Bender Gallery is honored to present One Day I Will Disappear, a solo exhibition of current paintings by Czech American artist Tom Pazderka. His captivating work is deeply personal and is an elegant metaphor for life’s darker side: of landscape, of nature, of memory. The exhibition runs from July 3 through August 31 during regular business hours. There will be an opening reception for Pazderka on Saturday July 3, from 6 to 9 PM by RSVP only.

Pazderka is a painter, an installation artist, an intellectual, and a writer who spent his undergraduate years in the Asheville area. He was born near Prague in 1981 during the waning of the Communist era in Czechoslovakia. He lived in a panelák, a Soviet-style concrete apartment block, until emigrating to the US in 1994 at the age of twelve. Contrary to what we may envision in America, Pazderka has fond memories of his time there. Although life was basic and creativity was not encouraged, his family was never in need and they enjoyed regular visits to their family cottage in the country. However, most of Pazderka’s life has been lived in the US and he also considers himself American. His work and life are deeply influenced by what he describes as the “incompleteness of the immigrant experience”. Pazderka explores humanity’s quest for a universal truth. The work reflects his reverence for history and the failed Soviet promise of utopia of his native land. It is thus a balancing act between this history and his assimilation into the capitalist consumer culture of the United States.

The works shown in One Day I Will Disappear consist of oil, ash, and charcoal paintings on burned panel and paper. They feature clouds, mountains, portraits, ephemera, and remnants of nature. They are conceptually dark, yet haunting and beautiful at the same time. Pazderka uses humble materials such as found plywood panels that he burns with a torch before beginning the painting process. He transforms the painting surface with the destructive, yet creative power of fire. He states, “Materials and process are components of the work that are as important as the image and what the work is about”.

Pazderka chooses to work in a colorless palette reminiscent of aged black and white photographs. He explains, “Photographs interest me because it is a tangible memory, but photographs are really residue of the photographic process.”  They are themselves a memory of a memory. Much of Pazderka’s work is based on old family photographs and photos taken from nature and architecture relaying the past, the present, and the hope of a better future. The work appears otherworldly and fleeting, like ghosts of his memories. In Pazderka’s words, “The present is all there is in the end.”

Pazderka holds a BFA from Western Carolina University and an MFA from U.C. Santa Barbara. He has received many awards and fellowships and has held residencies in the US, France, and the Czech Republic. He lives and works in Ojai, CA.

Help local underprivileged students start the school year with the supplies they need for success! Asheville Outlets will host a Pack 2 School Supplies Drive from Saturday, July 10 through Saturday, August 7, 2021. Throughout the five-week drive, marked bins will be available in the food court for donation drop-off. Student supply needs include: #2 pencils, erasers, colored pencils, crayons, glue sticks, school scissors, folders, spiral notebooks, marbled composition notebooks, dry ease markers (pencil & regular size) and pencil pouches. Classroom needs include white & color copy paper, Band-Aids, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, Ziploc bags, disinfectant wipes, and hand soap. School children at four local elementary schools will be the recipients of supplies collected during the program. The campaign will conclude on Saturday, August 7 with a live remote broadcast with iHeart Radio and gift card giveaways. For more information, visit ShopAshevilleOutlets.com.

11am–6pm. Late-night Thursdays until 9pm; closed Tuesdays.

Public Domain: Photography and the Preservation of Public Lands presents works drawn from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection by artists looking both regionally and nationally at lands that are either state or federally managed or have become so. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery May 19 through August 30, 2021. 

“The Asheville Art Museum’s growing collection of photography features a variety of artworks that consider humankind’s impact on our environment and world,” said Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. “The imagery featured in Public Domain reminds us of the critical role that artists play in environmental activism and preservation, affecting change at a range of levels”. 

Through images capturing the beauty, changes, and even devastation to the American landscape, photographers have played a vital role in advocating for the preservation of nature via the establishment and maintenance of state parks, national parks and monuments, and other federally protected lands. From George Masa and Timothy McCoy’s photographs of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to a selection of works from Robert Glenn Ketchum’s Overlooked in America: The Success and Failure of Federal Land Management series, these artworks provoke contemplation of both nature’s beauty and a calling to protect it. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Bureau of Land Management whose mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. 

Photographers include Robert Glenn Ketchum, George Masa, Timothy McCoy, Benjamin Porter, Sally Gall, and more. 

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. 

Artist Walter B. Stephen (Clinton, IA 1875–1961 Asheville, NC) contributed to Western North Carolina’s identity as a flourishing site for pottery production and craftsmanship in the early 20th century. Walter B. Stephen Pottery: Cameo to Crystalline features art pottery and functional vessels from each stage of Stephen’s career, from his origins discovering the medium alongside his mother Nellie C. Randall Stephen in Shelby County, TN from 1901 through 1910 to his multi-decade production just outside of Asheville. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Debra McClinton Gallery July 28, 2021 through January 17, 2022.

In 1926, Stephen founded his third and last pottery studio, Pisgah Forest, in Arden, NC, which he operated until his death in 1961. It was at this studio that the artist perfected the “cameo” decoration technique for which he became best known. His hand-painted images, achieved with layers of white translucent clay, often feature American folk imagery, from covered wagons and livestock to cabins and spinning wheels. A selection of works from the Museum’s Collection showcase his innovation in form and in decorative surface details, including experimentation with crystalline glazing.

MARA Meetings (Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous)

Join us for Animoday! Every Monday all day. Listen to anime music, play anime games, watch anime, and talk anime!

Peer Support

NON-MUSICAL

By Sandy Rustin, based upon the works by Jonathan Lynn, Hunter Foster, Eric Price, and David Abbinanti; Based on the Paramount Pictures motion picture, based on the Hasbro board game Clue

Directed by Jeff Catanese

AUDITION DATES: Monday, August 2 and Tuesday, August 3, 2021; 5:30-7:30 pm **Please come prepared to wear a mask, except when auditioning onstage.** Audition sides may be viewed and downloaded HERE.

VIDEO AUDTIONS: If unable to attend in person, you may submit a video application HERE. Applications are due by Tuesday, August 3 at 10:00pm. Please prepare this Wadsworth monologue. Actors are welcome to perform a piece of their own choosing in addition, however the Wadsworth monologue must be included in their video submission for consideration.

PRODUCTION DATES: October 15-November 7, 2021; Performances Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm, Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: Rehearsals begin August 16, 2021; full rehearsal calendar available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time. Tech Week will take place over two weeks; casts are expected to attend October 3-7 AND either October 12-14 or October 19-21.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: 11 actors; Actors of any gender identity, race or ethnicity will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet. All roles will be presented as they are gendered in the script.

Filled with “gorgeous lyrical melodies, muscular vitality, mystical expressiveness, and a typical emphatic dynamism,” Brahms’s B Major Piano Trio is a youthful, Romantic tour de force that signaled the arrival of a musical genius whose talents were about to be revealed to the world.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS
BRAHMS B Major Piano Trio
Other works TBA

We are thrilled to announce our Group Fitness Schedule is live with several offerings and more coming. Class options range from high-intensity strength training to water aerobics, there is something for everyone. Reservations are required and can be made 24 hours in advance using our free app or calling (828)-254-7206 and speaking with a Fitness Associate. Visit our website to learn more.

Hourly Child Care is available while you are onsite Monday – Thursday 8 am – 8 pm and Fridays 8 am – 5 pm. Reservations are required and can be made in advance by calling (828) 254-7206 x 113.