HATCH Asheville gears up for year 2

Organizers are hard at work pulling together the second edition of a unique Asheville festival that seeks to foster economic development by bringing together members of the creative-arts community and folks who can share their expertise.

Festival HATCHing: Organizers are busy planning the second HATCH Asheville festival, which aims to boost economic development by pairing mentors with local people in the creative-arts community. The event is set for April 15-18. Photo by Jason Sandford

Last April, the inaugural HATCH Asheville served up a series of panels, workshops and presentations spanning the fields of architecture, design/technology, fashion, film, journalism, music and photography. The local event is a sister to the HATCHfest held in Bozeman, Mont., each fall, which has focused on mentoring creative artists.

"We're moving ahead. We're pretty far along in programming, and we're looking to make announcements at the first of February," organizer Sean O'Connell reports. His consulting firm, the Asheville-based Music Allies, works with independent music companies in a variety of areas, including marketing, design and promotion.

O'Connell says a new HATCH Asheville Web site is in the works, adding that this year's event, slated for April 15-18, will feature more hands-on participation in its workshops and panels. O'Connell says he's excited about what's being planned, but says it's too early to announce the names of big sponsors or speakers.

The core of volunteers who helped assemble last year's festival are back again, he notes, though the event's organizational structure has changed. This year, HATCH Asheville organizers will pay a venue coordinator, a programming coordinator and a food-and-beverage coordinator, O'Connell explains. Craig McAnsh, the event's director and lone paid staffer last year, remains on the organization's board.

"We made a decision that we wanted to stay focused on the event," says O'Connell. "We had some really incredible volunteers who did some great work at their own expense, and we want to take advantage of their expertise."

Organizers and participants alike called last year's event a success, citing the connections made through the panel discussions and social gatherings. AdvantageWest, Western North Carolina's nonprofit, public/private economic-development group, helped bring the festival to Asheville and has more than $30,000 in taxpayers' money and private donations invested in it.

"This is a different model," Sam Neill, the head of AdvantageWest's Creative Commerce Commission, told Xpress last May. "This is more of an educational process and about economic development — relationship building and helping people network. We're trying to cultivate the creative class from the bottom up. I think it's our future."

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “HATCH Asheville gears up for year 2

  1. I could not be more pleased!!! HATCH was an invaluable experience for myself and many others, an overwhelming opportunity for education.. professional and personal relationships were forged and fun was had! There were many people who spoke up last year who either didn’t feel included or were confused, thought it was a sham, or just plain nay-said. This is the time to bring those concerns to the organizers to ensure an all-inclusive, enlightening experience for all involved.

Leave a Reply to MalloryC ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.