“Ever since I was a child, I would look up at the stars and think about all the worlds that could be out there,” says Kimberly Dow.
Though the Fairview-based artist has yet to paint a celestial scene, she’s frequently inspired by the wonders of the skies — and will soon have two of her paintings among them. Dow’s “Minstrel” and “Beguiled” have been chosen for the Peregrine Collection, a curation of works by over 1,200 artists that will be placed in a time capsule on the lunar surface. A ceramic wafer the size of a postage stamp, featuring tiny sketches by six male artists (including Andy Warhol), has been on the moon since 1969, but Dow will be in the first group of women to have that honor.
The Artists on the Moon portion is coordinated by Samuel Peralta, a physicist, entrepreneur and author, and the Writers on the Moon group is led by Susan Kaye Quinn. The digitized artwork and literature files will be loaded on two microSD cards, join NASA’s scientific payloads on Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission 1 and reside on the Lacus Mortis region. The launch is scheduled for July from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
“I am pleased with the choices,” Dow says. “Nudes [as seen in ‘Beguiled’] are kind of my specialty, and then [‘Minstrel’] has my granddaughter — who can now have some bragging rights about her image being on the moon — on the playground in Swannanoa.”
For more information, visit kimberlydow.com.
In your Easter bonnet
On Saturday, April 3, the town of Dillsboro invites responsible revelers to the annual Easter Hat Parade. Registration begins at 11 a.m., and the two-block walk gets underway at 2 p.m. at Town Hall. Everyone is asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing, though such traditions as photos with the Easter Bunny will be honored.
Prizes will be awarded in numerous categories, including Largest, Smallest, Most Outrageous, Best Use of Fresh Flowers, Hat that Traveled the Farthest, Youngest and Best Dog. Free to attend. For more information, go to visitdillsboro.org.
Eagles, owls and elk — oh my!
Woolworth Walk reteams with Appalachian Wildlife Refuge for a new “Take a Woolworth Walk on the Wild Side” art show to benefit the animal rehabilitation nonprofit. The latest exhibition runs throughout April and features such creations as Claudia Moore Field’s “Hangin’ Around,” a wire and wood sculpture of a raccoon; Gray Artus’ “Smokey Mountain Elk” oil painting; and “The Barn Owl”by Kate Coleman, composed of wood, acrylic paint and vintage book pages. Artists are donating a percentage of sales to Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. For more information, visit appalachianwild.org.
Second act
Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre had its March 2020 production of Church Basement Ladies cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and soon shifted to an array of online offerings, both livestreamed and prerecorded. But with restrictions on North Carolina indoor venues lifted so that reduced-capacity events can occur, the Mars Hill-based company is moving forward with its 2021 Mainstage season.
Selections include the musical The Last Five Years (opens June 17); the comedy First Date (opens July 15); the drama Milestones (opens Sept. 30); and a pair of holiday offerings opening Dec. 2: the music-filled A Southern Appalachian Christmas and a stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Season tickets go on sale Thursday, April 1, and individual tickets will be available starting Friday, April 16. SART will abide by state guidelines for indoor venues, and as restrictions are safely lifted, a new block of tickets will become available, and capacity will be adjusted accordingly. For more information, visit sartplays.com.
Screen time
On Friday, April 3, Grail Moviehouse opens to the public for the first time in over a year. The theater’s single-screen location at 17 Foundy St. will host screenings of the three Oscar-nominated short film programs — live action, animation and documentary — through Sunday, April 4. Showings are limited to 20 attendees, and CinemaSafe protocols will be in place, including social distancing and required mask-wearing except when eating and drinking while seated inside the auditorium. Private theater rentals for up to 20 people are also available for $150 for any of the shorts programs. Grail’s current virtual titles or movies from patrons’ personal collections are also available. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, visit grailmoviehouse.com.
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