Creative Collaboration
Recycled Valentines & Star, NC's Artistic Revival
by newsletter writer Kaylin Hechtle
Today, you’re getting a scrappy Valentine’s Day assignment!
Get your people together for a Valentine’s Day card making party, but have everyone only bring scraps from around the house! Old power bills, coupons to restaurants you don’t go to, that sticker sheet you haven’t used, the credit cards you get in the mail, those magazines you grabbed to collage with but haven’t yet. Use the things already at your fingertips to make Valentine’s Day cards. Tag us on Instagram @carolina.muse—we want to see what you all make for each other💌
The Creative Revival of Star, North Carolina
I had this idea while reading about how Star, NC repurposed their neglected textile mill into a creative haven for potters, glass artists, and metal artists. Founded in the 1940s, the Russell Hosiery Mill defined the town’s identity for sixty years until it shut down in 2001. For Star, the mill’s closing punctuated the textile industry’s successful search for cheaper labor. The slow march took the form of at least a thousand jobs lost over the passing of decades.
In 2004, the building was donated to Central Park NC, an organization that fosters futures for rural communities by “preserving and growing what these places already had: culture, craft, and a deep sense of place.” Rather than hoping for another company to buy the old factory, donating the building enabled Central Park NC to collaborate with the people of Star to turn the mill back into a place where people could make something. They began with ceramics, using the clay that was already all around them in their North Carolina soil. They then opened their doors to glass works, and later earned a grant that allowed them to offer “workforce training in glass, ceramics, and metal arts; internships, apprentices, and residencies.”
Because of the momentum at this artistic hub (Starworks), tourism became a part of Star’s economy for the first time ever. Their events invite thousands of people into Star, NC.
Read the article because they have more cool information than I’m including here! I’m so in love with stories about the revival of a place through artistic, communal collaboration.
The Forthcoming Issue of Carolina Muse
Carolina Muse has been pretty communally creative lately, as well: Issue V.III comes out this Valentine’s Day, February 14th! It’s our Valentine's Day card to you! Except, our card is 8.5 x 11” and has a bunch of pages and costs about exactly $15 more than it usually does to receive a Valentine’s Day card.
But seriously, we’re so grateful to everyone who took the time to contribute to this issue. I love the sentiments that come with February: this odd little holiday nestled between the twilight of Christmas and the excitement of spring, this brief season of heartfelt collaboration. We’re so happy we get to spend it showcasing your work! You’re the reason we’re able to put this labor of love into the world—our very own, communally built, artistic haven.
📆 Join us on Instagram Live Saturday morning, February 14th, to hear from some of our published creators as they share more about the inspiration & creation process behind their work!
What Can You Do For Minneapolis?
In a final note on creative collaboration, here are a couple things you can do to aid the people of Minneapolis right now. I’m getting this information from @mspackyetti on Instagram.
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Follow local voices, specifically marginalized folks. The people who are most likely to experience state violence have the perspectives that are most important to amplify. Some people she listed in her original video are @minneapolisward2, @racialjusticemn, @sahanjournal, @bygeorgiafort, @indigenousfoodlab, @nekimal, @minnesota50501, @38thandchicagogfs, and @mnicewatch.
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Donate to or share the Legal Defense Fund for the activists who unmasked the confirmed leader of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Saint Paul.
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Support / share / donate to / keep up with the organizations on the front lines of relief and resistance in Minneapolis.
Above all else, it is more important now than ever to dig into your community. I’ve found that volunteering is a great way to meet people you wouldn’t otherwise. Find a nonprofit in your area and cold email! It really is as simple as, “I love what your organization does, do you have any volunteer opportunities? I would love to help.” Research programming put on by libraries, nonprofits, advocacy centers, small theaters, the like. Community is all around you, but it’s up to you to be a part of it!
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Carolina Arts Events in February
North Carolina
BITE: A Performance by Raheleh Filsoofi
Durham, NC | February 5 | Free
BITE centers on the intimate & deliberate act of biting the clay plate—an imprint of presence, resistance, and reclamation. Through this gesture, Filsoofi engages the material histories of place and the embodied experience of marking, shaping, and being shaped by one’s environment. Following the performance, Filsoofi will give an artist talk in the Lecture Hall.
Charlotte, NC | February 6 | Free
Hickory Grove Public Library welcomes national bestselling author ReShonda Tate in conversation with author Vanessa Miller.
Exhibit and Talk with Artist Nellie Ashford
Charlotte, NC | February 7 | Free
Nellie Ashford is a self-taught folk artist from the Charlotte area. Her mixed-media folk art depicts the experiences of Charlotte’s African-American community from the Jim Crow era to contemporary day in the U.S. South.
Artists Talk Series: Art and Mental Health
Charlotte, NC | February 7 | Free
Artists Talks at the VAPA Center are held at 5 PM every Open Studio, first Saturday of the month. Take a seat to listen to artists discuss their unique way of creativity.
Charlotte, NC | February 8 | Free
Afro Legacy Fest 2026 will be an unforgettable celebration blending culture, history, and entertainment. In partnership with La Casa de la Cultura, Afro Legacy Fest 2026 is a call to unity, a tribute to resilience, and a space to honor our roots while building a brighter future together.
Asheville, NC | February 9 | Free
In this film, a young African American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
Durham, NC | February 10 | Free
Got some old craft or art supplies lying around? Ready to start a new craft for the new year? Bring you gently used art & craft supplies to swap for some new-to-you supplies. All crafts and arts welcome.
Asheville, NC | February 12 | $40, but N.O.T.A.F.L.O.F. (no one turned away for lack of funds!)
Gather with us at the cozy Blind Tiger Asheville for a relaxed evening of watercolor + collage that celebrates art as something for everyone.
Durham, NC | February 12, 26 | Free
Ink & Insight is a collaborative writing feedback & critique group where writers of all kinds are welcome. Bring 5 paper copies of up to 2,000 words of your writing and you'll leave with actionable feedback. It doesn't matter if you write fiction, essays, poetry, or movie reviews—there's space for all writers in the club.
Wilmington, NC | February 14 | Free
The event will consist of: Over 20+ artists (from all over North Carolina), showcasing their Keith Haring inspired work. Discover a sticker-making station, Community Doodle Wall, photo booth, and RizzyBeats spinning 80's & 90's party jams!
I Am Not Your Negro: A Screening
Asheville, NC | February 19 | Free
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives & assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.
Live Glassblowing Demonstration
Charlotte, NC | February 20 | Free
Enjoy a live glassblowing demonstration, where Hot Glass Alley's hot shop team will be making 1-2 sculptural pieces in front of a live audience! Snack and beverages are provided with no reservation or ticket necessary for entry.
Black His/Her story Carnival & Block Party
Wilmington, NC | February 21 | Pay what you can!
WilmingtoNColor celebrates Black heritage & culture with Black History mini-tours and a carnival on Saturday, February 21. The carnival will feature family-friendly games, bounce houses, music, food vendors, presentations and more!
Winston-Salem, NC | February 21 | $15 per time block
Queer Fear Film Festival celebrates queer stories from the dark, weird, and wild end of the genre spectrum.
Black History Month Screenings at the Independent Picture House
Charlotte, NC | Multiple Dates | $9.75 per screening
Celebrate Black History Month with special screenings & panel discussions!
Living in Color: Black History Month Art Exhibit
Raleigh, NC | All February | Free
Curated by Raleigh Film and Art Festival and hosted in partnership with Dix Park, this riveting exhibit is a month-long display of visual art representing the experience of people of color living in the South.
South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, SC | February 7 | Free
The annual Spill The Tea is a gathering of over 30 authors of various genres. Special author talks throughout the day with authors Spilling The Tea about their latest books. Meet, greet, purchase books, and have a little tea.
Columbia, SC | February 12, 21, 28 | Free
Degenerate Art Project, is a contemporary SC-localized reflection of the Nazi Party’s 1937 Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition in Munich at which more than 650 pieces of Modernist art were haphazardly displayed alongside graffiti and mocking text labels with the goal of denigrating and ridiculing the art and artists. The exhibition included the work of 112 artists including Picasso, Mondrian, Chagall, Kandinsky, Klee, Dix, and many other groundbreaking artists. The website of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum offers an excellent overview of this period of world history.
Columbia, SC | February 14 | $12.51
Celebrate Mardi Gras in Columbia, South Carolina at this grassroots parade & festival ft. live music, Cajun eats & more. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
SIGNS: Sealed, Delivered Exhibition
Greenville, SC | Exhibit ends February 15 | Free
Join Florence County Museum for a free, docent-led tour of Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams in the museum’s Special Exhibit Gallery.
The Fantastic World of Bob Logrippo: A Retrospective
Spartanburg, SC | Exhibit ends February 28 | Free
The artwork of Robert (Bob) Logrippo, a native of New York, has been described as “America naïve or in the American Crafts style.” Stylistically, his work may have resembled those styles, but he was a trained commercial illustrator whose work appeared in major publications and on product packaging for several decades, says Scott Cunningham, Solomon Gallery director. Logrippo primarily worked in acrylics on canvas, linen, or panel.