Hickory – The Art of Compassion returns with a new theme centered on “Acts of Kindness.” In partnership with Imagine One Hospitality and hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne University, The Art of Compassion is a gathering of artists, writers, musicians, and entertainers who are looking to spread kindness and compassion in the world through workshops and other charitable community events.
Launching the 2023-24 series with over 15 events throughout the months of September and October and culminating in late April of 2024 with a major celebrity concert at the Lenoir-Rhyne stadium. These events will promote community partners and local charities, including a special fundraising comedy performance by Anjelah Johnson-Reyes on September 15.
Introduced in 2022, The Art of Compassion series was created to make Catawba County and surrounding communities a better place to live, work and raise families. The goal of the project is to take the message of loving others and apply it to the area’s businesses and charitable outlets.
This year, the organization has partnered with 29 non-profit entities and a dozen Arts Council organizations, including Sipe’s Orchard Home, The Salvation Army, The United Way and Safe Harbor of NC, among many others, to promote their presence within the Catawba and surrounding county’s communities. For September, Imagine One and many of the Arts Council member organizations have put together a program of events promoting “Acts of Kindness,” for individuals to sign up to provide donations and help requests from each charity partner. The full list of scheduled events is as follows:
- Saturday, August 12th – Sunday, November 26th: Kindness Quilt Artistry – Ben Venom Exhibit /Ping Exhibit at the Hickory Museum of Art
- Wednesdays and Saturdays in September: Foothill ColLABoratory at the Catawba Science Center
- Saturdays in September: Naturalist programming at the Catawba Science Center
- September 1-30: Volunteer Days to Visit Alzheimer’s Care at the Hickory Choral Society
- Friday, September 15th – Sunday, September 24th: 2023 Footcandle Film Festival
- Saturday, September 16th: Disney Family Concert at the Western Piedmont Symphony
- Saturday, September 16th: “Friendship” Thomas the Train in Carpenter Hall at the Catawba Science Center
- Wednesday, September 20th and September 27th: Thomas and Friends Story Time at the Catawba Science Center
- Thursday, September 21st : Chat with Tattoo Artist Ping at the Hickory Museum of Art
- Saturday, September 23rd: Harvest Folk Festival at the Historical Association of Catawba County
- Friday, September 29th: Zazzie Sings at the Hickory Community Theater
- Friday, September 29th and Saturday, September 30th: Zazzie Sings at the CVCC
- Friday, September 29th and Saturday, September 30th: Zazzie Sings at the Catawba Valley Festival for the Arts
- Saturday, September 30th: Catawba Valley Festival for the Arts
- Saturday, September 30th: Zazzie Sings at The Green Room
- Sunday, October 22nd: “Alzheimer Stories” by Robert Cohen at the Hickory Choral Society
On Friday, September 15th, comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes will be performing at Lenoir-Rhyne University to help promote the “Acts of Kindness” by using her wit and wisdom to break down stereotypes, and will challenge the audience to let go of self-importance, self-righteousness, and cultural superiority.
Ranging from $45 to $175, you can now buy Anjelah Johnson-Reyes tickets at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
“We are thrilled to bring back the Art of Compassion for a second year with “Acts of Kindness,” says Bob Lackey with Imagine One Hospitality and member of The Art of Compassion team. “Our desire and goal this year is to take the message of loving others and apply it to the many facets of our businesses, charitable outlets, and in particular our community. We want to promote and encourage people to get engaged in providing Acts Of Kindness to these organizations. We want to again express our appreciation to Lenoir Rhyne University, the participating Arts Council members, Catawba County Community College and the many others helping to make this all possible.”
“This is the first time in over thirty years that a community-wide arts project of this depth and scope has been organized,” says Rand Brandes, member of The Art of Compassion team and Vice President of Community Engagement for Imagine One Hospitality. “The cultural organizations participating in the Art of Compassion this year are the heart and soul of our community as well as an invaluable economic resource. We are proud to be partnering with them and appreciate their commitment to making our community kinder and more compassionate.”
While the “Acts of Kindness” initial programming only lasts for the months of September and October, the website will stay up indefinitely, serving as a resource for locals in the community who are seeking aid.
The community can also participate in helping out each organization outside of the scheduled events by doing an Act of Kindness suggested by each of the partnered non-profit organizations. Each non-profit will share 5 to 10 Acts of Kindness that will be promoted via the website and social media channels, ranging from donation requests and volunteer opportunities to prayer and promoting positivity amongst friends and colleagues.
More information on The Art of Compassion and “Acts of Kindness” can be found online at https://theartofcompassion.net. Tickets to the Anjelah Johnson-Reyes comedy show are now live, with the performance taking place at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Shuford Arena, located at 5th Street NE, Hickory, North Carolina. The Art of Compassion’s Instagram page can be found at @artofcompassionioh and the Facebook page can be accessed via Art of Compassion Facebook.
For more information, please contact the mmgy wagstaff team: Imagineone@wagstaffmktg.com
