International Cultural Center

The Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the diverse heritage of the Appalachian crafters and will offer a unique experience not available anywhere else. It will be open 7 days a week, only closed for major holidays.

It will feature 24 retail spaces that represent Appalachian crafts and art. A 25th retail space will represent a variety of members' products that do not have a retail space where they are sold with no commission.

It will operate a membership organization called the Appalachian Crafter's Association which will offer tiered membership levels to crafters and special memberships to the public for support. The Appalachian Crafter's Association's crafters' different membership levels will offer them the ability to provide financial support, participate in promotional opportunities and events, have their crafts/art sold for them with no commission fees and/or provide access to one of the 24 retail spaces on a reserved rotating basis for them to sell in person at no cost.

Live Crafting Displays

The Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall will also feature two public display areas located in the middle of the main corridor. The first area will be for the Appalachian Crafter's Association members to demonstrate live crafting. It would have safety features including see-through walls on all sides at least 5 feet tall, a locking entryway, emergency and fire equipment. The live crafting display area would be in operation during open mall hours seven days a week. Wednesday – Sunday would be reserved for the live crafting displays with Monday and Tuesday reserved for special preplanned/promoted events/displays or individuals which may or may not include a space fee.

The second area will also be located in the main corridor on the other end and will have daily live music (cello, piano, harp and/or acoustic guitar) and other forms of entertainment like storytelling, book reading or exhibits. This space will be available without charge.

Facilities

The mall will also contain one set of public restrooms with baby changing stations and a staffed security office serving the International Cultural Center building. Private areas will include the mall manager's office, a supply/custodial room, a security/electronic room and a set of restrooms connected to a break room area with a small kitchen and lockers for staff and crafter members.

The Philosopher's Cove

The Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall will also include a café, called The Philosopher's Cove, which will be in an area that connects to the Immersive Cultural Experience with separate private staff access to the Immersive Cultural Experience kitchen. It will be open for the same hours as the mall and be able to close down public access to the Immersive Cultural Experience when it is closed. It will offer a complete hot and cold drink menu with seasonal specials, a limited standard coffee shop type food menu of pastries, treats, sandwiches including dietary restrictive foods and have a seating area in a designated courtyard style setting with public Wi-Fi and electronic charging plugs.

Bookstore

The Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall will also include a bookstore offering a variety of materials for sale that feature Appalachian culture and Tennessee history.

Governance and Events

The governing board will oversee the implementation of the policies and procedures for the administrative level, paid workers and volunteer positions in addition to the procedural requirements. A special Crafters Advisory Committee will report directly to the board, will provide guidance, and will consist of individual crafters, artists or educators. The Crafters Advisory Committee will be invaluable in aiding in the areas of securing memberships and developing public programs and events.

An Artisan and Crafter Exposition will be co-sponsored by the Institute for Natural Philosophy, the Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall, and the Appalachian Crafter's Association. This annual event will be open to the public for free and held in the International Cultural Center's Exhibition Convention Center. Association members will have free booth space available to participate. Nonmembers will be available to participate in exchange for a special membership. The Artisan and Crafter Exposition Committee will report directly to the mall manager and will oversee the event.

Leadership

The Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall board and Appalachian Crafter's Association will be led by Otto Preske, owner and operator of Otto Preske – Artist in Wood located at 535 Buckhorn Road Gatlinburg Tennessee 37738.

Otto Preske is a United States Navy veteran, has multiple juried awards for his work and is a charter member of the Great Smoky Mountains Art and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg Tennessee USA. He relocated his family to Gatlinburg in 1976 where he has resided and operated his store in the same spot ever since. He was first introduced to woodcarving when he was a Boy Scout, eventually becoming a Scoutmaster for Gatlinburg Troop #111 and is currently the Committee Chairman. He was taught his woodworking skills by a master woodcarver from Europe during his job as a commercial/graphic artist from 1963-1976. He became an Ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church in 1985 and participated in the Gatlinburg's Tunes and Tales production for 7 years as "Whittlin' Joe". His work graces homes, businesses and churches across the United States.

The International Cultural Center will house 2 separate centers each designed for different functions that can operate simultaneously. The Presentation Center will be for presentations designed in the classic Roman theatre style and the Exhibition Center will be a hall style space for conventions, exhibitions and banquets.

The Presentation Center presentation area will be able to seat an audience of 250 individuals. The Exhibition Center's size will be determined by available funding and physical space available.

Both centers will be available for preapproved bookings in exchange for a special membership. Booking approval will be on a first come first serve basis and be based on preset requirements including being family friendly with preference given to educational themed presentations, conferences and exhibitions. The centers will include access to state-of-the-art display and communications, have private areas including a green room area, a unisex restroom and a private entrance. 2 sets of public restrooms at the main entrances to the centers will be large enough to accommodate 30 people each and be equipped with baby changing stations.

Current Planned Annual Events

• Archaeoacoustics Conference
• Archeoastronomy Conference
• Artisan and Crafter Exposition
• Historical Diffusion Conference
• Indigenous Powwow
• International Council of Indigenous Peoples and Tribes Event (early August)
• Megalithic Event

The International Museum, Library and Educational Center will be a free entrance library, museum and include an educational/activity center. It will be an open-plan concept with each area clearly designated, but allowing free flow between and usage of all amenities.

It will have prescheduled recurring and special events, presentations and displays related to the arts, culture, history, education and science that would be open and available to the general public for free. The prescheduled recurring and one-time events will include presentations, lectures, seminars, group activities, workshops, classes and more. There will be activities designed specifically for both children and adults.

These activities will be coordinated with local individuals, organizations and businesses as well as special projects with other national and international individuals, organizations and groups. Group viewings will be coordinated for public and private schools and be available for the general public to schedule as a group. Guided tours and private guided tours and/or private viewings will also be available but may incur a cost.

Facilities

It will have one main public entrance which will open into a lobby area with a staff attended information section. The staffed lobby area will have special wall signage acknowledging sponsors of certain levels. It will also feature a permanent wall section of bricks engraved with the names of public sponsors or as a memoriam from a special fundraising program.

It will include 2 public restrooms, private areas including an archive/processing/storage area with a separate private entrance, 3 offices, a meeting room, 1 unisex restroom, a break room that includes a small kitchen area with an eating area and locker storage, a supply/custodial room and a multipurpose room for electronics, security, office and emergency supplies.

Governance

The governing board will oversee the implementation of the policies and procedures for the administrative level, paid workers and volunteer positions in addition to the procedural requirements. A special Exhibit Advisory Committee will provide guidance and report directly to the board. It will consist of individuals with artifact, artwork, or natural history management experience, representatives from similar organizations, and others with a background in nonprofits, museums, libraries, and education. The Exhibit Advisory Committee will be invaluable in aiding in the areas of curation, displays, procurement, public programs and events.

Standards

The International Cultural Center Museum will follow the American Alliance of Museums Code of Ethics and Core Standards.

The International Cultural Center Library will be a modern library. The Educational Center will host a variety of displays, events, lectures and workshops.

The Immersive Cultural Experience will leave a lasting impression as there is nothing like it available anywhere. It will be a fully immersive cultural experience by reservation only (unless seating is available) that rotates a different represented culture every 2 weeks.

The main feature will be live music, a dance performance, or a presentation about the culture or a combination. It will display artwork from the culture throughout which will be available for purchase via a bidding process during the two-week cycle. The purchase will benefit the artist, business or school that created it. Educational materials and items representing the culture will also be on display with many also available for purchase. The ambiance will be complimented with music from the culture played in the background.

The front-end staff will be in authentic outfits that reflect the represented cultures which will also be available for direct purchase from the school or creator that made them. The conclusion of the Immersive Cultural Experience will be a meal that is authentic to the represented culture including the drinks offered. The food will be sourced locally when possible (farm-to-table). The head chef will either be from the represented culture or experienced in the represented culture's food.

The on-site kitchen will be an open design style that would be visible so participants can also watch the food being prepared. Each different culture menu will feature 2-3 preset meal options to choose from when making a reservation with 3 different dessert options also provided. There may be limited alcohol available for purchase with a two-glass limit that will be authentic to the culture represented, if appropriate for the culture. Attendees without a reservation may have reduced or no options for the meal and dessert choices.

Schedule and Features

It will accommodate up to 50 participants per session with seating facing the presentation area. The cultural rotating timetable will operate on a 14-day cycle, be open for 12 days total, and then closed for the last two days to allow for the reset. Each new cultural cycle will start anew every other Wednesday.

Each Sunday there will be 2 reservation-only cooking classes available for up to 10 participants, each given by the head chef, with the created meal included at the end. This will be an informal setting with no front-end staff.

Lobby and Displays

The large lobby area would be open and accessible during the Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall hours with an automated kiosk to make reservations. Special wooden menu boards will be displayed at the main entrance and the entrance into the Appalachian Live Crafter's Mall. The lobby will feature permanent displays from each cultural cycle that would consist of the following: one outfit, one menu, one artwork, one book, educational material about the represented cultures, and promotional materials for the sponsors of the items. The location will also have 2 public restrooms available for its patrons.

Membership plans will be available for multiple cycles at a time, for individuals or groups and payable monthly, quarterly or annually.

The international headquarters for the Institute of Natural Philosophy will have a separate entrance, public lobby area, 7 offices, a storeroom, a unisex private restroom and a conference/meeting room.