The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design hosts Torqued & Twisted, an exhibition exploring the work of nine furniture makers and sculptors who use the technique of bending wood in innovative, unusual and eloquent ways.  Feb. 10 – June 29, 2012

Wood bending is typically accomplished through one of three approaches—steaming, laminating or greenwood bending. Steaming requires the application of heat and moisture to allow the wood fibers to bend and slide against each other. The bent part is clamped to a form and allowed to cool and dry into a new configuration. Laminating involves using layers of wood cut thin enough to become flexible. The flexible strips are clamped against a form with adhesive between each layer, until the adhesive cures, locking the laminations into the new configuration. Greenwood bending uses freshly cut smaller diameter saplings, often willow, which are inherently flexible due to the high moisture content in the freshly cut wood.

Bentwood came to symbolize the modern movement in furniture design, but it still offers a tempting territory for a range of aesthetic and formal explorations. The artists/designers in this exhibition push the limits of wood bending to create extraordinary functional and sculptural works of art that are conceptually challenging and expand our understanding and expectations of wood as a material.

Stephanie Morgan from Asheville-based band stephanies id wants to “Turn off her cell phone” on a greenway

Imagine: bike from Asheville to Black Mountain, run from Woodfin to the River Arts District, okay?  Awesome.

You can make this happen.  I can make this happen.  Your business, your family, your friends can make this happen, simply by publicly saying that you want it.

Connect Buncombe is the greenway outreach arm of Buncombe County.  Right now, a county-wide greenway plan is being updated with public input.  This summer, the Buncombe County Commissioners will vote on whether or not to put the plan into action to Connect Buncombe with greenways.

In the meantime: we need to show our elected officials that we want it.  Here are a few ways to get involved:

SAY CHEESE: Take a Greenways, Please! photo and upload it to Facebook profile or just to Connect Buncombe.  (here’s an idea: Take one with your colleagues and use it to promote your business!)  This is the easiest way to show your support.

COLLECT FEEDBACK: Tell Connect Buncombe you’ll put out a feedback box at your business to gather public feedback

PARTNER: Build a mutually beneficial and custom partnership to show that your business or non-profit wants greenways!

Other ideas about making greenways happen?  Get in touch!

Benefits of Greenways

Sean’s daughter Talula attends Isaac Dickson Elementary School. She is immersed in “content [that] is connected to the community and to larger issues in the community and the world.”  Sean leads by example, as a community-minded business owner, he is the lead sponsor of the event each year.  Through this sponsorship Sean hopes to not only support the school, but to invest financially in the upcoming young citizens of our community and the world.

“My wife and I chose Isaac Dixon Elementary School for our oldest daughter because of their strong commitment to service-learning projects, for teaching children the value of community and for showing them how to be citizens of the world” says Sean Perry.

An avid cyclist and mountain biker, Sean also believes in health with a healthy dose of competition.  On January 21^st hundreds of people will come together to race in the annual fundraiser to benefit the nonprofit Isaac Dickson, The Hot Chocolate 10k and Kids Hill Climb. Sean and Talula will participate in the Kids Hill Climb, a kid-friendly event and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate

The race funds raised will be used to: enable all children to participate in field trips, help to pay for bus drivers for field trips, support cultural arts and artists-in-residence program, provide classroom support funds for teachers, support teacher appreciation events, provide food, clothing, school supplies, and other emergency support to families of the school, and improve school facilities, including special projects like the flower beds, school sign and the Seth Olson K-2 playground.

LEAF: CALL FOR ARTISTS!

The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) is calling all handcraft artists to apply for our 2012 Festivals!

55 exhibitors/festival will be chosen by jury, open to all media.
Booth Fee: $360

Spring Festival Dates – May 10-13
Fall Festival Dates – Oct 18-21

LEAF is an award-winning non-profit Music and Arts Festival located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.
ATTENDANCE: 6,500/day.

APPLICATION DEADLINE for SPRING: January 30th
APPLICATION DEADLINE for FALL: June 15th

Visit them online for our Juried Fair Exhibitor Prospectus and to apply:
http://theleaf.org/index.php/thefestival/arts/handcrafts-a-folk-arts

Email for more info: Margaret@theLEAF.org

This year I’ll practice saying “I do.”  I’ve gotten pretty good at saying no, and I’m realizing that some of those “I don’ts” are based on fear when I get down to the bottom of them.  They are based on fear of failure.

In addition to actually saying “I do” in October 2012 to my sweet man (who knows how to push me when I’m saying “I don’t” even when I stubbornly push back), I’ll say “I do” to trusting myself this year.  I’ll say “I do” to opportunities.  I’ll say “I do” to being well.  I’ll say “I do” to myself.  I’ll say “I do” to my family.  I’ll say “I do” to my love.  I’ll say “I do” to love.  I’ll say “I do” to gratitude.

Happy 2012 friends!  Ooo-Shoo-Be-Do-Be!!!  :)

Bids for Kids is worth putting on the calendar: 5:30-7:30 on Dec. 14.  It’s free to attend and has a live and silent auction, as well as wine and appetizers.  This is the first annual Bids for Kids and supports five regional child-based nonprofits. 

WHAT: First annual Bids for Kids auction all proceeds going to 5 area child-based non-profits:

Mountain Area Child and Family Center, Helpmate, Caring For Children, Elida Homes, Inc., and Children First

WHEN: Wed. Dec 14 5:30-7:30, free to attend with Wine & Holiday Hors D’oeuvres

WHO and WHERE: Asheville Area Auctioneers is hosting this event at Brunk Auctions Gallery

AUCTION ITEMS: There are some really awesome and unique items from local businesses in the live and silent auction, such as:

Restaurant gift certificates, vacation get aways and events (Lake House Retreat, Britton Family Lodge, private concerts with local musicians), Chop Shop is offering butchering lessons, Town Mountain Garden Party, an afternoon of bee keeping with Laurey Masterton, a live Christmas tree, jewelry, original artwork…I mean honestly, the list is awesome.  I can’t wait to go and I’ve been to a lot of auctions!  And, I really believe in these non-profits!

Asheville Glass Center Hosts CNN for a Glassblowing Workshop

CNN Spent Time at Asheville Glass Center

Hot off a llama trekking expedition in Tennessee (they said the llamas were very sweet), CNN’s HLN network crew stopped in to Asheville Glass Center in the Asheville River Arts District to film a segment about glassblowing workshops and hands-on arts workshops in Asheville on Friday, December 2, 2011.

Alex Greenwood, glass artist and teaching artist at Asheville Glassworks, spent about 2 hours guiding HLN network reporter Joe Carter through the process of making a glass.  Logan MacSporran, glass artist and teaching artist at Asheville Glassworks, guided Carter through the process of flame working by making a glass icicle as well.  The segment will air on HLN in mid-January.  Here’s a sneak video peak!

In addition to a gallery retail space with locally made gifts for all budgets, Asheville Glass Center provides hands-on glassblowing workshops for visitors and locals are a specialty at Asheville Glass Studio and start at $50.  They offer gift certificates as well. Sign up for a workshop!

Stop in or call for information: (828) 505-7110 or Roberts Street Studios–140C Roberts Street, Asheville, NC 28801.

Natural food retailer Earth Fare donated more than 70 free-range turkeys to families in need at Mountain Area Child and Family Center today for the holiday season.  MACFC provides high quality child care and education, serving children ages 0-5 and their families.  MACFC is a blended community, including families with diverse income levels, backgrounds and needs.  They are an Early Head Start provider for Buncombe County, annually serving about 150 families who live at or below the poverty line.

This weekend, self-described “global Americana” band The Billy Sea heads into The Altamont Theatre to play a show and record their new album.  The performance is on Friday, November 18th, the second night of recording, and will also be video taped as part of the studio experience.  With an all-star lineup of musicians, the Asheville band has come out of the starting gate strong, with summer performances at Bele Chere and LEAF this fall, this is a group not to miss.

About the Billy Sea: “Founded by slide guitar revolutionary Billy Cardine, the sound is firmly planted in American roots music, but also pulls influence from all corners of the world. Cardine, a classically trained pianist in his youth, eventually fell in love with the sound of the slide guitar and plays Dobro, Chaturangui, Weissenborn and Electric Steel guitars. River Guerguerian commands a wide range of musical styles on his unique blend of percussion instruments, combining elements and experience from all over the world, and resulting in a powerful rhythmic perspective that is both familiar and otherworldly. Bassist Jake Wolf adds his intricate and original mix of musical elements, as a powerful melodic voice and a driving rhythmic force on the 6 string bass.”

Show info:

November 18, 2011

8:00 pm

Altamont Theatre

18 Church Street, Asheville

Tickets

As a double Penn State University graduate, it’s been heart wrenching, on many levels, to watch the recent child abuse and resulting cover-up unfold.  Joe Paterno has been an icon, an idol, a mentor, a humble supporter of students and education, a man of integrity, a true, honest hero for millions of Penn Staters.  We always thought he’d die on the field.

The university did the right thing tonight in firing President Spainer and Coach Paterno effective immediately. [read the piece of grand jury testimony that validates Paterno's firing here, scroll to italicized section] If this can happen at a university such as Penn State, it’s time we become more aware of what’s happening in our own communities, neighborhoods, back yards, perhaps our own homes, and how keeping silent can be deadly.

On October 19, 2011, a 4 year-old boy who lived a few blocks from my own house was killed by blunt force trauma severe enough to cause brain hemmorrhaging.   More on this story here.  Reports show that people were aware of the abuse before he was murdered.  The child’s abuser and alleged killer, Michael Antonio Dixon Jr., had past assault convictions and had served time in jail for those convictions.

So what can I do?  Pay attention.  Educate myself.  Be willing to speak up, if needed.

Here’s what I learned tonight in just an hour on the phone with my mom (a veteran early childhood advocate in my hometown) and researching online.

Local Resource: WNC Child Abuse Prevention Services, Inc.

According to the WNC Child Abuse Prevention Services, there were more than 5 million reports of child abuse and neglect in the United States last year, more than 100,000 in North Carolina, and about 4,000 in Buncombe County. One in five children are abused, half are under age 6 and four children will die every day from abuse or neglect.

WNC CAPS provides some signs and symptoms of abuse and reminds us that  it is NOT necessary to witness abuse or neglect to make a report.  WNC CAPS website also states that under North Carolina law, everyone is a Mandated Reporter.  Mandated Reporters are individuals who are required to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child.  Reports can be made anonymously.

To Make A Report in Buncombe County, Call Buncombe County DSS at 828.250.5900 or contact Child Abuse Prevention Services at any time with questions or concerns.

Research: Animal Abuse and Child Abuse Link [neighbors, listen up!]

Did you know that someone who abuses animals is 5 times more likely to commit violent crimes against people?  So, if you live next door to someone who abuses his or her dog or cat and they have children in the home, pay attention.

According to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.

What do you know?  What other resources do we have to keep our children safe in our communities?  Please provide more input and add to the conversation.

Read the full Grand Jury Testimony from Penn State.