Dazzling Dahlia Festival Program
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
Designers: Sonya Carpenter and Ester Gooch
Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau
Designer: Debbie Delany
Laurel Garden Club
Designer: Lisa Dailey
The
English Gardener
Designer: Drew English
Center for Life Enrichment
Designers: Becky Baker, Nancy Nichols, Susan Perkins, Mark Halcrow, Greg Morrow, Daniel Bangs, and Susan Dumont
Mountain Garden Club
Designers: Donna Rymer and Paula Walsh
Art League of Highlands-Cashiers
Designer: Teresa Hocevar
Design Nouveau
Designer: Aaron Ganey
The Growing Studio
Designer: Christy Curcuru
The Literacy and Learning Center
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 Foundation-
The 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.