Vince Pitelka on thu 1 may 97
Dear Clayart Friends -
PLEASE PLEASE SEND E-MAIL!!!!!
I hope that this will be the last plea of the year asking you to speak out
in support of the Appalachian Center for Crafts. But it may be the most
important time to speak out. Angelo Volpe, President of Tennessee Tech, has
promised his decision on the future of the Center by May 9th. The addresses
below are in order of priority.
I do not expect those of you who have already written letters this time to
write again. But I have successfully obtained E-MAIL addresses for all of
the academic and political figures who could help our case, and those
addresses are listed below. I am pleading with EVERYONE out there in
Clayart Land to PLEASE send e-mail messages in support of the Craft Center.
Of course if you wish to write letters that is just fine. It is especially
critical at this time to emphasize that the current problem is not with the
Craft Center. We are fighting for our survival entirely because of the
smear campaign of misinformation which the Tennessee Tech administration
disseminated a year ago when this crisis erupted. That is the entire
problem. Anyone who takes a close look at our facilty and programs can see
that things are better than ever before in the 17-year history of the place.
Please emphasize this when you email or write, and point out that we
contribute so much to the cultural and economic health of the region and the
state of Tennessee. Tennessee cannot afford to let the Craft Center die.
This state has a very productive fine craft community, and a significant
number of Tennessee craftspeople have received training at the Craft Center.
I probably do not have to say this, but DO NOT FORWARD THIS MESSAGE to any
of the addresses below, and do not mention me or Clayart. We need messages
in your own words, written from the heart, out of personal concern for the
future of fine craft in this country. Just write a short message, send it,
click re-send, change the address, send it again, click re-send, etc.
The list of names, snail-mail addresses, and email addresses follows. After
that is a copy of my earlier SAVE THE CRAFT CENTER post, containing more
complete information on this situation for anyone who did not see it before.
If you have any questios or comments please email me at vpitelka@DeKalb.net
- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
- Vince
PLEASE PLEASE SEND EMAIL!!!
State Rep. Jere Hargrove
310 E. Broad St., Cookeville, TN 38501
rep.jere.hargrove@legislature.state.tn.us
State Rep. Jimmy Naifeh, Speaker of the House
#19 Legislative Plaza, Nashville, TN 37243
speaker.jimmie.naifeh@legislature.state.tn.us
Dr. Charles Smith, Chancellor
Tenn. Board of Regents, 1415 Murfreesboro Rd. Nashville, TN 37217
csmith@tbr.state.tn.us
Lt. Governor John Wilder
#1 Legislative Plaza, Nashville, TN 37243
lt.gov.john.wilder@legislature.state.tn.us
Dr. Angelo Volpe, President
Tennessee Tech. Univ., Cookeville, TN 38505
aav7268@tntech.edu
Governor Don Sundquist,
Tennessee State Capitol, Nashville, TN 37243
dsundquist@mail.state.tn.us
State Senator Tommy Burks
#9 Legislative Plaze, Nashville, TN 37243
sen.tommy.burks@legislature.state.tn.us
State Rep. Frank Buck
#32 Legislative Plaze, Nashville, TN 37243
rep.frank.buck@legislature.state.tn.us
SO WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?
Due to recent funding cuts at Tennessee Technological University, the future
of the Appalachian Center for Crafts has been placed in serious jeopardy.
It is doubly sad that this should happen now, as we currently have the
largest enrollments in the 17-year history of the facility. We are one of
the premier academic craft-studio programs in the country, committed to
professional fine craft education and the ongoing evolution of fine craft
media. The Center was built in 1979 with the largest federal grants ever
allocated for the fine crafts, and was intended to serve the people of
Tennessee and the Nation. If this facility closes, it will be a serious
loss to the future of fine craft.
Some very positive things have happened since this crisis began almost a
year ago. We have managed to maintain our enrollment despite forcasts of
doom by the Tennessee Tech administration. We have formed FACCT, The
Friends of the Appalachian Center for Crafts, a nonprofit organization
devoted to the support and preservation of programs at the Craft Center.
Email me if you would like to receive membership information. FACCT is
currently aggressively lobbying state politics, and is beginning to organize
fundraising efforts.
A little bit about the Center: The Appalachian Center for Crafts is part of
the Art Department at Tennessee Technological University, and is located
sixty miles east of Nashville in central Tennessee, on a wilderness tract
overlooking Center Hill Lake. The Center is one of the finest facilities in
the country devoted entirely to professional fine craft education, with
studio concentrations in clay, glass, wood, fibers, and metals. We offer the
BFA degree, one-year and two-year professional craft certificates, portfolio
development opportunities, and an extensive summer workshop program. The
facility includes sales and exhibition galleries, cafe, supply store,
audiovisual facilities, conference rooms, and dormitory apartments. The
ceramics facility includes more than 10,000 square feet of studio space,
with a large roofed kiln area outside. Kilns include standard gas and
electric, wood, salt, soda, sagger, and raku, plus facilities for sawdust
and bonfire processes.
The state of Tennessee is experiencing a budget crunch, and the Craft Center
could become a victim. Fine craft is alive and well in the Mid-South
region, and Kentucky and North Carolina have recognized that the fine crafts
and cultural tourism have a very significant and growing economic impact.
Tennessee is missing the boat, and the precarious situation at the
Appalachian Center for Crafts is hard evidence.
You can help. IT IS ESPECIALLY CRITICAL THAT WE INFLUENCE THE GOVERNOR AND
THE STATE LEGISLATURE NOW, AS THEY ARE MAKING THEIR BUDGET DECISIONS. This
budget session could make or break us. Please send e-mail or letters to
the addresses below and voice your support for the Craft Center and the
importance of fine craft in America. If you are within Tennessee, write to
your own legislators as well. If you are outside of Tennessee, please
affirm that the Appalachian Center for Crafts is known throughout the
nation, and attracts lots of positive attention and TOURIST DOLLARS to the
state of Tennessee.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments. And THANK YOU
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your efforts in our behalf.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Phone - home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801
Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
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