Buncombe County Special Collections has released a new book titled Buncombe Origins: The Making of Asheville and Buncombe County.
Co-edited by public historian Emily Cadmus and Buncombe County Special Collections manager Katherine Cutshall, the book spans from the first Colonial contacts with Native Americans in this area to the present day but focuses largely on the 19th and 20th centuries and on the establishment and development of Asheville and Buncombe County at the end of the 18th century.
The original intention for the project was to create an informative pamphlet that could offer historical context about Pack Square for the Pack Square Revisioning Committee, the council overseeing the replacement of the Vance Monument. In the course of their research, Cadmus and Cutshall realized that to do a thorough job, they needed to view the square’s history less as an isolated space and more as a reflection of the emerging society in which it was developed. Ultimately, this meant more research, more contributors and more content until the pamphlet became a 133-page chronicle.
The collection examines what it means to live in a place whose image is constantly being repackaged and consolidated to appeal to tourists and outsiders, and how that impacts Buncombe County residents’ self-conception and their relationship to the past. “In an attempt to try and move past that consumer-focused narrative of our city,” says Cadmus, “Katherine and I worked to ground this local history in solid historical contexts rather than unique or exceptional portrayals. We also sought the opinions of a vast cross section of residents, both through previously recorded oral histories, as well as asking community members about the value of historical memory and what they view as key events in our shared past.”
The book contains contributions from Cadmus, Cutshall, Ashley McGhee Whittle, Andrew Denson, Sarah Mercer Judson, Alvis Dunn, Catherine Amos and Robert Hunt Ferguson. It is available for free on the internet archive, and physical copies are available for purchase in Special Collections on the ground floor of Pack Memorial Library.
For more information, visit avl.mx/dx8.
Asheville Symphony renews music director
The Asheville Symphony has renewed music director Darko Butorac’s contract for three more years.
The unanimous decision comes after the symphony was forced to relocate from its nearly 50-year home at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium due to long-term closure for repairs. Butorac oversaw the symphony’s transition to First Baptist Church of Asheville. “The phenomenal acoustics of the First Baptist Church of Asheville have transformed our orchestra in the last year,” says Butorac in a press release. “The audience experience is extraordinary — it is incredibly intimate, and every seat feels connected with the performer.”
Since Butorac’s appointment in 2018, the Asheville Symphony has expanded its Masterworks and popular music programming. The recently added ALT ASO series, a traveling ensemble that plays jazz, folk, heavy metal and more, was awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts and debuted a Hip Hop Folktale Project curriculum for local schools in collaboration with local Grammy Award winner Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. The organization has also expanded the biennial Asheville Amadeus Festival and last year added a new biennial initiative, Asheville Symphony’s Artist Residency.
“Darko is an incredible artistic partner on every level,” says Asheville Symphony Executive Director Daniel Crupi in the release. “He is dynamic, engaging, creative, a brilliant musician, and excels no matter the repertoire. … Darko and I have already been planning major initiatives out into 2027 — so we certainly have some exciting plans in the works.”
First Baptist Church of Asheville is at 5 Oak St. For more information, visit avl.mx/b3a.
Asheville’s Gallery of the Mountains turns 40
Gallery of the Mountains in the Omni Grove Park Inn will celebrate 40 years in business with a customer appreciation weekend Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The celebration will feature several local artists demonstrating their work, complimentary wine (while supplies last) and discounts on unique items throughout the store. Local painter Bryan Koontz will be working on his paintings, which often begin as plein air pieces that honor mountain culture, heritage and the scenery of Western North Carolina. His portfolio includes pen-and-ink drawings for Mast General Store and book illustrations for Nadia Dean. He was also chosen to design the Biltmore Estate’s Christmas wine labels in 2018 and did the recent artwork for the Biltmore Masterpiece Collection white and rosé wines.
Jeweler and metalsmith Kathleen Doyle will also be demonstrating her craft throughout the weekend. Doyle and her artistic partner, Tom Reardon, have operated out of their studio in Grovewood Village since 1995. The couple are known for their unique artisan jewelry that marries gold, sterling, mixed metals and gemstones.
Gallery of the Mountains was founded in 1984 by Jim and Jane LaFerla to showcase the artistic spirit of the Southern Appalachian region. The LaFerlas retired in 2004, passing ownership to Asheville natives Barbara Blomberg, Marilyn Blomberg Patton and S.M. Patton. The gallery currently hosts over 70 artists and craftspeople, including makers of jewelry, ceramic tableware, baskets, blown glass, handwoven scarves and more.
The Omni Grove Park Inn is at 290 Macon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/dx9.
Asheville Community Theatre announces 78th season
Asheville Community Theatre, the oldest continuously operating community theater in Asheville and one of the oldest in the country, has announced its 78th mainstage season.
The upcoming season includes The Sound of Music, running Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Oct. 13; A Christmas Carol: The Musical, running Friday, Dec. 6-Sunday, Dec. 22; The Play That Goes Wrong, running Friday, Feb. 7-Sunday, Feb. 23; Into the Woods, running Friday, April 11-Sunday, May 4; and Disney’s The Little Mermaid, running Friday, June 13-Sunday, July 6.
The theater will also host several upcoming 35below Community Producing Partnerships. These partnerships offer a platform for community members to produce their own works in a 40-seat black box theater. The next 35below production, Destination Moon, tells the story of “Two people in two little rooms,” along with “a bed, an unseen voice, music in the night, hope out of darkness,” and focuses on themes of normalcy, recovery and hope. Destination Moon is an original work by local playwright Joseph Hayes, starring Evan Brooks, Corey Harper and Teso McDonald.
Asheville Community Theatre is at 35 E. Walnut St. For more information, visit avl.mx/b38.
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