Lifestyle

From the Editor

Laurel of Asheville Editor Frances Figart

April is the month when we turn our thoughts to the Earth, so I consider it Earth Month. Thinking ahead about this a few weeks back, I wondered how recent changes in our administration might be affecting those who manage and protect our private and public lands. So I asked a group of local professionals from various organizations to answer some questions and our Conservation Corner provides an overview of their concerns, hopes and needs.

Many other stories that touch on the Earth Day theme are sprinkled throughout the issue. Be sure to check out the Local Products article about the state of our local forests written by Lang Hornthal of Root Cause. Learn about the beneficial aspects of the recent Party Rock Fires in Jake Flannick’s Sustainability column.

I am an editor who loves to work with people on what I create. So I really identified with our Cover Artist, Diane S. Dean, whose passion it is to go to festivals and interact with folks who are interested in buying or commissioning her art—which is rife with color and bursting buds to help us welcome the recent arrival of Spring.

Our Feature Artists were equally inspiring to work with on their story, about an upcoming exhibit of Southern Highland Craft Guild artists who formed a groovy sisterhood back in the late 1970s. Their vintage photos will make you smile. Supporting each other still across many states and various mediums, they will be reuniting at the Folk Art Center and invite all of us to join them on Saturday, April 15.

However you choose to celebrate Earth Month, be sure to check out our calendar, meticulously compiled by associate editor Gina Malone, for the many events to choose from. Enjoy!

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