Asheville Creative Arts and Hood Huggers International Announce a Second Conversation as Part of the National Ghostlight Project

Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville's professional children's theatre and Hood Huggers International, which offers sustainable strategies for building support pillars for resilient historically African American neighborhoods, announce they will be co-hosting a second conversation with NC Stage Company, and a list-in-formation of other participating local theatres and artists, around the values and action items outlined by The Ghostlight Project, held at Hood Hugger's Burton Street Community Peace Garden (47 Bryant Street), on Sunday May 7, from 3-4pm, rain or shine. This free event will feature a moderated discussion about the role of the arts and not-for-profit theatre companies in supporting and being responsive to the communities they serve in the years to come. Light refreshments to be served. Reservations encouraged but not required by emailing info@ashevillecreativearts.org.

The Ghostlight Project is a national movement inspired by the tradition of leaving a "ghost light" on in a darkened theater. In January 2017 ACA and The Magnetic Theatre hosted a range of organizations and artists in a vital conversation around theatre's role in sustaining values of inclusion, participation, and compassion for everyone--regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Participants included Anam Cara Theatre Company, the Asheville Area Arts Council, Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective, Montford Park Players, Mountain Art Theatre, who shared with a full audience their strategies for expanding their spaces to be welcoming of all. Building on this momentum, participants will continue the conversation, identifying strides that have been made since January, and will outline goals for future improvement through community partnerships and other efforts that will increase accessibility.

A joint statement from ACA and Hood Huggers says "The Ghostlight project is an important movement that asks us to examine and articulate our values as institutions, and what we see as the role of theatre and the arts in promoting space, both physically and intellectually, where we may gather and have open communication. In January the discussion highlighted that many communities still do not see themselves represented on Asheville's stages, or as universally welcome in artistic spaces. Many theaters have missions and outreach that seek to address this gap, so how can we as leaders do better in expanding these efforts, and create the pipeline sought by Hood Huggers, so that truly all are welcome?"

Asheville Creative Arts (ACA) - Asheville's critically acclaimed, award winning theatre devoted to creating works for children of all ages, ACA has the following mission: To produce, present and create professional and innovative theatre for children of all ages - from the very young, to the young at heart; to embrace diverse cultures with a mainstage season of productions of musical and literary adaptations, and puppet based work that push the boundaries of children's theatre; to train the next generation of artists; and to ensure that all families in Western NC and beyond have access to theatre arts through outreach such as touring, and "in-reach" such as specially discounted performances for school and community groups. The upcoming season to be presented at Magnetic 375 includes CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE (July 21-30). More information at www.ashevillecreativearts.org.

Hood Huggers International, LLC offers sustainable strategies for building support pillars for resilient historically African American neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building while increasing the effectiveness of existing service programs. These strategies incorporate the arts, social enterprise, and the environment, building a culture of stability that is inclusive and economically just. Hood Huggers was founded by DeWayne Barton (B-Love), a sculptor and poet who combines his creative practice with community activism. A native of Asheville, NC, Barton grew up in Washington, D.C. and is a Gulf War Veteran. He attended Norfolk State University from 1996-1999, majoring in Social Work. He is the author of two books of poetry, Urban Nightmare Silent Screams and Return to Burton Street,and has been involved in community improvement and youth development for over 20 years.

Asheville Creative Arts and Hood Huggers host a second conversation as part of The Ghostlight Project, Sunday May 7, 2017 from 3-4pm at Burton Street Community Peace Gardens (47 Bryant Street), free and open to the public, with light refreshments. RSVP to info@ashevillecreativearts.org. For more information, visit www.ashevillecreativearts.org, or call 914-830-3000.

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