Grassroots of Tarboro

We have many, many talented artists, artisans and craftspeople in our area, from painters and potters, to woodworkers and musicians, but we do not have a suitable space for them to showcase their talents and market their work. An artists cooperative would not only benefit the artists and craftspeople but could be the beginning of an arts and culture economy for Tarboro.

For building space, we've already discussed using the front of our building at 305 N. Main st, but it needs a LOT of work. Another option is the old Majestic Theater building on Main Street. I got to see inside last week and it has potential. The lease is $1600/month or it is for sale for $175,000. - Both prices are way overboard for what it is, but the owner is anxious to get it off his hands and is willing to negotiate. Personally, I'd like to see this space as a gallery on the Main Street part of the building and a music venue in the back half. It has separate entrances and it would be FANTASTIC to have live music downtown that's not in a bar.

The Veterans Museum will be sponsoring an art show in the Sullivan Building (aka Constantine building) during May's 2nd Saturday. Rumor has it that they would love to see a gallery in that building year-round. Great idea!

Is there any chance that the cooperative could start with a listing of local artists with websites or blogs? This would be a good way for people to "meet" each other virtually and to spread awareness about the cooperative. For those artists who are interested in displaying their goods in the physical market, this could be a good centralized spot for sharing general ideas and specific advice for those who might be new to the art of the effective display.
Just a thought. Good luck with putting this together. I ran the idea past the old director of the Arts Council, who told me that there might be some grant money floating around for coop startup funds. That might be an avenue worth exploring again.

Hi Beth,
I think it's a great idea! I got the list of local artists and craftspeople from the Edgecombe County Arts County but it was only names, mailing addresses and phone numbers, no emails, no websites or blogs and no mention of the kind of art or craft they produce.
Perhaps I could make a sub-category from this page that was a sort of "guestbook" for artists.
The format of this site is somewhat limited by the site host (squarespace.com) but we may be able to create something that works. Thanks for the input & the link to your blog.