We hope everyone is staying safe and well. None of us thought we'd find ourselves here. We've been spending our time reorganizing, fundraising and reflecting on our history in the community. We're doing what we can to stay positive, productive and grateful.

We had to temporarily close the doors, like so many others, on our sweet, little studio on March 30th. We must get better at this. Artists have written the script on pandemics for decades. I have to believe our imaginations have taught us something. Thank you all for the calls, messages and posts. I'm grateful for my family, my colleagues, their positivity—a rewarding career in the arts and 10 years and counting as Artistic Director for Hickory Arts, where I have the privilege of working with the most amazing artists.

If you would like to offer some financial relief to our teaching artists and the studio through this unprecedented time, it is very much appreciated. We have a campaign running on Facebook here and another on Square there. Thank you for your generosity and your support thus far. We're small and like it that way, but how could any of us have seen something like this coming. We realize how very nonessential we are, so we are thankful for any contribution.

You'll find some bits of our portfolio that we've been sharing this week across our social media platforms. If you have a Hickory Arts story or video you'd like to share, please join us by celebrating the studio and your artistry with the hashtag #hickoryartshistory

Much love,

Jeff Hartman
Artistic Director