We've Moved!

Well, we're getting settled into our new space and I truly feel that everyone will love it and notice some big improvements.

Our new location is at the Oak Street Mill Village in Cornelius at 19725 Oak Street.

And our new name is in place: Creative Art Exchange. Which also means that our new website address is www.creativeartexchange.org

For those of you who have been enjoying our blog - thank you. But as we've changed our name, we're changing our blog address, too.

You can keep up with us at our new blog: www.creativeartexchange.wordpress.com

Be sure to update all of your records - we don't want you to get lost in the move!

And don't forget to visit us in our new home.

All Packed Up and Ready to Go

I know it has been a while since our last post, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy at the Icehouse Center. Quite the contrary.

As many of you know by now, the Icehouse Center will be leaving it's original location in Davidson this week. We're moving to our new home at the Oak Street Mill Village in Cornelius. And did I mention that we're changing our name? Our new name is Creative Art Exchange (effective January 1).

The Icehouse Center has been a hive of activity these past couple of weeks as students finish up their work and take everything home. We have also been very fortunate for all of the volunteers who have been coming to help us pack, organize, and clean for our big move.

This has been such an exciting time for all of us at the Icehouse Center. We'll miss being in Davidson but we're sure that our friends will come the 1.5 miles South to visit us. And we're really looking forward to making new friends in Cornelius.

There are so many people to thank for helping to make this possible, so I won't name them all. They know who they are. I just hope they know how much we all appreciate their hard work and support.

Stay tuned for more information.

Helping to Plan for Public Art

The Icehouse Center has a wonderful opportunity to help shape the future possibilities of public art in Davidson.

Downtown Davidson, Inc. has recently been awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council to develop a set of guidelines for future public art projects throughout the town. The grant has provided funds to bring in an experienced consultant, Janet Kagan, who is working with a steering committee to get the planning started.

An important element to this plan is that the public be included in the conversation. To help with this, a blog has been developed where the community can post their thoughts on a variety of different questions and issues such as where would be good places for public art? Should it be permanent or temporary? How should/could it be funded.

The blog will also be used to notify everyone about the public meetings that will be held in the coming months.

Please visit the blog and post some of your thoughts. We'd love to hear what you think.

What Are Your 43 Things?

As part of another project I was working on, I was introduced to a unique website. 43 Things where people list 43 things that they would like to accomplish in life. You make your list and track your progress "People have known for years that making a list of goals is the best way to achieve them".

Sometimes deciding what you want to do is a bit overwhelming. Where do you begin. This is where 43 Things can help. As of this posting, 43 Things lists 672,607 people in 9,968 cities doing 732,233 things.

By browsing the website, you can find some goals that you share with others. Or, maybe your goal is unique - post it on the website and see if anyone else joins you.

I decided to see how many people around the world share similar goals to some of our students and friends at the Icehouse Center. Here is what I found:

163 want to take a pottery class
62 people want to take an art class
1 person wants to do woodturning
136 people want to study photography
865 people want to draw more
4 people want to make beautiful pottery
6 people want to throw decent pots
4 people want to be a potter

The lists are endless. Learn a language. Fall in love. Visit the arctic circle. Climb a mountain.

An interesting feature about this website is that if you have done something that someone else has as a goal you can share your experience with them.

So, as we come to the end of this year and begin planning our new years resolutions, know that you are not alone in your goals and that perhaps you have achieved something unique.

October is National Arts & Humanities Month

As the leaves begin changing color, the air becomes a bit cooler, and the children are deciding what they'll dress up as for Halloween, October is also the month to celebrate the arts and humanities in your community.

This national event is coordinated by Americans for the Arts, the national organization working to empower communities with the resources and support necessary to provide access to all of the arts for all of the people.

The Icehouse Center has two free events happening this month to celebrate! Join us on Saturday, October 14 for a bookmaking program (it's also National Book Month!). Drop in any time between noon-4pm and in under 30 minutes, you will have made your own accordion book.

On Saturday, October 22 from 10am - 5pm, the Icehouse Center will have a fall porch sale along with free pumpkin painting. Bring your own pumpkin, or purchase one at the Icehouse Center courtesy of Davidson United Methodist Church Youth Group.

Americans for the Arts also has a top 10 list of things that parents can do to keep art in their children's lives.

Take a class, attend a lecture, visit a gallery, see art being made. The Icehouse Center is here to help you keep art in your lives each day.

Thank you for celebrating with us!

Party!

We had a wonderful time last Saturday night at our Hands in Art Pick-Up Party/Open House/Birthday Party.

All of the hands in art paintings were on display for everyone to see. We had a wonderful band playing on the front porch and plenty of food - with special food (juice boxes and goldfish) for our very young guests.




Special thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the event a success!

Congratulations, Alyssa

Icehouse Center friend and instructor and rising artist Alyssa Wood has been very busy.

She currently has 2 exhibits going on. The first one is a four-person show that opened on September 7 at the Duram Art Guild featuring her paintings as part of the Guild's season opener.



One week later, she opened another exhibit of her ceramic works at Stretch Gallery in Pineville, NC. This exhibit was also highlighted by Ceramics Monthly magazine.

Here are some photos from the exhibit:





And if that wasn't enough, Alyssa recently found out that she has been awarded a residency at the Ragdale in Illinois for Spring 2007.

Congratulations Alyssa!