Monday, June 23, 2008

Quick hits: Asheville arts and Durham history in the news

Asheville among top 50 metros for arts
"The Asheville metro area is among the top 50 metro areas in the United States for the number of artists as a percentage of the overall work force, according to a new report.

"Painters, animators, dancers, designers and others comprise 1.63 percent of all nonmilitary workers in the Asheville metro area, which includes Buncombe, Madison, Haywood and Henderson counties. Those findings are part of the recently released 'Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005,' the National Endowment for the Arts’ first nationwide look at artists’ demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. ...

"Asheville can’t compare with San Francisco, the No. 1 metro (artists make up 3.71 percent of the work force)," writes the Citizen-Times. "But Asheville beat the national percentage (1.40), as well as Las Vegas (1.62) and Miami (1.61). Asheville’s only top 10 finish among artist categories was among photographers, where it placed sixth among all metro areas. The report states that 195 photographers live in the area. ..."

Marker to commemorate Durham sit-in unveiled
"A state historical marker is being unveiled near the site of a Durham restaurant where protesters held a sit-in 51 years ago," says the AP.

"The marker was to be unveiled Monday inside Union Baptist Church. The new sign will be permanently installed on the site of the former Royal Ice Cream Parlor later this year after Union Baptist finishes a school where the parlor once stood.

"On June 23, 1957, eight young blacks sat in the parlor's whites-only section. The eight were asked to leave; one protester left and police arrested the other seven when they refused.

"The Durham action predated the protest by four college students at the Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro. That sit-in on Feb. 1, 1960 is credited for helping to launch the civil-rights movement. ..."

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