Help Yancey County Sing Again!
Donation protected
The 501c3 nonprofit that I manage--Kokopelli's Daughters--provides resources and services to low-budget community nonprofits and microentrepreneurs. One such recipient of our support is Micaville Music (MM), a coalition of some 40 local musicians in Yancey County, NC, hosted by the OOAK Art Gallery and a member of Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina.
For almost ten years MM has served as a hub for the development and performance of local musicians and composers, hosting a regular Saturday morning "jam" in the gallery loft, regular Thursday night concerts and open mics except for the worst of the winter months, an annual "Hard Times" benefit concert for a local community service agency, and a weekly column in the local newspaper profiling one of the musicians or groups performing live that week.
Covid, of course, has resulted in serious hardship for musicians dependent on bookings and festivals for their livelihoods, the venues that have had to limit or cease hosting live music altogether, and the community residents whose spirits these artists engage and lift. While some musicians have been able to post virtual performances on FaceBook and YouTube, and MM, too, has produced several virtual "theme open mics," these don't begin to compare with the energy of a live performance, that unmistakable, electric communication between artist and audience.
Since we don't know yet when we will be able to safely return to indoor gatherings, the gallery has begin work on an outdoor venue behind their building that can accommodate both musicians and fairly large audiences while being comfortably socially-distant. As gallery owner Kari Weaver explains, "The efforts we’ve made to keep the music alive with virtual events have been valiant, but nothing replaces a live, in-person performance. Music brings us together and lifts our spirits. An outdoor space would allow listeners and performers to experience the enjoyment of live music while fully observing Covid protocols." The outdoor area has already been graded and seeded, and the vision is to build a 12'x20' deck at the back of the building, with stairs leading down to the yard, for musicians and equipment. By spring the seeding will have produced a level, grassy expanse for chairs and blankets between the deck and the creek at the edge of the property.
While we are recruiting a volunteer construction crew and support, Kokopelli's Daughters proposes to raise the funds to cover the cost of supplies and are asking you to help us meet the $10,000 goal, which includes building materials and a licensed electrical contractor. The sooner we can accomplish that, the sooner the new venue will be ready for active use as comfortable weather arrives. Best of all, the outdoor venue can be used for years to come even as Covid concerns become a thing of the past. Our heartfelt gratitude in advance for donations large and small. As with the rest of these peculiar times, we're all in this together!
All donations are tax-deductible. Donors will receive a separate receipt and thank-you with the information needed for the IRS.
--Deb Louis for Kokopelli's Daughters and Micaville Music
For almost ten years MM has served as a hub for the development and performance of local musicians and composers, hosting a regular Saturday morning "jam" in the gallery loft, regular Thursday night concerts and open mics except for the worst of the winter months, an annual "Hard Times" benefit concert for a local community service agency, and a weekly column in the local newspaper profiling one of the musicians or groups performing live that week.
Covid, of course, has resulted in serious hardship for musicians dependent on bookings and festivals for their livelihoods, the venues that have had to limit or cease hosting live music altogether, and the community residents whose spirits these artists engage and lift. While some musicians have been able to post virtual performances on FaceBook and YouTube, and MM, too, has produced several virtual "theme open mics," these don't begin to compare with the energy of a live performance, that unmistakable, electric communication between artist and audience.
Since we don't know yet when we will be able to safely return to indoor gatherings, the gallery has begin work on an outdoor venue behind their building that can accommodate both musicians and fairly large audiences while being comfortably socially-distant. As gallery owner Kari Weaver explains, "The efforts we’ve made to keep the music alive with virtual events have been valiant, but nothing replaces a live, in-person performance. Music brings us together and lifts our spirits. An outdoor space would allow listeners and performers to experience the enjoyment of live music while fully observing Covid protocols." The outdoor area has already been graded and seeded, and the vision is to build a 12'x20' deck at the back of the building, with stairs leading down to the yard, for musicians and equipment. By spring the seeding will have produced a level, grassy expanse for chairs and blankets between the deck and the creek at the edge of the property.
While we are recruiting a volunteer construction crew and support, Kokopelli's Daughters proposes to raise the funds to cover the cost of supplies and are asking you to help us meet the $10,000 goal, which includes building materials and a licensed electrical contractor. The sooner we can accomplish that, the sooner the new venue will be ready for active use as comfortable weather arrives. Best of all, the outdoor venue can be used for years to come even as Covid concerns become a thing of the past. Our heartfelt gratitude in advance for donations large and small. As with the rest of these peculiar times, we're all in this together!
All donations are tax-deductible. Donors will receive a separate receipt and thank-you with the information needed for the IRS.
--Deb Louis for Kokopelli's Daughters and Micaville Music
Organizer
Deb Louis
Organizer
Burnsville, NC
