Calendar of Events

Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of paintings by artist Stella Alesi in our project space. This is Alesi’s first exhibition with the gallery and is presented in conjunction with Hannah Cole: A Mirror, Not a Window in our main gallery space. A reception for both artists will be held Friday, November 3 from 6-8PM.

The works on view are from the SQUISHY series, a group of geometric, abstract oil on oil paper paintings. With the use of simple shapes and a limited color palette, these works explore the visceral experience of living at this current moment. Alesi’s colorful, “squishy” shapes bend to the demands placed on them by their seemingly heavy, unforgiving counterparts. With this work, Alesi confronts contemporary issues such as climate change and political turmoil, as well as personal trials, using basic shapes, both hard and malleable to express a state of being. The shapes are gestural, fluid, and animated – sometimes resembling body parts even in their minimalism. The effect is a playful interpretation of heavy topics – a visual play on the deep and multi-layer well of human emotions.

Stella Alesi works across several styles and mediums, including drawing, painting, photography, collage, and large wall works. Their practice is characterized by a willingness to try new approaches in the ongoing investigation into new materials and visual languages, always exploring new ways to represent the visceral nature of the human experience. Born on Long Island, New York in 1963, Alesi was raised in New Jersey. They studied at Parsons School of Design, New York City; University Hampshire, Durham; and University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Their work has been purchased by many private and commercial collections. Career highlights include a recent solo exhibit (spring of 2023) at the Northern-Southern gallery, Austin, TX and a large-scale permanent installation in the lobby of The Foundry, Austin TX. Alesi currently lives and works in both Austin, TX and Asheville, NC.

Take an express tour of our galleries, then go on an adventure with art, music, or storytelling in our interactive Art PLAYce. For children ages 0-5 years old and their families or caregivers.

Tours will meet in our Windgate Foundation Atrium and begin at 11:30am. Please arrive no later than 11:15am to allow enough time to check-in. Strollers are welcome, and we will have a limited number of strollers available on site. Light refreshments will be provided.

Visitors are invited to spend more time exploring our galleries or having lunch in the Perspective Café after Tot Time concludes at 12:30pm. Online registration for this event is recommended as it is an event with limited capacity.

Imaginations will soar in this new musical based on Peter H. Reynolds’ best-selling book, The Dot.

DOT DOT DOT: A New Musical is an exciting new musical based on the Creatrilogy trio of award-winning picture books by New York Times bestselling author Peter H. Reynolds (The Dot, Ish and Sky Color). Adapted by Composers Keelay Gipson and Sam Salmond, the musical, like the series, celebrates the power of originality, self-expression, and opening our eyes to look beyond the expected.

When Marisol (Sky Color), a young artist and curator of the Musee de Marisol, decides that her gallery requires more than her own art, her search for emerging talent leads her to Vashti (The Dot), whose dots inspire Ramon (Ish) to become an artist in his own right.

The musical follows Marisol’s journey to help her new friends, and her entire community, break free from self-criticism and learn to let their imaginations soar. Recommended for grades 1-4.

The Student Series is open to school groups, homeschoolers, community groups and families.

Students will receive a solid foundation in beginner Ukulele skills for vocalists. Chords, Rhythm patterns, and basic theory will be introduced through songs with an uplifting message. Students will also learn to play the song that the Songwriting Class will be writing and get to record it in the One Mic Studio.

Queer Music Exploration – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music.

Come join us for Business After Hours at Red Tree Builders!

Feel free to bring a gift to be raffled off as door prizes towards the end of the evening. Bring your business cards for networking and a chance to win prizes!

This event is offered as a benefit for Chamber membership. We welcome you to come and check us out! Please contact Jessica Kanupp, our Member Development Specialist, at [email protected] if you’re considering a Chamber membership.

Biltmore House is a unique example of private preservation on a massive scale and the result of many decades of collaboration supporting intensive preservation and restoration work. Join members of Biltmore’s curatorial and conservation teams to explore George Vanderbilt’s vison for the decoration of Biltmore House, the research methods used today to determine a room’s original design intent, and the in-depth restoration processes that bring historic interiors to life – as well as the surprise that occur along the way.

Dr. George D. Pappas will examine the literary pathways that transformed fiction into U.S. law in order to dispossess Native Americans of their ancient homelands. Using a discursive analysis, Pappas will offer a unique insight into decoding how the U.S. Supreme Court camouflaged its dehumanization of Native Americans to obtain ownership of their land. Known collectively as the Marshall Trilogy, these three decisions issued between 1823 and 1832 “formed the legal basis for the dispossession of indigenous populations,” according to Pappas.

This film screening and discussion is in commemoration of the 85th Anniversary of Kristallnacht.

The evening begins with a pre-movie discussion by the organizers and a panel of local history professionals. Then we will screen the movie: Farewell Mr Haffmann.

PARIS 1941. François Mercier is an ordinary man whose only goal is to start a family with Blanche, the woman he loves. François works for Mr. Haffmann, a talented Jewish jeweler. Under the German occupation, the employer and employee are forced to strike a deal which, over the following months, will upend the fate of all concerned.

Farewell Mr Haffmann is in French with English subtitles.

ICONIC COUNTRY ROCK GROUP, ALABAMA, ANNOUNCES NEW DATE ON 2023 ROLL ON 2 NORTH AMERICA TOUR

THE MULTI-PLATINUM BAND WILL HIT THE STAGE AT

BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA ON NOV. 9, 2023

WITH VERY SPECIAL GUEST GRITS AND GLAMOR FEATURING

 PAM TILLIS AND LORRIE MORGAN

Multi-platinum selling country rock group ALABAMA has announced an all new 2023 tour “ROLL ON NORTH AMERICA.” The tour will include a stop in Greenville, South Carolina, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Nov. 9, 2023, featuring very special guest PAM TILLIS AND LORRIE MORGAN. This will mark the second “Roll On” Tour in the band’s 50+ year history since 1984.

Over 50 years ago, cousins Teddy Gentry, Randy Owen and the late Jeff Cook left the cotton farms of Fort Payne, Alabama to spend the summer playing music in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina bar called The Bowery. It’s a classic American tale of rags to riches. From humble beginnings picking cotton in the fields to international stars, ALABAMA went on to sell 80 million albums and change the face and sound of country music.

Quality songs that have become the soundtrack for American life are the foundation for ALABAMA’s stellar career. The group introduced rock style guitars, lights, pyrotechnics and sounds to the country audience that has inspired many of today’s brightest country stars including Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. While their music continues to stand the test of time, their numbers and stats are beyond compare.

Five decades since starting the band, ALABAMA has charted 43 #1 singles, including 21 #1 singles in a row, and have won dozens of CMA, GRAMMY®, and ACM Awards. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and have their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition, they are world-class philanthropists who have raised millions of dollars for various charities.

Join the Balsam Mountain Inn and Mountain Memories Productions along with musical guest William Ritter as we present an evening of traditional mountain ballads and folk tunes!

Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz are Brevard’s newest and most exciting and entertaining jazz band with a sound that combines the funkiness of George Benson, the soulfulness of Ray Charles and the smoothness of Diana Krall all wrapped together in big Count Basie style arrangements of American and Latin jazz classics. If you are looking for an amazing live jazz experience then check out the hottest jazz band in the coolest city in North Carolina performing every Thursday at The DFR Lounge from 7pm to 9pm

Russian pianist and composer Arsentiy Kharitonov has achieved fame and accolades for his “sumptuous tone, technical mastery, broad dramatic range, and elegant phrasing” (Fanfare Magazine). He is the  first-prize winner of the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition and won the Rachmaninov Competition in the Russian Federation. He has appeared at major concert halls in Europe and America.

PROGRAM
Arsentiy Kharitonov, Piano

Bach/Siloti 2 Preludes
R.Schumann Arabesque
F. Chopin Sonata #2
– Intermission –
S.Rachmaninoff (Preludes in D major, Gb major, Etude-Tableau op.39 #5)
A.Kharitonov Selective works (Sonata (I,II movements), Morceau, Waltz)
M.Ravel “Alborada del Gracioso”

Program Description
Brevard Music Center presents an evening treat for cinephiles and music aficionados alike. Following “White Lotus,” Min Xiao-Fen‘s acclaimed score for the 1934 classic Chinese silent film “The Goddess,” she received a commission from the Smithsonian Institution to compose new original soundtracks for “Romance of the Fruit Peddler” and “Romance of the Western Chamber,” two historical Chinese silent films from the 1920s. Known for her innovative approach to traditional music and her ability to seamlessly integrate diverse musical styles, Ms. Min will perform with master percussionist River Guerguerian, a leading figure in classical, jazz and world music. Together they bring a unique cross-cultural expression and artistic vision to the stage. Both films will be shown during the performance.

Featured Instruments
Min Xiao-Fen: pipa, ruan, sanxian, guqin, finger piano, sound effects, and voice.

River Guerguerian: Middle Eastern and Indian frame drums, hand drums, kanjira talking drums, berimbau, doumbek, Chinese gongs, hand-pan, didgeridoo, rain stick, and voice.

About the Artists
One of the key instruments in Chinese music, the pipa has a rich and storied legacy stretching back nearly two thousand years. Few artists have done more to both honor and reinvent that history than renowned pipa soloist, vocalist and composer Min Xiao-Fen. Classically trained in her native China, Ms. Min was an acclaimed traditional music soloist before relocating to the United States and forging a new path for her instrument alongside many of the leading lights in modern jazz, free improvisation, experimental and contemporary classical music.

In Ms. Min’s music, east and west, tradition and innovation, discipline and spontaneity, ancient past and unexplored future all flow together like streams joining in one vibrant river. NPR Weekend Edition lauded Ms. Min as “one of the world’s greatest virtuosos” and JazzTimes hailed her as “a pioneer in integrating her ancient instrument with modern jazz and improvised music.” The New York Times raved that her singular work “has traversed a sweeping musical odyssey.” Min’s expressive, uncategorizable voice has found her collaborating with such inventive luminaries as Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey, Randy Weston, John Zorn, Christian Marclay and Björk.

River Guerguerian has been inspiring audiences with his ecstatic and versatile percussion for over 30 years. Whether collaborating with world-class artists, supporting symphonies or creating his own dynamic explorations of rhythm, River’s devotion and attention to the vibrant life of the drum reverberates through the mind and soul of the listener. In 1988 he began working with Grammy and Oscar-winning composer, Tan Dun. Over the next several years he continued performing with several artists, which placed him in the prestigious concert halls of most major cities of the globe, including Carnegie Hall, The Sydney Opera House, and Lincoln Center.

As a highly regarded studio musician, River has recorded on over 300 albums and film soundtracks, including the John Cage documentary film, “I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It.” Over the whole of his prolific career, he has performed and/or recorded internationally with such individual and groups as the BBC Concert Orchestra, Paul Winter Consort, Lizz Wright, Chuck Berry, Sophie B. Hawkins, Ziggy Marley, Gipsy Kings, New Music Consort, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble, and Talujon Percussion Ensemble. River also engineers his own percussion tracks for artists at his recording studio.

ARTISTS

Min Xiao-Fen, pipa
River Guerguerian, percussion

Auditorium seating is reserved.

Michael Fowler, art historian and archaeologist, will give a lecture “Human Sacrifice in Greek Antiquity: Between Myth, Image, and Reality” on November 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the French Broad Room of Highsmith Student Union.

Fowler will look at the visual and anthropological evidence for human sacrifice in the ancient Greek world, focusing on topics related to material religion, iconography, gender, and violence (and their intersections). The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History and the Archaeological Institute of America.

Contact Laurel Taylor at [email protected] with any questions.

Genevieve’s. Now in its sixth year, the Fine Arts Center concert series prepares student musicians for a career in the arts and entertainment industry by giving them a resume-building, professional opportunity to perform in paid settings.

Join Tori the Tortoise, in this Appalachian retelling of Aesop’s “Tortoise & the Hare” as she stands up for her beloved town, Fable Farms, and races a big city hare with even bigger plans. In this musical for all ages, Tori and her friends, Ruben the Rooster and Bea the Bee, must learn to embrace what makes them unique and the importance of community.

A storytelling show about the audience, The Campfireball is created spontaneously out of whatever stories and lives happen to be gathered together at that moment in time. Workshopped and developed over two years in the master’s program for storytelling at East Tennessee State University and showcased in this year’s Asheville Fringe Festival, host Cory Howard blends intimacy and absurdity in an effort to shepherd the audience through unique yet reverent ways of drawing out their life experiences. Never possible to know what’s coming next, each Campfireball slowly begins to reveal surprises, connections, and communitas as the space transforms from a room of strangers to a room of neighbors. Worth noting, some people think the premise of The Campfireball sounds “like their worst nightmare”, but participation is never required, the show is just as much fun to sit back and watch unfold as it is to play along, so don’t be afraid to take a risk! Come on out for a night of storytelling you will literally never be able to experience again.

Poetry Open Mic Hendo is the all-new sister event of Poetry Open Mic Asheville, the
longest-running open mic in Western North Carolina, this weekly event welcomes all people and all forms of creative expression at
Hendersonville’s only Kava lounge.