COSBY -- In true grass roots fashion, a band of independent artists living and working in Cocke County, TN. are hoping to make their county a focal point for artistic talent. Together with Brenda Shultz, new manager of The Cosby House, at 4352 Cosby Highway (Rt. 321 next to the Cub Motel) in Cosby Tennessee they have begun by establishing an art gallery. Beginning July 5th the gallery will be open daily to show and sell the works of member artists. In addition a monthly outdoor celebration of the arts will be held on the acreage adjacent to the gallery. This juried celebration is open to all local artists, including musicians, story tellers and dancers. Public admission and parking are free. In addition, a drawing will be held for door prizes donated by exhibiting artists and local businesses.
The Newport Arts and Crafts Guild has taken the group under their wing, giving them the
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ability to apply for grants to be used in staffing the gallery and expanding the scope of their efforts. David Freeman, President of the Newport Arts &Crafts Guild, said, "I've been wanting to broaden our focus to become recognized as a county wide organization. I'm really impressed by the amount of work these folks have gotten done in such as small amount of time."
"Every day hundreds of tourists pass through Cocke County on their way to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge." Explained Anne Stafford, co-Founder of the Cosby House Gallery, and owner of Anne Stafford Jewelry, "We'd like to start by getting some of them to stop and do a little shopping here. Once we get our marketing plan going, and add new events involving other aspects of the community, we hope more people coming to enjoy these events with choose to rent cabins, shop, eat and enjoy the recreation we offer in
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Cocke County." Ilif McMahan, incoming County Executive agreed, "I'd like to see Cocke County become a destination rather than just a throughway."
"We've known for a long time that there is a tremendous amount of artistic talent here in Cocke County, and we wanted to be part of that." Stated Marie Bittinger co-founder of the Cosby House Gallery and owner of Smoky Mountain Woodworks, "We'd like to help promote those artists and benefit the county at the same time. By working together, we'll accomplish a lot more than we could individually. The gallery and art shows are just the beginning. We'll be working with the Art Guild to bring some of their plans to fruition, including getting local youths involved in creating murals on the sides of some down town buildings. We also hope to create a summer "Art Camp" where we can nurture and
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encourage artistic skills in the children of our county."
"We don't want to turn Cocke County into another Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg," explained Doug Bittinger, of Smoky Mountain Woodworks, "Those things are just a short drive away when you want them. We want to offer an alternative for those who would rather enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains and small town friendliness, as well as locally produced art and crafts."
Founding members of the group are: Anne Stafford of Cosby, Marie Bittinger of Newport, David Freeman of Newport, Joan Beaver of Parrotsville, Thelma Ogle of Newport, Winnie Avriett of Newport, Len Landrum of Cosby, Eugene Orick of Cosby, Betty Shelton of Hartford, Hazel Thorton of Newport, and Georgia Kennedy of Cosby.
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