Toe River Arts Scholarship for the Arts is made possible by an endowment fund held by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. These scholarships are awarded to individuals from Yancey or Mitchell County, North Carolina, who are pursuing higher education in arts or arts education. Each scholarship will be paid directly to the degree-based institution of the applicant’s attendance.

2023 Scholarship for the Arts Recipients

Toe River Arts is pleased to congratulate Haven Lee, of Yancey County. He was awarded $1000 towards college tuition this fall. Haven demonstrated a passion for his arts studies showing artistic commitment and a willingness to take creative risks.

Haven Lee is a sophomore product design major at the Kansas City Art Institute. He aspires to create beautiful, durable, thoughtfully designed objects at a more accessible price. He also has ambitions to create his products out of sustainable materials that can be reused, refurbished, and upcycled, as a means to reduce consumer waste.

Past Scholarship for the Arts Recipients

2022

Evelyn Klein

Evelyn is a student at Appalachian State University pursuing a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design.

“I am about to enter my third year at App State and am so grateful to continue pursuing my education with the help of Toe River Arts. This scholarship from the arts council will help support my studies at App State and the materials that are needed for my classes. I am excited about the opportunity to return to school in the fall semester and get back to learning and doing something I love.”

2021

Lily Wieland

Lily Wieland graduated from Mountain Heritage High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and English from Wake Forest University in 2019. Since then, she has worked as a freelance stage manager across North Carolina and Massachusetts. In the fall of 2021, Lily began earning her Masters in Stage & Event Management at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales.