A specialty brew from the Wedge, the former Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout was renamed for the late Asheville artist Vadim Bora, who passed away unexpectedly last year. Bora, a native of Russia and reputedly a lover of dark beer, was a Wedge Brewing regular.
Creamy, dark and notoriously delicious, Bora’s namesake is a high-gravity seasonal winter brew available only at the Wedge.
One of Western North Carolina’s great brews is just days from arriving. Wedge Brewing will release this year’s Vadim Bora Russian raspberry Imperial stout on Friday at the brewery, 125 B Roberts St. in the River Arts District. This is truly yummy stuff, served on nitrogen, which gives is a smooth creamy touch like Guinness stout. About 500 gallons were made, and it will be only be available at the brewery. Because it’s on nitrogen, there are no take-home growler bottles.
Bora’s public art can be seen on Wall Street, home of his popular metal cat sculptures. His last commission was a life-sized bronze for the Biltmore House.
Museums retaining Vadim Bora’s paintings and sculptures in their permanent collections are: the Ministry of Culture Collection, Moscow, Russia; North Ossetia Museum of Art, Vladikavkaz, Russia; the Spartanburg Museum of Art, Spartanburg, SC; and the Anderson Arts Center, Anderson, SC.
Corporate collections include: the BBC, London, England; The Financial Times, London, England. Other public and private commissions by the artist are located in: Charlotte, NC; Moscow, Russia; Berlin, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; St. Louis, MO; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Fort Wayne, IN; Indianapolis, IN; Atlanta, GA; Denver, CO; and Washington, D.C.
His public works of art grace the streets, museums and institutions of Asheville, Fort Wayne, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Vladikavkaz, Russia.
Bora was buried in Asheville’s 19th-century Riverside Cemetery, where fellow Asheville heroes William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) and Thomas Wolfe are also buried.
3 Comments
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Thanks so much for making note of this. Lovely of Tim Schaller at the Wedge for recognizing Vadim and other community notables in this way. Vadim liked a good Guinness and local porters, to be sure. He would visit the Wedge Brewery with his friends who had their studios in the building.
FYI, Vadim created seven public sculptures around town – the Cats, Cornelia and Cedric at Biltmore, On the Mend! grouping of 10 sculptures at Missions Children’s Hospital, The Wings of Freedom at the VA Medical Center, the Crucifix at St. Mary’s on Charlotte and Macon, the grotesques at Modesto on Page Ave., and the art deco beam-post sculpture on Battery Park Ave.
Sincerely,
Constance Richards Bora (VB’s wife)
Constance, thank you for this lovely note. Sometimes out of the corner of my eye, I will think the Wall Street cats are real cats that have gotten loose downtown, they are so lifelike! I too am grateful to Tim for honoring your late husband in this way. Sounds like a fitting tribute. – Jennifer