NEWSLETTER - The Aurora Project

NEWSLETTER
Volume 1, Issue 1
Save the Date:
AURORA PROJECT
BARN DANCE
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011
Phone: 304.735.3620
Fax: 304.735.6643
Email:
info@auroraproject.org
Website:
www.auroraproject.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Viola K. Wentzel
President
Walter J. Ranalli*
1st Vice President
Michele Moure-Reeves*
2nd Vice President
Laura Frye Blue
Secretary
Edward Utterback
Treasurer
John Barker
Louisa Barker
Alice Fleishman
Charles O. Hyman
Ellen Kentz
Michael Mills
Annie Snyder
Peter V. K. Wentzel
Stephen Wolfe
Past Presidents:
Alice McGinnis Penzo*
David King
*Co-Founders
Spring 2011
LETTER FROM VIOLA K. WENTZEL, PRESIDENT
The Aurora Project, Inc. is
the only full time, multidisciplinary Artists’ Residency
and Education Center in
West Virginia. Housed in
historic buildings located in
the rural Allegheny Mountain community of Aurora,
the Aurora Project is adding
a unique creative environment to the natural and historic context of Appalachia.
As spring is working its way
into the mountains so too
the Aurora Project is preparing for another season of
growth. Since its inception
in 2001, AP has raised over
$1.5 million to acquire and
preserve six early 20th Century buildings.
photographers, musicians
and visual artists, who have
written in anticipation of the
facility’s opening, we find
inspiration in their support
and continue to move forward with our work. To
date, we have acquired and
stabilized all of the buildings
and completed two of them.
Historical View c. 1900
The General Store’s first
floor is leased to the Union
District History Center and
(Continued on pg 3)
Prior to Restoration 2001
The work of the Aurora Project’s many volunteers has
moved us to the final phase
of our building campaign.
Encouraged by the writers,
Heritage Preserved 2011
2011 SPRING WRITERS’ RETREAT
The Aurora Project will host
our sixth writers’ retreat
from Thursday, May 5 Sunday, May 8. This retreat
is designed to give writers
time to focus on their own
work; no workshops or entertainment. Everyone arrives Thursday evening by
7:00pm and the writers have
the daylight hours all day
Friday and Saturday to
work. The retreat ends after
breakfast on Sunday. Breakfast and supper will be
served family style and light
lunches will be prepared for
you to pick up. Work space
is provided throughout the
community with wifi avail-
able in most areas. The only
requirement is that the solitude of those working near
you be respected.
The retreats are designed for
experienced, professional
writers as opposed to students. The fall retreat
(Continued on pg 2)
Page 2
T
he development and
programs of the
Aurora Project have been
made possible in part by
the WV Division of Culture & History, US Department of Agriculture,
Love, Hope & Charity, the
Oakland Foundation,
Vandalia Heritage Foundation, Canaan Valley
Institute, the Robert Mollohan Foundation, CTC
Foundation, Alice
McGinnis Penzo and
Family and through the
generosity of the Aurora
Project Board of Directors,
the Friends of the Aurora
Project and the financial
and in-kind contributions
of our community.
Founded in 2001,
the
AURORA
PROJECT’S
mission is to
provide a dynamic
environment
supportive of
artists & the
creative process.
Help us to easily
communicate with you
and save trees and postage: Provide your email
address so that we can
send you information and
updates electronically:
info@auroraproject.org
Aurora Project Newsletter
WRITERS’ RETREAT (continued from page 1)
includes a special dinner to
honor a guest artist who
provides a public reading for
the community.
Writers are housed in several
locations, Brookside Inn and
Retreat Center, located next
door to the Aurora Project
and in nearby guest houses.
The current cost of $225 per
person includes three breakfasts, two lunches, and two
suppers as well as three
nights’ lodging. If a private
room is desired the fee is
$325 (up to 5 possible). Couples are welcome, but each
partner must be a writer and
will be charged the full per
person fee. Rooms are assigned on a first come, first
served basis; unfortunately,
there are no handicap accessible rooms at this time.
Although much of the weekend will be private time,
mealtimes will be social and
are followed by evening
readings.
Breakfast and supper are
served at Brookside Inn. A
bagged lunch is prepared in
advance so that there is no
interruption to the day’s
work. Vegetarian meals (but
not vegan) are available and
all effort is made to meet
special dietary requirements.
The registration forms are
available on line at
www.auroraproject.org in
advance of each retreat. For
information about upcoming
events, please email Michele
Moure-Reeves at:
(info@auroraproject.org).
EXPRESSING OUR MISSION
In keeping with our mission,
the Aurora Project’s goals
are to:
Provide time & space for
artists & scholars to explore new ideas or complete
works in progress;
Sustain and deepen appreciation of the arts,
humanities and environment through public programs linked to local culture, history & traditions;
Encourage regional arts
and civic dialogue and
partnerships;
Enhance economic potential through jobs, revitalization of historic
structures & programrelated internships and
job training; and
Maintain a facility in
which all participants
and visitors feel welcome,
engaged and inspired.
The photograph below is of
the General Store. Owned
and operated over the years
by several families residing
in Aurora, it had been in
need of substantial repair.
As an expression of our
goals, we worked with local
contractors to revitalize
this historic building and
partnered with the Aurora
Area Historical Society to
create a space for their history center. The Wentzel
Photography Studio and a
large painting studio are on
the 2nd floor.
Some of those contractors
who worked to complete
the building included JFint
Construction who rebuilt
the foundation and west
side wall, installed the canopy and siding and painted
the building. Mozark Mountain Works built new windows and doors. B-n-A
Heating and Cooling and
Mountain State Builders
also made substantial contributions.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 3
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT (continued from page 1)
the second floor photography and painting studios
will see active use beginning
this summer. Linden’s interior was finished last year
with the remaining exterior
work to be completed this
summer. The three photographs on page 1 of the Linden Cottage show it in its
original form, how it looked
after many years of deterioration and how it was resurrected to new charm and
purpose.
The winter snow and cold
dictate a measured pace for
our work but it does not stop
our progress or programming. We have hosted retreats and workshops for the
past several years, testaments to the success of the
Project to date. This season,
we will bring on line the next
building—Keystone, the red
building in the center of the
photograph below.
building housing nine guest
rooms, five bathrooms, a
common meeting and dining
area and a commercial
kitchen. This is a “key” facility for artists, providing
accommodations for their 36 week residencies and serving as a gathering place, encouraging the exchange and
exploration new ideas.
In many ways, the name of
this building is indicative of
its importance to the Aurora
Project. It is physically at
the center of the campus of
cottages, it is the largest
To the right and in front of
Keystone is the Carbide
Cabin which will provide a
space dedicated to music.
Once it is completed, musicians will have a place to
compose, create within new
genre, practice and record
their music. And, Sycamore
and Maple Cottages, not
visible in this photograph,
will provide space for writers
and visual artists in seven
additional private studios.
In the last several years, we
have hosted five writers’
retreats with our sixth
scheduled for this May.
Many talented artists have
Keystone & Carbide 2009
attended these retreats including WV Poet Laureate,
Irene McKinney, and
Maggie Anderson, poet and
Kent State University professor emeritus. Their readings were eagerly received by
audiences of regional writers
and members of the Aurora
community.
Like many small towns in
Appalachia, Aurora has a
rich past that continues to
inspire the future. For us it
is a duty and a challenge to
protect our community’s
historic buildings and beautiful environment and be a
link to our mountain traditions. The Aurora Project is
striving to provide opportunities for artists and scholars
within a creative setting.
Our success to date is a reflection of your participation
and support and it is greatly
appreciated by all who have
been working to make the
Aurora Project an asset to
our community and State.
HOW CAN YOU BE A PART OF THE AURORA PROJECT?
Volunteer:
Tell a Friend:
The Aurora Project is an all volunteer
organization that is always in need of
help. What ever your skills or interest,
we can find a place for you.
Bring a friend to the Aurora Project Barn
Dance, a workshop or a poetry reading.
Help us to match grants, fund programs,
Call about a discipline specific retreat for complete construction projects, build an
your musician friends.
endowment and/or meet our operating
expenses.
Name: __________________________________________
Become a Friend of the
Aurora Project:
Gift amount:
Street: __________________________________________
◊ $20 Contributing Member
City: _________________ State: _____ Zip: ____________
◊ $50 Supporting Member
Phone: _______________ Email: _____________________
◊ $100 Sustaining Member
Please contact me for help with: _____________________
◊ $ _______(Other Amount)
The Master Planning Group developed this conceptual site plan in 2004 as a working drawing for the Aurora Project. Mario Valmarana, professor emeritus
from University of Virginia, led the charette with David Kemnitzer, AIA, Michael Mills, AIA, Joe Fint, Volkmar Wentzel, Robin McClintock and several
members of the Board of Directors from the Aurora Project.
A U RO R A P RO J E C T , I N C .
ARTIST RESIDENCIES• EDUCATION • COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
25208 GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGHWAY
AURORA, WEST VIRGINIA 26705