20 minute read
A&E
A&E The abstract beauty of humanity
‘The Rebirth Jazz Band’ by Avery Rowan
A conversation with painter Avery Rowan
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD S TAFF WRITER
If you’ve ever spent time in New Orleans, Louisiana, you know all too well the grandiose nature and immense splendor of the rollicking metropolis.
It’s a place where you can experience the organized chaos of the French Quarter, and yet also find yourself amid a serene silence along the Mississippi River or down some side street of breathtaking architecture where history comes alive right before your eyes.
At the core of this wondrous city remains its essence — its people. Avery Rowan Wandering through the rich and vibrant culture of New Orleans, one finds a variety of personalities and happenstances that is unmatched anywhere on the planet. Whether it be music, art or culinary delights, the surprises around every corner remain a whimsical whirlwind for any who simply let go and fall gracefully into the arms of “The Big Easy.”
And capturing those moments of humanity with each brush stroke is Avery Rowan. A native of New Orleans, her paintings are as bright and engaging as the city itself, something not lost on the talented and perceptive artist. Every work is a love letter to New Orleans, this inspirational pool of unknown depths that Rowan happily dives into with each blank canvas in front of her.
Smoky Mountain News: What is it about the physical and cultural landscape of New Orleans that really appeals to you and draws you in as an artist?
Avery Rowan: I’m kind of a person that’s naturally drawn to excitement and activity, and especially community. And I think something I’ve noticed about New Orleans, more than anywhere else, is this big sense of community. So, I find myself naturally painting about things I love and things that other people love.
And in a way, I almost feel more creative [in New Orleans] because there’s also a lot of support for the art community. I feel like ever since I started out when I was young, I’ve had a lot of support and people very interested in it. What makes me proud of what I do is [painting] the city that I love and what other people love [about it], and it is through my eyes. I feel a lot of people can kind of relate to those serene, subtle moments that [are in the city].
Want to go?
Avery Rowan will one of the featured artists at the Cashiers Plein Air Festival, which will be held July 15-19. Aside from several artists that will be painting in and around the community throughout the week, there will also be special virtual art demonstrations and a gallery showcase.
For more information on the featured artists and a full schedule of events, visit www.cashierspleinairfestival.com.
when people reach out [and connect through] my art. I’m always trying to find a way to help contribute back to the community. At the beginning of COVID, I kind of made my own little fundraiser [through my art] to raise money for the [Greater New Orleans Foundation], which is helping provide money to people [in the restaurant and hospitality industry] that were laid off.
It’s just a way to give back to the community, since I feel like I’ve benefited so much from this place — [it’s about] the bigger picture of things. It means a lot to me and I hope it means a lot to others. ferent things. I guess I consider myself a person of variety. I’m very open to new ideas and decisions. So, I would feel limited if I had to make my art [one particular] way. You want to keep things interesting. And, honestly, I find that keeping it [fresh and] interesting for myself is just as important, if not more.
SMN: In a lot of your works, you focus on people. What is it about humanity that fascinates you?
AR: It’s the variety of the kind of people in the aesthetic that those paintings give off, the meaning behind them. I don’t like to go as deep in the meanings behind my paintings, because I’m more about kind of that subtle, instant appreciation, not something to ponder over or think too much about.
I think the world is already busy enough as it is, and to kind of have a moment to like slow down and appreciate just something you can enjoy or relate with is the main goal of it. When I was beginning my art career, I was so driven to doing realism and making all my paintings look exactly like the person.
And I think by doing people, it kind of brings me back to that and reminds me, “Oh, I can get very detailed if I want to.” But then, as I make it more detailed, I get to where I’m comfortable with the painting, and I go back in and kind of make it a little more abstract. I feel like it makes me grow every time I do another person or another phase — that’s what I enjoy about it.
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
Split Rock Falls in New York. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
Staring out at nothing, listening to an old dog bark
I’m currently sitting at the old kitchen table in my parents’ 1840 farmhouse in Upstate New York. Our family dog, Madison, is lying down a few feet away, always within a short distance of me whenever I’m walking around the house or wandering the backyard. The coffee in hand is fresh and strong. There’s a lot on my mind, too.
Outside in the driveway is my pickup truck. I keep thinking about the Tacoma and how I’ll be able to pack everything behind the driver’s seat before I head back down to Western North Carolina in the next couple of days.
Besides my clothes and camping gear, I’ve now got to figure out how to seamlessly store my musical instruments. When I left Haywood County in mid-May, I took off with f my two ukuleles in tow. Now, I’ll be returning with four ukuleles, two acoustic guitars and a mandolin.
I guess, on a more spiritual or meta level, this recent acquisition of the instruments is a way to fill up a lot of the new space I’ve made within my life in recent months, physically and emotionally. You see, as I prepare to hit the highways and backroads toward Southern Appalachia, I can’t help but reflect on the last two months situated here in the North Country.
Initially, the plan was to head north of the Mason-Dixon Line for a couple weeks or so, in an effort to spend quality time with friends and family. With the shelter-in-place orders expiring, I figured it’d be the opportune time to drive to my hometown and hunker down when the weather is nice (not the normal 10 below zero that I experience when visiting during Christmas).
Leaving Waynesville on May 19, I meandered my way through the mid-Atlantic states with a slight detour into New England to pick up my dream ukulele in Western Massachusetts. That first week in the farmhouse, I found myself in the presence of a wide-array of blood relatives and familiar faces I’ve called friends since elementary school.
By the second week, I was already disappearing almost every day into the endless depths of the Adirondack Mountains, hiking and trail running along routes I’d known since I was kid, with several new spots happily discovered while wandering and pondering the dirt roads of Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties. Or that hot afternoon swimming and jumping off the cliffs at Split Rock, a place that continues to tug at the deepest corners of my being.
Just as the third week approached, I had visited most of my favorite places, like clockwork, as I do whenever I find myself in my hometown of Plattsburgh. There’s Campus Corner, the beloved 1950s greasy spoon diner. Then, you have Clare & Carl’s, an oldschool hot dog shack and home of the “Michigan” (you’d have to eat one to understand the undying passion for this local favorite).
And lastly, by sunset, it was drinks held high in The Monopole (established in 1887) and Fourth Ward Club (opened in 1907), two iconic watering holes where all who enter leave with new friends and memories for a lifetime. These two dive bars represent all that is good and just in our universe, a beehive of unique people and unforgettable moments quickly fleeting but never taken for granted.
Before I knew it, it was mid-June and I’d been away from my Waynesville apartment about a month. I called Smoky Mountain News publisher Scott McLeod and asked when he expected me back in the office.
“You don’t really have to come back until the end of July,” he replied. With the pandemic and shutdown, most of our newsroom has been working from “home,” which has given myself and my colleagues this newfound freedom of the written word. Sure, some of us are actually working from home. Me? Heck, how about an actual return to my old North Country home, eh?
And now here I stand. The calendar states mid-July and my soul is starting to get antsy to makes some moves for Carolina. There are faces I miss dearly down yonder (all y’all). That, and I figured it was time to hit the road when my landlord messaged me the other day, stating: “Do you still rent from me? The other tenants say they haven’t seen you or your truck since May.” Don’t worry, good sir, the check is in the mail.
These last two months in the North Country has sincerely brought a lot of things full circle in my existence. While the world lately seems like a rollercoaster ride we can’t get off of, I’ve focused on the good that is in our society and intently focused inward about what it is that I want to radiate outward: love, compassion, positivity, and being an open door to growth.
Though the trek from Plattsburgh to Waynesville is about 1,100 miles, I’ll have lots to think about, seeing I’ll be returning to Western North Carolina with a renewed sense of self. And I know already that the majority of that solo journey of 16 or so hours will consist of the memories made up here with my family.
It’s been those mornings in the farmhouse making breakfast for my mom, hitting up the a nearby wildlife refuge for a trail run with my dad, and those days spent with my niece, Lucy, reading her a book or running around the beach together.
And it’s the several bonfires I sat around at with my little sister and her boyfriend (a childhood crony), rehashing old stories of shenanigans and tall tales, to which I recently found out I’m going to be an uncle again to a new addition with an expected arrival of early March.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
13 Years for
and looking forward to the many more to come!
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Hometown Appalachian Heritage Festival
Sponsored by over 30 downtown merchants, the Hometown Appalachian Heritage Festival will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 18, in downtown Franklin.
Live music and demonstrations will be showcased and will feature the essence of life in Appalachia. See quilters, wood carvers, canoe builders and even a live, working gem mining flume.
Other events are planned including a fire truck display and face painting for the kids. There will also be a checker tournament at the Macon County Historical Museum.
Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.524.5676 or visit www.franklin-chamber.com.
Franklin drive-in concert
The Overlook Theatre Company will present “A Few of Our Favorites: the Best of Broadway” in a live concert at 7 p.m. Friday, July 17, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
This event will take place outdoors as a “drive-in” concert. All patrons will be expected to remain in their vehicles at all times except for visits to the restroom.
A FM frequency will be provided to all patrons which will allow the concert to be transmitted to the vehicle radio. Curb hop concessions will be available for purchase (cash only).
Watch the theater website for news about cancellations due to weather. Tickets: $7 in advance per vehicle, $10 day of show per vehicle.
All money raised will go to the theatre in education program which allows children of every age opportunities to experience live, theatrical presentations. 828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.
Artist grants now available
Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development. Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Haywood County Arts Council in the following counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania.
Applications for the grants are available www.haywoodarts.org/grants-funding. The deadline is Sept. 30. Grants will range in awards from $500 to $1,000.
For more information, visit www.haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.
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Presented by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the 11th season of Concerts on the Creek will return with Summer & Bray of Mountain Faith (bluegrass/gospel) on Friday, July 17, at Bridge Park in Sylva.
Performances will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. The tentative schedule is as follows: • Saturday, July 18 - Bohemian Jean (classic hits/acoustic) • Friday, July 24 - Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) • Saturday, July 25 - Mile High Band (classic rock/country) • Friday, July 31 - Tuxedo Junction (classic hits) • Saturday, Aug. 1 - Terri Lynn Queen, Tim Queen & Scott Baker (classic hits) • Friday, Aug. 7 - Dashboard Blue (classic hits) • Saturday, Aug. 8 - Eleanor Underhill & Friends (Americana) • Friday, Aug. 14 - Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express (bluegrass/gospel) • Saturday, Aug. 15 - The Rewind House Band (classic rock) • Friday, Aug. 21 - The Get Right Band (funk/rock)
• Saturday, Aug. 22 - Shane Meade & The Sound (soul/rock) • Friday, Aug. 28 - Arnold Hill Band (rock/Americana) • Saturday, Aug. 29 - Keil Nathan Smith Band (classic rock/country) • Friday, Sept. 4 - Daddy Rabbit (blues/rock) • Saturday, Sept. 5 - SKA City (ska)
Attendees are welcome to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. Dogs must be kept on a leash. No alcohol, smoking or coolers are allowed in the park.
Organizers will strongly suggest that everyone obeys safe Covid-19 practices, which include social distancing (staying at least six feet apart), using hand sanitizer when possible, and wearing protective face coverings/masks.
These concerts are organized and produced by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information, call 828.586.2155, visit www.mountainlovers.com/concerts-onthe-creek or Concerts on the Creek’s Facebook page.
• The “Haywood County Medical Exhibit: 1870-1950” will be held at The Shelton
House in Waynesville. The showcase will run through October. Admission is $7 adults. $5 students. Children ages 5 and under free.
Admission includes Shelton House. 828.452.1551 or www.sheltonhouse.org.
• The next “Dillsboro After Five: Wonderful
Wednesdays” will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. July 15 in downALSO: town. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. Bring the family and enjoy small town hospitality at its best. “Dillsboro After
Five” will be held every Wednesday through
July 29. For more information, call the
Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 828.586.2155 or visit www.mountainlovers.com. • Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host
Amongst The Trees 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host JJ
Hipps & The Hideaway July 17 and
Scoundrel’s Lounge July 18. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host karaoke 7 p.m. July 17. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane
Meade 5 p.m. July 18. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.
Advice for those ‘Walking Through Hell’
Many among us have committed Durant includes himself in these battalcompass for his fellow travelers to help them events over which we have little or no control will crimes or wronged other people, ions of the lost. find the right path. Here in 44 short chapters not only drive us Daffy Duck crazy, but our dark deeds which we regret and “We are comrades, you and I, walking the he aims to get those who have fallen back on prophecies may also become self-fulfilling. That which may well have ruined not same road through hell. The journey is differtheir feet and moving forward. Each chapter crystal ball is a deadly enemy, particularly to only their lives but ours as well. begins with one or more quotathose of us making the hike through hell. Because
Our prisons are full of such people, crimitions and focuses on a specific we are in an unbalanced mental and spiritual nals who have repented of their felonies and healing device — “Own Your state, because we are suffering, we often find ourwho on gaining their Guilt,” “Invictus,” “The Up-Andselves projecting all sorts of dark fantasies on the release resolve to walk Down Days,” and so on — which future.” a different path. The Durant then illustrates by examstrangers we pass in ples taken from history, literature, Along with the advice and examples found the streets or see in the movies, the headlines, and the in Walking Through Hell are exercises intendthe grocery store may experiences of his friends. These ed to help readers break their bonds, leave hide a firestorm of guilt and self-accusation in their hearts: the man who hasn’t spoken to his father Jeff Minick Writer healing techniques range from the performance of simple tasks — clean up your room, take better care with your appearance — to explorations of more esoteric practheir dark prisons, and make their way into the light. Nearly every chapter ends with one of these exercises: recommended books and movies; writing lists, letters to a friend, or a written inventory of the good, the bad, and in years, the woman tices such as stoicism, willpower, the ugly in our personalities; cleaning out a who lost her job for spreading rumors about a and the meaning of reputation. closet; taking a walk with the intention of confellow employee, the drunk whose addiction Some of Durant’s advice — the templation; deliberately seeking out a place of left him abandoned by his family, the adulterefficacy of exercise in battling beauty; even “Doing a good deed daily” like er who lost his reputation. They are the ones black moods, the gifts found in the the Boy Scouts. who by wounding others have wounded practice of gratitude, the healing Near the end of Walking Through Hell, themselves. power of taking pleasure in the Durant reminds his audience of what so many
Such people often have trouble moving small things such as a cup of coffee of us forget when we are reading a self-help forward in the world, bombarded by selfor birdsong in the morning — will book or listening to a podcast for inspiration. recrimination and haunted by the ugly be familiar to readers slogging None of these tools will help us unless we take destruction they have wrought. Again and down the hard road, ideas they the next step and put that advice into action. again, their thoughts return to the deed that may have come across in other “This is where it gets ugly,” Durant writes. ruined them, what used to be called a sin, like books, in counseling, or in discus“Because that change is up to you — not a a tongue to a loosened tooth. Every day they sions with friends. book, not a guru, not a trainer, not a video. feel stuck in place, locked in a prison of their Other chapters, however, give You.” own making, as burdened by chains as some us new insights into our difLike a good teacher, Walking Through Hell Marley’s ghost in The Christmas Carol. ficulties and so aid our recovery. In gave me food for thought and some valuable
Walking Through Hell: A Guide for Those his chapter “Throw Away The insights into my own history. Others who Who Have Wounded Themselves and Lost ent for each of us, because we are individuals Crystal Ball,” for instance, Durant first have walked this path, or who have fallen and Their Way (Old Tree Press, 2020, 202 pages) who have suffered trials unique to our circumreminds us of the importance of planning for are having trouble moving forward, may also seeks to offer these prisoners the keys to stances, but all of us share the realities of sadthe future, saving money for college, for examfind help in these pages. escape their chains and cells. Writer Jake ness and despair, regret and shame, hopelessple, or for a vacation. “This is necessary (Jeff Minick writes for various publications. He Durant aims this self-help book directly at ness and isolation. preparation,” he writes. He then examines a has also written two novels, Amanda Bell and those “whose wounds were self-inflicted … all “We are the ones who carry our guilt like a more dangerous way of looking at the future: Dust On Their Wings, and two books of nonficthose lost, stumbling souls who have commitcancer. tion, Movies Make The Man and Learning As I ted some great wrong, intentionally or unin“We are the ones who know you don’t “Many of us also keep a crystal ball in our Go. The books are available through Amazon or tentionally. You are the ones for whom I have to die to go to hell.” heads, which we use for prediction and projecthrough your local bookstore. He can be reached write.” Durant intends Walking Through Hell as a tion, not preparation. Trying to forecast future at ashevillelatin@gmail.com.)
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