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Japanese glass artist to demonstrate in Dillsboro
Glass artist Tadashi Torii will be teaching and demonstrating his skills during the week of May 19 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.
He will be teaching a 40-hour mini-semester class for a select group of WCU students, with members of the public welcome to drop in at anytime and watch.
Torii is a celebrated glass artist originally from Osaka, Japan, who now resides in Western North Carolina and practices his art at the Green Energy Park. His work can be found in numerous private collections and public spaces, such as The Four Season Hotel, the Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage in Georgia, the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Alabama, the Albany Museum of Art in Georgia, and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.
www.jcgep.org or www.tadashitorii.com.
Pottery demonstration at Mud Dabbers
Potter Cory Plott will be giving a craft demonstration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Mud Dabbers in Balsam.
The event is part of an ongoing series of artists at Mud Dabbers Pottery who offer demonstrations every Saturday this May. Basket weaver Sandra Bowling will be on May 25.
All demonstrations are free, family friendly and open to the public.
828.456.1916 or www.facebook.com/muddabbersbalsam.com.
Symposium to explore Cherokee history
Some of the region’s leading experts on Cherokee history will take part in an all-day symposium hosted by the Cashiers Historical Society from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the High Hampton Inn.
“The Cherokee: Ancient Trails, Talking Leaves, Broken Treaties” will include talks by Tom Belt, Robert Conley, Eddie Swimmer, Ben Steere, Anna Fariello and Davy Arch.
$50 per person. Includes lunch based on traditional Cherokee recipes. 828.743.7710.
Help jailbirds post their bail in Highlands
Community leaders will be “arrested” and have to raise money for the Highlands Playhouse in order to bail themselves out from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 18.
The funds raised will help support the playhouse to continue the tradition of professional theatre. Community support is the driving force that enables the playhouse to continue providing high quality professional entertainment. Jailbirds will be revealed in the Highlands town square on May 18 and then taken to the playhouse until they can post their “bail.” To nominate a community leader that you would like to see “do time” call 828.526.2695.
Family craft workshop in Waynesville
A free family craft workshop with an “Under the Sea” theme will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville.
It correlates with a new exhibit in the gallery featuring underwater photography by Dr. John Highsmith.
The workshop is for a maximum of 15 children. Parents with children ranging in ages 4 to 7 years old are encouraged to stay during the workshop.
828.452.0593 or www.haywoodarts.org.
Want to learn to crochet?
A “Beginning Crochet Class” will be held at 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro.
Wayne Wingett, a member of Dogwood Crafters, who has been crocheting for 50 years, will be teaching the course. Register by May 17. $10 per person.
828.586.2435
Tea tasting at Blue Ridge Books
A tea tasting will introduce both novice and veteran pallets to the finer points of tea at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
The teas include Ancient Emerald Lily Green Tea, Golden Assam Black Tea, Pu-Erh Blood Orange, Vanilla Mint Pu-Erh, Chocolate Chai and Jamaican Rooibos. There will also be people on hand to answer any questions you have on tea brewing and the world of loose leaf tea.
www.blueridgebooksnc.com or 828.456.6000.
Highlands wine fundraiser for the arts
Western North Carolina will be wined and dined as part of the Collective Spirits Fundraiser from May 16–18 at The Bascom in Highlands.
The non-profit arts and cultural center hosts art gallery exhibits, art classes, adult and youth workshops, and artist-in-residency programs year round.
The wine weekend features two educational tasting seminars from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday in the classrooms at The Bascom.
Friday evening will include a VIP Wine Tasting of rare and collectible restaurant-only wine-list wines, followed by the “Stock Your Cellar Wine Market and Tasting” on the Terrace at 6 p.m. at The Bascom. Tickets are $100 per person.
A seated dinner and gala will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Highlands Country Club, which will culminate in a live auction. Tickets are $275 per person.
On Thursday evening, an exclusive benefactor dinners featuring renowned chefs and notable wines at private residences in Highlands and Cashiers, with benefactor packages starting at $2,500.
www.collectivespirits.com or 828.787.2896 or www.thebascom.org.
Open call for art grants in Jackson County
The Jackson County Arts Council is offering mini-grants for creative arts and cultural projects, community programs, education and events. Applications for Grassroots Grants are due by June 30.
The public schools may apply to support cultural enrichment programs in the schools. Colleges and universities may apply for funding if the proposed program will serve the broader countywide population. The council encourages applications that emphasize cultural diversity.
A grant application assistance day will run from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. May 28 at the Jackson County Library Annex. The applications are available at www.jacksoncountyarts.org.
Funding for these grants is contingent upon the Jackson County Arts Council receiving funding from the North Carolina Arts Council and matching funds from Jackson County commissioners.
828.507.9820 or 828.354.0253.
Liars Bench hosts Marilyn McMinn McCredie on May 16
The Liars Bench presents acclaimed storyteller Marilyn McMinn McCredie at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16, in the Mountain Heritage Center auditorium at Western Carolina University.
The Liars Bench was created in the early summer of 2010 by Gary Carden, recipient of the 2008 Brown-Hudson Folklore Award and the 2012 North Carolina Award for Literature, to promote southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama, and folk arts. The group performs southern Appalachian stories, music and songs onstage.
The event is free and open to the public.
theliarsbenchgazette.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/TheLiarsBench or 828.227.7129.
Strawberry Festival sweetens up Cherokee
A Strawberry Festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds.
Concession stands will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring strawberry pancakes and shortcake. Children’s activities, baked goods, entertainment and demonstrations will also be offered. Learn about the Cherokee’s strawberry legend and hear children’s versions of the legend during the opening ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. There will also be contests for strawberry baked goods, preserves and other strawberry products.
Vendor space is still available and is $5 per table.
828.736.5285 or 828.497.2389 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Open call for Macon veteran portrait tribute
The Macon County Art Association will honor local veterans by painting their portraits.
Submissions for candidates of the “Veterans Portrait Tribute” are due by Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day). Families interested are asked to submit a good quality clear photo and a brief biography to the Uptown Gallery in Franklin.
828.349.4607 or www.uptowngalleryoffranklin.com.
Ballroom dance class offered at WCU
A ballroom dance class will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays from May 13 to June 17 in the Breese Gym on the campus of Western Carolina University.
Learn the basics of leading and following in a social ballroom dance setting, along with dance styles such as the waltz, tango, cha-cha, swing and fox trot. Partners will rotate throughout the class and participants need not have a partner to attend.
The cost of the class is $59 or $49 for WCU students, faculty and staff.
learn.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.
SCC offers summer clay classes in Swain
Southwestern Community College will be offering numerous classes this summer at the Swain Center campus in Bryson City.
• “Heritage Arts Independent Study: Ceramics” from 6 to 8 p.m. every Monday from May 6-29.
• “Beginning & Intermediate Wheel” from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday from May 16 to Aug. 8.
• “Clay: Experimental Topics” from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday from May 16 to Aug. 8.
• “Clay: Throwing Problems” from 1 to 4 p.m. every Monday from May 20 to Aug. 12.
As well, there will be other classes starting throughout different periods of the summer.
828.366.2000 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
