What’s in a name?

“I'm scared sometimes,” says local activist Basil Soper, an A-B Tech student who, more than a year ago, began challenging the school’s requirement that students use their legal name in email, online courses, public forums and learning platforms like Moodle. “I was outed on Moodle, but my physical [appearance] didn't match [the name displayed].” For […]

Time capsule collection­: Asheville Affiliates bring back ’60s fashion

The Product of the ’60s Fashion Show features local stylists and clothing purveyors, including designers Charles Josef, Kristina Benshoff, Simone Berhardt, Aurora Moulin, Rhetorical Factory and Danielle Miller of Royal Peasantry, as well Hip Replacements, Honeypot and The Costume Shoppe. The event takes place on Friday, Feb. 28 at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel.

Arts in medicine summit

Launched by Caty Carlin and Connie Schrader of the Asheville Center for Arts and Medicine, the Asheville Arts in Medicine Summit is open to artists, healthcare providers and anyone interested in exploring the transformative power of art. The three-day conference takes place Thursday through Saturday, March 6-8, at the Laurel Forum and Karpen Hall at […]

Smart Bets: Karen Russell

Vampires in the Lemon Grove is not your average collection of short stories. From the title tale, about a pair of immortal beings who quench their thirsts with fresh fruit, the book establishes itself as wonderfully weird. While not all of the eight stories are quite as engaging as that of the vampires (or the […]

Pairing Elements

Art and craft. They share similar audiences, but split crowds when it comes to applying those definitions to the work itself. It’s a dialogue that’s most often played out in studios, galleries and museums and in the occasional after-hours argument at bars or breweries. (Certainly this is the case at the Wedge.) But what if […]

Conversati­ons

On Feb. 15, roughly 5,000 gallons of fuel oil spilled in West Asheville, much of it flowing into Hominy Creek and the French Broad River. The source was an above-ground tank owned by Harrison Construction, which could face fines from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection […]

Eyes on the prize

I hope that I am not alone in my supreme discomfort at the casual discussions our City Council is having regarding placing a larger surveillance network of cameras in downtown. Is this a surveillance network that we will hand operation over to the police, whose department is mired in malfeasance and investigation? Draconian broad surveillance […]

Smart Bets: Squirm Burpee Circus

The Squirm Burpee Circus is a cartoony, over-the-top “vaudevillian melodrama” complete with slapstick comedy, daredevil juggling and a host by the name of Baron Vegan von Hamburger. According to a press release, “the show features an eye-catching cast and a beautiful, Cirque du Soleil-like aesthetic, with high-energy acts such as the Human Cannon, the Ladder […]

Wales watching

“What’s with the flower?” is a question John Brute has become accustomed to answering on March 1 each year.  Since his youth in the small Welsh town of Mochdre, which translates as “Pig Town,” he’s worn a daffodil in honor of St. David’s Day. It’s his homeland’s holiday, comparable to St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. […]

Mardi Gras dreams

OpenDoors of Asheville hosts its “Art Affair 2014: One Night in New Orleans” art auction and gala Saturday, March 1. More than a dozen restaurants, bars and social lounges will lend a hand by donating food and beverages to the local charity’s annual fundraiser. The goal is to raise vital funds for programs and services […]

Smart Bets: Blowfly

It's not every rapper who's honored with a bobblehead likeness. Then again, Blowfly (aka Clarence Reid) is not just any rapper. Performing in a cape, mask and yards of gold lamé, he is known as a triple-X-rated funk legend. Following a career as a soul and R&B recording artist, Reid donned his alter ego and […]