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Wilson, N.C. - The Barton Art Galleries of Wilson and the Hobson Pittman Memorial Gallery of Tarboro are proud to present "Past and Present: Celebrating Two Centuries of North Carolina Decorative Arts," an exhibition that concentrates on historic North Carolina Furniture and its influences on the contemporary form.

"Past and Present," which opened at the Barton Art Galleries this past Monday, will host a reception for the public on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 2-4 p.m. The exhibition will run until Friday, March 21.

Featured artist and guest speaker Brent Skidmore, Craft Campus Director at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, will lecture on Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. on "The Creative Process," and again at 11 a.m. on "The Contemporary Furniture Form." Area collectors will informally lecture on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. on "What is collecting and why they collect?" These lectures will be held in the Barton Art Galleries. They will be open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Skidmore, whose background is in sculpture, primarily makes studio furniture these days. Over the past 17 years, his teaching career has included appointments at universities as well as craft programs across the nation including Penland, Arrowmont, Anderson Ranch and Peter's Valley. His work and processes are included in a recent Lark publication titled "The Penland Book of Woodworking." Skidmore has shown his work extensively across the United States, Finland, and Dubai, UAE. Recent shows of Skidmore's personal work have included the Smithsonian Craft Show and SOFA-Chicago.

In addition to his commitment to family, studio work, and educational positions, Skidmore serves as an advocate for craft education, scholarship, and the professional development of young artists. After running Brent Skidmore Studio for seven years, he returned to teaching at the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2004. Most recently, he has accepted the position of Director of the UNC Asheville Craft Campus. In partnership with Buncombe County and others, The Craft Campus will be a cross-disciplinary facility with a focus on Craft Studies while serving as a model for green building technologies focused around the use of methane generated by a former landfill. Slated to open in 2010, the campus will be a leading center for innovative craft studies, interdisciplinary learning, creativity and scholarly research, while providing state-of-the-art studio facilities for UNC Asheville students and faculty.

Other participating craftsmen in the furniture exhibition include Vivian Beer, Brian Bortz, Michael Brown, Stan Corbett, Matt Gibson, Robb Helmkamp, Susan Link, Timothy Maddox, Mike Shelley, Sylvie Rosenthal, Hart T. Wiggins, Julius Whitley, and Brian Wurst.

The distinguished collection of antiques on loan for the exhibition includes a walnut brandy case or cellaret, found primarily in northeastern North Carolina or Southside Virginia. This example is on a beaded leg frame, circa 1780. The yellow pine bottom has lost the bottle dividers. The hardware is replaced. The exposed dovetail construction square case and straight beaded legs are late 18th century cabinet making details. The case was given to Blount-Bridgers House by the Merkle Pulley family in 1969. Also from the Blount-Bridgers House is a small Federal Period walnut table owned by Ethel Pike Bass, the wife of Dr. Spencer B. Bass, Sr. Mrs. Bass was a passionate collector of southern antiques, the majority of which she discovered locally in the 1920s and 1930s. This table, circa 1790, exhibits features of the light and delicate furniture forms popular in the new republic after the American Revolution. All of walnut construction, this original has a one board top of figured walnut secured with wrought nails. The top has a shallow chamfer on the underside to lessen the visual impact of this solid table. The skirts are of thick 1 1/8th inch planks, which fives a strong sense of presence to a table of small dimensions. Each leg has slight camfer to the inside, which follows the style of George Hepplewhite, an English cabinetmaker. This table is devoid of inlays or painted decoration, which is observed in other tables of this period. The presence of "the neat and plain" task lingered in the early South. The table is faithfully copied on the occasion of the 200 anniversary of "The Grove" by Whitley's Treasures in Wood of Stantonsburg. It is a fitting tribute to the quality cabinet making and taste in Tarboro and Edgecombe County.

Additional pieces on view during the exhibition include:

A painted blanket chest from Bertie County, circa 1720, features prussian blue paint on yellow pine, the "6 board chest" is distinctive of the original Chowan River basin form. It has molding on its top and a corbelled foot.

A mule ear chair from Edgecombe County is circa 1840, with black paint over a red base. The chair has its original woven corn shucked seating.

A Windsor arm chair from Halifax County is of mahogany wood with yellow pine arms and seat supports, circa 1820. The oak splat, numbered VI, indicates the chairs were available in sets of 6/8/10/12. The American versions of the Rococo pattern were very popular.

Two Nash County Murray Town chairs, with maple turned uprights and hickory members, have their original split oak seating. The Murray Town chair was prolifically produced from 1790-1950s.

A table of non-academic form emulates the latest taste in "styles" from Nash County, circa 1810. The table is of yellow pine wood with hand wrought nails and a brown wash paint.

A swing leg table of black walnut, Matthew Whitaker's of Shell Castle, circa 1825, features drawers with good figured walnut, drawer sides of yellow pine and a drawer bottom of poplar. The table has its original surface.

A lamp-black and oil painted Warren County arm chair, circa 1790 with its original split oak seating, denotes a finial distinctive to that area's craftsmen. It is pinned with wooden dowels.

A Warren County stretcher desk of yellow pine, circa 1780, features a decorative plantation gallery on top with turned oak spindles and oak legs. (Clack) Robinson is inscribed on inside lid.

For additional information, please contact Susan Fecho, chair of the Department of Art at Barton College, at 252-399-6480 or 252-399-6477 or email: sfecho@barton.edu. The Barton Art Galleries, including the Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery and the Lula E. Rackley Gallery, are located in the Case Art Building, at the corner of Gold Street and Whitehead Avenue on the campus of Barton College. The Barton Art Galleries are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

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Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

Making her debut at the February 23 basketball game against Lees-McRae, Baby Bully, the newest member of the Barton Family, stole the hearts of all. The daughter of Ms. Godiva and Beau Dacious of Kernersville, Baby Bully was born January 9, weighed 12 ounces and measured 4.2 inches long with a brindle spot adorning her lower back.

The Student Government Association held a baby shower January 30 in anticipation of her arrival. Baby announcement cards commemorating Bully's birth were available as mementos. Doggie-bone-shaped cookies and cake decorated with blue and white booties were on hand for dessert.

A baby shower isn't a baby shower without baby gifts, and Bully received plenty. SGA President Victoria Gonzalez and Freshman Class Representative Princena Simpkins opened the presents on behalf of the new mascot. Bully received a bib, two leashes, various treats, a cookie jar to hold the treats, a bottle of doggie shampoo, food and water dishes, and a doggie bed. Photos of the shower are available at:

http://www.imageevent.com/barton/bullyshower.

"We've always had Bully the mascot, the one with the costume, and we just came up with the idea [to have a live mascot]," said Gonzalez commenting on the SGA's decision to acquire the new bulldog. Vice-President for Student Affairs Jennifer Newell assisted the SGA in the search for the breeder. Then they had to wait for the puppies to be born.

Bully follows in the paw prints of Barton's former mascots. These canine icons surprisingly were not named "Bully." Some of these mascots were Cannonball, Jr., named after former Barton president Howard Stevens "Cannon Ball" Hilley; the audaciously-named Bohunk; and female mascot Bullseye. With Bullseye as a predecessor, Baby Bully is another fine lady to hold the office of mascot.

When you're popular and good-looking, life is easy, right? Wrong! Bully has responsibilities, too. Charged with promoting spirit and camaraderie, Bully will appear at various campus events throughout the year to instill pride and provide sloppy kisses, a friendly bark, and a fuzzy ear to scratch.

Poet Carl Sandburg said, "The fog comes on little cat feet," and that's fine for fog; but at Barton we know that the important stuff comes on little dog feet. Spirit is the spring in the step. Pride is the strut of sure, stocky legs. And college-on-a-first-name-basis friendliness is a round, wrinkled mug and a wagging tail.

Welcome to the family, Bully!

March 1 is a big day for Barton College. The Bulldogs battle the Mount Olive Trojans in a nationally televised men's basketball game with conference and regional implications on the line.

At the same time another battle looms in the background on this national stage. The student athletic advisory committees from both schools are locked in a conflict for the benefit of the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

Working with their respective teams and schools, each group is raising money for this worthy cause. The school that raises the most wins the Make-A-Wish challenge and will be proclaimed the victor during halftime at the men's basketball game.

To ensure that Barton is victorious, your help is critical. From February 14 to 29, stop by the Hamlin Student Center dining hall to drop off your donation. A table in the dining hall will be set up with a cooler from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. We want you to donate! Drop your money and spare change in the cooler! Every cent counts and will be donated to Make-A-Wish.

Athletes will be canvassing the crowd at every athletic event between now and March 1 looking for contributions. Additionally, there will be workers in Hines Hall collecting money toward our goal.

Faculty, Staff, Clubs, Organizations, Sororities, Fraternities, Barton Fans - GET INVOLVED! Show your Barton pride and spirit by defeating the Trojans and helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

To contribute or learn more, contact Randy Pridgen (rpridgen@barton.edu; 252-399-6520) or Lynn Houchins (dlhouchins@barton.edu; 252-399-6514) at Barton College.

Tom Parham, former student-athlete, tennis coach, and athletic director at then Atlantic Christian College, now Barton College, has released a book entitled "Play Is Where Life Is." Parham coached the Bulldogs to two national championships in men's tennis and has been inducted into seven Halls of Fame, including at Barton. The book chronicles many experiences from his association with the college. Go to http://www.tomparham.wordpress.com for information about the book, including how to order a copy.

Engaged learning. Inspiring futures. These are priorities here at Barton. Finding creative ways to unite the pedagogical and the practical. A muse-and-use approach, if you will. This is just what Jamaya and her classmates experienced … except Jamaya and her classmates are not Barton students.

Well, not yet.

Jamaya and her fellow pupils are fifth-graders at Sedalia Park Elementary School in Marietta, Ga. Through Jamaya's writing assignment, Barton was able to play a part in her class' engaged-learning experience.

Except on Fridays, Sedalia Park requires its students to wear uniforms. To encourage her students to focus on college, fifth-grade teacher Lilly Hanna promised to give her students extra Hanna Bucks, part of a classroom reward system, for wearing college t-shirts or sweatshirts on their dress-down days.

Hanna, a believer in the importance of a college education, creatively transformed a letter-writing project into an opportunity to help the students acquire some college t-shirts while also teaching them procedural writing.

"One of the things I always envisioned was making sure that children understood that college was an option for them and to make sure they knew what it was. And so I saw them wearing college t-shirts. And one of the ways to send the letters out - part of our standards was, you know, learning how to write a business letter; and we've also covered persuasive writing. So I mixed the two together, and we were able to get college t-shirts and meet a standard and give the kids information on real life, you know, something that will impact their future," stated Hanna.

For the project, Hanna directed Jamaya and her classmates to research a state and to write a business letter to one of its colleges requesting a t-shirt.

A former resident of the Tar Heel State, Jamaya chose North Carolina and wrote to Barton College. When asked why she chose Barton, the former Charlotte resident responded, "I found Barton College on the internet and it sounded like an interesting school."

In her letter, Jamaya explained the purpose for writing: "Our school requires us to wear uniforms except for Fridays. Starting in January, my teacher will give us extra Hanna Bucks if we wear a college t-shirt or sweat shirt on Friday dress down days. I would like to represent your school and promote furthering education throughout my school.

"If you would like to support me please send a t-shirt to my school address in care of my teacher Ms. Hanna."

Jamaya then provided her size and as well as the sizes of her classmates in case Barton chose to support her entire class.

Mid-December brought Jamaya's letter to Barton admissions counselor Walt Gryczan.

"I thought it was really neat. … I was touched by it. I thought it was a really cool little story. You know, she wanted a t-shirt. I figured we'd send her one t-shirt, which was the original request; so I thought it was pretty cool. But Amanda [Humphrey, directory of admissions] jumped all over [it]: ‘Let's make this a big deal, and let's send everybody in the class the t-shirts.' And then it just escalated from there," Gryczan said.

And escalate it did. With donations from different departments, the list of items included such goodies as Barton's 2007 Division II National Championship t-shirts; "#1″ foam fingers; key chains shaped like dog bones; a stuffed bulldog; a copy of "Barton College: Our Century," which chronicles the history of the college; pens; pencils; cups; jar openers; and refrigerator note clips.

"I was just stunned that so many people started jumping in," said Gryczan.

Soon the goodies were on their way, and anticipation permeated a certain fifth-grade class in Georgia.

Hanna recalled the excitement her school experienced when the boxes arrived: "[The vice-principal] said, ‘On your lunch break, if you could stop by the office, you have a package.' And I said, ‘YES!' And all of a sudden the kids just start screaming. They're like ‘I know what it is! Our stuff is here!' So I got them calmed down, … and she said, ‘Ok, well, actually, why don't you guys just come down now then since you're so excited?'"

The group arrived in the office to pick up the packages; but as they prepared to leave, they discovered that the excitement had gripped more than just their class. The office staff told them they had to open the boxes there so they, too, could see what had arrived.

"So we opened them in front of the office staff, and everybody was excited. … It didn't matter what we pulled out of the box. It was just … It was amazing! It was just absolutely amazing to feel like somebody really, you know, cared about you and wanted you to just have a special day!" said Hanna. (Click here to see a photo slideshow of that special day.)

Although "some kids would get a t-shirt here or there" from other institutions, Hanna found it exciting "to see that one school just respond and go above and beyond."

Hanna perceived in the experience a good life lesson for the students. She said, "Sometimes you're going to get somebody that, you know, just meets your expectations, but then there are people that will go above and beyond."

Not long after, Barton heard from Jamaya again. This time she was writing to thank Barton for the things that had been sent and to tell us about the excitement and reaction at Sedalia Park, but what meant the most to us was her closing paragraph:

"Thank you BC, because of you I know a college that believes in me. I will continue to study hard, listen to my parents and teachers, and get good grades. And maybe one day I'll be a Barton Bulldog. Go Blue and White!"

Jamaya, we are honored that you chose Barton College, and we are touched by your words. Live up to them, and you will be a success.

Ms. Hanna, we are proud of you. Continue to engage your students' minds. Continue to inspire their futures.

Sedalia Park fifth-graders, in our hearts you are already Bulldogs. Stick with it! Just seven more years, then you can make it official. We're waiting for YOU!

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Questions? Please contact Ken Dozier, web services manager at Barton College, at 252.399.6596 or email: kdozier@barton.edu.

February 5, 2010 - Barton College is operating under a normal schedule.

Barton College Inclement Weather Lines

• Students - 252-399-6868
• Employees - 252-399-6600

Wilson, N.C. - Please join the Barton College community to celebrate the publication of Dr. Jim Clark's newest book, "Notions: A Jim Clark Miscellany" and the release of The Near Myths' "Words to Burn," his band's latest CD. Sponsored by the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library and the College's Department of English and Modern Languages, a reception and book signing will be held at the Willis N. Hackney Library this coming Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. A reading and performance by the author/musician is scheduled for 6 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Clark, Barton College's Elizabeth H. Jordan Professor of Southern Literature and writer-in-residence, continues to find time for writing and composing - even in the midst of an often-hectic teaching and advising schedule. "Notions: A Jim Clark Miscellany," his third book to date, hit the shelves this past summer, and his band, "The Near Myths," released their second album "Words to Burn" in January.

Clark describes "Notions: A Jim Clark Miscellany" as very different from his two earlier books. "Basically, in addition to the poems, I've written prose all along - short stories, scholarly pieces and, even lately, some writing in more of a memoir style," Clark shared. "Most have been published in various magazines and journals, but until recently, I'd never thought about compiling my work. The more I considered it, I just really liked the idea of a collection that showcases all that you do - this book contains non-fiction, both scholarly and personal essays, short stories, a full length play and a selection of poems in addition to the CD single. It contains a little bit of all that I do. That's why I call it a ‘Miscellany' because it's just all these different kinds of pieces. It took me a while to think about what I would include, and I did some rewriting of older pieces that I wanted to revise. I really worked on the arrangement, and I hope there is a certain amount of consistency and coherency about the whole collection.

"One of the things that interested me in the project, which I talk about a bit in the preface, is that a lot of the subject matter is kind of autobiographical, so in the poetry, the stories, and the non-fiction, I'm treating similar or same subject matter in different genres, and that really intrigued me."

The variety of genres found in Clark's "Miscellany" makes it appealing to many. There is something for every taste, and readers are soon spellbound by the descriptive language and colorful images of characters with whom they can relate or would want to meet. Jeff Daniel Marion's forward for Clark's book ends, "There's a gracious plenty here, like dinner on the grounds at a family reunion, a real feast for the eyes and mind and heart."

A bonus with the book is the CD single, "One Night Late," that serves as a companion piece to one of Clark's essays included in the compilation. "As much as I love music and also the writing of poetry, I do generally find song writing really difficult," said Clark. "And, I don't know why that is. I've written very few songs that I'm pleased with, and so this essay is kind of a meditation on the fact that I love music and I can play music and I love poetry and can write poetry, but combining the two, which should seem so natural, is hard for me." The companion essay reflects on Clark's process for writing this particular song. Clark, also an accomplished musician, plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica for "One Night Late," while singing harmony with himself. Quite a feat for one man; however, he enlists the assistance of "tech wizard" and assistant professor of audio recording technology, Phil Valera, who plays bass on this track. Valera has handled the recording and mixing for most of Clark's musical projects, including the earlier produced CD "Buried Land," as well as two CDs for "The Near Myths" band.

Clark and close friends Katy Adams, Matthew Adams, Ben Greene, Bernadette Greene, and Terry "Teep" Phillips make up "The Near Myths" band, widely known for their eclectic style of folk rock, acoustic and pop music. They completed their first CD "Wilson" in 2005. The group remains intact with the exception of one member, Andy Oglesby, who passed away following a battle with cancer before the group completed the recording of "Words to Burn" in July 2006. The band honors his memory with the CD title, "Words to Burn," named after a phrase from one of Oglesby's songs. With 13 tracks, this second album offers a diverse mix of folk, rock and jazz, with a four-part harmony that delights the soul.

Copies of Dr. Clark's books and CDs will be available for purchase at the event. For additional information, please contact Cynthia Collins at 252-399-6503 or email: cecollins@barton.edu.

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Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-3099-6529 or email: kdaugehty@barton.edu.