Feeding America, our national anti-hunger organizational partner, has alerted us to a time-sensitive advocacy opportunity at the federal level. As you may know, the challenges in the food chain supply have landed particularly hard on food banks and our partner agencies. We continue to work hard to find food resources for our Western North Carolina communities, and are taking advantage of every possible channel through which to bring fresh, healthy food options into our region for the 125,000+ people a month we are collectively serving in WNC. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) currently helps provide fresh perishables and self-stable in-date food resources for almost 25% of the food relief partners we currently work with across WNC. This is an incredibly important food source for our region, and for food banks serving the entire nation. This food source is free to food banks and to our partners, and thus is critical in continuing to address the incredible surge in the need for food that we have seen since the start of the pandemic. We are asking you to join us in contacting your elected representative in the House of Representatives TODAY to join a bipartisan “Dear Colleague” letter urging Congress to provide an additional $900 million in funding for food purchases through TEFAP in the 2022 spending bill. The deadline for Representatives to sign on to the “Dear Colleague” letter is February 18. We’ve provided a template email below for your use in reaching out to your member of the House of Representatives. Thank you for lifting your voice with us on this important issue that will help to bring additional food resources to WNC, and to support the life-saving food-relief work that our partners are doing in communities across the mountains. Here is an easy way for you to find your representative. TEMPLATE EMAIL Dear [Representative]: On behalf of MANNA FoodBank and their partner network – part of the Feeding America network of over 200 food banks and state associations and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, I urge you to sign onto the bipartisan “Dear Colleague” led by Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Don Young, and Shontel Brown in support of an additional $900 million for food purchases through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in FY2022 spending legislation. The pandemic has created a perfect storm of challenges for the charitable food assistance system, leading to a national, on-average 40 percent increase in demand for food assistance across our network. TEFAP foods are vital to ensuring food banks can keep up with the elevated nationwide need for food support. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) foods, including TEFAP foods, are the cornerstone of the food supply for the nation’s food banks. Without the support of TEFAP, food banks like MANNA would be deeply hindered in their ability to provide pantry staples like vegetables, fruit, dairy products, and meat to our neighbors in need — especially our neighbors in rural America. TEFAP is a lifeline for communities across North Carolina. Food banks are at risk of losing over one billion meals from USDA foods provided through TEFAP, making increased investments in the program more needed than ever. As the winter continues and families face elevated prices for everything from heat to gas to groceries, our neighbors in North Carolina cannot wait any longer for additional food support to come. Increased TEFAP funding is critical to keeping our communities afloat. We thank you for your work to act on behalf of the people MANNA is working hard to serve every day. If you have any questions, or to sign onto this letter, please contact Sam Harris in Rep. Panetta’s office at [email protected], Kellie Chong in Rep. Young’s office at [email protected], or Julian Sham in Rep. Brown’s office at [email protected]. Sincerely, [Your name here]

1. Bricks-And-Mortar

2. Public Education

3. Planning, Survey and Designation

Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show, “Time for Renewal” will feature works by three new gallery members: Kathy Goodson, Margie Kluska, and Johnnie Stanfield. The show will run February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm. An event to meet the artists will be held at the gallery on First Friday, February 4, from 5-8pm at 82 Patton Avenue.

This show represents a seasonal reset. What is to come will be better. We have had our time to pause, and now it is time to refresh. For the earth, this is Spring, a time for new growth. In February, the light begins to change, and shadows shift. Underlying it all is the promise of our renewal.

Kathy Goodson
Color is one of Kathy’s visual languages. She captures the drama of her botanical flowers and leaves so they appear to leap off the painting…a visual feast in silk and dye or encaustic. The thrill of creating something unexpected is an elixir to her, with reds and fuchsia being her favorites. When creating an abstract, she begins by thinking about color, then a story begins to grow, which leads to a visual symbol or image, loaded with meaning related to the story. All of this happens before she puts the first brush stroke on the silk or
the wood. Her process is interactive, and she lets the painting create, then lead her.
“Color captivates me especially when winter begins to change into spring. The Lenten Rose is the first to emerge in late winter, with subtle and muted colors…unlike the later flowers of spring and summer.”

Margie Kluska
Margie has been drawing since she was a child. She enjoys studying the works of the classical artists and Hudson River School painters, and she has only recently taken up oil painting. Her inspiration is taken from nature, landscapes, wildlife, and flora. Living surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains has inspired her to paint views that take one’s breath away. Distant mountain ranges, glorious sunsets, soaring hawks, and ever-changing weather patterns offer her extensive references which she captures on canvas. Her style, “loose realism”, captures the reality of each scene with a slight bent towards Impressionism.
“Light affects our moods. Whether it’s a sunrise, sunset, or storm clouds parting to expose a blue sky, our moods are instantly transformed.”

Johnnie Stanfield
An award-winning artist, Johnnie is known for her colorful, vivid watercolor and acrylic paintings of horses, fishing lure studies, and local landscapes. She is inspired by the emotion created when she sees an object or something in nature that recalls a past memory. She is then compelled to paint it, to convey and share that feeling with the viewer. Johnnie will paint a subject in watercolor to give it a softer feel so the viewer can devote their own emotion to the painting or add to the emotion she has created. If it is detailed, she will usually use acrylic or oil. Her paintings hang in private collections throughout the Southeast.
”Sheltering in Place” was inspired by my cat, during the shelter in place mandate in Spring, 2020. Like all of us, we waited for the sunshine, to renew our spirit and celebrate its warmth, while wondering when we could go back out into the world and resume our life as usual.”

For further information about this show, please contact the Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery’s website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery’s Facebook page.

Thanks for Supporting Asheville Outlets’ Virtual Food Drive for MANNA FoodBank

We’re looking for a team of dedicated volunteers to commit to monthly service days at the site of the future Karen Cragnolin Park. Volunteers will work outside at a safe social distance to remove invasive species. We will be working in groups of 15 or less and wearing masks to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

If you are interested in helping please fill out this survey (link below) so we can determine the best day and time to offer this monthly day of service.

Karen Cragnolin Park Update: We are delighted to report that the remediation of Karen Cragnolin Park (KCP) – named in honor of our visionary founder – is complete, and that we are initiating the first phase of the project by constructing the park’s greenway and an accompanying landscaped corridor. This will activate and connect the park (to the two adjacent greenways) and continue the journey of bringing the park fully online. Our goal with this phase is to create a beautiful aesthetic corridor with carefully selected plantings and design elements accompanied by educational, cultural and historical signage for people to experience as they move through the park. This phase is projected to cost approximately $1 million and will be achieved through individual donors and institutional and grant funding. Construction will begin when funding commitments are secured. To learn more about supporting our efforts please contact me at [email protected].

As background, the 5.3 acre site was formerly home to the EDACO junkyard for over 50 years. Located adjacent to the French Broad River and bounded by Amboy Road, the car crushing operation contaminated the land and water with oil, gas, grease and antifreeze. RiverLink worked with experts to implement an extensive soil remediation process to restore the land.

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architecture’s vision for KCP is bold and transformative. Upon full completion, KCP will serve as one of the missing links in the larger open space and greenway system, connecting Carrier Park to French Broad River Park. KCP will offer a contemplative and rejuvenating space that honors the natural and cultural history of the site while providing access to the water’s edge. The park will also stabilize riparian edges, collect and slow stormwater, and promote a wide range of habitats. The completed project will embrace the concept of a “living laboratory” – an outdoor classroom that makes the dynamic riparian and ecological processes visible. An educational, stimulating, and enjoyable park experience will cultivate a community invested in the long-term stewardship of the river and the park system for generations to come. Please see our website for the Master Plan and complete vision.

Buy one of these murals for yourself or to donate to a local organization (make sure you check with them first), and keep the good work going! All proceeds from this auction will be split evenly between The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County’s COPE Program and the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Arts Build Community Grant. Auction ends February 28.

GEORGE FLOYD

Auction, Faces, Lexington Ave, Names

BLACK POWER MATTERS

Black Lives Matter, Lexington Ave

END THE WAR ON BLACK PEOPLE

Lexington Ave

BLACK LIVES

Black Lives Matter, Lexington Ave

FISTS

Fist, Lexington Ave

DEFUND POLICE

Defend Black Lives, Lexington Ave

SAY THEIR NAMES

Lexington Ave, Names

JERRY WILLIAMS & AHMAUD ARBERY

Auction, Black Lives Matter, Faces, Fist, Lexington Ave

In February, we honor and recognize Black Legacy Month at Buncombe County Public Libraries. We will be celebrating throughout February through several online events, staff-curated booklists, and a collection of online resources and exhibits.

Virtual book clubs will discuss On Girlhood by Glory Edim and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. You can register for either book club on the library calendar.

When you visit your library, look for special Black Legacy Month displays and book selections.

Below, you will find our Librarians’ reading list highlighting Black authors that include selections for all ages.

We look forward to seeing you at the library!

Black Legacy Month Reading List

Books for Families to Share

My Heart Flies Open by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

The Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist

Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham

This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Hubbard

Recognize! An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life Edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons

My Hair Is Magic by M.L. Marroquin

M is for Melanin by Tiffany Rose

Exquisite: the Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Buckingham Slade

Nina: a Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd

Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker

Chapter Books For Older Kids

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

Blended by Sharon Draper

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

New Kid by Jerry Craft

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia

Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Books for Teens

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

March by John Lewis and Andrew Ayden

Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon

Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Powell

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi

Books for Adults

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

The Yellow House by Sarah Broom

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

You Are Your Best Thing edited by Tarana Burke

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy

All About Love by bell hooks

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

400 Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Disha Philyaw

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Program Dates: June 23 – August 7, 2022 (full session only)
Deadline: February 15, 2022
Ages: 14-18
Tuition: $7850, includes all instruction, housing, and meals.
Scholarships: BMC offers both merit scholarship and financial aid support as part of the application process
Application fee: $65, apply now through MyBMC
Violinists – apply now to be considered for early acceptance on a rolling basis!

Please note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all students, faculty, and summer staff for the 2022 season. Please see our FAQ page for more information.

The Program

Orchestral performance forms the heart of the Brevard Music Center. Students who play orchestral instruments may enroll in the Orchestral Studies program for an intensive summer training experience.

All students in the High School Orchestral Studies program:

• rehearse daily and perform extensively in various ensembles
• receive weekly private lessons
• participate in formal chamber music study coached by BMC’s artist faculty
• may perform in solo and chamber concerts
• may participate in masterclasses
• may attend open rehearsals with world-renowned concert soloists
• may compete in the Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition
• may attend other orchestra, chamber, solo, and opera performances

The High School Division is open to students who are at least 14 by the start date of their program and have not yet completed one year as a full-time college student. The program is a six-and-a-half week session, with numerous concerts presented by the High School participants during that time. Shorter sessions are not available in this program. Information about our on-campus safety procedures will be updated regularly on our FAQ page.

High School Strings

BMC High School Division string students perform in the Brevard Concert Orchestra, under BMC’s Artistic Director Keith Lockhart, and BMC’s Resident Conductor Ken Lam. The BCO maintains a regular schedule of sectional rehearsals in addition to the daily rehearsal of the full ensemble.

Additional features of BMC’s High School string program include technique and orchestral repertoire classes, string quartet seminars and coachings, and mock auditions / audition preparation classes.

Concertmaster Studio

BMC’s Concertmaster Studio provides a select group of violin students with the opportunity to study with some of the world’s greatest concertmasters. Students in the Concertmaster Studio will receive weekly private lessons, orchestral leadership training, and will participate in studio classes and masterclasses. Acceptance into the Concertmaster Studio is by audition. Additional audition excerpts are required – see the “Audition Requirements” section below for a list. (Selection into the Concertmaster Studio does not guarantee a principal seat in orchestra.)

In 2022, guest concertmasters include Nikki Chooi (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Dennis Kim (Pacific Symphony), Charles Mutter (BBC Concert Orchestra), and Yuan-Qing Yu (Chicago Symphony Orchestra).

High School Woodwinds / Brass / Percussion

Students in the High School Division perform in the Brevard Concert Orchestra, under BMC’s Artistic Director Keith Lockhart, and BMC’s Resident Conductor Ken Lam. The BCO maintains a regular schedule of sectional rehearsals in addition to the daily rehearsal of the full ensemble.

Woodwind, brass, and percussion students also participate in the Brevard Symphonic Winds under the baton of Kraig Alan Williams. The BSW commences its season with the traditional Patriotic Pops concert on July 4, always one of the Music Center’s most popular events. The Symphonic Winds feature performances of advanced repertoire not typically available to high school ensembles.

Additional features of BMC’s High School program include technique and orchestral repertoire classes, auxiliary instrument classes, and mock auditions / audition preparation classes. Woodwind students may also participate in reed-making seminars. Additional features of BMC’s High School Brass / Percussion program include participation in “Just Brass,” a concert that brings together all BMC brass players on campus, and participation in “Supersonic,” the annual percussion concert that includes all BMC percussion faculty and students.

Note: Saxophonists apply directly to the Saxophone Institute.

Tuition and Payment Schedule

The tuition for the six-and-a-half week High School Orchestral Institute is $7850. This includes all instruction, housing, meals, and the opportunity to attend on-campus concerts and other events. Each participant is responsible for travel to and from Brevard.

A non-refundable enrollment fee of $800 is due within 2 weeks of acceptance and applies toward the cost of tuition. The remaining tuition balance is due by May 15.

Refunds

All payments, except the $65 application fee and $800 enrollment fee, will be fully refunded if the Center receives notice of cancellation due to serious illness before May 15. Written verification from an M.D. is required before a refund can be made. No reduction in fees can be made for late arrival or early departure. No refunds will be made after May 15.

Scholarships

Brevard Music Center offers scholarship support according to a student’s audition and demonstrated financial need, and program need. In recent years, Brevard has provided scholarship support to more than 70% of its students. Scholarship support includes merit, need-based, and the BMC Opportunity Scholarship open to students of African-American and Latinx descent.

Please visit the Scholarship section of our FAQ page for more information.

Audition Requirements

Admission to the Brevard Music Center is determined by audition.

Accompaniment is optional. Total audition length should not exceed 12 minutes.

Audio or video recordings are accepted for all instruments except percussion (must submit a video audition). Upload audio recordings or link(s) to YouTube video auditions directly into your application. Submissions do not have to be one continuous take; once you add one selection, the option to add another will appear.

Choose your instrument or program to view specific audition requirements.

Buncombe County has launched its 2043 Comprehensive Plan initiative and you can provide input. This plan will focus on the next 20-year period and will look at the relationships between land uses, infrastructure and key community services and amenities. A comprehensive plan is not limited to studying land use components – it can include other areas of focus such as safety, public health, affordability, multi-generational needs, equity, and more.

A successful comprehensive plan will guide growth and address community needs and priorities through a series of objectives, strategies and goals.

Learn more about the planning process here. You can also link directly to the public input page here.

Update Jan. 4, 2022

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has extended the countywide face covering requirement for all indoor public spaces through Feb. 16, 2022. The indoor mask requirement also extends to Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Town of Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin.

In Buncombe County, COVID-19 case rates continue to be high, and per the CDC definition, the County remains an area of high transmission. The percent positivity remains in the moderate category, and the death rate remains in the substantial category.

This month, Explore Asheville is focusing on Black community leaders who honor and shine light on Asheville’s Black past while working to create a brighter future. Sourcing from local content creators, we’re sharing these individuals’ stories on our social channels and on ExploreAsheville.com, posting one new video each week during Black History/Black Legacy Month.

A look at amazing community leaders who honor and shine light on Asheville’s past while working to create a brighter future.

Our RiverRATS program teaches students all sorts of fun vocabulary about river ecology. These terms provide crucial information needed to protect and steward the river. This month’s crossword is going to quiz you on the vocabulary that we teach the kids in our stream table lessons! Let’s see how well you can do in our take on the game show, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader!

The Asheville Downtown Association is now accepting applications for food vending at our 2022 events. These include Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Applications are due Friday, February 25 at 5pm.

• Restoration
• Rehabilitation
• Adaptive Re-use
• In-fill Construction in Historic and Traditional Neighborhoods
• Research, Publication and Education
• Stewardship
• Preservation