South Rowan High School

BFA Ceramics from ECU

Post graduate classes at UNC-G

Rowan County Teacher since 1996

Current Art Teacher at China Grove MS

Previously taught at South Rowan and

Granite Quarry Elementary School

Daughter or Barbara and David Deese, mother of two boys and now a "Gramma", I started making pottery at home to add to the family income in 2009 when our family split up. It was therapy as well as a hobby. I sold functional pottery in my

grandmother's yard on Old Concord Rd. whenever my shelves got too full in order to make room for more. Eventually, I started signing up for local festivals such as Railwalk's Festival of Gifts, Troyer's Fall and Spring Festivals, Chickweed, Pops at the Post, Hippie Fest, and Rowan Arts and Ag. I have missed this during the pandemic.

Basketry and painting are areas of interest, in addition to clay. The surplus products often make it to the "Art Teacher Tent"

as items for sale. I have served as the "Village Basket Weaver" for the Bethlehem Market at North Main Baptist Church

for several years and truly love to weave baskets with my students at China Grove Middle.

I love to promote local farms and businesses and have pottery for sale at Montgomery General Store in Gold Hill, NC.,

Provisions in Rockwell, NC, and West Rowan Farm, Home, and Garden in Bear Poplar. Creating pottery makes me feel connected to "the ancestors" and The Creator. It brings me both joy and peace; and it is something that I love to share with others in the classroom setting as well as at local festivals.

Connie Deese Christman (fine art, basket weaving, pottery, fiber arts)

Carrie Webster (fiddle)

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR of the MARK O'CCONNOR FIDDLE METHOD

Carrie grew up in a family that valued the arts. Her childhood
was filled with music festivals, concerts, museums, clogging lessons, and most importantly, violin lessons. At a young age, Carrie was inspired when she met
artists like Allison Krauss, Robin and Linda Williams, and many others. After
interning as a violinist with the Asheville Symphony for a year in high school,
she earned music scholarships to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts.

After college Carrie moved to the South Pacific and started listening to
and playing along with jukebox country music during her spare time in the Australian Outback (they love American country there!). After a refreshing
couple of years doing farm work "Down Under", she moved back to
North Carolina. Carrie started going to bluegrass pickings around
Salisbury and became completely hooked on roots music and the rest is history....

Carrie and her husband Eric are ecstatic about opening Carolina Folkworks. She loves teaching folk music and passing on the tradition of an art that is as old as our country, and in some cases even older. Her long experience of performing and 20 years as an instructor make her an outstanding teacher. Carrie has played in several symphonies and chamber music groups as a classical violinist. As a fiddler, she has performed as a soloist with the Salisbury Symphony, won numerous fiddler conventions, been honored at the East Rowan Fiddlers Convention, helped found the award winning Dry Run Bluegrass Band, and performed for two years with the national touring female group Sweet Potato Pie. She has taught in the Salisbury Symphony's After-School Strings program and also taught privately in local music schools. Her students have played at nursing homes, for many area events and festivals, in biannual recitals and placed in competitions and fiddler's conventions. Carrie enjoys playing musical games with her younger students to make learning fun and also loves to teach the history of the songs and tunes her students play.

Ms. Webster's musical influences range from Tony Rice and the Seldom Scene, to Vassar Clements, Hunter Berry, Allison Krauss, Mike Hartgrove, and Chris Thile. Carrie is mom to her son Gabriel and daughter Adelaide, and dog Artemis. She is an avid gardener, beekeeper, and bookworm.

Alec McAllister

Alec is a talented young fiddle player who was introduced to bluegrass music at an
early age. His father would listen to artist such as Doyle Lawson, The Grascals, and
Allison Krauss, so naturally Alec grew up surrounded by the sound of banjos and
fiddles. Alec was drawn to the unique sound of the violin and at the age of ten he began
to take lessons. After a few years of classical training, Alec switched styles and quickly
fell in love with the bluegrass style of playing. He began learning fiddle tunes, going to
local jam sessions and developing his own style. He soon began to compete at fiddlers
conventions; winning numerous awards and gaining recognition among other
musicians. In 2018 Alec was asked to join the bluegrass gospel band: The Gospel
Plowboys. In his years with the Plowboys, Alec has played live venues ranging from
small churches to large bluegrass festivals and has been featured on multiple studio
recordings with The Plowboys and other artists.
In recent years Alec has been blessed with the opportunity to teach others the very
thing he enjoys most; playing violin. Alec enjoys seeing students progress through all
skill levels and encourages intermediate and advanced students to develop their own
unique styles of playing.

John Marler

John Marler has been teaching guitar for over 40 years. He's phenomenal musician and excellent instructor, as many of his students have become professional musicians. He specializes in bluegrass and country styles and a few of the bands and/or musicians he has played with are: Cold Heart, David Blackmon, Danny Knicely, Ralph and Rex McGee, John Hofmann, and the Desperados Band. He loves to go camping.

Tom Hyatt

Banjo and Vocalist, from Lexington, NC, and the son of Joe and Bonnie Hyatt. Tom started playing the Banjo at the age of 11, Tom was raised in church and grew up hearing and singing those old gospel songs that he still loves today. Tom’s dad, Willie Joe Hyatt, was a great fiddle and piano player and was a strong influence in Tom’s life. Willie taught and encouraged Tom and his 3 sisters to pursue their musical talents. They even formed a family bluegrass band in Ohio when Tom was just a teenager, performing at local venues and events.Tom has played banjo with some well-known bands since then, including NuHiWay, Second Chance Bluegrass, New Southern Ground, New High Country Boys, and New Country Grass. Tom credits the Lord for giving him the desire and talent to play and for the opportunities to learn from some of the best. Tom is married to his wife, Jill, and they have 6 children and 5 grandchildren.