Dahlia Festival Program

15th Annual

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Dazzling Dahlia Festival Program

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Exhibition Acknowledgments The fall reception recognizes the artists, curators, and collaborators whose work has shaped our fall exhibitions.

Community Call: History of Highlands A visual exploration of Highlands’ cultural identity, interpreted through the work of local and regional artists.

Chatov: A Retrospective of Works by Roman, Constantin, and Marc Chatov This exhibition celebrates the remarkable 125-year legacy of the Chatov family, whose profound contributions to fine art span multiple generations.

Forms of Inspiration: Ceramic Artists of The Bascom Clay Symposium Featuring contemporary ceramic works by Natasha Dikareva, TJ Erdahl, and Kirsten Stingle, artists of this year’s Bascom Clay Symposium.

Itinerary of Dahlia Festival Events Celebrate the beauty of the Plateau’s favorite bloom with a full weekend of events and exhibitions.

Fall Reception September 4th | 5 pm Petals and Perspectives Floral design showcase September 5th | 10 am - 5 pm September 6th | 10 am - 4 pm Studio Member Pottery Show September 5th - 6th | 10 am - 4 pm Single Bloom Competition September 5th | 3:30 - 5 pm September 6th | 10 am - 4 pm The Dahlia Dialogue with Drew English September 6th | 11 am

Special Recognitions In conjunction with the Dazzling Dahlia Festival, we recognize Shannon Woodford, winner of the 2025 Dahlia Poster Contest.

The Bascom extends heartfelt thanks to the Dazzling Dahlia Festival Committee. Their dedication and enthusiasm made this celebration of the Plateau’s favorite bloom possible.

Committee Members: Kim Daugherty, Lisa Dailey, Peggy Boruchow Arnette, and Kirk Moore

We also celebrate the accomplishments of the inaugural cohort of The Bascom’s Emerging Designer Program, recognizing the contributions of Parks Felton, lead designer for the 2025 Dahlia Festival materials, and Seth Baker, who designed the exhibition materials for Chatov: A Retrospective.

Petals & Perspective Participants Our community partners and floral designers have joined together to create imaginative arrangements inspired by art and nature.

Cohabitate

Mountain Garden Club

Designers: Sonya Carpenter and Ester Gooch

Designers: Donna Rymer and Paula Walsh

Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau

Art League of Highlands-Cashiers

Designer: Debbie Delany

Designer: Teresa Hocevar

Laurel Garden Club

Design Nouveau

Designer: Lisa Dailey

Designer: Aaron Ganey

The English Gardener

The Growing Studio

Designer: Drew English

Designer: Christy Curcuru

Center for Life Enrichment

The Literacy and Learning Center

Designers: Becky Baker, Nancy Nichols, Susan Perkins, Mark Halcrow, Greg Morrow, Daniel Bangs, and Susan Dumont

Designers: Alison Moran and Kitty Bosio Wildcat Cliffs Garden Club

Highlands PAC Designers: Christy Curcuru, Rachel Lewicki, and Charlotte Muir

Dahlia Dialogue with Drew English

Join renowned gardener and dahlia expert Drew English for an engaging educational talk, The Dahlia Dialogue, Saturday, September 6th at 11 am. Drew will guide participants through the fascinating history of dahlias, with special emphasis on their enduring legacy on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.

This interactive session promises an expanded Q&A, embracing the conversational spirit implied in its name.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own dahlia specimens for personalized diagnostics and expert growing tips.

Exhibition Sponsors We are deeply grateful to the following sponsors for their generous support of The Bascom’s exhibitions.

Ashcourt Family Foundation Baton Rouge Area FoundationThe Alma Lee, Norman and Cary Saurage Fund Debi and David Bock Marty and Dan Boone Virginia and Mike Campbell Hillary Cone Claire and Alex Crumbley Crumbley Family Fund Dan and Merrie Boone Foundation Margaret and Dallas Denny Lynn DeVault and Glo Ghegan Martha and Michael Dupuis Ruthie and Berryman Edwards Beverly Ellars Sue Emanuelson, Murphy Townsend, and Gregor Turk Cathy and Bob Fisher Marylon Glass Nancy and Charles Harrison Kendra and Rick Hildbold Jo and Jack Hill Kathleen and Christopher Hohlstein Gail Coutcher Hughes and Tim Hughes

Jane Jerry Elizabeth and Bill Jump Ann Klamon Klamon Family Foundation Dianne and Myron Mall Marianne and Mark Mahaffey Heath Massey and John Mitchener Anita and Larry Maxwell Diane and Ray McPhail Melissa and William Meyers Carol Misner and Ann Huckstep Charlene and Tony Palmisano Kathy and Tony Prosser Nancy and Kevin Race Cary Saurage Marie Sharpe Anneli and Robert Thiebaut Mary Thompson Elizabeth and Wright Turner Marcia and Charlie Weber Vance and Willis Willey Leonard and Carla Wood Woodcrest Foundation Ann Wrobleski

The Dahlia Festival Program was produced through The Bascom’s Emerging Designer Program. Parks Felton, a design student at Western Carolina University and one of The Bascom’s 2025 Emerging Designers, led the design of this publication as part of a mentored internship focused on arts communications and visual storytelling.

323 Franklin Road Highlands, NC 28741 TheBascom.org