CCCD exhibition highlights international designer-maker movement in WNC

Opening Reception: September 4, 6 -9 PM

Made in WNC examines the designer-maker movement through a regionally specific lens, considering how particular histories, geography, economics, technology, and education inform an international movement on a local level. Understanding the context for production, such as Western North Carolina’s legacy of the Craft Revival, the industrialization of the New South, and skill shortages caused by deindustrialization, begins to explain how this movement takes on specific, local distinctions.

The twenty-four textile, ceramic, and furniture studios and four artists included in this show are establishing hybrid forms of creative practice by redefining how craft, design, and production relate. Like most designer-makers, these studios produce on a small-batch or limited-run scale of production and combine craft-based practice with new technology. Their products are advertised to a design-focused consumer and are sold through a range of marketplaces, from niche, direct-to-customer sales to wholesale orders for large, international brands.

In addition to displaying work created by local designer-makers, this exhibition showcases a series of rotating installations commissioned from the North Carolina–based artists Libby O’Bryan, Daniel Johnston, Nava Lubelski, and Tom Shields.  Like the studios, each artist has a unique and intimate connection to local industry. These installations provide critical context for understanding the themes of the exhibition and the connection between craft and industry more broadly. Taken together, this exhibition asks the viewer to reevaluate the relationship between the history of craft and industry in this region and reimagine what it could look like in the future. 

Participating studios:
Appalatch (Weaverville, NC), Blue Ridge Chair Works (Asheville, NC), Bow + Arrow (Asheville, NC), Cause and Effect (Asheville, NC), The Circle A Brand Mfg. Co. (Asheville, NC), Claire Minihan Woodworks (Asheville, NC), East Fork Pottery (Marshall, NC), Element Clay Studio (Asheville, NC), FEHLŌ (Asheville, NC), Hudson’s Hill (Greensboro, NC), Iron & Ash (Asheville, NC), Lightheart Gear (Arden, NC), A Little Weather (Leicester, NC), Melissa Weiss Pottery (Asheville, NC), Mudtools (Bat Cave, NC), New Colony Furniture (Bakersville, NC), Nick Moen (Asheville, NC), The Old Wood Co. (Asheville, NC), OUTRA (Asheville, NC), Overlap Sewing Studio (Asheville, NC), Raleigh Denim Workshop (Raleigh, NC), Shelter Collective (Asheville, NC), Sketchbook Crafts (Marshall, NC), TSUGA (Boone, NC).

North Carolina Stage Company announces 2015-16 season

The new season begins at the end of a cross-country cycling trip in 4000 Miles (Oct. 7- Oct. 25, 2015) when a young man appears on the stoop of his grandmother’s flat. These unlikely roommates find they have more in common than they thought in this warm and humorous play. 

Next up, can Someone Else (Nov. 4 – Nov. 29, 2015) help you answer life’s big questions? Family-man Dave finds himself with a Ukrainian escort while searching for answers to life, marriage, and responsibilities in this world-premiere production. 

The holiday season brings about All Is Calm (Dec. 9-Dec. 27, 2015), a dramatic re-telling of the poignant moment in history when Allied and German soldiers laid down their arms to celebrate the holiday together. NC Stage is pleased to partner with Cantaria, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Asheville, for this production. 

After that, Charlie Flynn-McIver and Scott Treadway join forces once more in Jeeves Intervenes (Jan. 27 - Feb. 21, 2016), complete with high-society playboys, an ever-faithful manservant, and a tall order of deception and disguise, from the stories of P.G. Wodehouse. 

Spring will bring Edward Albee’s first full-length play, which changed American drama forever, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? (April 6- May 1, 2016). This production is presented by Immediate Theatre Project, NC Stage’s Partner Company in Residence. 

Finally the season ends with a single Manhattan mother who has found herself back home in Texas with a teenage daughter, several hundred pairs of shoes, and cash linked to the Romanian mob in Bad Dates (May 11- June 5, 2015).

Producing Director and Co-Founder Angie Flynn-McIver states, "I'm excited about the whole line-up. Charlie and I put the season together so that there's something for everyone, but it also takes the devoted audience member, the folks who see everything, on a journey. You'll be different at the end of the season!"

Subscribe and save! NC Stage offers several subscription packages for the new season, including Mainstage, Super Pass, and even a membership with a monthly charge for unlimited professional theatre! 

North Carolina Stage Company is Asheville’s only professional theatre celebrating its 14th year producing plays for the Asheville community. Founded by Charlie and Angie Flynn-McIver, the theatre has been voted the best in local theatre nine times in last ten years by the Mountain Xpress Best of WNC Poll. 

Subscriptions and tickets are available by calling 828-239-0263 or visiting our website online at www.ncstage.org.

Diana Wortham Theatre announces 2015-16 matinee series for schools, students and families

Diana Wortham Theatre’s Matinee Series provides professional, curriculum-related shows at affordable costs, each season providing 10,000 children the opportunity to experience the theatre, works by professional dance companies, world-class puppetry, and the musical talents of renowned performers. The series is extremely popular with children, families, and teachers throughout Western North Carolina.

Reservations for all performances in Diana Wortham Theatre's 2015/2016 Matinee Series are being taken now. Call 828-257-4530 for individual and group sales, or groups may e-mail groupsales@dwtheatre.com if you have any questions. Please note that all group reservations for the 2015/2016 Matinee Series will require a deposit. The Y.E.S. (Youth Education Scholarship) Fund provides need-based scholarships to cover the cost of admission for students and schools. Matinee Series order forms and Y.E.S. Fund applications can be accessed at www.dwtheatre.com/matinee-series.

2015/2016 Matinee Series:

Skippyjon Jones: Snow What, Theatreworks USA – Tuesday, October 12, 2015, 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.; Wednesday, October 13, 2015, 10:00 a.m.

Based on the book by Judy Schachner, Skippyjon Jones (the Siamese cat who thinks he’s a Mexican Chihuahua) heads off to his closet for the real adventure of Snow White with the help of the Seven Chimichangos.

Hamlet, Warehouse Theatre – Wednesday & Thursday, October 28 & 29, 2015, 9:30 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

Follow the thrilling tale of the prince of Denmark in one of Shakespeare’s most well known quests for identity, love and justice.

The Lightning Thief, Theatreworks USA – Thursday & Friday, November 12 & 13, 2015, 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

Experience the adventures of Percy Jackson in this hour-long musical adapted from the book by Rick Riordan.

MOMIX Botanica – Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 10:00 a.m.

Dance, light, and motion make MOMIX’s Botanica an astonishing performance of athleticism and multimedia art.

Koresh Dance Company – Friday, January 22, 2016, 10:00 a.m.

The roots of human interaction are uncovered in this earthy show with intense and intricately beautiful choreography by Koresh Dance Company.

Aquila Theatre Company in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – Monday, February 8, 2016, 10:00 a.m.

Guided by Shakespeare’s famous prose, the timeless story of forbidden love and warring families is brought to life in a full-length production by the talents of the Aquila Theatre.

MUMMUNSCHANZ: The Musicians of Silence – Thursday, February 11, 2016, 10:00 a.m.

Oversized props and whimsical innovation take the stage without a sound in this wonderfully entertaining display of shadow, light, and sculptural masks.

YAMATO The Drummers of Japan – Friday, February 19, 2016, 10:00 a.m.

Yamato brings a brand new show to the Mainstage: “Bakuon” – Legend of the Heartbeat, complete with its trademark taiko drumming, infectious enthusiasm, and jaw-dropping skill.

The Cashore Marionettes, Simple Gifts, Friday, March 4, 2016, 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

The mesmerizing work of Joseph Cashore and his marionettes walk through the many phases of life to stunning works by Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss and Copland.

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School, Theatreworks USA – Thursday & Friday, April 14 & 15, 2016, 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

Junie B. Jones lays down the ultimate tips to surviving school (and gets into a bit of trouble too!) in this production by Theatreworks, USA.

Henry and Mudge, Theatreworks USA – Wednesday & Thursday, May 4 & 5, 2016, 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

Follow the adventures of Henry and Mudge as they navigate new neighborhoods and the fun of being a pet owner, based on the best-selling book series by Cynthia Rylant.

The entrance for the Diana Wortham Theatre is marked by the location of the theatre’s marquee between 12 and 14 Biltmore Avenue. Patrons enter the theatre through the breezeway between Marble Slab Creamery and White Duck Taco, and into a large interior courtyard with multiple glass doors which lead to the theatre’s lower lobby and box office. The intimate theatre seats just over 500 and boasts exceptional acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space in Western North Carolina. The Mainstage Series is supported by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency. The Mainstage Series 2015/2016 Season Sponsors are the Asheville Scene, Blue Moon Water, Creative Energy, 67 Biltmore Downtown Eatery & Catering, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. To obtain more information on the Mainstage Series or to purchase tickets, call the theatre’s box office at (828) 257-4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com

TSAChoice announces electronic technician Bob Romano celebrates 20 years

Technology integrator TSAChoice, Inc., with offices in Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC, is proud to announce that bench service technician Bob Romano celebrates his 20^th year with TSAChoice in 2015.

As a bench service technician, Romano is a tech who repairs everything from basic computer monitors and printers to large video walls and plotters. He is one of the few people in Asheville with the expertise to repair this type of equipment. 

The most interesting job Romano says he has taken on during his career was the repair of a laser drill used to burn holes through diamonds. He recently successfully fixed a coin operated football video game, and also repaired a video “sky” that was created out of the old tube-style televisions for conceptual visual artist Mel Chin’s project, Degrees of Paradise. 

TSAChoice uses an apparatus, custom designed by Romano, to complete wireless surveys for larger applications and buildings, such as manufacturing facilities, with high ceilings.