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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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More of what’s going around:

-In case you missed our Friday Facebook Live video of Asheville musicians Jane Kramer, Ben Phan and Eliza Sydney practicing outside the Swannanoa Women’s Correctional Facility before their show, here it is. Emjoy!

-Soul-singing legend Gladys Knight is set to appear at a fundraising event in Canton on Tuesday night, the Smoky Mountain News reports. Knight and her husband, Canton native William “Billy” McDowell, are trying to raise $5 million for the Reynolds High School Community Foundation to turn and old school into a community center serving the Gibsontown neighborhood, the newspaper reports Knight and her husband bought the property, which includes the old school building and 6.5 acres, for $80,000 in 2015, according to the newspaper.

-Stags Head Brewing, currently under construction in Hendersonville, recently decided to change its name to Triskelion Brewing to avoid a drawn-out and potentially expensive legal battle with Oasis/TSG Consumer Partners (owners of Pabst and other older iconic American beer labels including the defunct Stag Brewing), reports loyal reader Chris. More detail here.

-Corporate Aircraft Solutions recently announced that is will begin operating helicopter tours in Asheville, according to a press release. The Oasis Helicopter Tour in Asheville is scheduled to open March 15, with the fixed base operations at the Asheville Regional Airport. The first tours will include Asheville and Biltmore, as well as Chimney Rock and the Blue Ridge Parkway scenic tour, the fastest-selling tour, according to the news release. Tours will fly from the Asheville Regional Airport (FBO) located at 240 Wright Brothers Way, Fletcher, NC 28732. For more information, visit ashevillehelicopters.com, the release states.

-Spellbound Children’s Bookshop will help Asheville author Allan Wolf launch his new young adult book based on a 1979 teen murder, Who Killed Christopher Goodman?, at a 6 p.m. event March 17. The new book (Candlewick Press, March 14) was inspired by a tragic true event in his past and examines the circumstances of one boy’s inexplicable murder and the fateful summer leading up to it, according to a news release. Wolf will read from the book, discuss his research into the crime, take questions, and sign books at the launch party. He’ll also bring his guitar to sing the songs that one of the book’s characters plays in the book. The novel has already been critically lauded, receiving starred reviews from two major publications, according to the news release. School Library Journal calls it “a gripping mystery … this fast-paced novel will appeal to reluctant readers as well as fans of mystery and suspense,” and Booklist says Who Killed Christopher Goodman? is “Artful, thoughtful, and utterly captivating.”

-Local entrepreneur James Moore has announced the opening of his new business, WNC Window Washer, which will serve residential and commercial customers in Asheville and Western North Carolina.

-UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a series of special events on and off campus March 23-26, according to a news release. The celebration will begin with an evening of literature, film and reflection, continue with an on-campus presentation by Israeli writer and recording artist Danny Maseng, and culminate in a concert by Maseng at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall in West Asheville.

The Land of the Sky Association of Realtors celebrated it’s 100th year of doing business in Asheville this month. The real estate association, established in 1917, commemorated its inaugural year at an event held at the Biltmore Forest Country Club back in January.

-Marshall artist Kirsten Stolle is celebrating her first solo exhibition in Europe. It’s called Proceed at Your Own Risk and it’s up at NOME gallery. In it, Stolle “examines the global influence of chemical companies on our food supply and explores the connection between corporate interests and public health. Using post-WWII America as her stage, Stolle’s collages, drawings and site-responsive installations investigate corporate propaganda, environmental politics and biotechnology,” according to a press release. More:

In her debut exhibition at NOME, the artist presents two bodies of work: “Monsanto Intervention,” a series of redacted and collaged Monsanto Chemical Company magazine advertisements; and “Animal Pharm,” collages responding to the controversial use of genetic modification in animals by the pharmaceutical industry.

Using source materials such as 20th century medical books, agricultural catalogs and mid-century magazine advertisements, Stolle’s collages confront industry narratives. In “Monsanto Intervention,” Stolle reconstructs post-war magazine advertisements to reframe company messaging and reveal true agendas. Her altered, and often poetic texts, also hint at historical events, their blacked-out omissions recalling official documents redacted by the US government.

Playing off George Orwell’s dystopian fable Animal Farm, the “Animal Pharm” collages critique the use of genetic engineering to produce pharmaceuticals within host animals. Stolle’s cut-outs of medical equipment and agricultural imagery, suggest odd yet nearly believable environments. Engaged in uncovering the role of corporate influence on our health, Stolle’s work invites attention and offers an opportunity for considered dialogue.

Kirsten Stolle (b. 1967, Massachusetts) is a visual artist working in collage, drawing and site-responsive installation. Her research-based practice is grounded in the investigation of corporate and government propaganda, environmental politics and biotechnology. Her work is included in the collections of the San Jose Museum of Art, CA, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN, and the Crocker Art Museum, CA. Select US solo exhibitions include the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, NC, The Turchin Center for the Visual Art, NC and Dolby Chadwick Gallery, CA. Her work has been published in Poetry Magazine, Made in Mind, SLICE, Spolia Literary Magazine, New American Paintings, among others. She currently lives and works in Marshall, North Carolina, USA.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

2 Comments

  1. Murphy February 27, 2017

    I wonder what the folks over at Biltmore think about a low-flying helicopter buzzing over the property multiple times each day… especially in light of the events they have there – outdoor weddings, concerts etc.

    Reply
  2. IceNine February 26, 2017

    Wow, a new window washing company…That’s Hot!!!

    Reply

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