1) Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs Conference at HandMade in America
HandMade in American (HIA) is hosting their annual Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Conference on Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This year’s conference features exciting speakers, breakout sessions with expert consultants, opportunities to network and connect with other AWE members, and some of the best food Asheville has to offer. HandMade in American created the AWE program to support Western North Carolina (WNC) women with a desire to create or grow their small businesses. The program helps to connect these women with resources and markets that may otherwise be difficult to find. AWE was originally formed based on the knowledge that WNC holds a higher percentage of small business owners and entrepreneurs than any other area of the state.
2) PSA for Volunteer Work: Elk Knob State Park Volunteer Trail Building Days Every Saturday
Join the staff of Elk Knob State Park to help us build the Beech Tree Trail which will also become our TRACK Trail for Kids when it is completed. Every Saturday from now until the middle of November (except Sept. 14), staff and volunteers will meet at the Summit Trailhead at 9 a.m. and work until approximately 3:30 p.m., weather permitting. Tools are provided but volunteers should wear close-toed shoes and bring work gloves, lunch and water. Most of the time will be spent building our new one mile loop trail, the Beech Tree Trail, although we may include some repair work on the Summit Trail. If you would like to be involved in a fulfilling project that will find you with a well-deserved sense of pride, then join us on Saturdays at Elk Knob State Park. For more information please call 828-297-7261.
3) Potters of the Roan Announces “New Traditions” Exhibition
Aug. 17 opening and reception-exhibition at Toe River Arts Gallery featuring Potters of the Roan. Whether driving over, driving around, or hiking around its jagged top, everyone on either side of Appalachia’s beloved Roan Mountain agrees: it’s a sight to see. Along the North Carolina side in Mitchell County, a group of potters has identified with this landscape for nearly 15 years. “We’re connected by geography, but also by creative commonalities and friendships,” Potters of the Roan (POTR) member Courtney Martin explains of this 12-member guild of nationally know ceramicists. Her studio near Snow Creek is just a short walk from views of Roan Mountain’s distinct ridgeline. POTR is organized as a self-guided year-round studio tour. Guild members place POTR logo signs near their studios to assist visitors, who come to drive the scenic roads surrounding Roan while following a printed map that connects one studio to the next. This August’s exhibition titled New Traditions will feature museum quality works from each member, displaying more individual pieces than POTR has gathered for any previous exhibition. Visitors can expect to see everything from traditional jugs, hand dug clays, and atmospheric firings, to masterful brushwork, playful forms, and narrative sculptures. The body of work created for “New Traditions” will bridge the traditions of the past with the energy of today, exhibiting the best of POTR in the newly renovated TRAC gallery. Opening reception on Saturday, August 17th from 5-7p.m. at TRAC Gallery, 269 Oak Ave, Spruce Pine. Through September 28th. For more information, call 828-467-1414.