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Join us for our biannual TOSSing, an end of the year celebration of creativity with our community partners. This year we are working with Burke County Public Library of Morganton to think about ART + LITERATURE. Student work will respond to this theme.
In review
DEETS
Volunteers:
10 volunteers serving 48+ hours
Partners:
Burke Arts Council, Catawba Riverkeepers Foundation
Participation:
50+ students attended
Funding:
Tuition: $60 per week; TOSS provided 12 scholarships (6 students for both weeks @ $720)
TOSScamp
Pollywogs & Wigeons was a four day camp for students ages 5-13. Campers created art inspired by the Catawba River and helped produce an art scavenger hunt for the community, August 10th.
TOSSafter
TOSSafter, our afterschool program for students in k-12th grade, has resumed thanks to the generous support of The Outreach Center, which is sponsoring us in a studio space on Fleming Dr. In this program, students are trained in creative, critical thinking and familiarized with visual mediums such as painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, and photography.
DEETS
Volunteers:
Five volunteers serving weekly for two hours each.
Partners:
Burke Arts Council, Burke County Literacy Council, Burke County Public Schools, Burke County Public Library System
Participation:
Fall enrollment is ~25 students (50% capacity); 5 students attending on a sliding scale rate; 2 fully funded through work-trade agreements
Events/Outreach:
Build a Backpack (8.17)
Furman On-Campus Recruitment (9.25)
Art/Re/Art (10.5)
Case Farms Family Day Health Fair (10.5)
Forts and Hideaways workshop with Miki Iwasaki (10.14)
Funding:
TOSShunts
Tuition
Grace Episcopal Church Foundation Huffman-Cornwell Foundation
TOSSworks
TOSSworks is a series of workshops we host with partnering organizations for students in k-8th grade. Los Mayas de Morganton is an ongoing painting series we have been doing with the Library. We read through books such as “Maybe Something Beautiful How Art Transformed a Neighborhood”, and then complete an activity such as painting Little Guatemala’s coffee cart or working on collaborative paintings.
DEETS
Volunteers:
Izabela Peeler, Erica Ramazzini, Hannah Thrower, Kirksey Lowther, Chesley Bailey, Khamkay Inthavong, Nesly Rodriguez
Partners:
Burke County Public Library System, Little Guatemala, Burke County Literacy Council, Early Head Start
Participation:
10-15 students have participated for the first two workshops
Funding:
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
TOSStern
TOSStern is an internship program in which high school and college students are paired work with our after-school program and public art initiatives. Our college intern, Elizabeth Williams, curated a show at Fonta Flora this fall in response to our collaboration with the Library. Our high school interns, Calia, Samuel, and Khamkay, continue to work on their independent projects and assist with programing and outreach.
We are currently seeking college interns to work with our afterschool studio throughout the term and during summer camp.
TOSSair
TOSSair supports emerging artists, such as Dona Francisca Mendez Rodríguez, who led a weaving demonstration (6.20). We seek to help these artists working with our community through education and collaborative opportunities.
Mother Weave
While our mural initiative, Maya of Morganton was not funded through the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, TOSS will continue to support local Guatemalan artists, such as Dona Francisca, Francisco Diego, and Rico Puentes, as funding is procured. A huge thanks to all our partners and community liaisons in this continued initiative!
DEETS
Volunteers: NA
Partners: Little Guatemala, Burke County Literacy Council, Early Head Start, Food Matters Market
Participation: 50 community members and students through three workshops over the spring and summer
Funding: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, North Carolina Arts Council, The Burke Arts Council
Worker’s Legacy Exhibition
Our story telling project with the Workers Legacy Foundation to tell the story of mill workers in Western North Carolina has been progressing with interview, exhibition scheduling, and programatic organization! We will be unveiling this work in the spring of 2020.
TOSShunts
TOSShunts are a series of creative, curated events that fund our subsidized programing. Over the summer we successfully completed a commission for Hope Heals, a fundraising event, The Catawba Scavenger Hunt, and a Walking Tour collaboration with The Industrial Commons and Select 2000. We have been busy.
Hope Heals Experience
Volunteers: 20
Partners: NA
Participation: 500+ Participants
Catawba Scavenger Hunt
Volunteers:
55 volunteers
Partners:
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, Catawba Riverkeepers Foundation, Lake James Environmental Association, Catawba Wateree Initiative, and North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission
Participation:
200+ Participants; 15 participants receive free entry
Funding:
21+ sponsors raising over $9,000
Income through tickets and shirt sales: $4,202
Raffle donations equivalent to $2,000:
@overmountaincycles
@kirksey.lowther
@foothillsofnc
@breatheyogawellness
@simplygreen
@kammok
@mdunnclay
@cabelas
@sketchartspace
@geargoatxchg
@orvis
@homers828
@cbssports828
@yeti
@valdeseweavers
@rootandvine
@adventureboundbook
The Industrial Commons Walking Tour
Volunteers:
Loretta Whiteside, Kasey Goodfellow, Phia Vue and Ka Xiong, Kory Suttles, Jackie Kanipe, Charles Harbison, Cecelia Surratt, Mary Charlotte Safford
Partners:
The Industrial Commons Staff and Select 2000
Participation:
30+ in attendance on this private tour for the JM Kaplan Morganton Convening
Funding:
Social Strategy Associates LLC via JM Kaplan Foundation
Thank you!
TOSSers
We are so grateful for the all who have come alongside TOSS this spring as we have built our community art initiative. We are so grateful for your investment in this community and for your faith in us.
Volunteers
Hannah Thrower
David Ervin
Robbin Ervin
Leah Ervin
Kirksey Lowther
Michael Lowther
Melinda Davis
Sarah Williams
Kathleen Decker
Karen Porter
Samuel Kuehnert
Cindy Kuehnert
Dan Kuehnert
Abbey Beck
Avram Beck
Bryon Thomas
Allison Dunn
Art Dunn
Tara Thompson
Vendors
Little Guatemala
Queens Catering
J & R Delicious Hispanic Food
Panaderia La Guatemalteca
Sponsors
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
North Carolina Arts Council
The Burke Arts Council
Partners
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
Little Guatemala
Burke County Literacy Council
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
Western NC Workers Center
Burke County Public Library
Fonta Flora Brewery
Worker’s Legacy Exhibition
Diversity and Inclusion Committee, of Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge (CHS Blue Ridge)
Poe Mill Achievement Center
Media
@whiteblazemarketing
@j_barb
@tablerockprinters
@morgantonnewsherald
@citizenearthmedia
