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We Remember
Lowell Smith
April 25, 2025
Lowell had been an OLLI member for a number of years. You may be interested in his obituary, where he suggests, instead of any other tribute that "we all take a quiet moment out of our busy lives, sit with a loved one, and reflect on these questions he last carried with him...
"Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you? What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life? What was the happiest moments of your life? The saddest? When in life have you felt most alone? How has your life been different than what you’d imagined? What does your future hold?"
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We Remember
Farley Snell
May 22, 2025
Between 2009 and 2020, Farley (pictured in the plaid shirt with OLLI member Wayne Jewsbury in stripes) taught 38 courses in religion and philosophy (including God in the Gilded Age, Hebrew Scriptures in Modern Scholarship, 15 Centuries of Christian Thought and Conflict and courses on Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, Carl Jung and Soren Kierkegaard). While he taught serious courses, he is remembered for his wit and levity. I am sure everyone who knew Farley has a story to tell or a witticism to share. Members of Farley's Sunday School classes described him as “A dedicated teacher, who challenged us to think, taught us to disagree amicably, and entertained while edifying.” Read Farley's obituary.
| Events: Week of May 25-31 | |
The OLLI office and
the Reuter Center
will be closed
Monday, May 26,
to commemorate Memorial Day
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Summer 2025
Open Registration Begins Tuesday, May 27, 10 a.m.
List of open courses for Summer 2025
Summer 2025 Schedules
Those who participated in the Summer 2025 lottery registration should have received their schedules on Friday, May 23, late afternoon.
Summer 2025 Open Registration
Open registration for Spring 2025 begins Tuesday, May 27, 10 a.m. (The OLLI Offices and the Reuter Center will be closed on Monday, May 26, to commemorate Memorial Day). Open registration is first come, first served. During open registration, if you participated in lottery registration, you may add as many courses as you can schedule (although please be mindful of time conflicts). If you missed lottery registration you may enroll in (or add yourself to the waitlist) for as many courses as you can schedule.
We will have volunteers on hand to help on Tuesday, May 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. You may call the OLLI office at 828.251.6140, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Please leave a message, and we will return your call in a timely way.
Registration Instructions
To get started with registration go to the OLLI login site. You will find complete step-by-step Summer 2025 registration instructions on page 26-27 of the catalog or an overview of the registration process here. Be sure to log in whether you are adding courses to your schedule or are registering for the first time and be sure to check out all the way to make sure your course selections are noted in the registration system.
Find the OLLI Summer 2025 Catalog here.
If you want a PDF of the catalog, find a link to a PDF of the OLLI Summer 2025 catalog here.
The Summer 2025 weekly schedule has our six-week programs on the first page and our one-week courses on the second.
We will publish an open course list on Sunday, May 25 in the OLLI newsletter. Remember that this will only be valid until the system opens on Tuesday, May 27 and then may change rapidly.
Summer 2025 Schedule
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Open registration: begins May 27, 2025, 10 a.m.
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Term dates June 16-July 25, 2025
Upcoming College for Seniors Terms
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Fall 2025: Catalog available August 4, 2025; Lottery registration August 11-18, 2025; Open registration begins September 2, 2025; Term dates September 22-November 14, 2025
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Winter 2026: Catalog available November 3, 2025; Lottery registration November 10-17, 2025; Open registration begins December 8, 2025; Term dates January 12-February 23, 2026
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Spring 2026: Catalog available February 2, 2026; Lottery registration February 9-16, 2026; Open registration March 2; Term dates March 23-May 15, 2026
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Thriving in Community
Shared Interest Group
Advance Care Planning
for Solo Agers
With Paula Kelley,
Founder of NC Guardian
and Care Management
Tuesday, May 27, 5 – 6:30 pm
Contact SIG Program Coordinator Jan Nickerson by May 18
to register for in-person attendance and by May 26 to register for Zoom attendance.
Paula Kelley, Founder of NC Guardian and Care Management (NCGCM), will educate us on Supported Decision-Making and Advance Care Planning.
Read more about the May Thriving in Community SIG meeting.
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OLLI Inclusion Committee Just Conversations
Homelessness After Helene presented by Debbie Alford
Wednesday, May 28, 2-4 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room (102)
or join the May 28 Inclusion Committee program on Zoom
Registration is requested for this May 28 event
Join the OLLI at UNC Asheville Inclusion Committee and Debbie Alford, homeless strategy specialist with the City of Asheville, for a conversation on homelessness after Hurricane Helene. This two-hour presentation will include information about the causes of homelessness, vulnerable populations and types of homelessness. The presentation will include an overview of the 2025 Point In Time Count Data and the community's response to homelessness in the aftermath of Helene. Attendees will hear from homeless service providers, have an opportunity to ask questions and learn how to get involved.
This event is free to OLLI members and the UNC Asheville community but registration is requested.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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Alzheimer's Association Presentation
"A Caregiver's Guide to
Managing Dementia"
Thursday, May 29, 5:30 p.m. Reuter Center Room 206
Learn about some of the common triggers for behaviors associated with dementia, how to assess the person’s needs, and how good communication strategies and person centered approaches to intervene effectively. We will also review helpful resources from the Alzheimer's Association.
This event is free and open to everyone.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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OLLI Shared Interest Group:
The Forum
Friday, May 30, 1 p.m.
Contact Beth Johnson (see below) for
the Zoom link to participate
May 30: The impacts of market manipulation, tariffs, and the transfer of wealth by the Trump administration.
Find a list of The Forum's weekly topics from May 30 - June 27
People are encouraged to submit topic suggestions in advance and to contact Beth Johnson, the Forum SIG coordinator, to get a link for the meeting: johnson1ea@earthlink.net
All OLLI members are welcome to join the Forum SIG. To do so, please contact Lynn Spaight at spaight@unca.edu.
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Council on Aging of
Buncombe County
"Introduction to Medicare--Understanding the Puzzle"
Friday, May 30, 2:30 p.m. / Reuter Center 206
To register visit the Council on Aging of Buncombe County website.
In workshops presented by the Council on Aging in Buncombe County in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Insurance Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, learn how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties and ways to save money. Anyone who is ready to join Medicare or is a caregiver or family member helping older adults with the Medicare insurance may want to attend this informative session. To register visit the Council on Aging of Buncombe County website. or call 828.277.8288.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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Book Signing
OLLI Member John B. Christiansen's
Vibrant Mosaic: A Deaf Sociologist Explores Issues Impacting
Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
Saturday, May 31, noon - 2 p.m.
Barnes and Noble Asheville Mall/ 3 South Tunnel Road, Asheville
Read more about OLLI member John B. Christiansen's book here
| Events: Week of June 1-7 | |
Older Americans Month Event
Standing in Our Strength:
Flip the Script on Aging
Tuesday, June 2, 10 a.m. to noon
First Baptists Church of Asheville, 5 Oak Street
Register before June 2 to attend
Celebrate Older Americans Month in May and raise awareness about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in June! The Strategic Aging Leadership Team (SALT) and Buncombe County Elder Justice Coalition (EJC), both part of Age-Friendly Buncombe County, are hosting a combined event, Standing in Our Strength: Flip the Script on Aging.
This FREE event will be held at the First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak Street, on Tuesday, June 10 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. The event will be a fair with speakers, vendor tables with representatives and resources from organizations that support older adults and caregivers, and breakfast.
Register before June 2, 2025 to attend.
Read more about the June 2 Standing in Our Strength event
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Science Book Club
The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger, moderated by Sue Studlar
Monday, June 2, 6:30 p.m.
Reuter Center 206
In researching for her book, which is written with enthusiasm and clarity, Zoë Schlanger traveled to the labs of researchers studying plant behavior and became fascinated with the controversies (both in scientific and public circles) that arose over the meanings of their findings. After this botanical journey, she saw plants in a new light, so to speak, as light-eaters and remarkable beings that exhibit intelligent behavior parallel to that of animals and humans. Noting our total dependence upon and “entanglement” with plants, Schlanger ends with a ringing call for plant conservation.
Zoë Schlanger, a staff writer for The Atlantic magazine and winner of the 2017 National Association of Science Writers' Science Reporting Award, writes articles on climate change and other environmental issues for newspapers, magazines and NPR. The Light Eaters is her first book and represents her journey as a journalist into research on plant behavior.
Moderator Sue Moyle Studlar is a botanist specializing in bryophytes (mosses) who also likes lichens. With and undergraduate degree from Carleton College and a doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Sue has taught botany courses for over 40 years, including West Virginia University, Mountain Lake Biological Station, Centre College, and Wellesley College. Her most recent teaching adventures were at Highlands Biological Station, UNC Asheville, and the Asheville Botanical Gardens. Sue also does bryophyte consulting work.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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Sierra Club Meeting
Smart Urban Planning and Asheville
Presented by Joe Minicozzi
Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room (102)
or Join the June 4 Sierra Club Meeting on Zoom
Join the Sierra Club for a presentation from influential and innovative urban planner Joe Minicozzi as we discuss smart urban planning in Asheville.
Minicozzi has a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Miami and a master's degree in urban planning from Harvard University.
For more information, contact WNC Sierra Club Chair Judy Mattox at judymattox15@gmail.com
See the Sierra Club of WNC website.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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Asheville Museum of History Program
History Hour: Asheville’s Tuberculosis Tourism Era
Presented by David O. Freedman
Thursday, June 5, 6 p.m.
Asheville Museum of History
283 Victoria Road, Asheville, 28801
Purchase tickets for the June 5 event here
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Astronomy Club of Asheville
Cryovolcanism:
The Coolest Geological Process
Presented by Jessica Noviello
Thursday, June 5, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room or join the June 5 meeting on Zoom
Many planetary bodies in the Solar System show evidence of cryovolcanism, which is the eruption of water, ice, and dissolved volatiles onto a body’s surface. Details about how cryovolcanism works and how it might work on different bodies, however, are open questions in planetary science. The New Horizons mission to the Pluto system returned the first images of Pluto and its moons, the largest of which is Charon. Charon’s surface shows evidence of cryovolcanic resurfacing, but the presence of discrepancies between observations and computer models raises major questions about the moon’s history.
In this talk, Jessica Noviello, high-energy astrophysicist and editor in chief of Sky and Telescope, will explain the basics of cryovolcanism, lead you on a tour of cryovolcanoes of the Solar System, and present on why Charon might provide the best opportunity to study a major but enigmatic geological process.
Join online via Zoom.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
| OLLI News and Opportunities | |
Join, Learn, Serve
By Carol Greenman
Leadership Asheville Seniors is often cited as the first program of the NC Center for Creative Retirement, now OLLI. Both Leadership Asheville and Leadership Asheville Seniors were run from university offices and as the idea for the NC Center for Creative Retirement was becoming a reality, LAS became the first program.
Read the whole story about LAS and then see information below about how to register for LAS 39
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Leadership Asheville Seniors 39
Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for Leadership Asheville Seniors 39, which will run September through November 2025. You can create an OLLI account or sign into your existing account here. You can find the direct link to the LAS registration page here. Join your fellow OLLI members in exploring Asheville and Buncombe county, learning from the community leaders, and discovering ways to get involved!
Click here for more information about OLLI at UNC Asheville's longest running program.
Contact Laurel Jernigan (ljerniga@unca.edu) with any questions
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Civic Engagement Committee
Calls to Action
May 25, 2025
Veteran’s Restoration Quarters Kitchen Help
OLLI volunteers help prepare meals for returning veterans in the Veterans Restoration Quarters Kitchen. The commitment is two mornings a month. Contact: Robert Rietz at dbactuary@hotmail.com
Read more about this Veterans Restoration Quarters volunteer opportunity
Energy Savers
OLLI volunteers are needed for a fun hands-on opportunity in Asheville and Buncombe County to make a real impact in our community by helping to lower the energy cost burden of limited-income families while reducing energy consumption in the fight against climate change. You can learn new energy-efficiency skills such as caulking, air sealing, and insulating and enjoy meeting new people. Four-hour shifts are available Tuesday through Friday. signup as a volunteer and select a workday on their website: https://www.energysaversnetwork.org/volunteer
Read more about this Energy Savers volunteer opportunity
Find a complete list of Civic Engagement Committee volunteer opportunities
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Join a Men’s Wisdom Works Group
Looking to engage and bond with other men in a safe and supportive environment? Ready to discuss the issues facing men as we age and navigate life’s transitions? Men’s Wisdom Works builds groups of up to a dozen empathetic men, who seek meaning in their lives through the candid and confidential exploration of issues beyond sports and career. Several of the existing 20+ groups currently have openings.
Contact Buck Bragg at buck.bragg@gmail.com.
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OLLIChat
Email OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com to join (if you are a current OLLI member)
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Events: Week of June 8-14 | |
Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association
Storm Photography and
Weather's Impact on Photography
Presented by Karl Chang
Sunday, June 8, 5:30 p.m. Meet and Greet /6 p.m. Program Begins
Reuter Center Room 206
Karl Chang is an interventional radiologist by trade, so he visualizes images in a scientific sense as part of his career. About 20 years ago Karl developed a passion for nature photography that allows him to use the creative side of his brain, and he now spends most of his vacation time traveling the world in search of photographic adventures. More recently, he has become passionate about photographing storms, and he is eager to share his newest presentation, "Storm Chasing Photography" with us.
To join online and for more information, visit the CNPA-Asheville Region’s website.
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OLLI Meditation SIG
Meditation with the
Sacred and the Mundane
Led by Peggy Moore
Monday, June 9, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
(Chat Room opening at 4:15 p.m.)
On Zoom (see attachment
Read more about the June online
Meditation SIG Meetings
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Asheville Museum of History Program
Conversation:
The Rev. Dr. Dan Matthews
and Terry Roberts
Tuesday, June 10, 7 p.m.
Asheville Museum of History, 283 Victoria Road, Asheville 28801
Find out more about the Asheville Museum of History Conversations Series, including information about how to purchase tickets
When the deadly terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center occurred on September 11, 2001, The Rev. Dr. Dan Matthews was an eyewitness to the horror from his office at Trinity Church on Wall Street. Immediately following the attacks, he transformed St. Paul’s Chapel into a place of respite and refuge for rescue and recovery workers, where an army of volunteers provided for their physical and spiritual needs 24 hours a day. Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the Order of the British Empire on Dan for his work in lower Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks. Growing up in Canton, Dan developed a love of the mountains and is a Director and former Chair of the Board of Friends of the Smokies. Local author Terry Roberts will engage Dan in conversation.
Find out more about the Conversations Series and how to purchase tickets.
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Storytelling Event
Ray Christian
Thursday, June 12, 7 p.m.
Weaverville Community Center
60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, NC 28787
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New Member Welcome / Returning Member Refresher
Friday, June 13, 10 a.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room (102)
Or Join the June 13 New Member Welcome on Zoom
Please use this form to let us know if you will attend the welcome on June 13.
Are you new to OLLI at UNC Asheville and the Reuter Center? Are you returning after being gone awhile? Do you just want to catch up on the latest? Come learn about all that OLLI has to offer and about ways to get involved! Meet other members, and learn what it means to “grow through life.”
The New Member Welcome is free and open to all OLLI members.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
| | Events: Week of June 15-21 | | |
World Affairs Council
Tariffs and Turmoil: Challenges to the World Trade Order
Presented by Julie Snyder
Tuesday, June 17, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Join the June 17 World Affairs Council on Zoom
Since the end of World War II, the United States has played an essential leadership role in reducing tariffs and other trade barriers to support peace and prosperity. However, the new Administration has abruptly challenged the rules-based world trade order by introducing high tariffs that could lead to a global trade war. What will be the impact on U.S. exports and imports? What does this tariff shock mean for U.S. bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, partnerships, and the global economy? Amid trade tensions and high policy uncertainty, is a new world trade order developing with the U.S. being left behind?
Julie Snyder retired from the U.S. diplomatic service in 2014 after a 31-year career in commercial diplomacy. During assignments for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service in Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, Julie advocated for U.S. commercial interests and contributed to the development and implementation of U.S. trade agreements. She received a Commerce Department Silver Medal Honor Award for advancing market access in Japan for U.S. businesses. Currently, Julie teaches courses on international topics for the OLLI Asheville College for Seniors and speaks on international trade topics for the World Affairs Council of Western North Carolina (WAC-WNC). Since 2022, she has served as president of the WAC-WNC Board of Directors.
Join the June 17 World Affairs Council on Zoom
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a valid 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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Book Talk and Performance
Southern Mountain Music:
The Collected Writings of Wayne Erbsen
Book Talk and Performance
Friday, June 20, 12:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room (102)
Register to attend Wayne Erbsen's talk in person or online
Join OLLI at UNC Asheville for a book talk and banjo performance by Wayne Erbsen. This book represents a lifetime of research by Wayne, who interviewed many legendary figures in Appalachian music. Often the first and only scholar to ever collect their stories, he provides in this book an indispensable history of blue- grass and old-time music in Appalachia for generations to come.
The book begins with stories featuring many pioneers of old-time and bluegrass music. Next are chapters on brother duets from the 1930s, legendary banjo pickers and fiddle players, plus tales of 19th-century songwriters whose songs still populate bluegrass music. Also covered are wide-ranging and whimsical topics such as cowboys in bluegrass music, Charlie Cline’s powerful snoring, a near-encounter with Bigfoot, and Hoss Cartwright’s hat.
A professor of old-time and bluegrass music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Wayne Erbsen has spent most of his life playing, teaching, researching, publishing, and broadcasting southern Appalachian and blue-grass music. He has written 38 books of songs, folklore, and music instruction. He divides his time between his home in Asheville, North Carolina and his family‚ a Civil War era log cabin in Elk Creek, VA.
This event is free to OLLI members and the UNC Asheville community but registration is requested.
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Death Café
Friday, June 20, 5 p.m. / Reuter Center Lower Atrium
Death Café is an engaging gathering with storytelling and conversation about a topic that too often alienates people in our death-phobic culture. At Death Café, participants break into small groups of five or six people and discuss personal stories related to the death of loved ones; loss of jobs, relationships or marriages; or loss or death of parts of ourselves. These programs are facilitated by Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop and Said Osïo from Third Messenger. Death Café meets in the Reuter Center atrium on the third Friday of each month from 5-6:30 p.m. Learn more about Death Café by visiting the Death Café website, the Third Messenger website, or facebook.com/deathcafeasheville. If you have questions about meetings of Death Café at the Reuter Center, please contact Karen Sanders at 828-778-8882.
Find out more about visitor parking if you do not have a 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit.
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Big Pine Barn Photography Workshop
Friday and Saturday, June 20-21
email info@appalachianbarns.org
or call 828 380-9146
to sign up or for more information
OLLI member Woody Eisenberg and the Appalachian Barn Alliance are pleased to invite you to the Big Pine Barn Photography Workshop the weekend of June 20 – 21, 2025. The workshop will be an opportunity for a small group of interested photographers of all levels of expertise to “get up close and personal” with our
photogenic historic barns in beautiful Madison County.
The Workshop weekend will kick off Friday afternoon from 4-6 p.m. with Taylor Barnhill, a local historian and professional architect providing an overview of the remarkable history of the farms and barns of Madison County, and Woody showing examples of some of the photos that first sparked his interest (some of which can be seen at https://www.woodyeisenbergphotos.com) and explaining techniques for making your own beautiful photographs. Saturday begins early, at 8 a.m. as the group departs for a day of guided photography of selected farms and barns, wrapping up about 4 p.m.
The cost is $150 (or $125 if you are a 2024 ABA member). You can sign up by emailing info@appalachianbarns.org or calling 828 380-9146.
| Events: Week of June 22-28 | | |
Alzheimer's Association Program
Breaking New Ground:
Advances in
Alzheimer's Disease Treatments
Thursday, June 26, 5:30 p.m. / Reuter Center Room 206
In this presentation, we discuss the impact of Alzheimer's disease on the brain and explore the latest FDA approved treatments including their potential benefits and side effects. We also look at the pathways to access treatments, and describe the resources available through the Alzheimer’s Association.
This program is free and open to everyone.
Find out more about visitor parking permits if you do not have a 2024-25 UNC Asheville parking permit
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Asheville Museum of History
Conversation:
Becky Anderson and Jack Cecil
Thursday, June 26, 7 p.m.
Asheville Museum of History, 283 Victoria Road, Asheville 28801
Find out more about the Asheville Museum of History Conversations Series, including information about how to purchase tickets
In 1993, Becky Anderson, a leader in industrial and economic development in Asheville and Western North Carolina, developed her idea of a craft-based economy to bring about civic change and create economic opportunity in rural communities. Becky founded HandMade in America, a craft-focused non-profit organization which had a significant impact on many small communities and individuals and gained national and worldwide acclaim. Jack Cecil, former Chair of HandMade in America and a longtime friend of Becky, will talk with her.
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