BEGINNING
David and Camille Shafer moved to Hot Springs, N.C. in 1972. Camille was an artist from France, and Dave a photographer from the midlands of the US. They connected with their neighbors immediately in the community of Bluff, in Madison County and made local friends such as Doctor Kimberley, from whom they had bought the property and Harold Finley who now serves on the Azule Board of Directors.
Camille and Dave’s house became a center of activities and their community grew. They organized art and music events, such as quilt shows and regular jam sessions as well as photographic projects such as "Portraits of America", a photographic portrayal of members of the community, which, incidentally, was taken up again by Azule in 2006.
THE STRUCTURE
At the same time, Camille was busy planning and creating the amazing architecture you can see now. Dave and Camille’s house is unique. Through Camille Schafer’s sole design and organization, what began as the tiny Kimberley's cabin, has been sculpted into a work of art. The construction itself has always been offered to local carpenters. Camille was very clear about that: all of her creative activities must originate locally.
THE VISION
The roots of the new community were the local artists, artisans, farmers, carpenters, who helped with the construction of the house. As a group, they wanted to open a space for the arts in Bluff ... Some left, some stayed, some came back ... But after twenty five years or so, they got together and organized for a non-profit 501C3 Corporation.
As of 2007 Azule has a home. Azule received and accepted the donation of Camille and Dave's house, where it's activities now develop.
THE MISSION
The statement of purpose of AZULE is:
"TO PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY MEET, WORK AND LEARN TOGETHER THROUGH THE ARTS IN THEIR MANY FORMS".
THE BOARD
Camille.H.Shafer moved with her husband Dave Shafer to Bluff, next to Hot springs NC in 1972. Born in France, she considered Madison county her adoptive Appalachian country and culture. She is a builder and a visual artist with a portfolio of extraordinary quilts. She cares and strives for inclusion (disability, class, race, gender, age, religion)
Selinde Lanier earned her M.F.A. in Fibers from Savannah College of Art and Design, exploring the structural and fiber content possibilities of getting light through woven fabric. She worked professionally for the furniture industry as a textile designer until 2004 and has recently set up a studio in the Marshall High Studios building, across the river from downtown Marshall, NC. Currently, she is developing a line of hand-woven Appalachian-styled coverlets using yarn dyed exclusively with natural plant dyes native to the region. For images and more information visit her blog at :
selindelanier.blogspot.com
Lynda Wheelock has lived and worked in Spring Creek NC for over 28 years. She retired in 2006 from Headstart, after teaching for 21 years. She now pursues full time her old passion for drawing and painting. As a friend of Camille Shafer she has watched the progress of the site for over two decades.
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Bunny Halton-Subkis has been the Director of UNC Asheville Office of Cultural & Special Events and a program chair in UNC Asheville Academic Affairs for 11 years. Prior to this position she was Assistant Director of the performing Art Series at UNC for seven years and she has worked in marketing and advertising for the retail music business as well as being a performer in Western North Carolina. She has a BA in Theatre and Mass Communications from the University of South Florida. She is currently Treasurer of Azule and serves as western region Member-at-Large for the North Carolina Presenters Consortium, and on the Advisory Boards of Black Mountain College Museum + Art Center and the Performance Center of Asheville.
Gwylene Gallimard and Jean-Marie Mauclet's collaborative experiences include two French cafes, art installations about the health insurance industry, the fast food phenomenon, religious beliefs. They have
been the lead artists of multi year programs like : My Journey Yours" with Refugee Family Services, and : "The Future is on the Table" Recent exhibitions include: 'In pursuit of Equity", "Dialogues from the Diaspora", and : "Shifting Planes: How global artists are shaping the South". Awards in the States include grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the SC Arts Commission, Spoleto Festival USA and Alternate ROOTS. Mauclet is also a contemporary furniture maker.
Mauclet holds a BA in Political Science and an MFA in Sculpture from SUNY ay Buffalo. Gallimard holds a MFA in Media Arts from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) and a Diplome National Superieure des Arts Decoratifs (Paris, France).
They have lived in Charleston SC since 1984. See
fastandfrench.org
Harold Finley was a farmer and is now a landscaper and grading contractor. He has been a life long resident of Bluff community. Married in 1974 with Sadie Thomas, he has three children and one grand child. He has worked with Camille and Dave Shafer on the grounds of Azule for twenty five years. His work is his hobby.
Olivier Rollin was born in France where he studied industrial design and worked there several years as a designer. In the US since 1980, he has been since a self employed designer working on projects including: industrial design, lamp and funiture making, remodeling of buildings and technical illustrations.
Cecilia Rawlins was born in Rocky Mount, NC. Attended high school in West Virginia and returned to North Carolina for college, graduate school, work and family. As an elementary principal in the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, NC, Cecilia had the opportunity for much community involvement. This included membership on various nonprofit boards such as The Visual Art Exchange, Arts Together, Montessori School of Raleigh, North Carolina Natural Science Museum, Opera Company of North Carolina, SAFEChild, United Arts Council, Wake County P.T.A. Council and North Carolina State Friends of the College. She has also served on an educational advisory committee to the North Carolina State Museum of Art. Cecilia is the mother of Ashley Lindsey, a dancer with The Jose Limon Dance Company in New York. After retirement from a long career in education, Cecilia and Dave Penrose have retired to Madison County, NC and are proud residents of Hot Springs.
Dave Penrose came to North Carolina from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has lived in North Carolina for over 30 years and has made innumerable contributions to the state in the areas of biology and stream restoration. Those contributions were recognized upon his retirement in 2008 when Governor Mike Easley bestowed upon him The Order of the Longleaf Pine, the highest honor to be given to a private citizen in the state of North Carolina. He continues to contribute to the field of science by making presentations around the country, serving as a consultant in the area of stream restoration and keeping a close eye on his beloved streams by fly-fishing whenever and wherever possible. Dave is the father of Kristen Macon, an Adoption Specialist with The Wake County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. As a life long arts enthusiast and collector of local art, and new resident of Madison County, Dave is proud to serve the community through his affiliation with Azule.
Along the way I have been devoted to many forms of art,
exercising my passion for theater, dance and music for over forty years, chiefly as a stage manager, performer, writer and critic (notably with the Sisters of No Mercy, Company Kaye Dance/Mime, the DeLuxe Vaudeville Orchestra and Beacon Dance). Since 1982 I have explored the intersections of art and activism as an active member of Alternate ROOTS.
From childhood paper dolls and hand-sewn doll clothes to
professional work as a theatrical costumer, I have always been fascinated with design and fiber arts. I have been an organic gardener since the early seventies and kept cats all my life.
Connection with the natural world is the anchor of my life
Peggy Gardner is currently the office manager for the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County. A native of Asheville, her interest is in photographic and local history. Over the past ten years, she has worked with archival collections at Pack Memorial Library, the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress, the Swannanoa Valley Museum, and the South Carolina Library. Before that she provided photographic, design and publishing services for non-profit organizations, educational and historical institutions. Peggy considers her life enriched by her many French friends, and this lead to her connection with Azule. They have been an antidote to the trauma she suffered in the eleventh grade, when she had to sing La Marseillaise solo in front of her French class in order to receive a passing grade