Young artists celebrate a century with creativity
Art in the Afternoon unveils rocking chair designs for Chamber of Commerce 100th anniversary
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 24, 2023
The prompt received by 25 children in the Art In the Afternoon program was simple: incorporate the number “100” into your work.
The creative minds of the 6- to 11-year-old artists, however, produced a vast array of colorful interpretations that will soon be featured all over town.
The Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce went to the Carver Community Center to find the artists for the 2023 Little Town That Rocks fundraising campaign in the nonprofit organization’s 100th year.
The annual event allows businesses, organizations or individuals to sponsor a red rocker, each of which will be affixed with a work of art. The chairs will be placed throughout downtown Black Mountain in June, according to Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sharon Tabor.
“We keep them out for locals and visitors to use for six months, through our busy season,” she said. “Then we take them in, freshen them up, and give them to the sponsors.”
The cost of sponsoring a chair is lower than the retail price, she added, but when the sponsors get them they’re receiving a quality rocker with a piece of local art.
“It’s a great way to get artwork from local children out in the public eye and give people a comfortable place to sit in town, while supporting the chamber,” Tabor said. “Some sponsors decline to the take their chair, and we leave those out all year.”
Art In the Afternoon Director Stephanie Bly welcomes community members to the Carver Center, April 18, as children in the local after-school program unveiled artwork that will be featured on the Chamber of Commerce rocking chairs, beginning in June. Photo by Fred McCormick
As it celebrates a century, the chamber tapped the talent of AITA, an art-centered after-school program founded in 2008 by Stephanie Bly, who introduced the artists and their work in an April 18 event at Carver.
“We were very thrilled when we were asked to paint the chairs this year, for the 100th anniversary of the chamber of commerce,” she said. “One of our missions at AITA is to do community service and outreach, so this was a perfect fit.”
The director of the program welcomed each artist to the stage to unveil their work. A diverse range of creativity, including paintings named “100 Yards of Yarn,” “The Sweet Sweet Bird” and “100 Years of Black Mountain.”
The students began working on their paintings in January, according to the AITA director, who added the artists were looking forward to seeing their paintings in town.
“They all thought it was cool, because they’ve all seen the rocking chairs down there,” she said. “They’re excited to be a part of it. These kids are the future of Black Mountain, so we’re hoping this plants a seed in them that they want to participate in community events going forward.”
For sponsorship information on the Little Town That Rocks campaign, visit exploreblackmountain.com or call the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce at 828-669-2300.
Photos of all Art In the Afternoon paintings can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.