“It’s like the soup kettle — always hot, always happening.” That’s the take of one Black Mountain College alumnus — poet, photographer and publisher Jonathan Williams — on his days at the defiantly experimental liberal-arts college that once thrived in WNC. BMC opened in the 1930s at Black Mountain’s Blue Ridge Assembly; in the ’40s, … Read more
Early into the North Carolina Stage Company’s production of Proof, a widowed mathematician-genius enjoying a break from crippling dementia tries to assure his daughter that she won’t share his sad fate. Robert (Kermit Brown) proposes that even though Catherine (Anne Thibault) may have inherited his leanings toward numerical brilliance, she’s shielded herself from any hereditary … Read more
If the staid conservatism of the downtown-gallery scene has lost its appeal, then gobble up some River District-style Homeland Barbeque — one of the liveliest, most-provocative art shows to be served up in Western North Carolina in some time. The exhibit was organized by Lauren Gibbes, a 24-year-old painter blessed with a social conscience — … Read more
Asheville Film Commission Chair Leni Sitnick was fuzzy on The Asheville Film Festival’s theme at the opening-night press conference on Nov. 6; either it was “Celebrating the Spirit of Human Potential” or “Celebrating the Potential of the Human Spirit” — the former mayor mentioned both. Regardless, it may have been an awkward fit with the … Read more
Feeling every inch the stowaway, as I always do at events like the Grove Park Inn’s Nov. 6 gala opening for the first Asheville Film Festival, I’d hardly processed the concept before I found myself — as a film-festival judge — being interviewed by WLOS TV’s John Le. And before I could fully process that, … Read more
In memoriam Westville Pub music booker Gerry Livers will be honored by the venue with a memorial show on Sunday, Nov. 23, from 6-8 p.m.; Gerry passed away unexpectedly last month. His singer/songwriter friends will play songs the local-music advocate loved, and Westville’s stage will be officially dedicated to him. 225-9782. Of note A debut, … Read more
“I think we chimed the bells, playing patriotic songs.” City Manager Jim Westbrook, explaining how the city commemorated Veterans Day The Asheville City Council’s Nov. 11 formal session proved to be a brief affair, clocking in at less than an hour. That seemed appropriate, considering that it was a federal holiday. But despite Council’s efforts … Read more
What price violence? Despite the brilliant sunshine on Oct. 30, the mood at Pritchard Park could not have been more somber. About 30 people — including a half-dozen law-enforcement officers — gathered for the first Domestic Violence Victim Memorial Walk in memory of those who’ve died over the past 10 years due to family violence. … Read more
GPI forum: Everyone is invited There is a tremendous amount of opposition to the Asheville City Council selling our public parkland to private developers; however, a lot of people are discouraged by the politics, and think that this is already a done deal. That is exactly what they want us to think so we will … Read more
