Raleigh 2 The Arts Council perspective

On Tuesday I had arranged a meeting with North Carolina Arts Council staff, I met Sally Peterson, Folk Arts Specialist and also Mary Regan, Director of the Arts Council.

Sally and I spent loads of time together and agreed we could have talked all day! It was a fascinating discussion and we talked about the history of the Moravian people (from Germany) and their pottery trade which travelled from North to South through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Interestingly they made jugs for alcohol, as producing alcohol was the most economical use of all the corn that was growing.

In the mid 1700s the potters started in North Carolina. Around this time, people were also importing finer better quality wares from Staffordshire and for anyone who was doing this, it helped to confirm their higher status. Sally encouraged me to visit the Seagrove Potteries to the West of Raleigh as there is a strong tradition of potters there, I told her that was where I was going next!

We also talked about the arts in general and particularly music. I was asking about this as I would love to hear and see some 'traditional' music – which is Old Time music, pre Blue Grass, played on the fiddle. I thought immediately of Lisa Sture and Tony Finney's band Firewater back home in Bideford as they both have a strong fiddle playing tradition in their music, particularly Lisa and her folk roots.

I was pointed to a couple of websites, one of which is looking at the role of language, and a book 'Traditional American Folk Songs - Anne and Frank Warner Collection', a hefty piece that will need to be looked up on the internet to get hold of a copy as its too big and heavy for the suitcase.

We also had a really good discussion about the possibility of a future arts exchange programme and using our historical links – we talked about sense of 'place' and identity and maybe to focus on the similar issues and problems between us such as economics; and also to look at similarities overall including the landscape, boats and shipping industry, tourism and creating an identity for locals and visitors. The 'Graveyard of the Atlantic' is a similarity that we share with many shipwrecks on the Eastern seaboard and on the North Devon coast.

Mary Regan was also very helpful and gave some time to discuss ideas about an exchange programme – she suggested that I need to talk to Laura Martier at Dare County Arts Council first (which I am already planned to do) and for Laura to talk to them if she feels that they can help or provide any financial assistance (although their budget, like our Arts funding is being reduced). Laura gave me a copy of a great book called 'Blue Ridge Music Trails' – a book about where you can find traditional Mountain music in North Carolina and Virginia, what a great resource! I haven''t heard any live music as yet but am on the lookout for catching a traditional performance somewhere.

Next stop Seagrove.......