The sleek new AFAS Center for the Arts, located at the corner of Liberty and Seventh streets, will officially open to the public on Saturday, May 6. The local nonprofit organization Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS) commissioned the 14,500 square foot, three-story building, which was constructed over a period of 15 months.

The Center’s official opening will be celebrated with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on May 6, accompanied by live music, food trucks, ARTivity on the Green mural wall painting and family activities, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

This latest addition to the city’s burgeoning Arts District consolidates several AFAS activities and locations that were previously scattered throughout downtown. The building houses AFAS’ headquarters, as well as Red Dog Gallery, Unleashed Arts Center and Studio 2, a jewelry studio. There are also 10 artist studios available for lease at affordable rates.

The Center’s location – adjacent to ARTivity on the Green art park – extends the Arts District’s footprint into a previously underdeveloped area of the city.

Harry Knabb, AFAS chairman and chief executive, said the new headquarters underscores AFAS’ continued commitment to the Arts District and the city’s arts community overall, while also ensuring the viability of AFAS for generations to come.

ARTivity on the Green and the AFAS Center for the Arts have both been made possible via generous grants – primarily one from the Thomas J. Regan Jr. Foundation – and both projects have enlisted the professional skills of several local businesses; STITCH Design Shop and Frank L. Blum Construction Co. served as the architect and general contractor for both projects, respectively.

Public art installation by UNCSA lighting design students scheduled for April 4-8 at Merschel Plaza

“Reflections on Time,” the 2017 Winston-Salem Light Project (WSLP), is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday, April 4-8 at Merschel Plaza, located at the intersection of Fourth and Trade Streets in downtown Winston-Salem. The annual outdoor lighting installation by students in the School of Design and Production (D&P) at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) uses lighting and projection to visually transform architecture.

This year’s project is inspired by “Einstein’s Dreams,” a fictional collage of short stories by Alan Lightman exploring what might have been on Einstein’s mind in 1905 as he developed his theory of relativity.

“It’s an idea I’ve had in my back pocket for a while,” said Norman Coates, director of D&P’s lighting program. Coates founded WSLP in 2008 to expand the knowledge and experiences of his students using public art. Students apply concepts and techniques learned in the pursuit of theatrical design to architecture and public art.

Senior lighting design students each chose a chapter, or dream, they wanted to illustrate. Patrick Angle, of Columbus, Ind., chose a chapter about memory. “It’s the concept that things we take for granted as being permanent are not permanent,” he said.

Lorenzo Lagola of Calabasas, Calif., said his story explores the idea that there is no time – only images. “So many things happen that you don’t think about. In one moment someone dies but someone is born,” he said. “We are not defined by our construct of time.”

Coates said what began as a class project is now a year-long class. In the fall semester, students work with ideation and explore the concept. Spring semester is devoted to execution. In addition to their designs, each student is assigned a different role in the project, such as marketing, accounting, logistics or infrastructure.

“These are not something you ordinarily would learn in a lighting design program,” Coates said. “It gives the student experience they can take into their careers.”

During its nine-year history, WSLP has illuminated such downtown landmarks as UNCSA’s Stevens Center, the Millennium Center, and the First Baptist Church on Fifth Street. This year’s location offers spectators an expanse of lawn to relax and reflect. A soundtrack will accompany the display.

“We invite everyone to pause on their way to and from dinner, RiverRun screenings, or other events downtown,” Coates said. “Spend a half-hour or so and explore your own concept of time.”

In addition to Angle and Lagola, student designers include Abby May of Riverview, Fla.; Joseph Naftal of Great Neck, N.Y.; Connor Schwarz of Kernersville; and Matthew Tillet of Severn, Md.

WSLP is supported by a grant from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, lighting equipment from Susan and Gilbert Mathews of Lucifer Lighting, and projection equipment from Cirque du Soleil.

Bookmarks and Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS) have announced their sixth annual student art contest. The winning artist will have his or her artwork printed on 5,000 bookmarks to be distributed throughout Winston-Salem and surrounding counties and will be honored on Saturday, August 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the new Red Dog Gallery located at 630 North Liberty Street in downtown Winston-Salem. The exhibition will run through September 30.

The contest is open to students in middle and high school who live in Forsyth County, North Carolina during the 2016–2017 school year. Only original visual artwork in color is accepted, including: print, drawing, collage, photo, or computer-generated artwork that relates to the theme of books, reading, and/or writing. Art must be flat and may not include three-dimension. All entries must use the template provided for submission, which can be found HERE. The bookmark will measure 3 X 9 inches.

The artist’s name must not appear on the artwork and only one entry per artist may be submitted.
Entries must include: the template with the artwork and a separate sheet that includes: name, mailing address, e-mail address, phone, school, grade, age, plus phone / e-mail for parent. Deadline is June 1, 2017. Submissions can be delivered to the Bookmarks’ Office inside the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts or sent by mail: Bookmarks and AFAS Student Art Contest, 251 North Spruce Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. For more information or if you have any questions, email rachel [at] bookmarksnc.org or call 336-747-1471. The winners will be notified by July 12, 2017.