NEW ART NEW YEAR:
Artists in WNC explore their world for 2018
ARTS & CULTURE R A PID RI VE R M AGA ZINE’ S
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January 2018 Vol. 21 No.5
THE OLDEST AND MOST READ ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE IN WNC
COVER ARTIST
Nadine Charlsen “Rusted to the tracks”
TRAINS: past and present through the paintings of Nadine Charlsen Nadine Charlsen has been painting trains since the summer of 2017.
They have been so popular with collectors that as soon as one is
By Staff Reports
finished, it goes to a new collector, of trains has always been a fascinaand she is back painting the next tion for me. In Kansas where I was one. It turns out that everyone is born, I used to sit with my parents crazy about trains. in the car waiting for a train to go 310 ART, Charlsen’s River Arts through our tiny little town. I would District studio, is a thriving gallery count the cars as they went by, next to the Norfolk sometimes more than a Southern rail yards hundred. I have always running thought enjoyed the sounds of Asheville. It seemed trains from the whistles like a perfect fit for to the clickety-clack of subject matter and the wheels.” location. Every day It all started in April of many trains pass 2016 when the historic behind the studio, J611 steam engine train laden with all sorts came to Asheville from of freight. The old Roanoke, VA. Many train 100-year-old induslovers were alerted to trial buildings that the arrival and rushed to Nadine Charlsen “611 Inbound” now house artist’s a good vantage point to 27x20 studios rattle when see the old steam engine the trains pass and the nostalgic pass. Nadine was among the train sound of the train’s horns can be fans, shooting hundreds of photoheard. It seems to connect the past graphs as the train came into town. with the present. She chased the train again the next She reflects, “The industrial nature ‘Trains’ continued on pg. 27
2 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
ART WORK
All paintings by Patricia Cotterill
The Art of
Patricia Cotterill and her love
of
animals
Cotterill has a studio at Riverside Studios in the River Arts District. There, a community of artists get together to paint and exhibit. Follow her on her blog: www.patriciacotterill.blogspot.com or email her at patcotterill@ yahoo.com. Her work can be seen at Riverside Studio, 174 W. Haywood St. in the River Arts District. Also at Woolworth Walk in Downtown Asheville and the Grovewood Village Gallery. Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 3
ART & OUR ENVIRONMENT
(L-R) Joseph A Pearson’s “Ethereal Environment” and “Polluted Health”
A Contemporary Response to Our Changing Environment, a group exhibition of Pink Dog Creative artists By Staff Reports Pink Dog Creative announces A Contemporary Response to Our Changing Environment, a group exhibition of artists, curated by artist Joseph Pearson to be held at the Pink Dog Gallery.
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The debate around climate change tends to dwell in the realms of science and politics rather than in the arts, yet creative solutions to addressing climate issues are needed. This exhibition looks at climate change through artists’ perspectives and shares this perspective with the scientists and business leaders attending Climate Con, The Business of Change, by staging an associated exhibition at the Collider, a nonprofit innovation center focused on catalyzing
market-driven solutions to climate issues, March 19-23 at the Collider offices on the 4th floor of the Wells Fargo Building, 1 Haywood St. in downtown Asheville. Jacque Lowe from the Collider said, “We’re so excited to be connected with the Pink Dog artists, and I know that being able to create this visual tie between our two worlds will bring a much-needed connectivity to both the folks in our space every day, and those visiting for ClimateCon. Artists include Joseph A. Pearson, Andrea Kulish, Deanna Chillian, Holly de Saillan, Karen Keil Brown, Lynn Bregman- Blass, Julie Miles, Jennifer Kincaid, Leene Hermann, Ralph Burns, Viola Spells, William Price, Christi Calaycay and Pat
4 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
Phillips. The exhibition will run through March 31.
IF YOU GO
Exhibition information: A Contemporary Response to Our Changing Environment February 3-March 31, 2018 Opening reception: February 3, 5-8pm at Pink Dog Gallery 348 Depot St, Asheville NC 28801 Exhibition Hours Monday-Saturday 12-5, February 3 - March 31, 2018 Meet the Artists at the Collider: February 9, 2018, 10-11am 4th floor of the Wells Fargo building,1 Haywood Street, Suite 401, Asheville, NC 28801
CONTENTS 6 7 9 12 15 8 10 11 14 19 21 22
Volume 21, NO. 5
2
Detail of Virginia Mooreland’s paper collage “After Mondrian” Camerata Chamber Ensemble of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays January 26 Celebrate Groundhog’s Day with art, costumes, and fun AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE Sherry Masters & Art Connections Tours III of II The Wedge Studios: Richard Baker Studio moves to new location
16 20 30
AmiciMusic rings in the New Year with a “Celebrate 2018” Music Festival Capturing nature through different techniques with Kate Thayer
2
Cover Photo titled ‘I Hear a Train a Comin’ original watercolor by Nadine Charlsen. 28”x40” on Khadi handmade paper, available at 310 ART Riverview Station.
www.rapidrivermagazine.com Online NOW
An alternative approach to preserving WNC culture
Artist records her life through art journals
Greg Vineyard: The Art of Taking A Break, Part III of III 310 Art: Good intentions
Art Classes Asheville Gallery of Art: “Winter Blues” at Asheville Gallery of Art Food/Drink: ‘The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the GlobeTrotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats’ Bill Walz: The journey into consciousness Health: Can you afford to get old?
Publisher/Layout and Design/Editor: Dennis Ray Poetry Editor: Carol Pearce Bjorlie CONTACT US: Rapid River’s Arts and Culture Magazine is a monthly publication in WNC. Mail: 85 N. Main St. Canton NC 28716 Email: Info@rapidrivermagazine.com Phone: (828) 646-0071
23 24 25 26 30 31
20
Performing Arts: Comedic live telethon brings awareness to autism
techniques with
Poetry Books: January Book Events at Malaprop’s Black Mountain: Fun things to this January in Black Mountain Rapid River Magazine’s Comics Young Adult: ‘‘Gunslinger Girl’ provides rip-roaring action for ages 14 and up
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January 2018
ON OUR COVER
Kate Thayer
15
Fostering Culture
FEBRUARY: LOVE OF THE ARTS AND LIVING HERE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WNC
*Red New Art New Works New Year Guide
Distribution: Dennis Ray/Rick Hills Marketing: Dennis Ray/Rick Hills
ADVERTISING SALES: Downtown Asheville and other areas — Dennis Ray (828) 712-4752 • (828) 646-0071 Dining Guide, Hendersonville, Waynesville — Rick Hills (828) 452-0228 rick@rapidrivermagazine.com
All Materials contained herein are owned and copyrighted © by Rapid River’s Arts & Culture Magazine and the individual contributors unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rapid River’s Arts and Culture Magazine or the advertisers herein. © ‘Rapid River’s Arts & Culture Magazine’ January 2018, Vol. 21, No. 5
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 5
PERFORMING ARTS
Camerata RCO (musicians of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) in concert. One of the most distinguished orchestras in the world
Camerata Chamber Ensemble of the Royal
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The Asheville Chamber Music Series (ACMS) will present Camerata RCO (musicians of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) in concert on Friday, January 26, 8 pm. The show welcomes the celebrated chamber ensemble of one of the most distinguished orchestras
Diana Wortham Theatre at 18 Biltmore Avenue in Asheville. in the world and will be held at the
It is an absolute love of chamber music that drives these musicians to divert time out of their busy schedules, as members of one of the world’s greatest orchestras, to perform together as Camerata RCO. Praised by the New York Times for their “warm, glowing performance,” the ensemble has enjoyed tremendous success in the Netherlands and abroad and now performs around 50 concerts a season internationally in music capitals such as Amsterdam, Vienna, Tokyo, Seoul, Madrid, Rome and New York. Their ever-expanding discography on Gutman Records includes recordings of works by Corelli, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler, and
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6 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
Ravel. “It is an honor for the Asheville Chamber Music Series to present the Camerata Chamber Ensemble of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as part of our 2017’18 season,” says Valerie Poullette, ACMS president. “The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is regarded to be among the top 10 in the world. Their chamber ensemble, Camerata, is performing works that call for clarinet, french horn, bassoon, and strings, including double bass.” The Friday, January 26 program will include: Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581 Schubert: Octet in F major, D. 803 For well over half a century the ACMS has taken its place as a valued cultural resource in Asheville, bringing world-renowned chamber artists to the city. As one of the nation’s oldest continuous performing chamber
Artists Breakfasts Draw Crowds Artists, collectors and patrons are gathering in Asheville’s River Arts District for monthly socials. Artists’ Breakfasts are held on the last Thursday of each month. Up next: January 25, 10-1pm at 362 Depot. Organizer Richard Baker of Richard Baker Studios says he is pleased with the turnouts for the first two events. “It’s good to see the artists networking. And it’s also nice to meet Asheville’s art patrons.” Many of the 10 artists of 362 Depot are on hand to talk to those who attend for the
By Staff Reports
camaraderie and food and to see new works. “People are coming in,” Baker says, “meeting the artists and purchasing artwork.” Coffee is provided and guests are welcome to bring food to share. Recent events have drawn attendees from Asheville and points beyond including Saluda, Hendersonville, Waynesville and Weaverville. IF YOU GO
For more information, follow 362 Depot and Richard Baker on Facebook or call (828) 234-1616.
Celebrate Groundhog’s Day with art, costumes, and fun By Staff Reports Please join the 10+ artists on the second floor of the Wedge Studio in the River Arts District on Friday, February 2, from 5–8 p.m. for a Groundhog Day celebration. Themed costumes are welcome and encouraged. Prizes will be given for the worst outfits, with judging based purely on favoritism. Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to this one-of-a-kind observance in Asheville. Landscape artist Richard Baker has hosted this creative event in the past at his studio and attributes it to helping to end the doldrums of winter. “Groundhog Day is a great day to get together,” Baker says, “and collectively hope for music organizations, it has been recognized for its outstanding programs and its unique education component through a collaboration with the strings program of the Asheville Buncombe Schools and other cultural partners in the community, including the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra.
an early spring. Plus it will be an opportunity to see some excellent artwork from the talented artists at the Wedge right in the heart of the River Arts District.” Second-floor artists work in the mediums of oils, encaustics, metal sculpture and more. “This event is likely to repeat itself,” Baker says, “so get in on the ground floor—well actually the second floor—of this Groundhog Day blast.”
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Wedge Studios is located at 129 Roberts Street. For more information, contact Richard Baker at (828) 234-1616 or richardbakersstudio@gmail.com.
IF YOU GO
Tickets are $40 general admission. Youth under 25 are $5. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit the ACMS website: www.AshevilleChamberMusic.org or call (828) 257-4530 or email support@AshevilleChamberMusic.org
IF YOU GO
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 7
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In the November and joking that I’m so old I witnessed December issues, I referenced the Big Bang, that my ginormous flow and pace, my last eightdictionary is so heavy it’s used to Call Today to Save 25% and-a-half-years of writing, and crush old cars, and that I’m such DISH Special Offer looking into a hiatus. I wrap it a shut-in you can only find me in 99 $ up this month… the deepest layer of dreams in the /mo In preparing this 102nd movie “Inception.” And every single High Speed Internet column in a row, I find myself way-too-frequent reference to sci95 looking back upon my writing fi has been entirely intentional. My $ /mo process. A loose concept shtick has a joyful intention. I also enters my head and gestates created challenges for myself: years “Cat Nap” Call Today & Save Up To 25%! for a bit until I really FEEL ago when I wrote about a garden Illustration by Greg Vineyard © 2018 1-844-568-8904 it’s got some teeth to it. that reminded me of Jane Austen, I Ultimately, I hope it provides chiseled-in all the words from her book insight, inspiration, and/or a stepping-stone to some titles. And my latest was to craft a trilogy that has turned other thought. And then I put old-fashioned pen to oldout to be very hard to write! fashioned yellow pad and start fleshing it out. Generating Like me, you might be wondering: “How on earth does a pile of words is relatively easy; editing it all down is one halt doing anything that’s become such a habit?” Switch to DIRECTV and lock in your where you find what you’re made of. Let alone change routines or start something new. In our TV price at 50/month for 2 years when you have AT&T Wireless! I’ve learned a lot along the way. Like how that phrase guts, we know what to do, and that it’ll be alright. I think SAVE 00 $ “Kill Your Darlings” is absolutely true when word-count the best advice anyone could give is simply: “Stop.” 40%ˆ SAVE MO. 00 $ 40%ˆ MO. and the clock are colliding. I have an ever-growing scrap Sometimes humans think in such permanent terms that CALL NOW and ask about Next Day Installation. file of intriguing (or weird) sentences that didn’t make the they can’t decide what’s right for Right Now. IVS 800-716-9331 cut. Editing (and re-editing) carefully-crafted sentences Some overall recommendations come to mind about CALL NOW and ask about Next Day Installation. IV SUPPORT HOLDINGS LLC reminds me of being in the front car of a roller-coaster: what we can do to stay on track while nurturing a 888-888-8888 sometimes I feel like I’m falling. Sometimes the process creative life: can be fairly tortuous – when I hear an NPR reporter utter a perfect wrap, I think, simply, judgingly: “I’m a 1. Be one who is easily self-entertained hack.” This only happens daily. My visual art process 2. Evaluate the Joy Factor can be similar. Sometimes I can see the progress in my 3. Do something to feed your passion. Every. work, and other times it looks like I’ve just wasted a Single. Day. bunch of art supplies. 4. Trust that the spaces in which you find yourself I’ve also had a lot of fun along the way on this little are useful - blocks are temporary, so keep trying art/lifestyle journey. I like to make up words. But only 5. See what the Inspector Of Throw Rugs is up to – the ones that convey a certain superalityness. I enjoy our companions often show us a simpler way Random Capitalization. Silly acronyms that make no sense (S.A.T.M.N.S.) crack me up. I have never tired of Again, inspiration can come from anywhere. Over the ‘Break’ continued next pg. 8 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 Use of these services is subject to the Terms of Use and accompanying policies at www.canadadrugcenter.com.
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ART WORK
Sherry Masters (Art Connections) — Charley Akers Photography
AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE
Sherry Masters & Art Connections Tours III of III As any art lover in WNC can attest, maneuvering through the regions many art districts can be overwhelming. With many art and fine craft galleries, art exhibitions and festivals there is so much to experience and explore.
By Jonathan Carlson
So how can you find what interests you the most, while getting the best value out of your time in the area? A carefully designed and expertly curated custom art tour from Sherry Masters of Art Connections helps you do precisely that.
‘Connections’ continued pg 29 ‘Break’ continued years, I’ve shared a smattering of I wish you well, so very, very well, what comes to mind in an attempt now, in the remainder of 2018 - and to add a little fuel to the creative fires always! that burn in each of our synaptic (This has been a 3-part column from minds. I know that if you take a November 2017 – January 2018. See moment, take a breath, and engage all three parts on the web at your senses, you will keep moving www.rapidrivermagazine.com) in a forward direction. Inspiration is all around us, in Greg Vineyard is a marketing-communications every thought and professional, artist, and writer living in Asheville, action. My next NC. Find his illustrations at ZaPow Gallery step? I’m going on the South Slope, and at Spellbound Children’s Bookshop in North Asheville. www. to take a cat nap gregvineyardillustration.com and think about it. Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 9
310 ART
Jane Molinelli is sketching ideas.
Good intentions The word “resolution” can fill us with mixed emotions. While we want to resolve to do things to improve our lives, assigning a once a year time to make changes and choosing things that are hard or impossible to accomplish can set us back and leave us discouraged. It reminds us of the phrase that ends with “good intentions” which points us on a negative path to that place we do not wish to visit. It suggests we are already doomed to failure. But sometimes things must change, and the paradigms of our lives must shift if we are to live our dreams. Something as simple as making a list, make a sketch or make preparations can set in motion a chain of events that forever alter our lives for the good. And, if we can change, we can positively inspire the 10 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
By Fleta Monaghan
lives of every person around us and beyond, like the ripples in the water. These enchanted waters can lap back to touch us again and again if we are awake to their touch. Here is my short story about changes and taking leaps into the unknown. I found a strategy that worked, and to this day, I employ it. Not just once a year, but frequently with all manner of new ideas and endeavors. In 2005 my daughter was nearing official adult age and had completed high school the homeschool way. This was a significant milestone for the family as she began to plan her adult life and take complete charge of the next leg of her education in college. I had been thinking about what I wanted to do in the coming year ‘Art’ continued next pg.
Shop, Eat, Explore. . . Everyday, All Year Round Classes at 310 ART
(L-r) Katrina Chenevert is signing her work. Nadine Charlsen makes plans. The burrito on her table is not her lunch but is a mixed media art piece made of carved balsa, felt, paper and Rosco Paint.
‘Art’ continued and for the first time in my life sat down with my sketchbook and made a list and drawings of things I would like to accomplish in the next couple of years. I do not recall why I decided to put pencil to paper in this way, perhaps need to put my thoughts in order. I had made lists before, but none that were far-reaching and that, unbeknownst to myself, would plot the course of the next phase of my life. Whatever forces were at work, it was a bit of karma I now know. Number one on the list was to find a studio so
I could move my work out of the house. Painters who work at home have worked everywhere usually; coffee tables are piled high with art books and notebooks, kitchen tables serve as work tables, paintings and projects are stacked in every corner. If you are an artist who works at home, you probably know what I mean. Other things on the list were to teach classes in my venue. I had been working with some fantastic aspiring painters and wanted the chance to stretch what we did by developing ‘Art’ continued on pg. 29
310 ART AT RIVERVIEW STATION
Marvelous Mondays with Lorelle and Nadine Beginner and Up! Open art studios Mondays with instructor to guide you - start and continue year round in our Monday classes, 9:30-12:30pm and 1-4pm. Come the dates that work for you! NEW: Watercolor Wednesday Evenings, all levels, 6-9pm See 310art.com for schedule and sign up. Beginners welcomed!
Workshops:
Coming Soon Create Dramatic Art Easily — Jan 13 Take the Fear Out of Watercolor — Jan 20 Beginning Painting — Feb 3 Don’ Be Afraid of the Dark, watercolor — Feb 15 Block Printing, paper and fabric — Feb 17 Encaustic Intro — Feb 24 Classes for adults at 310 ART, 191 Lyman Street, #310, Asheville, NC 28801 www.310art.com gallery@310art.com (828)776-2716 Adult classes, beginner and up, most materials provided. Register online or at the studio.
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 11
River Arts District
Beaverdam Gap by Richard Baker
Richard Baker Studio moves to new location
By Staff Reports
Landscape artist Richard C. Baker announces the relocation of his working studio/gallery to the second floor of the Wedge Studios in the River Arts District. “I love the new space with its large
windows and north light,” Baker says. “And I’m inspired just being around the creative and talented artists located in the Wedge.” Baker is best known for his vivid depictions of
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” —Aristotle 12 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
T h e We d g e S t u d i o s
Appalachian Barn by Richard Baker
water and for painting the mountain landscapes of western North Carolina. Many of his paintings feature the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Cataloochee Divide, including Cold Mountain, Lake Logan, and the scenic Maggie Valley. A prolific painter, he produces more than 100 pieces a year, including commissioned works. His paintings range in size from small plein air works to large-scale grand views. Baker’s love for these mountains is conveyed
Saluda Yard by Richard Baker
in his artwork. “These peaks, ridges, and valleys bring me so much joy,” Baker says. “How could I not paint these mountains that I love and call home?” Stop in and see Baker’s latest oil paintings of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Hudson River School style at Richard C. Baker Fine Art. The new studio is located at 129 Roberts Street. For more information, contact Baker at richardbakersstudio@gmail.com. IF YOU GO
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 13
Asheville’s Longest Established Fine Art Gallery with 31 Regional Artists
Asheville Gallery of Art 's January Artists
“Winter Blues” at Asheville Gallery of Art
By Staff Reports
What better way to brighten the cold and gray January days than by enjoying a display of fantastic art? Olga Michelson — “Cold Night After First Snow”
Each piece will be an interpretation of the artist’s winter experience. Work will range from serene, snowy landscapes to abstracts in colors calculated to warm and cheer you as you wait for spring. “Our artists enjoy participating in themed shows,” says member Jane Molinelli. “Every artist I know can almost instantly come up with dozens of different angles on how to interpret a given idea. You never know what will be in the show until it’s time to hang it, and that makes it as exciting to create as to see.”
Sun Sohovich — “Snow on Blue Ridge”
IF YOU GO
Asheville Gallery of Art’s
14 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
B Adams — “Moonrise over Telluride” January show, “Winter Blues” features the work of 23 member artists. The show runs January 1-31 during gallery hours, 11-6 pm Monday through Saturday and 1-4 pm Sunday. The gallery, located at 82 Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville across from Pritchard Park, will host a reception for the artists on Friday, January 5, 5-8 pm. Everyone is cordially invited to stop by the gallery. The pieces for the show, as well as the work of all 31 gallery members, will be on display and for sale through January. For further information about this show contact Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796 or visit the gallery’s website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery Facebook page.
FINE ART
Artist records her life through art journals Gwen Diehn, a lifelong artist, and educator decided in mid-2013 to document her drawings and take on the challenge of drawing 10,000 things. Initially inspired by the statement — “You cannot learn to draw until you have drawn the ten thousand things.” — Diehn considered this a tangent on her continuous path of drawing and learning. The term Ten Thousand Things refers to the countless manifestations of the Universal (or Tao or energy or God or whatever term one uses for the mysterious animating force of the universe). Diehn launched this new phase with typical enthusiasm, heading out on her favorite paths and tuning in to everyday things with fresh eyes. On that June afternoon, she drew one of the first daylilies of the season, a mulch pile in the old apple orchard, a bird on a wire, and caught the large orange and white tail of a fox bounding through the woods — the first fox she had ever seen on her local trail. She is taking the fox sighting as a good omen. Diehn found the rhythm of making between seven and ten drawings a day quite pleasurable – the journals filled up with scenes and illumi-
Diehn found the rhythm of making between seven and ten drawings a day quite pleasurable nated maps; travel sketches as well as the faces or accessories of friends and family at meetings and events; the evolving grandchildren and changes of seasons were all recorded. When her sketchbook with around a hundred drawings in it was stolen along with her bag in Barcelona, she estimated the number of stolen drawings and jotted it down in the sequence. Relaxing into the connectedness and fascination of everything, she often researched things she’d never seen before—the cleistogamous marriage of violets, the language of venery, caput mortuum in early
By Staff Reports
spring, the elegance and economy of seeds and nuts. Continuing day after day, line by line, step by step, without looking back or ahead for four years until on a sunny morning in June, precisely four years after starting the project, Diehn spotted a hen scratching in the dust and stopped to draw her dancing motion, and wrote the number 10,000. The entire sequence is documented online at Diehn’s blog — real-life-journals.blogspot.com Reproductions of many drawings will be on view as well as all of the journals employed throughout Diehn’s four years of numerically tracking her sketching practice. There will be a talk/presentation by the artist. On March 3 – 5, 2018 Diehn will teach a class at Asheville BookWorks — Armchair Travel Sketching: Building a Practice. The course will build a sketchbook to facilitate exploration and learn how to use it in a sustainable practice of looking, seeing, and noting/sketching. The entire sequence is documented online at Diehn’s blog — real-life-journals.blogspot.com IF YOU GO
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 15
More of what Makes Asheville Special: Dining • Shopping • Galleries • Music
D ow n tow n A s h ev i l l e
AmiciMusic rings in the New Year with a “Celebrate 2018” Music Festival
By Staff Reports
of some of the most exceptional woodwind players living in the the Brevard Woodwind region. There will be six Quintet as well as concerts in all at various a program of music venues, including the First by African-American Presbyterian Church in composers by violinist Tim Asheville, the All Soul’s Schwarz. Cathedral in Biltmore First up on January Village, Isis Restaurant fifth through the Music Hall and Restaurant seventh is a concert in West Asheville, and entitled “Music from the White Horse in Black Underground,” which will Mountain. At all the feature some wonderful, concerts, Artistic Director but neglected works for Upper Valley Duo — Artistic Director and pianist Daniel Weiser and “Winds of Winter” will feature the debut of the Daniel Weiser will talk Violinist Tim Schwarz Brevard Woodwind Quintet violin and piano by minority about the composers, including pieces before Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, George Morrison, 1. AMERICAN FOLK ART & FRAMING 10. BLUE SPIRAL 1 19. THE SATELLITE GALLERY 2. APPALACHIAN CRAFT CENTER 11. THE CENTER FOR CRAFT, 20. SUSAN MARIE DESIGNS they are played and help break William Grant Still, and W.C. Handy. 3. ARIEL GALLERY CREATIVITY & DESIGN 21. TRACEY MORGAN GALLERY down the barriers between 4. ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 12. CONTEMPORANEO ASHEVILLE 22. VAN DYKE JEWELRY & Then January 12th through the 14th, 5. ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM 13. THE HAEN GALLERY FINE CRAFTS performers and audience by 6. ASHEVILLE GALLERY OF ART 14. HORSE + HERO 23. WOOLWORTH WALK AmiciMusic is pleased to present “The Winds 7. aSHEville MUSEUM 15. JEWELS THAT DANCE 24. ZAPOW! establishing a very informal and 8. BENDER GALLERY 16. LEXINGTON GLASSWORKS 25. ZEST JEWELRY ART of Winter,” featuring the debut of the Brevard 9. BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE 17. MORA relaxed concert atmosphere. Woodwind Quintet, a new group composed MUSEUM + ARTS CENTER 18. MOUNTAIN MADE Two weekends of concerts
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Downtown Asheville — Dining • Shopping • Galleries • Music Violinist Tim Schwarz is the featured performer for “Music from the Underground.” He will team up with pianist/Artistic Director Daniel Weiser to explore the music of some wonderful black composers not often heard in concert, including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a mixed-race English composer known as the “African Mahler” who made several celebrated tours of the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century. They will also perform arrangements of several Spirituals by George Morrison and some Blues by W.C. Handy. Schwarz and Weiser met at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and won the 1996 US Artistic Ambassador Program competition, which resulted in a twomonth, 11 country tour of the Middle East and Southeast Asia. They played to great acclaim in countries such as Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Laos,
Andrew Parker, oboe
Professor and Head of Strings at Rowan University and the leader of the Rowan String Ensemble, a conductor-less orchestra which promotes minority composers and draws awareness to issues around social justice through music. Schwarz made his solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of nine and studied with Dorothy DeLay at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music before getting graduate degrees at Peabody Conservatory and Temple University. His 2013 CD featuring the Pulitzer Prize Winner Jennifer Higdon was on the Top-10 Classical Albums of 2013 by the Philadelphia City Paper. Artistic Director and pianist Daniel Weiser has performed chamber music in great concert halls around the world, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The “Winds of Winter” will feature the debut of the Brevard Woodwind
Sri Lanka, and Israel. As Weiser recalls, “We were treated like rock stars wherever we went, and everyone loved the soulful, passionate, and spirited American music we played. We were musical diplomats opening up critical communications between different cultures.” Schwarz is now Assistant ‘AmiciMusic’ continued on pg. 27
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Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 17
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ― Virginia Woolf, ‘A Room of One’s Own’
D r i n k s & D i n i n g G u i d e
18 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
Drinks&Dining Guide ‘The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats’ The real adventures of David Fairchild, a late-nineteenth-century food explorer who traveled the globe and introduced diverse crops like avocados, mangoes, seedless grapes — and thousands more — to the American plate In the 19th century, American meals were about subsistence, not enjoyment. But as a new century approached, appetites broadened, and David Fairchild, a young botanist with an insatiable lust to
explore and experience the world, set out in search of foods that would enrich the American farmer and enchant the American eater. Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. Fairchild’s finds weren’t just limited to food: From Egypt, he sent back a variety of cotton that revolutionized an industry, and via Japan he introduced the cherry
blossom tree, forever brightening America’s capital. Along the way, he was arrested, caught diseases, and bargained with island tribes. But his culinary ambition came during a formative era, and through him, America transformed into the most diverse food system ever created.
By: Daniel Stone Narrator: Daniel Stone Imprint: Penguin Audio Genre: Social Science Agriculture&Food (See Also Political Science-Public PolicyAgriculture&Food Policy) Release Date: February 20,
2018 9 Hours and 53 Minutes
L’Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home Bestselling author and world-renowned chef David Lebovitz continues to mine the rich subject of his evolving ex-Pat life in Paris, using his perplexing experiences in apartment renovation as a launching point for stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp one’s life.
This book includes dozens of new recipes. When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with the inconsistent European work ethic and hours.
Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country—under baffling conditions—while never losing sight of the magic that inspired
him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there. By: David Lebovitz Narrator: Graham Halstead Imprint: Random House Audio Genre: Biography & Autobiography Personal Memoirs Release Date: November 07, 2017 10 Hours and 51 Minutes
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 19
IN ARTIST'S WORDS
“Colors Of Time” by Kate Thayer
“Cool...” by Kate Thayer
“Golden Moments” by Kate Thayer
Capturing nature through different techniques with Kate Thayer
By Kate Thayer
My painter’s heart is connected directly to my painter’s eye. The beauty I see and feel while in nature I want to share with my viewers. All representation is an experiment. That’s what artists do. Watercolor is good for some beauteous scene or season, pastel for another. But oil paintings – using palette knives, not brushes in full applications – are the most provocative, as is the
natural world. For me, this impasto technique brings these particular unseen scenes to life on linen canvas or boards. Floater frames add a dimension of feeling gotten no other way. I experiment with techniques – to arouse in my viewers the feeling of beauty that grabbed me. These are techniques for transposing the changing seasons I see and feel into forms and
20 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
colors on the canvas you view. I want to transport you as I was carried by the oils and depths I have thus compounded. Her works are shown at: Asheville Gallery Of Art, Seven Sisters Gallery in Black Mountain and Gallery At Flat Rock. More info at www. katethayer.com
IF YOU GO
THE JOURNEY INTO CONSCIOUSNESS “The greatest sin is to be unconscious.” – Carl Jung In its original meaning, from the ancient Greek and also in Hebrew, to “sin” is to miss the mark, the term drawn from the world of archery. It also has as its meaning, “to be in error.” It is pointing us to the realization of what the purpose of our human life is about – and to miss it is to be in profound error, leading to life-negating consequences. The 20th Century Jewish theologian and mystic Abraham Heschel spoke of the origin of sin to be “in denial of the sublime wonder of life.” In other words, Heschel is saying that to fail to be conscious of our being in the midst of mystery, of Creation unfolding, and to fail to be genuinely present, curious and reverent in approaching this puzzle will inevitably cause us to miss the point of life and will have us behaving in ways that are in error - disrespectful, manipulative, exploitive and harmful. These attitudes form the precondition for egregious behavior, in other words, sin. From this “sinful” perspective, we will objectify ourselves, others, and all that is in the world, and our relationships consequently will be conflictual and utilitarian rather than respectful and sincere. Careless and thoughtless harm generates from such an attitude. The cause of any action that could be called “sinful,” therefore, is a state of mind that is genuinely in error - one that entirely misses the mark of the purpose of our existence as to be in harmony with the miracle that is Creation. The issue of consciousness becomes relevant here in that when we look sincerely at a thing, event, or a circumstance we begin to see detail, subtleties, and connections not noticed by superficial looking. What might seem isolated and disconnected, upon more in-depth examination, may start to reveal subtle relationships, and the more deeply we can look, that is, the more consciousness we bring to the investigation, the more subtle and far-reaching the connections reveal themselves to be. From Jung’s depth psychology perspective, and from a Buddhist perspective, to be conscious is to see the event taking place within contexts of infinite connections without which the thing cannot exist. In illustration of this point, Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is known to offer the observation that this paper you hold is more than just paper. It is also tree, soil, sun, rain, the labor and the creativity and effort of the writer, the editor, the printers, the paper millers, etc.; in fact, if you look deeply enough, you can see the entire universe and its evolutionary history happening in this interface of the paper and the person who reads it, who brings consciousness to the
ZEN PHILOSOPHY WITH BILL WALZ
event of seeing. We begin to experience mystery, that is, a knowing that is both particular and vast – ultimately beyond our ability to articulate other than perhaps as poetry and metaphor. The profoundly observational consciousness of modern science tells us this is true, and the deeply intuitive consciousness of the mystic has informed us of this truth for thousands of years. And so too, what happens when we look deeply at ourselves? Just as when we look deeply at what occurs seemingly outside of us, when we look deeply at and inside ourselves, we begin to be conscious of infinite subtle levels of connection, process, and mystery. We begin to be conscious that this seeming separateness is an illusion. We begin to experience that inside, outside, self and other are all happening within one thing, the most significant mystery of all, consciousness itself. Now we are arriving at the definition of consciousness that Jung is addressing – consciousness examining mind happening in consciousness, where that which looks discovers it is looking at itself from across dimensions and is capable of great compassion and insight; even realizing the looking becomes like an act of prayer, a communication with the infinite petitioned by the finite. Sublime wonder and a sense of sacredness begin to arise naturally. Much of Jung’s work focused on archetypes, that is, symbols and signs that point to deep and universal human psychic experiences, and the entire archetypal concept of God and the reasons religions exist are because of this human capacity for intuiting that consciousness is not some faculty of our separateness, but rather the vehicle of discovering our connectedness with all that is. To be unconscious in this context is to be held by the sway of the myth of our separateness and the separateness of all that comprises life, and even to create sciences, psychologies, and religions that emphasize this separateness. It is from this objectifying perspective, as Heschel observed, that we seek to make more of ourselves, to alleviate our terror at not being enough, by diminishing and recklessly exploiting what is perceived as not us, and the result is “sin.” The result is the missing of the mark, the great error of living in insatiable hunger to fill a hole in our sense of being, what the 17th Century scientist/ theologian Blaise Pascal described as “The GodShaped Hole.” What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can
help since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself. - Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII(425) And we ask, what is this God that can fill this hole? It indeed cannot be the conception of God that creates bloody lines of religious division throughout human history. It has to be the realization of the unity of all things within which, and as an expression of, we exist. It is the wonder that reveals itself when we look deeply enough and find, as mystics of all cultures have with their various meditative arts, that who we are is, as theologian/philosopher Alan Watts noted: “the Universe peering into itself, from billions of points of view.” We are the consciousness that has a human life, body, and mind to experience existence, and the natural result of this discovery is the profound and sublime wonder. Thus, finally, we reclaim our capacity to hit the mark, to be without error in our experience of this unity. Only this wonder and discovery can fill the hole. We slowly come to realize that who we are IS consciousness, and that like the energy of matter, the energy of consciousness is a fact of the Universe, and that energy of either dimension shares the common property of indestructibility. The form, the vehicle of the energy is impermanent, yet the energy itself is indestructible. We have found and hit the mark. This journey into consciousness, into sublime wonder, fills us and there is no longer a need for coercive morality policing a “sinful” nature for we no longer are in error as to who or what we are. The fear that comes with being unconscious of this truth leaves us. We are each other, and we are the world and the Universe itself. There is no abyss except in our mistaken state of unconsciousness, and there is nothing to fill for we already are everything. We are the dust of stars and the consciousness of life itself journeying as a human being discovering we are, always have been and can never be anywhere but home in the vast Universe of here and now. How sublimely wondrous!
Bill Walz has taught meditation and mindfulness in university and public forums and is a private-practice meditation teacher and guide for individuals in mindfulness, personal growth and consciousness. Information on classes, talks, personal growth and healing instruction, or phone consultations at (828)258-3241, e-mail at healing@billwalz. com Learn more, see past columns, video and audio programs at www.billwalz.com
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 21
HEALTH
Photo by Seyfettin Dincturk
Can you afford to get old? Today 13% of the US population is 65 or older. By 2040 that number will increase to 20%. Does this group include you or someone one whose health care may be your responsibility? Then think about these statistics (longtermcare.gov in 2016):
– 47% of men and 58% of women in this age group will need long-term care. – the average cost for a semiprivate nursing home room is $225/ day or $6,844/mo. (slightly more if it is a private room). – the average cost for an assisted living situation is $119/day or
$3,628/ mo. – a health care aide in the home averages $20/hr. – a senior day care health center averages $68/day. For those who can afford it, longterm care insurance can meet most of these expenses. But only 2.5% of Americans have such coverage. In fact, one in three Americans have no retirement funds at all. Medicare does not pay for longterm care. But Medicaid (which varies by state) does foot the bill for 61% of all nursing home residents (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2017), although getting Medicaid coverage
By Max Hammonds, MD
usually requires the family to spend down the financial assets of the resident to $2,000 before Medicaid begins to pay. Add to this, adult children of a nursing home resident are already paying $7-14,000/year (AARP). Getting old is starting to sound like an expensive proposition – unless you can stay healthy in your retirement years. And how do you do that? By starting early to plan for being healthy in your retirement years. Avoid the apparent chronic illnesses that cause the majority of health problems in retirement years. Healthy lifestyle choices will eliminate – 90% of all heart and stroke problems, 80% of all cancers, 90% of all chronic lung problems,
70% of all arthritic issues, 90% of infectious disease problems. A healthy lifestyle includes: maintain ideal weight, eat a wellbalanced plant-based diet, avoid calorie-dense foods and snack foods, exercise 30 minutes daily, do not smoke, sleep at least 7 hours a night – at least 2-3 of those hours before midnight, get vaccinations and preventive health screenings appropriate for age, establish a supportive social network, modify reactions to stress, and connect to a meaningful spiritual life. The health habits developed over a lifetime will determine your health situation in your retirement years. Plan to play or plan to pay — it’s your decision.
“A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” — Paul Dudley White (1886 – 1973) an American physician and cardiologist taken from www.summertomato.com
22 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
PERFORMING ARTS THIS JANUARY
Comedic live telethon brings awareness to autism By Staff Reports The comic minds behind The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge and The SuperHappy Radio Hour, have partnered with The Magnetic Theatre for an ambitious, 2-day fundraising event. For almost three years, The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge has been keeping audiences in stitches with their monthly, live comedy game show. Its combination of irreverent humor and improvisational leeway makes it as unpredictable as it is hysterical. In the spring of 2017, they launched their second stage project: The SuperHappy Radio Hour. Also, a monthly offering, this scripted radio-style sketch comedy show is recorded for a podcast before a live studio
audience and has brought the best of the best in the Asheville stage talent behind their mics. The SuperHappy Telethon spans eight hours over two nights at Magnetic 375, in the River Arts District. The shows feature the best of The Radio Hour, also segments from The Trivia Challenge, as well as sketch comedy from the SuperHappy team, stand-up comedians, musical acts, and specialty performers. The shows are broken into two, 2 -hour segments each night. No two segments will offer the same material or acts. While this show promises to be a comedically skewed send-up of famous telethons gone by, they take their fundraising and beneficiary
very seriously. Proceeds from the event will go to the not-for-profit organization, Arms Around ASD (armsaroundasd.org), an Asheville based resource center, providing services for people on the Autism spectrum and their families, regardless of age, ability or income. The telethon will not only donate a sizable portion of ticket sales but will also be giving all proceeds from on-site donations, as well as an online donation portal. The First Annual SuperHappy Telethon January 19 and 20, 7:30 – 9:30 pm and 10 – midnight both nights • Magnetic 375 - 375 Depot St. Tickets are $8 - $20
IF YOU GO
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 23
THE POET'S VOICE
By Carol Bjorlie — “The Poet behind the cello”
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White walls, animals, lumbering toward the barn. I look down now. It is all changed, Whatever it was I lost, whatever I wept for Was a wild, gentle thing, the small dark eyes Loving me in secret. It is here. At the touch of my hand, The air fills with delicate creatures From the other world.
In my words: Be attentive. Stretch. Stop. Look. Listen.
And a poem on waiting by Joanne Seltzer
How to live, from The Zen of Creativity by John Daido Loori:
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Ours is a culture of excess. Our personal life doesn’t have to be. We are complete. Let our words be brave. Tell the truth. It is our job as a poet. The December snowfall slowed me. I couldn’t get enough of watching.
POEM WATCHING IN WINTER set yr clock at 3 AM to drive to western Massachusetts
A James Wright poem on Stillness
don’t forget yr field guide, binoculars, chocolate bars
Milkweed While I stood here, in the open, lost in myself, I must have looked a long time Down the corn rows, beyond grass, The small house,
disregard the weather forecast but wear hiking boots, parka
head yr car to Greylock Mountain & park right in the road no one else will face the storm then push yr way into the forest & dig a nest of snow wait . . . sooner or later
24 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. Yehuda Amichai writes in Views From the Loft: “Poetry is discovery. We all want to compress everything into two lines. Poetry should begin when someone says, “I can’t describe it. It’s beyond words.” Amichai continues: “Poetry remains the only langue of the soul we still have. Prayers are poetry. Poetry is the pulse of human beings.” I leave you now, pulsing. Carol
January Book Events at Malaprop’s Monday, January 1 from 12-5 New Years Day Sale! 25% off most items in the store.
introduction to this clever, practical, and customizable way to stay organized and sane in the new year.
Thursday, January 4, 6 pm THE NEW JIM CROW Discussion Group Join bookseller Stephanie JonesByrne for a discussion of Michelle Alexander’s game-changing book in advance of Alexander’s lecture at UNCA on January 18th. Events. UNCA.edu
Wednesday, January 10, 4-5 pm HOWARD HANGER presents LET’S MOVE IN TOGETHER: Enhancing the Joy of Co-Living Howard Hanger, long-time Head of the well-known Hanger Hall and Founder of Jubilee Community Church, is a trailblazer in Communal Living and an authority in dwelling cooperatively; he’s been living successfully with up to 14 different people for a quarter of a century. He knows all the fine points to embrace and all of the pitfalls to avoid.
Sunday, January 7, 3 pm POETRIO Join Malaprop’s for a monthly celebration of poetry featuring three poets. This month, we welcome Ann Herlong-Bodman, Annie Fahy, and Erin Fornoff. Monday, January 8, 6 pm CARY GRAY presents THE SUSTAINABLE ADVENTURES OF LUNO!: The One Who Rode to South America on One Wheel Join Malaprop’s for this unique book by a unicycle riding local author. Determined to prove that anything is possible, Luno embarks on an epic journey to South America — by unicycle! Along the way, Luno learns the value of seeing and taking care of our world and the triumph of overcoming adversities. Illustrated entirely by foot, Luno! tells the story of the limitless human spirit and that anything is possible that you set your mind to. Tuesday, January 9, 6 pm Dot Journaling Workshop with Clara Boza Back by popular demand: Dot Journaling! Dot Journaling, also known as Bullet Journaling® is sweeping the world as a smart, one-place-foreverything approach to journaling, planning, tracking, and note-taking. It’s a system that will help you organize the present, record the past, and plan for the future. Join Malaprop’s for an
Friday, January 12, 6 pm BRYAN ROBINSON presents DAILY WRITING RESILIENCE: 365 Meditations and Inspirations for Writers, in conversation with Sara Gruen Chances are, whether you’re a seasoned author or an aspiring scribe, you’ve grappled with your share of rejection, setbacks, and heartbreak. However, literary agents say the #1 key to writing success is perseverance in the face of disappointment. Robinson provides advice, inspiration, and techniques to help you turn roadblocks into stepping-stones. He will be in conversation with NYT bestselling author Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants). Sunday, January 14, 3 pm MICAH CASH presents DANGEROUS WATERS: A Photo Essay on the Tennessee Valley Authority A photographic investigation into the landscapes and contemporary social impact of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) hydroelectric program. These photographs explore the tenuous balance between scenes designed for hydroelectric generation and public recreation. While these dams have become symbols of
BOOKS
social and economic prosperity, they also remain visual reminders of loss, population removal, and eminent domain. Tuesday, January 16, 6 pm THOMAS PIERCE presents THE AFTERLIVES Jim Byrd died. Technically. For a few minutes. The diagnosis: heart attack at age 30. Revived with no memory of any tunnels, lights, or angels, Jim wonders what — if anything — awaits us on the other side. Funny, fiercely original, and gracefully moving. Wednesday, January 17, 6 pm FRANK THOMPSON presents ASHEVILLE MOVIES VOL 1: The Silent Era Local film historian Frank Thompson will take us into the visual past through the silent films shot in Asheville. Expect to see clips of the films he refers to, and to learn something about Asheville’s history along the way. Thursday, January 18, 6 pm AMIE KAUFMAN and MEAGAN SPOONER present UNEARTHED with Alexandra Duncan Amie Kaufman is coming all the way from Australia to Asheville to be with co-author Meagan Spooner for this event for Unearthed, the first in a new series by the NYT bestselling duo. Scholar Jules Addison and scavenger Amelia Radcliffe join forces to unravel secrets of a long-extinct civilization, only to discover something that could spell the end of the human race. Author Alexandra Duncan (Blight) joins what is sure to be a fun conversation.
JAN. 2018
PARTIAL LISTING
We host numerous Readings & Book clubs, as well as Salons! Visit www.malaprops.com
READINGS & BOOK SIGNINGS
Cary Gray presents The Sustainable Adventures of Luno! 01/08 - 6pm HOWARD HANGER presents LET’S MOVE IN TOGETHER: Enhancing the Joy of CoLiving 01/10 - 4pm Bryan Robinson presents Daily Writing Resilience: 365 Meditations and Inspirations for Writers. In conversation with Sara Gruen 01/12 - 6pm THOMAS PIERCE presents THE AFTERLIVES 01/16 6pm Frank Thompson presents Asheville Movies Vol 1 The Silent Era 01/17 - 6pm Diane Cantor presents When Nighttime Shadows Fall 01/31 - 6pm 55 Haywood St.
(828) 254-6734 • 800-441-9829 Monday-Saturday 9AM to 9PM Sunday 9AM to 7PM
Friday, January 19 at Rainbow Community Center *Ticketed Event PATRISSE CULLORS, co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, presents WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, with Rima Vesely-Flad ‘Events’ continued on pg. 28
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 25
Fun things to this January in Black Mountain By Staff Reports Black Mountain “Goodbye, Christopher Robin.” Donations appreciated.
JANUARY 2018 Craft Making Thursday, January 25, 10 - 11:30 am Lakeview Center for Active Aging, 401 Laurel Circle Drive Black Mountain Free. Materials provided. At Lakeview Center. Presented by Givens Highland Farms
Black Mountain Yarn Black Mountain Yarn – West Knits / Stephen West Saturday, January 27, 10 am - 5 pm Black Mountain Yarn, 203 A West State St Black Mountain Celebrating 8th anniversary! Party starts at 10 am and goes until 5 pm. Drop by the Photo by Aaron Burden meet Stephen, get a signed copy of his new book and lots of other party fun.
Monthly Movie Night Thursday, January 25, 5 - 7 pm Lakeview Center for Active Aging, 401 Laurel Circle Drive
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WWW.TOWNHARDWARE.COM 26 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
MORE ART
‘AmiciMusic’ continued from pg. 17 Quintet, an exciting new addition to the Ashevillearea music scene, comprised of five of the most exceptional woodwind players now living in the region who all recently met while playing with the Brevard Philharmonic Orchestra. The group is comprised of Leonard Lopatin, flute; Andrew Parker, oboe; Steve Loew, clarinet; Will Peebles, bassoon; and Hobart Whitman, french horn. They will perform fun music by Danzi, Ibert, and Arnold, and then pianist/Artistic Director Daniel Weiser will join them for the powerful Sextet for Piano and
Winds by Ludwig Thuille, a neglected Romantic composer who was very close friends with Richard Strauss and who writes with a Brahmslike sonority. “Music from the Underground,” three concerts: Friday, January 5 at 7:30 at First Presbyterian Church in Asheville; Saturday, January 6 at 7 pm at Isis Restaurant in West Asheville, and Sunday, January 7 at 2 pm at White Horse in Black Mountain. IF YOU GO
“The Winds of Winter,” three concerts: Friday, January 12, 7:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Asheville; Saturday, January 13, 7:30 pm at All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore Village, and Sunday, January 14, 2 pm at White Horse in Black Mountain.
For information about all concerts and to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.amicimusic.org and click on the Asheville Concerts link.
‘Trains’ continued from pg. 2 day as it made its way back to paintings” of trains. She uses the Wedge Roanoke. That encounter and Brewery dark beer combined with watersome train photos Charlsen had color to create these little collectible works. of the River Arts District train Her invention of using beer is unique and yards started this popular series. beautiful, giving a vintage glow to the Once she began to go over her works. These paintings include scenes of archives of photos from around the mountain vistas, forests and waterfalls the country, she found she had too. These are keepsake size and fit into a hundreds of train photos with suitcase. Many are purchased for gifts or a Nadine Charlsen “J611 a wellspring of subject matter. souvenir of Asheville. Heading Home” 26x20 Since she has painted old trains “I have found that everyone loves trains! still running, subway trains, regional trains, and These watercolors are just an extension of the fixed trains in museums or those rusted to the industrial and rusty buildings, bridges, boats and tracks. other scenes from run-down infrastructure that To date, Charlsen has painted 27 large forI am drawn to paint. I love the gritty, distressed mat pieces and most recently, five small “beer look I can give to a rather sublime landscape by
Go
Businesses
See Nadine Charlsen’s train watercolors, both finished and in progress, at 310 ART, Riverview Station, 191 Lyman Street in the River Arts District of Asheville. Hours are 12-4 pm Monday-Sunday for January and February. Charlsen teaches experimental watercolor methods at 310 ART. Her first class of the new year is Jan 20. www.310art.com for more information. IF YOU GO
Find Art and you will Find Yourself
— Dennis Ray
Local Support Local
adding light and mood. My train series has recently landed me in the October 2017 American Art Collector, a prestigious national art publication. They contacted me to be a featured artist in their Collector’s Forum Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.”
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Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 27
BOOK EVENTS
‘Events’ continued on pg. 28 Join Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of one of the most important social movements of the 21st century, and Warren Wilson professor Rima Vesely-Flad, author of Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives, and the Struggle for Justice, for an essential conversation for our times. Tickets and information can be found at malaprops. com/event Sunday, January 21, 3 pm WRITERS AT HOME SERIES with TOMMY HAYS Join host Tommy Hays for our monthly reading series featuring work from UNCA’s Great Smokies Writing Program and The Great Smokies Review. Tuesday, January 23, 6 pm JENNIFER McGAHA presents FLAT BROKE WITH TWO GOATS: A Memoir When Jennifer discovered that she and her husband owed back taxes—a lot of back taxes — her world changed. Desperate to save money, they foreclosed on their beloved suburban home and moved their family to a 100-year-old cabin in a NC holler. Soon enough, Jennifer’s life began to more closely resemble her Appalachian ancestors than
her upper-middle-class upbringing. Thursday, January 25, 6 pm DAVID COLLINS presents ACCIDENTAL ACTIVISTS: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for Marriage Equality in Texas Accidental Activists is the profoundly moving story of two men who struggled to achieve the dignity of which Justice Anthony Kennedy spoke in a series of Supreme Court decisions that recognized the “personhood,” the essential humanity, of gays and lesbians. Sunday, January 28, 3 pm Christine and Dennis McClure present WE FOUGHT THE ROAD We Fought the Road is the story of the building of the Alaska-Canada Highway during World War II. More than one-third of the 10,607 builders were black; thought to be incapable of performing on a war front by many of their white commanding officers. ARYELLE JACOBSON presents A IS FOR AWKWARD Written by an A.C. Reynolds High Schooler, the goal of A is for Awkward is to help middle school
28 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
students feel comfortable in their skin, addressing various topics providing advice, encouragement, and resources they can use. Tuesday, January 30, 6 pm ORISON BOOKS Dual Book Launch with Jessie van Eerden & Sam Roxas-Chua Local publisher Orison Books, a literary press focused on the life of the spirit from a broad range of perspectives, presents The Long Weeping: Portrait Essays by Jessie van Eerden and Echolalia in Script: A Collection of Asemic Writing by Sam Roxas-Chua. Wednesday, January 31, 6 pm DIANE CANTOR presents WHEN NIGHTTIME SHADOWS FALL In the early 1970s, Laura Bauer decides to leave college and head 50 miles north of her comfortable Atlanta home to manage a federally funded project aiding pregnant teenagers from the back roads of Appalachia. IF YOU GO
Malaprop’s Bookstore / Cafe malaprops.com • (828) 254-6734 Address: 55 Haywood St, Asheville
CONTINUED
‘Connections’ continued from pg. 9 Go with Masters to explore what’s happening creatively in the mountains of WNC. Having grown up in the region, she’ll gladly take you all around eclectic Asheville, but you can also journey down back roads, to the smaller charming neighboring towns and places with stunning mountain views. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the “who, how and why” of both the craft history and the current
day happenings. You’ll come away with a better understanding of why the Asheville region is a national destination for both makers and those who appreciate art. While hearing about an artist and their process can add to an art experience, a tour to a private studio is inherently different;
it’s an invitation to make a connection – to meet a new friend. With Art Connections, tour participants hear directly from the artist as they describe the decisions that go into making a work of art. Forge a genuine connection with the artist through insight into the inspiration and process. Art Connections Tours enhances your connection to the art scene of Asheville and WNC. See www.arttoursasheville.com for tour packages, studio suggestions, testimonials and contact information. You can also email Sherry for more details: sherry@artconnectionsnc.com.
IF YOU GO
‘Art’ continued from pg. 11 some meaningful and creative curriculum to serve better the painters I had been teaching. I longed to explore the freedom to experiment in this area in my way. I also had some personal growth goals, things that I aspired to learn about more fully and some professional tasks that I wanted to complete. It was frustrating to know I had missed exhibition opportunities not being ready with photos, resumes, and statements in the past, and I put this on the list. I needed to improve my computer skills. My list filled a page at least. I expected these things to take a couple of years and maybe not all would be achieved, but I could make a start. It felt safer once I had written it down, sort of like a shopping list that I could tick off as I went along and not some huge and impossible dream that was beyond my reach. Then I started at the top of the list, and things got into motion. I won’t go into detail about the unfolding of all that followed, but six months later I happened to find this list, this very long list of personal hopes and dreams and was amazed to see I had done nearly all of it.
Studio – check New Business – check Professional materials prepared – check Computer skills – Learned! The next years were composed of hard work, constant activity, and more lists. When I rediscovered that original list, I realized how powerful the first step, writing it down, was in putting things into motion. I continued to make short lists and simple sketches, sometimes weekly, sometimes less frequently. Still, every time it served to focus my energies and decrease my fear of failure. The act of writing permitted me to forge ahead optimistically with the belief that things would work out for the best! I had seen this happen when I found my perfect studio almost immediately. (Now 310 ART in the River Arts District) I have shared this story of my list to anyone who will listen, encouraging others to make that first commitment toward reaching for their dreams. I was 54 years old when I made this lifealtering list, so I know well that it is never too late. I am sometimes surprised something as simple as writing a list is such a big step. If you want
to try this and feel some trepidation, perhaps inserting one weekly goal into your grocery list might be a sly way of tricking yourself and overcoming some self-doubt. Today I am 67-years-old. The one-room studio is now an ample space with workspaces for five resident artists, a thriving fine art school for adults with 12 teaching artists and a contemporary gallery featuring the work of 20 artists. So much has happened in the past 12 years, and it all started with that one-page list and a few sketches. Writing it down was a small little pebble on a broad road toward freedom to live life in the present. It is not all perfect of course, but keeping hope by writing my wishes just seemed to make serendipity happen. Fleta Monaghan is the Founder and Director of 310 ART, a fine art school for adults and a thriving contemporary gallery in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC. At Riverview Station, 191 Lyman Street, #310. Winter hours M-Sat, 12-4 and by appointment. 310art. com IF YOU GO
Vol. 21, No.5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018 29
RAPID RIVER MAGAZINE'S COMICS
FAMILY
www.brotherrock.net
Ratchet and Spin
By Jess and Russ Woods
In this new year, consider making an equally new route: resolve to foster.
An alternative approach to preserving WNC culture By Claire Hopple Western North Carolina’s exceedingly diverse, vibrant culture Corgi Tales
By Phil Hawkins
makes itself known to us in numerous ways.
If our plethora of bumper stickers don’t tell the story, our community involvement will. While the entirety of Asheville culture could barely fit into a stack of tomes, there are a handful of words that come to mind to By Michael Cole Dragon help describe it more succinctly. Local. Sustainable. Holistic. Adventurous. Diverse. Hospitable. Intentional. Healthy. We live these words out every day in various settings, and it’s inspiring to those who get the privilege of witnessing it. From starting recycling initiatives to taking home shelter animals to patronizing small businesses in our area, WNC knows how to get involved. That said, there are alternatives to the standard spheres of involvement that often go overlooked. In particular, foster care. With 377 foster care children in Buncombe County alone and 173 of those 30 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018
children being placed outside of our county due to an insufficient number of foster homes, the numbers have a narrative all their own. Preserving our unique Asheville culture takes many forms. In this new year, consider making an equally new route: resolve to foster. Not only will you be serving our local children, but you’ll also be passing along our popular culture to future generations. Teaching kids how to protect the environment, care for animals, grow their food, go trail running for the first time, or engage in activities that celebrate their cultural background are just a few ideas. As you consider foster care, save the date for a local agency’s info night. On January 16, 6 pm, The Bair Foundation hosts an orientation for those who want to learn more. Get your questions answered and start preserving our culture on a whole other level. Claire Hopple (828) 350-5197 or chopple@bair.org to reserve your spot. IF YOU GO
YOUNG ADULTS
‘Gunslinger Girl’ provides rip-roaring action for By Staff Reports ages 14 and up Do you want to be in at the beginning for the next hot young adult author?
Spellbound Children’s Bookshop, Asheville’s locally owned independent bookstore for kids and teens, hosts Lyndsay Ely for her debut novel, Gunslinger Girl, on Saturday, January 20, 6 – 7 pm. The event is free to attend, with ample free parking. Picture Katniss Everdeen crossed with Annie Oakley — that’s Serendipity ‘Pity’ Jones. She’s the heroine the new West needs, in an imagined future. The US has been fractured by a Second Civil War. Pity Jones finds a home of sorts in the corrupt, lawless city of Cessation. Her shooting skills make her a star of the Theater Vespertine, but there’s a grim side to the Theater that Pity’s about to discover. Gunslinger Girl provides rip-roaring action for ages 14 and up. This book signing is a free event for all ages. Ely will also be doing a reading and taking questions. Gunslinger Girl will be published January 2
under the Jimmy Patterson imprint at Hachette Books, with a Foreword written by James Patterson. Fellow YA author Natalie C. Anderson calls Gunslinger Girl “An unputdownable firecracker of a debut. Readers will be left hungry for more!” “Debut author Ely brings to life a gritty future American West... a little Into the Badlands, a little Firefly, a whole lot to say about how right and wrong so often borrow from each other.”― Kirkus Reviews. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lyndsay Ely (pronounced “eel-ee”, as in those eels are looking very eel-y today) is a writer who currently calls Boston home. She works as a designer of marketing campaigns for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She founded and organized B-Spec, a speculative fiction writing group. She is a geek, a foodie, a feminist, and has never met an antique shop she didn’t like. Her favorite color is crimson, and her favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo. Gunslinger Girl is her debut novel. Event details: www.spellboundbookshop.com IF YOU GO
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32 Vol. 21, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2018