Out of all barnyard animals, goats are arguably the most charismatic. Tennessee photographer Jeffrey Stoner learned this in 2008 when he began documenting the Baa-tany Goat Project, a 10-year landscape-management experiment in which grazing goats were used to restore the grassy balds of Roan Mountain. Though the project has since dissolved, Stoner’s resulting series — aptly dubbed “Goats of Roan” — is an everlasting nod to the herd’s character and charm. In one photo, an Angora goat munches on Canadian blackberry, a satisfied smirk stretched across her face. In another, a curly-haired kid cuddles with a Great Pyrenees. “All of Jeffrey’s photos seem to capture a unique personality in each animal subject,” says Tiffani Watts with Twigs & Leaves Gallery in downtown Waynesville. This November, the exhibition space will spotlight Stoner’s work. The following month, Canton-based jewelry designer Becky Smith will present her one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, each of which she perceives as “tiny stories frozen in time.”
Jeffrey Stoner: November 1-30; Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 3, 5:30-8:30pm
Metalsmith Becky Smith: December 1-31
Twigs & Leaves Gallery / 98 North Main St., Waynesville