His Rigorous Approach Yields Work of Deceptive Delicacy
Monty Phillips enjoys being in control of his own education. He says he’s long been attracted to the meticulous techniques of Japanese art —…
This Civil Rights Hero Wrote the Book on Text Installation
It wasn’t something she sought, but neither did she shrink from the enormous burden. At age 15, Clarissa Sligh agreed to face down the…
How to Fill Three Floors of a Gallery — and the Shoes of an Asheville Visionary
Michael Manes was born to multitask. Last year, he squeezed two milestones into one month: in May, he was named Gallery Director of Blue…
What The World Needs Now: A Nerdy Latin Reference to Counting Crows
The ancient Mayans’ 5,000-year-long calendar ended abruptly with December 2012, leading many to speculate the end of the world was drawing nigh. “What if…
Former Rogue Yogi Turns Negative Space Into a Positive
The fluidly named John Nelson-Batovsky has a knack for finding his own way. When he was a teenager, he taught himself how to play…
How a Savvy Business Player Rocked the World of a Talented Chairmaker
Brian Boggs was in his early 20s when he happened across John D. Alexander’s book Make a Chair from a Tree. Today, three decades…
Making a Boozy Pie for the Holidays
Back in the 1990s, Barbara Swell’s husband Wayne Erbsen, a prolific Appalachian-music teacher and author, urged his wife to write her first cookbook. When…
He Puts Together Weirdly Beautiful Bedfellows
The Large Hadron is the most powerful particle collider in the world. “Just for fun,” says Morgan Santander, “imagine dumping random s**t from an…
His Found Objects End Up in Keepsake Boxes
Standing in the middle of the stream, Jason Janow tucks his fly rod under his arm, reaches into the water, and picks up a…
Spiritual Painter Literally Strikes Gold
“It is much easier to paint what you think you see,” says Grace Carol Bomer. “But how do you paint invisible spiritual truths?” This…