When you live in Buncombe County, one of the things that you’ll quickly discover is that the arts are important.

(source)A survey done by Americans for the Arts, the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, said that the nonprofit arts and culture industry in Buncombe County generates $65 million and supplies 2,192 jobs each year.

N.C. Stage Company, on behalf of all performing artists in Asheville, recently received a $50,000 two-year grant to come up with a campaign to market the area’s performing arts to the nation.

“Raising money is still an important element for any nonprofit, arts or otherwise,” said Deborah Austin, who ran the arts council for years. “But the ability to connect (the arts) to the community is vital. The arts can’t be perceived as separate.”

When you live in Buncombe County, experiencing the arts doesn’t have to mean getting on stage yourself, nor does it mean that you need to be out there painting, writing novels or taking photographs. Experiencing the arts in Buncombe County is really all about coming together, exploring ideas and looking at life (and community) in a new way.

There’s plenty that’s exciting about living in Buncombe County - with beautiful homes, a great environment and beautiful, natural views; connecting with the arts really is a part of it all. For those who are able to explore it, there’s little wonder about why Asheville has always had such a draw for artists (and those who enjoy the arts).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 5:31 pm and is filed under Living In Bumcombe County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.