Experience Two New Holiday Events in Spruce Pine
Sponsored by the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree

The perfect start to the holiday season…the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Holiday Market. The first weekend in December promises a getaway unlike any other. The Town of Spruce Pine kicks off the season with a unique shopping experience. Housed in a renovated mill, the Holiday Market features handcrafted artists and craftspeople selling their wares in a festive setting. You can even come and pick out your perfect Christmas Tree! Experience a memorable shopping experience among one of a kind decorations, a Market Café, and special holiday entertainment. Set in the picturesque North Carolina Mountains and in the haven for craft in the United States, the Market compliments the Toe River Studio Tour taking place the same weekend where over 200 artists in the region will open their studios to the public for a very special and unique holiday shopping experience. Known for being the premier craft destination, featuring Penland School of Craft and hundreds of artists, Spruce Pine rolls out the welcome mat this holiday season and presents a very special holiday weekend!
Holiday Market December 5 & 6, 31 Cross Street Center, Spruce Pine, NC 28777 For more information visit http://www.homeoftheperfectchristmastree.org/ or call 828-765-9033.

~Holiday Festival Features Ice Skating in the Street ~

Historic Downtown Spruce Pine, nationally known as the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree, will transform into a spectacular and magical evening this holiday season. Blanketed with thousands of lights, the historic Upper Street becomes an eye-popping winter wonderland with real ice skating in the streets, holiday festooned wagon rides, Story time for kids, festive food, a chili cook off, a unique shopping experience and more. A special holiday event for the whole family unlike any other!

Saturday, December 12th
1 p.m.-7 p.m.
Upper Street, Spruce Pine
http://www.homeoftheperfectchristmastree.org/
828-765-9033

Akira Satake kohiki - yuuyaku - yakishime at Crimson Laurel Gallery

This November, Crimson Laurel Gallery presents: Yakishime – Kohiki – Yuuyaku – New work by Akira Satake and also New Work by guest potter Lindsay Rogers.

Akira will feature three distinct styles of pottery. Yakishime refers to pottery that is fired without any applied glaze. Natural ash glaze builds up on the pottery during wood firing and creates a number of wood-fired pottery effects. Kohiki is modeled after Korean Yi Dynasty ceramics and typically refers to an iron-rich clay body with white slip and then finished with a translucent glaze. Yuuyaku refers to glazed ceramic pieces and Akria uses Kakl, a persimmon or red iron glaze, Shino, a feldspar glaze originally developed in Japan and Celadon, a glaze which is white with hints of green and blue originally developed in China. Akira was born in Osaka, Japan has been living in the U.S. since 1983 In 2003 he relocated to Swannanoa, North Carolina, where he built a Japanese Kyushu-style oil kiln and a wood-fired kiln. For Akira the act of creation is a collaboration between himself, the clay and the fire. Akira has been influenced by natural events such as undulations in sand that has been moved by wind and rock formations as well as the crackle and patina of the weathered walls of ancient structures.

Lindsay Rogers was influenced by the antique pottery that surrounded her in her youth and the many hands and stories that those antique pieces had experienced. She is excited at the prospect that her work possesses this potential and her hope is that each piece she creates will stand alone as a ceramic representation of of how she interacts with the world. Lindsay began her work in ceramics in 2001 in New Haven Connecticut and was offered a residency in Natchez, Mississippi in 2005 where she worked with potter Conner Burns. She is currently working as a resident artist at the EnergyXchange in western North Carolina.

The exhibit opened on November 7th and an artist reception will take place on November 21st at 6pm. The exhibit will remain at Crimson Laurel Gallery through the end of the year. You can also see the exhibit online at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com

John Lara

Crimson Laurel Gallery

(828) 688 3599

Crimson Laurel Gallery hosts "Lost Crossings Exhibit"

The Lost Crossings exhibit opened to a full house Saturday September 5th at the Crimson Laurel Gallery, downtown Bakersville NC.
A contemplative Look at Western North Carolina’s Historic Swinging Footbridges was a collaboration between photographer Shane Darwent and author Katey Schultz and was overwhelmingly welcomed by enthusiasts and novices alike. Katey and Shane added a second slide show and lecture to their pre-scheduled show to accommodate the crowd. Our State magazine which featured an article on the swinging footbridge project along with many other magazine and newspaper articles has triggered calls to purchase the book and map from across the state. The first printing of book sold out on opening night and, the second printing will arrive in two weeks. Pre-orders are already being taken.

Also available with the book is an unframed 18" x 26" map that provides locations for the various bridges in Michell and Yancey County. Limited unframed photographs of the bridges by artist Shane Darwnet are also still available.

The Sharing exhibit in our lower exhibit space features some of the finest potters in Western North Carolina coming together to create unique and one of a kind original pieces that can be used for entertaining friends and neighbors. The exhibit will feature platters, serving bowls, tea sets, pitchers, jugs and other unique pieces. The pieces in this collaborative show will focus on large pieces that can be used to entertain guests yet express superior craftsmanship, form and function. Among the many featured artists will be Stanley Mace Andersen, Kyle Carpenter, Josh Copus, Shawn Ireland, Michael Kline, Kent McLaughlin, Shane Mickey, Mark Peters, Lindsay Rogers, Ken Sedberry, Gay Smith and Ron Slagle. The exhibit opens with an artist reception on September 5th at 6pm and will remain through October 31st.

For more information about the exhibitions call Crimson Laurel Gallery at 828-688-3599 or visit www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com.

John Lara
Crimson Laurel Gallery

Liz Summerfield Benefit Auction

The Toe River area art and craft community invites everyone to a benefit auction for Liz Zlot Summerfield on August 16th at the Penland School of Crafts. August 5, 2009 - Bakersville, NC: The Toe River area art and craft community invites everyone to a benefit auction for Liz Zlot Summerfield on August 16th at the Penland School of Crafts Northlight Building in Penland, NC. Liz Zlot Summerfield is a ceramic artist from Bakersville, NC who recently received the difficult news that she has cancer.

The benefit auction is being held to help raise funds for Liz, her husband Scott and their young daughter Roby, as they face the many challenges ahead.Response from the art and craft community across the country has been outstanding and this benefit auction will include some of the finest art and craft from Western North Carolina and across the country. If you are unable to attend, an online sale of select pieces will be available by visiting lzsbenefit.etsy.com beginning on September 1st .

Please support Liz by joining us for this benefit auction. The doors will open for the silent auction on August 16th at 1pm and the live auction begins at 2pm . Beverages and light refreshments will be served and we will have some great music too. For more information about the benefit auction or to make a donation to Liz please call Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC.

John Lara

Crimson Laurel Gallery

828 688 3599

Crimson Laurel Gallery presents "Anthropogenic" ceramics by Eric Knoche and Matt Jacobs

This July 3rd., Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC presents “Anthropogenic”, new work by Matt Jacobs and Eric Knoche. These two accomplished potters from Asheville are on the leading edge of studio ceramic design. Both use a local clay that is rich in particle variation and organic material that makes it both plastic yet unpredictable. Their influence on the clay results in beautiful and unique works of art.

Matt believes that his goal is to allow the clay to have its own voice. Many of his surfaces expose the interior rather than covering it up. And, surfaces added to the clay are done so in a way that the dark iron clay beneath is allowed to show through. In the wood firing process Matt exposes the clay to a journey of intense heat, time and space, which contains both risk and balance. In encountering his work, Matt hopes the viewer is called to reflect on their own unique home, family, and life in their particular place on our world.

Eric's current body of work is a personal exploration of how form and spatial relationship resonate within the human spirit as well as an anthropological search for the meaning and beauty generated through interaction of humans and objects. He currently utilizes vessel forms as distillations of our common meta-culture, both ancient and contemporary, into tangible and recognizable objects. Ultimately he is searching for a deeper understanding of the human spirit and its relationship to both the physical world and the natural rhythms of life.

The exhibit will open on July 3rd. with an artist reception at 6pm. The exhibit will remain at Crimson Laurel Gallery through August 29th. For more information call 828-688-3599 or visit www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com

Chamber Director Proud of Historic Courthouse Investment

State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) members via the SECU Foundation have provided a $200,000 investment to the Mitchell County Courthouse Foundation for renovations to the historic courthouse, making way for the SECU Virtual Learning and Communication Center. The Center will house a state-of-the-art telecommunications and public access computer system, providing area residents access to educational, cultural, and economic development opportunities that are not currently possible.

Located in Bakersville in the mountains of western North Carolina, the Mitchell County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the US Department of the Interior. The renovation and restoration process, coordinated by the Mitchell County Courthouse Foundation, is designed to transform the existing property into a place that can serve the area citizens, while still preserving the historic significance of the building.

Dr. Daniel Barron, Mitchell County Courthouse Foundation Chairman states, “The SECU Foundation’s investment towards the Mitchell County Historic Courthouse has enabled this small rural community to access education and opportunities it would not have been able to otherwise. The receipt of this funding was the most critical part of our campaign and without it this project could have been held back for well over the next year or possibly longer. This is all possible through the SECU Foundation’s belief in our project.”

Shirley Hise, Chairman of SECU’s Spruce Pine Advisory Board, and Director of the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce comments, “We are pleased and excited to have the SECU Foundation members’ support for a Mitchell County project. This courthouse is a landmark in our area and the Mitchell County Courthouse Foundation has worked very hard to make the redevelopment one which will benefit all the citizens in this county. The SECU Foundation funding will aid in the preservation of this historic site.”

Pictured above left to right: Janet Cook-Spruce Pine SECU Advisory Board, Shirley Hise-Spruce Pine SECU Advisory Board, Dr. Daniel Barron-Mitchell County Courthouse Foundation Chairman, Kim Gouge- SECU VP of Spruce Pine, Chris Smith-Spruce Pine SECU Advisory Board and Robert Gault-Spruce Pine SECU Advisory Board. (Photo: Business Wire)

Spruce Pine Farmer's Market Opens!

Summer must be just around the corner! The Spruce Pine Farmer's Market will open on May 27th and will offer some old favorites as well as new wares!

This year's vendors from Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties will come to "Upper Street" every Wednesday during the Summer from 2:30 p.m.-5:30 pm. "The time is right for turning in to support our community and for growing a sustainable market, and I have a feeling that everyone around is ready to tap into it," said Jennifer Rambo, manager of the Spruce Pine Farmer's Market. "We keep getting phone calls every week about more people wanting to come out, and everything you can buy is all produced right here."

From produce like striped zucchini and yellow cucumbers that you can't get in the stores, to the mainstays of goat cheese, jams and jellies, home made breads and other local produce, the Farmer's Market will be a welcome addition to the downtown Spruce Pine activities.

The Market will open on May 27th and runs through the end of October.

(excerpts taken from the Mitchell News Journal/Joel Gerber)