Calendar of Events

A mountain stream beside a wooded path often leads to contemplation. On this walk along Bent Creek, we reflect on the landscape of the valley we are in, molded over time by running water, earth materials, climate, topography, and the power of geological forces. Geologist Steve Yurkovich guides us in an understanding of the forces that shape where we live.

The nonprofit recently launched the WNC Health and Economic Opportunity Program, with funding from Dogwood Health Trust, to help people access income-boosting tax payments and enroll in affordable health insurance.

• Lucia, a single mom, had never filed tax returns before. She received an $8,000 return.
• “Marissa” plans to use her refund of $15,000 to pay her debts, buy a car and repair her house.
• Annie plans to put her $1,000 return into savings, giving her a safety next she’s never had before.
• “Maria” and “Rafael” are using their $2,200 tax return to buy clothes for their children and other necessities.

Non-filers – Don’t Leave Free Money on the Table

Jim Barrett, Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director, says, “Even if you earn little or no money, and don’t usually file taxes, you may be eligible for thousands of dollars in child tax credits. There are two special tax credits available to working families that could add up to thousands of dollars. The Child Tax Credit pays up to $3,600 per child and the Earned Income Tax Credit is worth up to $6,700 – but only if you file a tax return.

“My work focuses on deteriorating architecture. These structures, designed to be huge forces of permanence, are continually being challenged, destroyed and forgotten. I see an inherent honesty in the face of my subject. Among all of the clutter—the shards of wood and layers of rubble—there remains a gentle resolve. As I work, I study these structures incessantly. The buildings, often on the brink of ruin, have something very energized and present trying to escape from their fragmented reality.”  –Seth Clark

This first solo show of Seth’s work at Momentum’s new space features large-scale works from his Barn, Ghost, and Aerial View Series.  The collection also includes some of the artist’s sculptural objects in wood.  Abstract works, which still reference weathered architecture, such as Lath Study and Vinyl Study, round out the exhibition.

The synergy of vibrant outsider art created locally and shared with Tryon Fine Arts has resulted
in a one-of-a-kind art exhibit opening June 1, 2022. The Skateboard: Re-purposed includes
works from North Carolina, Oregon, California, England and Germany. Seven artists are
featured, including Tryon’s own Jonathan Caple, Nicholas Harding (England), Matt Mercurio,
George Rocha, Michael Mauney, Paris Evans and Folk Dunker (Gemany).
Skateboarding has been popular for over a century and is now experiencing a resurgence in both

the sports arena and the art world—it became an Olympic sport in 2020 and was part of a
successful 2019 Sotheby’s auction, with boards by, among others, Damien Hirst and Marilyn
Minter.
Skateboards re-purposed as art will be on exhibit in TFAC’s Parker Gallery beginning June 1,
2022. The exhibit will feature skateboard art in many sizes and forms including graceful
sculptures, nature art, chairs, wall art, a crocheted piece, photographs, and more. Several of the
exhibit pieces will be for sale, supporting both the artists and TFAC as the exhibit sponsor.
The public is invited to attend the opening reception on June 9 from 5 – 7 PM, where they can
also meet local skateboard artist, Jonathan Caple. The exhibit will be on display through to the
end of July 2022.
To access the gallery, plan to enter through the Pavilion at the rear of Tryon Fine Arts Center.
Free parking is available behind TFAC and on surrounding side streets. For more information,
call 828-859-8322 or visit www.tryonarts.org.

RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!

Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!

Do you have a cereal box or two to spare?

Drop it off this week & we will turn your box into art!

Jessie B. Telfair, Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton with pencil, 74 × 68 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, NY, gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander, 2004.9.1. © Estate of Jessie. B. Telfair, image Gavin Ashworth.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection showcases over 80 stellar works of folk and self-taught art including assemblages, needlework, paintings, pottery, quilts, and sculpture. Organized by the American Folk Art Museum in New York, this exhibition will be on view in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall at the Asheville Art Museum from June 18 through September 5, 2022. Everyone has stories to tell from both the private and mutual experiences encountered throughout their lifetime. American folk and self-taught artists capture these stories in powerful visual narratives that offer firsthand testimonies to chapters in the unfolding story of America from its inception to the present. Beautiful, diverse, and truthful; the art illuminates the thoughts and experiences of individuals with an immediacy that is palpable and unique to these expressions. These artworks held meaning in the makers’ worlds filtered through their own perceptions. The artworks are organized into four sections—Founders, Travelers, Philosophers, and Seekers—that respond to such themes as nationhood, freedom, community, imagination, opportunity, and legacy. Evocative visual juxtapositions and accessible contextual information further reveal the vital role that folk art plays as a witness to history, carrier of cultural heritage, and a reflection of the world at large through the eyes, heart, and mind of the artist. “While the Asheville Art Museum exhibits many folk and self-taught artists, most are local to the Southeast,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “American Perspectives adds a national voice to the conversation by adding New England, Midwestern, Southwestern, and West Coast artworks that the Museum could never achieve alone. The amount of creative output from folk and self-taught artists was (and still is) on a national level and this exhibition helps to put that into a clear context. Traveling to Asheville from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum in New York, this exhibition will complement and expand the Museum’s ongoing conversations around American history and storytelling through works of art.” This exhibition has been organized by the American Folk Art Museum, NY, with support provided by Art Bridges. Originally curated for installation at the American Folk Art Museum February 11, 2020–January 3, 2021 by Stacy C. Hollander, independent curator. Tour coordinated by Emelie Gevalt, Curator of Folk Art and Curatorial Chair for Collections, the American Folk Art Museum.

Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere.  To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.

Requirements:

• Background Check
• Brief orientation prior to service
• Ability to Multi-Task
• Friendly Demeanor

Health & Safety:

• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
• Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance

• Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

  Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

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  ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19.  Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration.  We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.

  Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness.  We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.

  We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village. 

Gillian Laub, Amber and Reggie, Mount Vernon, Georgia, 2011, inkjet print, 40 × 50 inches. © Gillian Laub, courtesy of Benrubi Gallery.

American photographer Gillian Laub (born New York, 1975) has spent the last two decades investigating political conflicts, exploring family relationships, and challenging assumptions about cultural identity. In Southern Rites, Laub engages her skills as a photographer, filmmaker, and visual activist to examine the realities of racism and raise questions that are simultaneously painful and essential to understanding the American consciousness.

In 2002, Laub was sent on a magazine assignment to Mount Vernon, GA, to document the lives of teenagers in the American South. The town, nestled among fields of Vidalia onions, symbolized the archetype of pastoral, small town American life. The Montgomery County residents Laub encountered were warm, polite, protective of their neighbors, and proud of their history. Yet Laub learned that the joyful adolescent rites of passage celebrated in this rural countryside—high school homecomings and proms—were still racially segregated.

Laub continued to photograph Montgomery County over the following decade, returning even in the face of growing—and eventually violent—resistance from community members and local law enforcement. She documented a town held hostage by the racial tensions and inequities that scar much of the nation’s history. In 2009, a few months after Barack Obama’s first inauguration, Laub’s photographs of segregated proms were published in the New York Times Magazine. The story brought national attention to the town and the following year the proms were finally integrated. The power of her photographic images served as the catalyst and, for a moment, progress seemed inevitable.

Then, in early 2011, tragedy struck the town. Justin Patterson, a twenty-two-year-old unarmed African American man—whose segregated high school homecoming Laub had photographed—was shot and killed by a sixty-two-year-old white man. Laub’s project, which began as an exploration of segregated high school rituals, evolved into an urgent mandate to confront the painful realities of discrimination and structural racism. Laub continued to document the town over the following decade, during which the country re-elected its first African American president and the ubiquity of camera phones gave rise to citizen journalism exposing racially motivated violence. As the Black Lives Matter movement and national protests proliferated, Laub uncovered a complex story about adolescence, race, the legacy of slavery, and the deeply rooted practice of segregation in the American South.

Southern Rites is a specific story about 21st century young people in the American South, yet it poses a universal question about human experience: can a new generation liberate itself from a harrowing and traumatic past to create a different future?

Southern Rites is curated by Maya Benton and organized by the International Center of Photography.

Brighten your walls with with works from Artsville Collective’s upcoming exhibition, “In Living Color: At Home with Paint, Paper and Thread.”  Allow these abstract pieces, in varying sizes and mediums, to light up your life. Collectively, the artwork’s tonal range is of blended neutrals and ventures into spring and fall palettes. Suit your design pleasures with pure color or wabi-sabi textural designs in a range of perspectives from three uniquely talented artists: Betsy Meyer, fibers; Karen Stastny, painting, and Michelle Wise, mixed media. Also showing: the Retro pop art of Daryl Slaton, which can be activated on your phone to reveal an animated story. For a softer approach, consider the mixed media art of Louise Glickman using paint, textiles, and natural plant materials.

Shipwrecks! Betrayals! Romance! Mistaken identities and switcheroos! Magic! A tipsy sea monster! This Shakespearean comedy has everything!

Rehearsals for “The Tempest” will be from 11am-4pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting June 13, and performances will be July 1-3 and July 8 & 9.

Asheville Area Arts Council funding helps support Moppets after-school program

Taught by Artistic Director Ashleigh Goff and veteran Moppet Eli Hamilton, the class is our first-ever partnership with the City of Asheville. Students in the after-school program are learning basic theater skills and building their self-confidence in a fun and welcoming environment. The program will culminate in a showcase performance for the students’ peers and families.

“One of our overarching goals is to introduce more kids to classical theater, wherever they are,” Moppets Executive Director Rachel Cort said. “This funding helps us to take a big step toward that goal. We are incredibly grateful to the Asheville Area Arts Council for supporting the Moppets and aspiring young actors in our community.”

Useful and Beautiful: Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge features a selection of functional silver works by Dodge drawn from the Museum’s Collection. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator, this exhibition will be on view in the Debra McClinton Gallery at the Museum from February 23 through October 17, 2022.

William Waldo Dodge Jr. (Washington, DC 1895–1971 Asheville, NC) moved to Asheville in 1924 as a trained architect and a newly skilled silversmith. When he opened for business promoting his handwrought silver tableware, including plates, candlesticks, flatware (spoons, forks, and knives), and serving dishes, he did so in a true Arts and Crafts tradition. The aesthetics of the style were dictated by its philosophy: an artist’s handmade creation should reflect their hard work and skill, and the resulting artwork should highlight the material from which it was made. Dodge’s silver often displayed his hammer marks and inventive techniques, revealing the beauty of these useful household goods.

The Arts and Crafts style of England became popular in the United States in the early 1900s. Asheville was an early adopter of the movement because of the popularity and abundance of Arts and Crafts architecture in neighborhoods like Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Village, and the area around The Grove Park Inn. The title of this exhibition was taken from the famous quotation by one of the founding members of the English Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, who said, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Not only did Dodge follow this suggestion; he contributed to American Arts and Crafts silver’s relevancy persisting almost halfway into the 20th century.

“It has been over 15 years since the Museum exhibited its collection of William Waldo Dodge silver and I am looking forward to displaying it in the new space with some new acquisitions added,” said Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Learn more at ashevilleart.org.

Start mentally preparing for the ceremonial start to the summer and your first dip in the pool! Buncombe County Recreation Services opens its five outdoor swimming pools on Saturday, May 28.

Pools are open Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, pools may close for a short period of time or the entire day. Follow individual pools on Facebook for the latest information on closings.

Cost to swim is $3.00 per day. Visitors are welcome to bring their own chairs and lounging towels.

For many local families, our pool openings signal the beginning of summer and more relaxing days. They’re an affordable, fun, and healthy way to beat the heat. Thanks to their locations, they’re also surrounded by stunning views of our mountains.

Pools are located across the county, ensuring easy access for all kids and families. The facilities are managed through an agreement with Swim Club Management Group of Asheville which oversees maintenance, hires staff, and handles daily operations. Community members can sign up for swim lessons and book private parties on the management group’s website, buncombepool.com.

Sun safety information is available at each location, but pool visitors are reminded to apply water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher before putting on a bathing suit and reapply every two hours or after swimming. Other tips to avoid the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays include wearing high-UPF swim shirts, wide brim hats, and wraparound UV-blocking sunglasses. More sun safety tips are available from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Pool Locations

Cane Creek Pool
590 Lower Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732
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Erwin Pool
58 Lees Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806
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Hominy Valley Pool
25 Twin Lakes Road
Candler, NC 28715
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North Buncombe Pool
892 Clarks Chapel Road
Weaverville, NC 28787
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Owen Pool
117 Stone Drive
Swannanoa, NC 28778
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Join us at Eliada Home’s campus for a small group guided walking Farm Tour. Tours last approximately 1 hour. Participants will learn about outdoor and greenhouse growing practices, aquaponics, hydroponics, market gardening, corn maze production, and learn about our Animal Therapy program.

We will be meeting at the PARC building and walking to the different greenhouses, garden site, and a visit with our animals. Reservations required, tickets are $10 each visitor (to be collected at the time of the tour).

We recommend bringing the following: comfortable shoes for walking on pavement and grass, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.  This tour is not handicap accessible and will require participants to climb stairs and walk on uneven ground.

We will begin out tour promptly at the starting time, so please arrive 5-10 min early to allow for parking and check-in. If you are running late or cannot make your tour, please email [email protected] or call #828-348-2287.

All proceeds from ticket sales from your farm tour go directly back to helping the Campus Farm Program grow more food for the children of Eliada!

Click above photo to sign up for a time slot and number of people in your group. Payment for tour will be collected when you arrive. Cards accepted.

This tour is best suited for school age children ages 10+ and adults.

Bryant Holsenbeck, Bird Nest Basket, 1999, mixed media, 6 × 11 1/2 × 10 inches. Gift of Billie Ruth Sudduth, 2010.10.02.58. © Bryant Holsenbeck.

unky Art: Students will have fun while sharpening skills and broadening their artistic horizons.  Students will explore a variety of unusual materials to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art.

Please note:

• Summer Art Camp is held primarily indoors in the Museum’s John & Robyn Horn Education Center.
• Space is limited to small groups of students; face coverings, social distancing, and frequent hand-washing/sanitization are required.
• Students can register for morning only, afternoon only, or all-day sessions. All-day camp includes a 1-hour supervised lunch break.

Hosted by: The Buddhist Studies Institute

FREE – ONLINE – 30 MINUTES – DAILY
🌺Guided meditation support and community🌺

🌸Stabilization and Liberation:
In order to liberate our minds– we need stable calm.

🌸Consistency & Commitment:
Stabilizing in calm clear presence takes consistent training.

🌸Support & Community:
Daily Meditation is a container and support for your meditation focus.

Expand your meditation circle- join us online any day or every day!

Formerly known as 100 Days of practice to support a Tibetan Yogis tradition to practice 100 days in the winter, this has now been expanded to continue daily. To learn more and register: https://buddhiststudiesinstitute.org/daily-meditation/

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

Literacy Together (formerly the Literacy Council of Buncombe County) is a nonprofit organization working with children, youth, and adults to increase comprehensive literacy and English language skills through access to literacy resources and specialized instruction by trained volunteer tutors. Literacy Together relies on volunteer tutors to offer students personal instruction and high-quality materials through various programs.

The Youth Literacy Program is seeking tutors to meet with students K-5 twice a week for 50 minutes, between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. The Youth Literacy Program works with two after-school programs that primarily serve youth of color.  The two locations are in Asheville.

Youth Literacy tutors work with children from low-income families who read, write, and/or spell below their grade level. Tutors in this program complete an initial orientation and a 16-20 hours training, which includes some pre-course work and/or homework (short articles to read, short videos to watch). They then receive follow-up support and the option to attend in-service training throughout their tutoring commitment. Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.

Time Commitment:

• Twice a week for 50-minute sessions between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm.
• Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.

Requirements: 

• GED or High School diploma
• Excellent customer service skills
• Ability to work patiently with various levels of literacy skills
• Access to reliable internet
• Ability to navigate virtual meetings with minimal distractions
• Complete a background check

Training:

• Tutors must complete 16-20 hours of training prior to being assigned a student

The Saluda Tailgate market features growers from both Polk and Henderson counties. It is an agriculture-only market meeting every Friday from May through October, 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the city’s West Main Parking lot. Local producers are connected with consumers to keep food dollars in the community and support regional fresh food and family farms, thereby protecting the flourishing of beautiful ridges, fertile fields and clean watersheds. Cash, credit/debit, and EBT cards are all accepted with a Polk County Community Foundation grant often doubling EBT value.

The market has been a spring to fall Saluda tradition since 2010, with neighbors gathering to meet growers and purchase a complete and balanced array of meat, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese, seasonal vegetables and fruit, baked and preserved goods, flowers, herbs, and plants for the home gardener.

Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere.  To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.

Requirements:

• Background Check
• Brief orientation prior to service
• Ability to Multi-Task
• Friendly Demeanor

Health & Safety:

• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
• Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance

• Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

  Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

  ---

  ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19.  Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration.  We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.

  Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness.  We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.

  We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village. 

Visiting Asheville soon and looking for a fun way to fill your Friday night? The Asheville Drum Circle is a tradition unique to the area. While locals usually begin the beating of drums, tourists are welcome to join, dance, or simply take in the incredible atmosphere at any point.

If you’re looking for things to do in the area during your stay, this is a must! Here’s everything you should know about the Drum Circle.

The Asheville Drum Circle is a free event that’s open to all.

Asheville-based Krave Amiko sits at the crossroads of trip-hop inspired rhythm sections, lo-fi acoustic guitar, lyrical storytelling, and soulful vocals. A fusion of indie-rock, folk, and electronica, all polished with a pop sensibility.

Leanne knew at the age of 5 that she wanted to be a comedian, but being born and raised in Middle Tennessee in a farming community of 500 people, she didn’t know how in the world it was going to happen. She grew up loving comedy and her very funny and encouraging mother, Lucille, allowed her to skip kindergarten to stay home and watch Hollywood Squares and Match Game.  At age 10, after “killing” in the 4-H talent show, she was bitten by the performance bug.