Buncombe County Recreation Services and the Town of Woodfin will host a drop-in public informational meeting regarding the early-stage designs for the Riverside Drive (Highway 251) Greenway that will run generally parallel to the French Broad River from Broadway Avenue to Elk Mountain Road. The public meeting will take place:

Wednesday, February 21, 2018
5:30 – 7pm

French Broad River Academy
1900 Riverside Drive
Asheville, NC 28804

Over the last several months, Buncombe County and the Town of Woodfin and its consulting team lead by HNTB and supported by Equinox Environmental have worked to advance the original 2010 conceptual plan and feasibility study for the Riverside Drive/French Broad River Greenway (available at www.buncombegreenways.org).

The project team will present the first stage of design for the greenway alignment created using their knowledge of major constraints and impediments relative to the construction of the project.

The approximately three mile section of greenway under discussion at the public meeting is part of a larger effort lead by the Town of Woodfin to create new recreational opportunities within the French Broad River Corridor within the town. The project was supported by voters through a bond referendum and has been carried forward with additional capital support leveraged from the Tourism Development Authority and the Federal Highway Administration’s Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.

Buncombe County has been a destination for outdoor enthusiasts who have enjoyed the region’s trails and outdoor recreation for more than a century. As demand was growing for a countywide, comprehensive approach to greenways and trail planning, Buncombe County, through a variety of partnerships, undertook the task of developing a Greenways and Trails master plan, which was adopted by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in 2012.

The County plan envisions a system of connected trails for public usage (pedestrian and bicycles) to foster and promote tourism, economic development, health, recreation, diverse and safe transportation options, and to connect the communities in Buncombe County so that everyone can enjoy and experience the cultural heritage and beauty of Buncombe County.

The Riverside Drive (Highway 251) Greenway will ultimately connect to the City of Asheville’s work within the River Arts Transportation Improvement Project and would create a corridor that allowed users to navigate a greenway from the Town of Woodfin to Lake Julian Park in Arden upon the full build out of the master plan.

Staff from Buncombe County, the Town of Woodfin, and Equinox will be available at the meeting to answer questions from the public regarding the design and to receive input regarding any concerns that residents may have about the design.

For additional information on the Buncombe County Greenways Master Plan, visit BuncombeGreenways.org.

LINING: SHEATHING
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4
Reception: Thursday, April 19 from 5-7pm
Lining: Sheathing is a large-scale installation about the tactile and protective qualities of textiles by collaborators Denise Bookwalter and Lee Running. The artists have been working together for five years, creating installations and artist books that include printed fabric, handmade paper, woodblock prints, custom garments and embroidery. This installation has been developed in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, Constellation Studios, Lincoln NE, and Small Craft Advisory Press, Tallahassee FL. The focal point of the installation is a room-size tent suspended beneath a skylight. The tent is made from large printed and dyed textile panels which create a space that viewers can enter. Viewers are invited to try on one of the handmade garments and view the series of eight queen bed sized woodblock prints on handmade paper. For the exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bookwalter and Running will also create a three-story site-specific window installation for the atrium of the Bardo Arts Center.

MUSEUM HOURS: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm/ Th 10am-7pm
Closed weekends & University holidays
828.227.ARTS

Image Caption: Detail: Denise Bookwalter, Lee Emma Running, “LINING:SHEATHING”, 2011

To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Windgate Fellowship, the Center for Craft awarded a total of ten, $10,000 Project Grants. This exhibition showcases how the next generation of craft artists used their funds to explore scale, installation, and community practice.

Artists: Andrea Donnelly (Richmond, VA), Josh Copus (Marshall, NC), Dustin Farnsworth (Montreal, QC), Brian Fleetwood (La Mesilla, NM), Ani Geragosian (Salem, MA), Adam Ledford (Philadelphia, PA), Rebecca Manson (Bedford Hills, NY), Rachel Mauser (Louisville, KY), Aaron McIntosh (Richmond, VA), and Mark Reigelman II (Brooklyn, NY).

School of Art & Design Alumni Invitational Exhibition
Exhibition: February 13 – May 4, 2018
Reception: February 15, 2018

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, the WCU Fine Art Museum invites 12 accomplished alumni of the School of Art & Design back to campus for this exhibition. Exhibiting artists include Amy M. Anderson, Connie Bostic, Mary Charles Griffin, Luzene Hill, Sally Jacobs, Cole Johnson, Dakota Ling, Jeff Marley, Olivia Mears, Tom Pazderka, Byron Tenesaca, and Preston Tolbert.

Image Caption: Tom Pazderka, Angels of the New Light, 2017, ash, charcoal, and oil on burned panel, 43 x 43 in

Willie Cole: Soles and Boards 
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4, 2018

Since 1989, Willie Cole has employed the image of the clothes iron in his work. Cole morphs this utilitarian object to represent and reference a range of associations from African masks to scarification to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This exhibition presents prints from Cole’s time working at Highpoint Editions in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2011-2012.

Image Caption: Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Willie Cole

Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show features the work of two new members, Ana Blanton and Zoe Schumaker. Though they paint in two different styles and mediums, the artists’ work represents the inspiration each derives from nature. The show runs February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery, located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park, will host a reception for the artists on Friday, February 2, from 5-8 p.m. Everyone is cordially invited to stop by.

“When I process ideas, I see them as layers of images rather than words, and as my thoughts become imagery, I feel more comfortable expressing myself through abstract form,” says Ana Blanton. Of her latest series of mixed-media paintings she says, “In this series I am more interested in representing the sense and feel of light in nature. It is about exploring the sense of energy and movement that is unique to light traveling through air, water, and objects in nature or a simple still life.”

Blanton, who has lived in Asheville since 1997, has a BA in Art Studio from Mars Hill University. She studied Art Conservation at University of Madrid, Spain, and mural painting and mural Conservation at the International School of Mural Painting Miguel Farre, Barcelona, Spain.

Zoe Schumaker says, “From an early age, I tried to capture the beauty I saw by drawing and photographing my surroundings.” Raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California, the artist spent many afternoons immersed in imaginative drawings of the mountains, lakes and forests, and the animals that live there.

Schumaker rediscovered her passion for painting upon moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2005. “As I explored the area, I started bringing my backpack kit of pastels. It was not long before I decided to pursue art full time.” The artist teaches painting at the John C. Campbell Folk School and is active in several regional environmental non-profits. She frequently donates her work to support these causes. “Nature is my muse. I hope my paintings capture the joy and reverence I feel for our beautiful home.”

The featured works by Blanton and Schumaker, as well as the paintings of the other 29 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month of February. For further information about this show, you can contact Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery Facebook page.

Mixing It Up: Drawing & Mixed Media
Thursdays — February 1, 8, 15, 22, March 1 + 8 — 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
$220 Museum Members, $240 non-members (includes some materials)

Ignite or expand your drawing skills by combining layers of mark-making with acrylic paint, collage, ink, transfer, and transparency, and by drawing on a painted three-dimensional object.

Farms of all production sizes face challenges in coordinating the needed labor to get their crops in and out of the field. Join us for a half-day workshop to hear from area farmers and agricultural professionals about the pros and cons of different labor models, strategies for connecting with and sustaining reliable labor, and regulatory issues to consider.
Farms of all production sizes face challenges in coordinating the needed labor to get their crops in and out of the field. Join us for a half-day workshop to hear from area farmers and agricultural professionals about the pros and cons of different labor models, strategies for connecting with and sustaining reliable labor, and regulatory issues to consider.

Led by: Craig Mauney of NC Cooperative Extension, Cameron Farlow and Nicole DelCogliano of Organic Growers School, Martha Calderon of Calderon Produce, and William Shelton of Shelton Family Farm

North Asheville:

• Book Discussion: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Fridays at 10 a.m. (February 16 & 23).”Now and then a book comes along that might in time touch the public and educate social commentators, policymakers, and politicians about a glaring wrong that we have been living with that we also somehow don’t know how to face. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander is such a work” — The New York Review of Books.
• February is Black History Month and Buncombe County is grateful to be a partner in hosting multiple events focused on honoring the past of African Americans in our community, highlighting the many ways they have contributed to our community and also the struggles and challenges they have encountered as a community.  As we look at efforts across our community it is important for us to have a solid understanding of our history so we can shape a better future.

LINING: SHEATHING
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4
Reception: Thursday, April 19 from 5-7pm
Lining: Sheathing is a large-scale installation about the tactile and protective qualities of textiles by collaborators Denise Bookwalter and Lee Running. The artists have been working together for five years, creating installations and artist books that include printed fabric, handmade paper, woodblock prints, custom garments and embroidery. This installation has been developed in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, Constellation Studios, Lincoln NE, and Small Craft Advisory Press, Tallahassee FL. The focal point of the installation is a room-size tent suspended beneath a skylight. The tent is made from large printed and dyed textile panels which create a space that viewers can enter. Viewers are invited to try on one of the handmade garments and view the series of eight queen bed sized woodblock prints on handmade paper. For the exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bookwalter and Running will also create a three-story site-specific window installation for the atrium of the Bardo Arts Center.

MUSEUM HOURS: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm/ Th 10am-7pm
Closed weekends & University holidays
828.227.ARTS

Image Caption: Detail: Denise Bookwalter, Lee Emma Running, “LINING:SHEATHING”, 2011

Plant-Based Nutrition Workshop: The Basics & Getting Started

Join us for this introduction to plant-based nutrition that includes a 45-minute presentation, followed by 15 Q&A and short recipe demo.

Plant-based nutrition educator, Terri Edwards, will share how she shed 55 lbs. and a resolved a variety of health issues including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint inflammation and pain, adult acne, and sleep issues by changing her diet 5 years ago.

Numerous nutritional studies demonstrate strong links between plant-based diets and prevention — and even reversal — of the top killer diseases in the United States. In some cases, the diet has been more effective than medication and surgery. It is the only diet proven to reverse heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in both men and women.

Come gain knowledge and explore the power of food for healing the body. This is not a sales outlet for supplements, vitamins, or food products. Terri simply and effectively teaches what foods we should be eating and why, and she even teaches how to cook them!

Featured Workshop Topics:

• What is plant-based nutrition and its benefits

• How do I get started

• What can I expect

• And much more….

Saturday, February 3rd, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Cost is $15 per person

Terri Edwards is a licensed Food for Life instructor with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and teaches plant-based nutrition education and cooking classes at medical practices and other venues in Western NC and Upstate SC.

For more information go to EatPlant-Based.com by clicking blue link.

Since EatPlant-Based.com receives instant notification of registrations, there is no need to print EventBrite tickets from this site.

To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Windgate Fellowship, the Center for Craft awarded a total of ten, $10,000 Project Grants. This exhibition showcases how the next generation of craft artists used their funds to explore scale, installation, and community practice.

Artists: Andrea Donnelly (Richmond, VA), Josh Copus (Marshall, NC), Dustin Farnsworth (Montreal, QC), Brian Fleetwood (La Mesilla, NM), Ani Geragosian (Salem, MA), Adam Ledford (Philadelphia, PA), Rebecca Manson (Bedford Hills, NY), Rachel Mauser (Louisville, KY), Aaron McIntosh (Richmond, VA), and Mark Reigelman II (Brooklyn, NY).

School of Art & Design Alumni Invitational Exhibition
Exhibition: February 13 – May 4, 2018
Reception: February 15, 2018

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, the WCU Fine Art Museum invites 12 accomplished alumni of the School of Art & Design back to campus for this exhibition. Exhibiting artists include Amy M. Anderson, Connie Bostic, Mary Charles Griffin, Luzene Hill, Sally Jacobs, Cole Johnson, Dakota Ling, Jeff Marley, Olivia Mears, Tom Pazderka, Byron Tenesaca, and Preston Tolbert.

Image Caption: Tom Pazderka, Angels of the New Light, 2017, ash, charcoal, and oil on burned panel, 43 x 43 in

February 23^rd 10:00am-3:00pm

Volunteer Opportunity with Conserving Carolina

Florence Nature Preserve Workday

Habitat Restoration; removing non-native invasive species to restore native habitat.

Meet at Conserving Carolina office at 9:15am to carpool or at the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Trailhead at 10:00am. Wear closed-toe shoes, bring lunch and plenty of water.

To RSVP please email [email protected] or call Olivia at 828-697-5777 ext. 211

Willie Cole: Soles and Boards 
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4, 2018

Since 1989, Willie Cole has employed the image of the clothes iron in his work. Cole morphs this utilitarian object to represent and reference a range of associations from African masks to scarification to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This exhibition presents prints from Cole’s time working at Highpoint Editions in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2011-2012.

Image Caption: Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Willie Cole

Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show features the work of two new members, Ana Blanton and Zoe Schumaker. Though they paint in two different styles and mediums, the artists’ work represents the inspiration each derives from nature. The show runs February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery, located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park, will host a reception for the artists on Friday, February 2, from 5-8 p.m. Everyone is cordially invited to stop by.

“When I process ideas, I see them as layers of images rather than words, and as my thoughts become imagery, I feel more comfortable expressing myself through abstract form,” says Ana Blanton. Of her latest series of mixed-media paintings she says, “In this series I am more interested in representing the sense and feel of light in nature. It is about exploring the sense of energy and movement that is unique to light traveling through air, water, and objects in nature or a simple still life.”

Blanton, who has lived in Asheville since 1997, has a BA in Art Studio from Mars Hill University. She studied Art Conservation at University of Madrid, Spain, and mural painting and mural Conservation at the International School of Mural Painting Miguel Farre, Barcelona, Spain.

Zoe Schumaker says, “From an early age, I tried to capture the beauty I saw by drawing and photographing my surroundings.” Raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California, the artist spent many afternoons immersed in imaginative drawings of the mountains, lakes and forests, and the animals that live there.

Schumaker rediscovered her passion for painting upon moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2005. “As I explored the area, I started bringing my backpack kit of pastels. It was not long before I decided to pursue art full time.” The artist teaches painting at the John C. Campbell Folk School and is active in several regional environmental non-profits. She frequently donates her work to support these causes. “Nature is my muse. I hope my paintings capture the joy and reverence I feel for our beautiful home.”

The featured works by Blanton and Schumaker, as well as the paintings of the other 29 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month of February. For further information about this show, you can contact Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery Facebook page.

Bullington Gardens

(1:00 PM – 2:30 PM)

Pruning Seminar

Learn how to properly prune ornamental trees and shrubs with Bullington’s John Murphy. $12

Please call to register or register online!

Please join the Center for Craft and the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) for a reception to welcome Mia Hall as the new Director of Penland School of Crafts. Mia was most recently chair of the Department of Art and Design at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. A native of Sweden, Mia holds an MFA in furniture design and woodworking from San Diego State University in California.

Drinks and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Registration required, free. RSVP requested by Friday, February 16.

About the Center for Craft:
Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the field of craft through fostering new ideas, funding craft scholarship, and backing the next generation of makers, curators and critics. The Center has developed a strong national reputation as a significant resource for artists, museums, academic researchers, university students and arts organizations. Each year, the Center administers over a quarter million dollars in grants to those working in the craft field. craftcreativitydesign.org

About the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG):
SNAG is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance jewelry and metalsmithing by inspiring creativity, encouraging education, and fostering community. SNAG envisions a diverse international jewelry and metals community engaging in thoughtful conversation and critical discourse while preserving tradition and embracing innovation. SNAG publishes award winning Metalsmith magazine, holds conferences, and a wide range of programming to elevate and promote the work and careers of its members. snagmetalsmith.org

About Penland School of Crafts:
Penland School of Crafts is an international center for craft education dedicated to helping people live creative lives. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Penland offers one-, two-, and eight-week workshops in books, paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, letterpress, textiles, and wood. The school also offers artists’ residencies, local programs, and a gallery and information center. penland.org

Cover photo: Mia Hall at the Penland auction, courtesy of Penland School of Crafts

The Vanishing Wheelchair’s

Sixth Season of Magic!

            The Vanishing Wheelchair Little Theatre is the permanent home of the 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity for people with disabilities, The Vanishing Wheelchair, Inc. The Little Theatre at 175 Weaverville Highway, Suite K, in Asheville is the venue for several magic and variety shows for the public and is available for private functions and parties. The monthly magic and variety show, “Magic, Mirth & Meaning,” is a family-friendly, hour-long production that features story tellers, singers, jugglers, and magicians. The show continues the second and fourth Friday of each month at 7 p.m. with performances on January 12, January 26, February 9, February 23, March 9, March 23, and continuing through the year. Donations of $10 for adults and $5 for children are recommended.

            The show “Magic, Mirth & Meaning” features numerous talents of people with disabilities and those who wish to help them. At any given show, an audience may see singing, story telling, and of course magic. The show appeared and disappeared for several years since the non-profit’s founding on November 24, 2010. On February 20, 2013 the show began appearing in Asheville on a monthly basis, finding its stride at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

            The Vanishing Wheelchair has used the proceeds from the events it hosts to launch “All Things Possible” to teach skills in performing, painting, photography, music, crafts, writing, and wood working to people with disabilities. These workshops are available to other non-profits to share with their clientele and will be conducted at the 175 Weaverville Highway location. Eventually the non-profit wishes to expand to establish a universally accessible hands-on museum for children to explore the arts and sciences at which people with disabilities can work and continue to learn these skills.

            Come support and see what The Vanishing Wheelchair is all about. Tickets may be available at the door, but advanced reservations are strongly encouraged since seating is limited. Purchase tickets online at www.VanishingWheelchair.org, or contact Magic Central, 175 Weaverville Highway, Suite L, Asheville, North Carolina 28804, or call 828-645-2941.

For more information contact T.J. Shimeld at [email protected], 1129 Allman Ridge Road, Morganton, North Carolina 28655. Call 828-443-8414.

9 to 5 The Musical

Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton; Book by Patricia Resnick; Directed by Jerry Crouch

February 9-March 4, 2018

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm; Additional Thursday performances at 7:30 pm

Working 9 to 5, three female employees team up to dream up ways they could rid themselves of their horrible chauvinistic boss. These ladies live out their wildest fantasy to give him the boot and, while he is out of commission, take control of the company. There’s nothing these ladies can’t do!

If you or someone you know is looking to become an integral part of the Asheville Tourists organization, seasonal employment is available at the ballpark for the upcoming baseball season.

Interviews for part-time jobs during the 2018 season will take place at the annual McCormick Field job fairs; the first of two to be held Saturday, February 24 from 9am-noon. Applicants should report to the front gate of McCormick Field.

Openings include positions in the general concessionaire department for cashiers, cooks, wait-staff, and concession stand managers. Also, the Tourists are looking to fill positions in Customer Service and Fan Experience, Box Office employees, Parking Attendants, Groundskeeping, Mascots, Bat boys/Bat girls, Jade Bombers (crowd energizers) and merchandising.

LINING: SHEATHING
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4
Reception: Thursday, April 19 from 5-7pm
Lining: Sheathing is a large-scale installation about the tactile and protective qualities of textiles by collaborators Denise Bookwalter and Lee Running. The artists have been working together for five years, creating installations and artist books that include printed fabric, handmade paper, woodblock prints, custom garments and embroidery. This installation has been developed in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, Constellation Studios, Lincoln NE, and Small Craft Advisory Press, Tallahassee FL. The focal point of the installation is a room-size tent suspended beneath a skylight. The tent is made from large printed and dyed textile panels which create a space that viewers can enter. Viewers are invited to try on one of the handmade garments and view the series of eight queen bed sized woodblock prints on handmade paper. For the exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bookwalter and Running will also create a three-story site-specific window installation for the atrium of the Bardo Arts Center.

MUSEUM HOURS: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm/ Th 10am-7pm
Closed weekends & University holidays
828.227.ARTS

Image Caption: Detail: Denise Bookwalter, Lee Emma Running, “LINING:SHEATHING”, 2011

To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Windgate Fellowship, the Center for Craft awarded a total of ten, $10,000 Project Grants. This exhibition showcases how the next generation of craft artists used their funds to explore scale, installation, and community practice.

Artists: Andrea Donnelly (Richmond, VA), Josh Copus (Marshall, NC), Dustin Farnsworth (Montreal, QC), Brian Fleetwood (La Mesilla, NM), Ani Geragosian (Salem, MA), Adam Ledford (Philadelphia, PA), Rebecca Manson (Bedford Hills, NY), Rachel Mauser (Louisville, KY), Aaron McIntosh (Richmond, VA), and Mark Reigelman II (Brooklyn, NY).

School of Art & Design Alumni Invitational Exhibition
Exhibition: February 13 – May 4, 2018
Reception: February 15, 2018

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, the WCU Fine Art Museum invites 12 accomplished alumni of the School of Art & Design back to campus for this exhibition. Exhibiting artists include Amy M. Anderson, Connie Bostic, Mary Charles Griffin, Luzene Hill, Sally Jacobs, Cole Johnson, Dakota Ling, Jeff Marley, Olivia Mears, Tom Pazderka, Byron Tenesaca, and Preston Tolbert.

Image Caption: Tom Pazderka, Angels of the New Light, 2017, ash, charcoal, and oil on burned panel, 43 x 43 in