts Center graduates taught classes as guest artists/teachers at the Greenville Dance Festival on Oct. 6. The event for dancers in the Upstate was held at the Fine Arts Center and Wade Hampton High School.

Peter Base, a graduate of the FAC who currently dances as a professional dancer with Carolina Ballet Theatre (his third season) and has performed with the Brevard Ballet, taught a ballet class for boys. Mr. Base trained with the Greenville Ballet and at FAC. 

Rebecca Lee

Rebecca Lee is a graduate of the Fine Arts Center who is currently the director of dance in the ARMES dance program, the after school dance program held at the Fine Arts Center. Rebecca received her M.F.A. from Florida State University. She has been a company member with Dance Repertory Theatre in Tallahassee, Fla., and with the Power Company in Columbia, S.C. She has also been a guest artist with Wildwood Ballet and is currently dancing with the Greenville Ballet. 

April Schaeffer

April Schaeffer is a graduate of the FAC and was a member of the Southeast Theatre Dance Company. April has been a teacher for the South Carolina Children's Theatre since 2006, and since 1998 she has been a principal dancer for the Greenville Little Theatre. She has performed with Centre Stage and the Warehouse Theatre. She recently choreographed "Chicago" for the Spartanburg Little Theatre.

Dancers Organize First Improv Jam 

Dance student Jacqueline Calle proposed the idea of having a school-wide improvisation jam, having experienced such events at the American Dance Festival this past summer. Rhiannon Laymon helped Jacqueline organize the Winter Improv Jam on Dec. 17 in the Dance Studio. The theatre tech crew hung Christmas lights to give atmosphere, and students from all of the arts areas participated. Film student Stephen Simmons created this video.

Andrew Kuharsky Set New Ballet on Dancers in October 

Andrew Kuharsky

Andrew Kuharsky created a new ballet on dancers in the morning class early in October, set to music by Ludwig van Beethoven. 

Mr. Kuharsky is a graduate of Canada's National Ballet School and was an apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet in New York. He was a principal dancer with The Atlanta Ballet and a soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. He has performed across Canada, the U.S., and in France, Italy, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.

State Department of Education Grant for Guest Artist Tim Glenn 

Jan Woodward received an Innovative Art Special Project Grant from the State Department of Education to bring Tim Glenn to the FAC for a dance residency. 

Tim Glenn is an associate professor in the school of dance at Florida State University, where he teaches courses in dance technology, including dance video and projection design, and offers modern dance technique and repertory courses primarily influenced by the Nikolais/Louis philosophy and method of performance. His primary interests in dance technology include digital media, videodance, telematics and multimedia theatre. He has worked as videographer for the Paul Taylor Dance Company's Repertory Preservation Project since 2003 and has documented 27 masterworks by Taylor. 

Glenn is a former member of the Nikolais & Murray Louis Dance Company and the Melrose Motion Company and is the artistic director of Performance Tech: Tim Glenn and Company. Influenced by his mentor, Alwin Nikolais, Glenn enjoys "total theatre" design, including costume design and construction. Choreographing since 1987, Glenn's repertoire has been performed internationally in the Netherlands, Japan and numerous national venues. 

Mr. Glenn also presented a lecture for the community entitled "Dance and Technology: A Blending of Art and Technology."

Sara Procopio

Sara Procopio, who is a native of Syracuse, N.Y., was in residence at the FAC setting a new work and teaching master classes from Nov. 12-16, 2012. Her new work, "From Here to the Sky," was performed in the Winter Honors Showcase in December and will be performed in the FAC Dance Concert on April 26. She also talked with the students about college dance programs and careers in dance during an informal lunch gathering at the FAC, giving students an opportunity to ask questions about a future in dance. 

Ms. Procopio is a founding member and former Artistic Associate of Shen Wei Dance Arts. For 12 years, her work with Shen Wei has included performing and teaching at renowned venues and festivals throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. Sara recently worked with choreographer Jonah Bokaer on a project in collaboration with Robert Wilson.

Tyler Gilstrap

Tyler Gilstrap restaged her dance "Crash Rhythm" on the morning dancers and created a new choreographic work, "Last Dance," on the afternoon dancers. Ms. Gilstrap earned her BFA in dance from Southern Methodist University and performed "Midsummer Marriage" with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany, after graduation. She has danced with Morales Dance, Patrick Corbin and Amy Marshall Dance Company and has been a guest artist with the Dodge Dance Company and New York Theatre Ballet. 

Ms. Gilstrap has been a featured dancer in such films as "Across the Universe," directed by Julie Taymor, and "The Wackness," directed by Jonathan Levine. She was also the assistant choreographer for the film "Love and Other Drugs." Ms. Gilstrap has taught hip-hop and modern dance in Germany, Hungary, Italy and throughout the United States and was a founding member of Battleworks Dance Company, under the direction of Robert Battle.

Film

Film IV student Stephen Simmons received a Silver Key in the Scholastic Art Awards for his 10-minute film, "Cliche." Stephen wrote, produced, filmed and edited the project. The film examines a number of cliches seen in student films and received huge applause when it was screened at the film department's annual student screening last May. 

Music

FAC Students Fare Well at Festival Auditions
Congratulations to FAC students on their successful auditions for 2013 Greenville County, Region 1, and South Carolina All-State bands! Following are results from recent auditions:

Greenville All-County Band Festival
Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at Riverside High School
Wind Ensemble
Ashley Snell (Flute, J.L. Mann): Chair 2
Jackilyn Fuller (Clarinet, Woodmont): Chair 2
Mara Chamblee (Horn, Easley): Chair 1
Justin Lamb (Timpani, Eastside): Solo Chair
Charlie Wylie (Trombone, Travelers Rest): Chair 2
Josh Hill (Principal Percussion, Wade Hampton): Chair 1
Jordan Toran (Percussion, Easley): Chair 3
Paul Mitchell (Percussion, Wade Hampton): Chair 5
Symphonic Band
Mitchell Mieszek (Timpani, Greenville Tech Charter High School): Solo chair

Region I Band Festival
Feb. 22-23, 2013, at Furman University
Ashley Snell, Flute: Chair 1*
Jackilyn Fuller, Clarinet: Chair 1
Mara Chamblee, Horn: Chair 1*
Mitchell Mieszek, Timpani: Chair 1
Josh Hill, Percussion: Chair 3*
Jordan Toran, percussion: Chair 5
*Ashley, Mara and Josh are also listed as alternates for All-State Band

South Carolina All-State Band
March 8-10, 2013, at Furman University
Charlie Wylie, Trombone: Chair 2
Justin Lamb, Timpani: Solo Chair
David Wilson, Percussion: Chair 4

Strings News
Violinists Katherine Armstrong and Kayla Coggins, violist Jotham Rosen, cellist Jordan Bartow and bassist Tori Schustek won positions in the South Carolina All-State Orchestra.

Freshman violinist Katherine Woo won the Clemson University Symphony Orchestra's Young Artist competition. She performed in two concerts at the Brooks Center with the orchestra as soloist in the "Violin Concerto No. 3" by Saint-Saëns. Equally talented as a pianist, Katherine won the Junior Division of the state Music Teachers National Association piano competition. 
 
A string quartet of Fine Arts Center students (Reagan Bachour, Shannon Elliott, Merry Goodwin and Katherine Woo) performed at an SCETV event in Greenville featuring Judy Woodruff of PBS's "Newshour." Violinists Katherine Armstrong and Kayla Coggins, violist Jotham Rosen, cellist Jordan Bartow and bassist Tori Schustek won positions in the South Carolina All-State Orchestra.

Theatre

The Theatre Department has been busy!

Production News:
We hope you caught our production of "My Name Is Rachel Corrie." We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience.

Scenes From "My Name Is Rachel Corrie"

Our next performances will be March 22 and 23. We will be presenting an evening of three one-act plays, written and directed by FAC alumnus David Garcia. You may have seen the staged readings of his plays in May. Here are three of those plays, fully produced. One of the goals of the theatre department is to do more production work, using after-school rehearsals, guest directors, and casts from both classes. Be a part of our first step in a new direction!

College News:
For the first time, three of our advanced seniors will be participating in Unified Auditions in New York City. Teri will be taking Anna Barry, Tiffany Bunch and JP McLaurin to NYC to audition for such schools as Juilliard, University of Minnesota, Emerson, The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music's School of Drama. It is an honor for these students to go to Unified Auditions, supported by the FAC. They have been through a rigorous and demanding selection process, as well as an intense period of preparation. We wish them well, along with our other seniors (Claire McCreight, Eren Brock, Courtney Weber and Cameron Treiper), who are also auditioning for competitive BFA programs across the nation.
Good luck, seniors!

Guest Artists
We have had three amazing guest artists so far this year: Noelle Monteleone (makeup), Lisa Biggs (voice-over), and Fulton Burns (stage combat). Noelle and Fulton are alumni of the FAC theatre program, and Noelle and Lisa are both residents of Greenville. All three took time to share their expertise and professional experiences with our students.

Lisa Biggs will be at the FAC for a six-part workshop on the art of voice-over. You have heard her on such projects as "Toy Story 3," "The Simpsons" and "Veggie Tales." By the end of her time with us, each student will have a recording of their work.

Noelle Monteleone returned for the second year to introduce the beginning students to their makeup kits. We hope to have her back later this year to learn some advanced techniques.

Fulton Burns, graduate of the dance department and now stage combat instructor at the University of Southern Alabama, gave a workshop on knives. The students learned correct safety technique when using the weapon as well as a bit of combat choreography.

Noelle Monteleone Instructs Students in Makeup Application and Fulton Burns Teaches Safety With Stage Weapons 

Visual Arts

Scholastic Art Awards 2013

Ceramics instructor Glenda Guion with Kimberly Chambers

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art Awards are the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S. and the largest source of scholarship funds for young artists. This awards program showcases outstanding work being produced by students and schools from across the nation. As an annual sponsor, Lander University has hosted the South Carolina regional exhibition for Scholastic for the past 23 years. Lander University hosted a regional awards ceremony and reception in January to honor these young artists. The works of many Fine Arts Center students were selected for the show. 

Kimberly Chambers received the highest honor that could be earned at the Regional Scholastic Exhibition, the American Vision Award. This award is considered a "regional Best-of-Show" and nominates her to represent this region in the national competition in New York. Kimberly's ceramic sculpture, "Bee," is also featured on the cover of the awards brochure. 

The Gold Key is considered the next highest level of achievement on the regional level, and winning works are sent to New York City for national adjudication. Several of our students received the Gold Key, including Madison Osborne for her sculpture "Uncontainable," Elise Huguley for her digital art "The Journey," Jessica Wortkoetter for her drawing "Self Portrait," and Hattie Odell for her mixed media "Connectivity." 

Several students received a Gold Key for their art portfolios. Congratulations to Emma Lightsey, Caroline Dillard and Rachael Heeke for achieving this honor. 

Six students received a Silver Key, which denotes work worthy of recognition on the regional level. Elise Huguley for her mixed media "Family," Madelyn Knight for her photography entries "Searching for Masculinity" and "Searching for Femininity," Anna Huff for her mixed media "The Letter," and Hannah Rodgers for her drawing "Oscar. " Film student Stephen Simmons also received a Silver Key for the film "Cliché." 

Caroline Dillard received an Honorable Mention for her design "Matryoshka Flowers." 

Kate Roberts

Elise Huguley

Self Portrait

Hattie Odell

Mint Museum Field Trip

On Jan. 4, right after we returned from winter break, the visual arts students piled into two charter buses early in the morning and headed to Charlotte for a fun-filled day of art and history. Although we had a little bump in the road (one of the charter buses had a blowout on I-85 and we were stranded for two hours), we had an incredible time. Special thanks to Gloria Collins, Terry Jarrard-Dimond, Tim Speaker, Steven Chapp, and Tom Flowers for chaperoning the trip.

Mint Museum Field Trip Group

Metals Guest Artists

The metals department was pleased to host nationally-award-winning metal and enamel artists Mark Hartung and Gretchen Goss for three days in early January. The husband-and-wife team started their visit on Monday, Jan. 7 with artist lectures in the Recital Hall and then worked for two more days directly with students and metals teacher Katy Cassell to teach two new techniques: how to create and apply ceramic decals to an enameled surface and how to weld on a tiny scale using the laser welder. Their visit was funded in part by a grant from Greenville's Metropolitan Arts Council. Says Ms. Cassell, "I am so very pleased to have the opportunity to introduce my students to the people who mentored me all the way through undergraduate school and beyond."

Ms. Goss has an MFA in enameling and is a professor and was recently the chair of the Material Culture Environment at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her work has been included in exhibits nationally and internationally, and in 2003 she co-curated an exhibition in print titled "Enameling: A Current Perspective" for Metalsmith Magazine. In addition to curating numerous other exhibitions, she has taught extensively at Haystack, Penland, and Arrowmont schools of craft and in the UK.

After graduating with a BFA in Glass, Mr. Hartung developed a business designing and manufacturing hand-blown art glass. After years of running the business, Mr. Hartung enrolled in a jewelry/metals class at San Diego State University that changed the course of his art career. After returning to Ohio, he began working primarily with metal, wood, and found objects and sells his work through galleries and national craft shows.

Both artists have been recipients of numerous Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Grants.

Young Artist Orchestra

Hayden Wilson

The Fine Arts Center 's Orchestra-in-Residence, the Young Artist Orchestra (FAC faculty member Dr. Gary A. Robinson, Conductor), performed in the Jan. 22 Winter Orchestras Concert at Wade Hampton High School. The YAO performed the first movement of Emmanuel Chabrier's "Suite Pastorale" as well as that composer's well-known "España." The concert included performances by three other orchestras belonging to the school district's student symphony orchestra program, the Greenville County Youth Orchestras: Chamber Strings (Ashley Rhoden, Conductor), Sinfonia (Eric Bell, Conductor), and Philharmonic (Kathleen Robinson, Conductor). The Philharmonic performance included Franz Schubert's "Konzertstück in D major" featuring YAO violinist Josh Liu (League Academy).

Josh Liu

Young Artist Concert Number Two

The Young Artist Orchestra and The Philharmonic will present full performances of their current repertoire on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Peace Center's Dorothy Gunter Theater. The program, entitled "From Distant Lands," will feature Vaughan-Williams' beautiful "The Lark Ascending," with violin soloist Hayden Wilson (Wade Hampton, 11) on hand as soloist. The complete program will consist of the following pieces: 

Franz Schubert: "Rosemunde Overture" (The Philharmonic) 

Franz Schubert: "Kinzertstück in D Major" (The Philharmonic; Josh Liu, solo violin)

Ralph Vaughan-Williams: "The Lark Ascending" (YAO, Hayden Wilson, solo violin)

Intermission

Emmanuel Chabrier: "Suite Pastorale" (YAO)

Emmanuel Chabrier: "España" (members of both YAO and The Philharmonic)

FAC/YAO Educational Concerts: "Let's Build an Orchestra"
Winds, brass and percussion students from the FAC, along with the YAO, will present the second annual pair of education concerts on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the Peace Center's Dorothy Gunter Theater. Entitled "Let's Build an Orchestra," these concerts, held at 10 a.m. and noon, are geared toward school district middle school students, breaking down the orchestra into smaller units and then "rebuilding" it as the concert progresses. The FAC's Sutherlin Quintet (consisting of woodwind and brass students), the FAC percussion ensemble and the mallet percussion ensemble all take the stage before the YAO strings and, finally, a full symphony orchestra concludes the concert. For more information, call GCYO Executive Director Holly Caprell at 864-608-3264. 

Alumni News

Mary Wannamaker Huff (voice/theory, '94) and the group she directs, the New York City Children's Chorus, opened the Dec. 15 Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live with their rendition of "Silent Night." SNL producers decided shortly before the airing that it would be a fitting tribute to the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. The chorus also performed (as planned) later in the broadcast with musical guest Paul McCartney and repeated their performance of "Silent Night" on NBC's Today Show the following Monday. Huff has a bachelor's degree in music from Furman University (1999) and a Master's Degree from Yale (2001). You can read more here..

Dr. Sean Anderson, who has two undergraduate degrees from Cornell in Architecture, an MFA from Princeton in Architecture, and a Ph.D. from UCLA in Art History, has been named the Director of Undergraduate Architecture Program at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia.

FAC theatre alumni Fulton Burns and Noelle Monteleone served as guest artists in the theatre department -- see the theatre article in this newsletter for more details.

Adam Knight and his theatre company produced "Steadfast," a new play by Mat Smart, now at the TBG Theatre in NYC. Smart also wrote the very successful "13 of Paris" which was directed by Adam two seasons ago at The Warehouse Theatre.

Visual arts alumna Grace Grothaus-Grimm's series "Re(View) in situ" debuted internationally at the second Creativity World Biennale on Nov. 21, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. Her work showed alongside 16 other artists from around the world. Grace represented the state of Oklahoma and the United States. The Creativity World Biennale is in conjunction with the Creativity World Forum, which began in Belgium in 2004.

In March, violist Hannah Shaw (a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the Juilliard School of Music) will compete as a finalist in the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition held on Great Britain's Isle of Man. The triennial event is the premier viola competition in the world.

In May, violinist Gregory Tompkins will graduate with a masters of music degree from New England Conservatory.

Violinist Kevin Tompkins will graduate with a bachelors of music in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music.

Fine Arts Center Strings Chamber Music alumna Caroline Robinson (Wade Hampton High School 2009) will perform with "Curtis (Institute of Music) On Tour" March 11, 12 and 13. Caroline will perform the continuo (harpsichord) part for the Bach "Double Violin Concerto" with famed artists Jaime Laredo and Jennifer Koh, accompanied by the Curtis Chamber Ensemble.
Performance Schedule
March 11 at 8 p.m.: Perelman Theater in Philadelphia
March 13 at 8 p.m.: Miller Theater in New York City
March 14 at 7:30 p.m.: The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Faculty News

Dance instructor Jan Woodward received the President's Award from the South Carolina Dance Association. She is currently the Upstate Coordinator and has previously served as the Chair for Honors and Awards with SCDA.

FAC Composer in Residence Jon Jeffrey Grier visited Salem, Va., on Jan. 26 for the premiere performance of "Hap-kan-py-twenty-din-fifth-sky," commissioned by the Kandinsky Trio in celebration of their 25 years of performing together. The trio (violin, cello and piano) Ensemble in Residence at Roanoke College have been guest artists at the FAC several times.
Jon has two more performances later this spring. "Museum Pieces," a song cycle commissioned for the 30th anniversary of the Emrys Foundation, will premiere on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. in the Greenville County Museum of Art. Each of the six brief songs evokes a poem written by an Emrys member, including one by former FAC creative writing instructor Claire Bateman. The poems were inspired by the whimsical paintings now on exhibit in the museum by Spartanburg native Helen Dupré Moseley (1887-1984). Performers will include Greenville mezzo-soprano Mary Freeman, University of Georgia alto saxophone professor Connie Frigo, and a string quartet from John Ravnan's chamber music class (Reagan Bachour and Paul Aguilar on violin, Shannon Elliott on viola, and Maria Parrini on cello).
On Thursday, April 11, at 8 p.m., the Clemson Symphony Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Andrew Levin, will perform "After Long Ventures," composed in 2005 and premiered by the Greenville County Youth Orchestra under the direction of the FAC's Gary Robinson. The work is loosely based on a Walt Whitman poem, "The Beauty of the Ship," included in the 1876 edition of "Leaves of Grass," and is scored for solo clarinet, piano and chamber orchestra.

In October, violist John Ravnan performed in recital at the FAC with voice instructor Dr. Brittnee Siemon and pianist Sherry Parrini. The concert featured the world premiere of "Waka Songs, On Love Poems of the Hyakunin Isshu" by Dr. Jon Grier. Also on the program were works by Brahms, Lillian Fuchs, and two recent works by James Grant.
In April, John will perform Erwin Schulhoff's "Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass" and other works with the North Carolina-based chamber music ensemble, Pan Harmonia. The ensemble will perform concerts at UNC-Asheville and in Greenville, S.C. John will also join Pan Harmonia with the Asheville Ballet for four performances of the original chamber version of "Appalachian Spring" by Aaron Copland. The Asheville performances will be held in the Diana Wortham Theatre.

Creative writing instructor Sarah Blackman has a story forthcoming in "Western Humanities Review" and poetry forthcoming in "American Poetry Review" and "The Kenyon Review Online." This year her essay "The Girl Is a Fiction," was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Metals teacher Katy Bergman Cassell is busy planning her visit to England this June as part of an Artist Teacher Fellowship grant funded by the SURDNA Foundation. She will study with enamelists Elizabeth and Jessica Turrell in their Bristol studio and then travel to London, where she will have a small exhibition of her enamel work at Studio Fusion, a gallery on the XO wharf that focuses on the art of enameling. She'll then have a behind-the-scenes look at enamel badges and portraits from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum with Ms. Turrell and her colleagues and will finish her trip with a visit to the British Museum. The goal of the grant is to reinvigorate the art practice of teachers. To that end, Ms. Cassell will also find time to sketch ancient inland rock art and fossils along the southern English "Jurassic" coast.

Gallery News

Textile Construction Artist Residency and Exhibit by Terry Jarrard-Dimond

Opening on Jan. 23 and running until March 22, Terry Jarrard-Dimond's work will be on display in the Francis Sheffield Wood Gallery. Terry was in residency starting on Jan. 23 and stayed for two weeks working with students and sharing her experience as a commercial and professional artist. It was a pleasure to have her on our campus for so long.

Terry Jarrard-Dimond earned her MFA from Clemson University and has taught art and worked in the textile industry as a designer. Terry has shown her work at Curtis R. Harley Art Gallery in Spartanburg, S.C., and has done workshops at The Arts Center in Greenwood, S.C., and at East Bay Heritage Quilters in San Francisco, Calif.

The Student Winter Exhibition took place from Dec. 3, 2012, to Jan. 4, 2013. It is an annual exhibition of artwork by FAC students to highlight their artistic growth and show some of the amazing work of the first semester.

Fine Arts Center Partners News

We held our annual fundraiser, A Taste of the Fine Arts, on Friday, Feb. 1, at the brand-new Studio 220 at the Hyatt in downtown Greenville. This year's event was a genuine gala affair. Everyone raved over the fantastic food, the extraordinary entertainment by FAC students, and the lush pile of silent auction items. We are delighted to report that, in addition to hosting an enjoyable evening out, we raised more than $18,000! What's more, ALL of the money raised will go directly to the school. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, all those who donated to the silent auction, and all of our generous sponsors: TOWN Magazine, Greenville Journal, JHM Hotels, Pelham Architects LLC, Mimi Wyche, Jackson Motorsports Group, Sharon & Jim Campbell, Embassy Flowers, Lara & Eric Farnsworth, Greenville First Bank, JaniKing, McKinney Dodge, Northwestern Mutual, Ken & Lorri Payne, Poinsett Animal Hospital, Rush Wilson Limited, and Sherlock & Gaines Consulting Group.

As you may know, our goal this year is $50, 000. Obviously, we still have a ways to go! We can accept donations anytime, not just during the gala, so head on over to www.FineArtsPartners.org and make a contribution. Any amount will help! Thanks to the alumni, parents and friends of FAC who have already donated.

The FAC Partners is an all-volunteer organization, enabling us to give all of the funds we raise back to the school. We are currently looking for fresh faces to volunteer and fill open officer vacancies (starting at the end of this school year). If you can spare a small amount of time to support FAC in its mission, please contact us.

Performance and Special Events Calendar

February 7: Strings Recital at 7 p.m.
February 8: Chautauqua from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
February 16: YAO Concert Gunter Theater at 7:30 p.m.
February 19: YAO Education Concert in the Gunter Theater at 10 a.m.
March 10: ARMES Strings Recital at 3 p.m.
March 21-23: Theatre Performances at 7 p.m.
April 18-20: Theatre Performances at 7 p.m.
April 21: ARMES Strings Concert and Dinner at 3 p.m.
April 22: Voice Recital at 7 p.m.
April 23: Spring Orchestras Concert at the Peace Center at 7:30 p.m.
April 24: Jazz Concert at 7 p.m.
April 26: Dance Concert at WHHS at 7 p.m.
April 28: ARMES Dance Concert at WHHS
May 1: Jazz Concert at 7 p.m.
May 2: Strings Recital at 7 p.m.
May 3: Generation to Generation at 7 p.m.
May 8: Percussion Recital at 7 p.m.
May 13: Voice Recital at 7 p.m.
May 14: Voice Recital at 7 p.m.
May 21: Awards Day 1:30 p.m.
May 22: Graduation at 7:30 p.m.
May 31: Film/Video Screening at 7 p.m.