Finding the Light in Black and White
In 1967, during his senior year at the University of North Carolina, John Dickson took a physics elective. But the class wasn’t about extragalactic…
Coming Back to Life Means Awakening Others, Too
After working a slew of restaurant gigs right out of high school, Billy Smith was hired by a truck-axle manufacturer in Fletcher. But each…
Intuition is Also a Love Language
Elizabeth Porritt Carrington’s life in America started with a whisper at a silent retreat. It was 2009, and a year had passed since her…
All in for October: Kenilworth, Beaverdam, and the Craft Guild
If you ever find yourself lost in Kenilworth, blame real-estate developer James Chiles’ horse. Legend has it that in the early 1900s, when Chiles…
New Grant Furthers the Language of Change Makers
A single letter can change the conversation, says Namita Gupta Wiggers. As Director of the Master of Arts in Critical Craft Studies at Warren…
When Spoons Got Dull, He Turned to Something With Teeth
Francis Breen of Worry Knot Woodwork is not overly concerned with haircare routines. The Asheville-based craftsman admits he cuts his own “little, silly mullet”…
Putting the Statement Back in Statement Jewelry
Amanda Ray Danko’s jewelry isn’t for everyone, but it does feel fashioned for the moment. Working out of Marshall High Studios, she crafts outspoken…
Finding Wabi-Sabi in Marshmallows and Metal
Decades before Weaverville’s Suzanne Q Evon (or just “Q,” as many know her) established herself as an internationally recognized jewelry artist and designer, she…
No Space for Contemporary Textiles in the Cosmos
Madison County fiber artist Ruby Bock isn’t one to overthink her work. “A lot of people say, ‘My art reflects the deep inner cosmos…
You Can’t “Like” These Visionary Postcards, But You Can Love Them
Lamar Campbell Le Compte Sr. rarely practiced moderation. From 1913, when he founded the Asheville Postcard Company, to his death in 1977, Le Compte…