At first glance, not much has changed at Terra Studios, east of Fayetteville in the community of Durham.
Glass bluebirds are still created by fire and an artisan's breath.
FAQ
Fall Music & Art Festival
WHEN — Noon-5 p.m. Saturday & Sunday
WHERE — Terra Studios, 12103 Hazel Valley Road in Fayetteville
COST — Free
INFO — 643-3185
Regional artists still exhibit their works in the gallery.
Budding artists still study in the classrooms.
And families still come to wander the art park, a fun, free way to spend a day out of doors.
But ask Executive Director Val Gonzalez what is different, and she is overwhelmed by the ways she could answer.
Most important is the nonprofit status attained by Terra Studios last October. Second, perhaps, is the first membership drive, which starts this weekend. Third is the arts organization's first fundraiser, set for Nov. 8.
"That whole shift [to nonprofit] has been interesting, busy, stressful, all the things that happen when you do something new and different," she says.
The focus of Terra Studios as a nonprofit is on four "main" programs:
• The free art park, which Gonzalez says is still growing.
• Having an art lab open weekend afternoons so those inspired by the art park can get creative.
• Family Art Adventures in the summer months.
• And the Senior Art Social, which is intended for Meals on Wheels and senior center clients. It is awaiting funding.
"[The change in status] happened because we realized you can't keep something this big going as an individual," Gonzalez says. "It was really about making it more community based, and that has been a positive change -- but not always a simple one."
Apparently bringing together 80 musicians and a couple dozen artisans for a weekend event is a piece of cake by comparison.
Although the Fall Music Festival has been around eight years, this is the first year it will have a visual arts element, Gonzalez explains.
"Some vendors are artists you find in our galleries, and some are local artists who don't make quite enough artwork to be in a gallery," she says.
The musicians, representing every genre from Americana to rock to reggae, will perform "song circle style" in various locations around Terra Studios as they have in previous years.
"You can stay put and listen to one band for an hour or wander around and listen to all kinds of music," Gonzalez says.
There is no admission charge, but "we're asking for folks who care about us to become members," she says. Student memberships start at $25, adult memberships at $35 and family memberships at $55. Sponsorships start at $1,000.
-- Becca Martin-Brown
bmartin@nwadg.com
NAN What's Up on 09/11/2015