Published: January 08, 2009 04:09 pm      

Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance to conduct a cultural inventory

The arts and craft of the rural Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee have deep roots, stretching back to the pioneer days — and even as far back as the era of the indigenous Native American.

By the end of the 18th century, settlers were growing their own food, weaving textiles to make clothing and blankets and quilts, building their homes and furniture, running foundries for tool-making and forging horseshoes — and after a long day in the fields or in their shops, they were gathering on front porches to tell stories and play songs.

Now considered forms of art and craft, those skills are still being passed down by local residents, and they’ve been supplemented by a more individual and contemporary approach to art, which is being collected by people who appreciate the heritage and expression of those artists.

No single group, however, knows for sure how many people in this area work in those fields – and a lot of groups covet this information, which could be used to boost the visibility of the arts in this region.

Toward that end, the Tennessee Arts Commission is supporting a local initiative by the Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance to conduct a cultural inventory of the artists living and working in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. The commission has granted the group $10,000 to collect the information and develop a database that can be shared with art groups, local chambers of commerce and others interested in promoting the arts as a networking and economic development tool for the region.

“Our heritage is culturally rich and varied,” said UCAA President Alice Maiwald, who lives in Byrdstown in rural Pickett County. “When people think of our area, they think of farmlands and beautiful countryside, but increasingly, they also think of the utilitarian arts: the quilt-makers and woodworkers, the potters and weavers and metalsmiths and singers – all the folk artists and, more and more, the fine artists as well.

“Many times, those people don’t consider themselves ‘real’ artists, because what they make was once considered just a necessity, but their work is being collected, and it’s appearing in galleries and retail shops all over our region. And those places are perfect magnets for tourism,” said Maiwald.

Arts Alliance “surveyors” are beginning the cultural inventory in early January, and the survey will be conducted through the end of February. They’ll be searching for names and contacts in the traditional 14-county Upper Cumberland: Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren and White.

Arts surveyors are seeking skilled practitioners in the visual arts; dancers, musicians, actors and storytellers in the performing arts; writers and graphic artists associated with fiction and nonfiction; people involved in the graphic and structural arts, such as architecture and industrial or interior design; and even skilled artisans in the “homecrafts” – landscape and environmental designers, culinary specialists, vintners at local wineries, and more.

To request a survey for an individual or group, call the UCAA at 931-265-0338.

The Upper Cumberland Arts Alliance is a grassroots arts advocacy group that seeks to forge a stronger connection among the many artists and arts groups in the Upper Cumberland. It sponsors the Arts & Cultural Center located in the Sutton Store in the historic riverboat town of Granville in rural Jackson County. The Granville Arts & Cultural Center is made possible in part by a grant from the Buhl Family Advised Fund and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Learn more about the UCAA by visiting its Web site at www.uppercumberlandartsalliance.com.

The Tennessee Arts Commission seeks to stimulate and encourage the presentation of performing, visual and literary arts throughout the state. The commission works to build better communities by investing public dollars in Tennessee’s nonprofit arts industry, providing services to citizens, artists and arts organizations, and undertaking initiatives that enhance Tennessee’s cultural life. These activities give citizens a better quality of life, provide children with a more complete education and attract tourists to Tennessee.