Broad River journey: Retracing the footsteps of artist Harry Fenn
Special to the Times-News
Published May 2, 2021
Scott Varn and Mike Wurman will be doing something that is not been done in more than 100 years. They will be retracing the footsteps taken by artist Harry Fenn focusing on the 12 engravings that featured scenes mostly along the French Broad River.
Scott Varn, on left, and artist/writer Mike Wurman will embark on a journey along the French Broad River where they will capture its beauty in words and painting. Mark Henry Photo
To promote the upcoming exhibition, they will take the entire 80 mile journey from Chimney Rock to Del Rio, Tennessee along the Buncombe Turnpike/Drovers Road, which was the route the original artist took in 1870.
Dressed in period clothing with sketchbooks in hand, they will follow in the footsteps and brushstrokes of those who helped Americans see our landscape as something to be cherished rather than exploited.
They will travel by horseback, foot and boat; stopping at each of the original vantage points where Fenn made his renderings.
Local artists and the public are invited meet them at each of the 12 locations to create and celebrate. They will also be meeting historians at significant locations to learn and share the local history.
On Saturday May 8, at 9:30 a.m. they will be with Katherine Calhoun Cutshall of the Pack Memorial Library special collections, in Pritchard Park in Asheville for a press opportunity.
Later that day they will also be hosting a free preview event in Asheville’s River Arts District. Here they will share their stories and show how anyone can help with the local conservation efforts. All artists and conservation-minded folks are welcome for this informative and fun celebration where art and nature come together.
Varn is founder of Preserving a Picturesque America (PAPA), is an organization striving to protect natural and historic places through the power of the arts. By finding the vantage points of the original 1800s artists from the publication Picturesque America, they are continuing the legacy that they started.
Mike Wurman, left, and Scott Varn will retrace the footsteps taken by artist Harry Fenn focusing on the 12 engravings that featured scenes mostly along the French Broad River. Mark Henry Photo
The original serial contained almost 1,000 pieces of art. Although they are seeking all of them, they focus on one section at a time in order to promote local awareness and create local chapters.
Varn has been gathering artists from eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina for several years and has been guiding them to the vantage points of the original artist Harry Fenn. Although a national project, local activism is critical. Artist Christopher Holt is the new president of the local WNC chapter for PAPA. He and more than 30 other artists have come together to create the exhibition and art sale this fall. The funds raised will go directly to saving these locations as well as to improving the health of the French Broad River.
Here is the itinerary:
May 4: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Chimney Rock (Site #12) at Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery Patio in Chimney RockCreate Account
May 5: 9:30 a.m.: Leave Chimney Rock by horseback to Sherrill’s Inn on the first leg of the adventure
May 8: 7 p.m.: Stories, celebration and public preview, 8 River Arts Place, Asheville.
May 10: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: “Old Mill – Reems Creek” (#9) at Lake Louise Park, Weaverville.
May 13: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: “Mountain Island “(#4) vantage point (accessible only by boat)
May 14: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Lover’s Leap Views (#6, #7, #13) in Hot Springs
May 15: 10 a.m. to noon: “Ferry on the French Broad” (#11) in Hot Springs
May 15: 1 to 3 p.m.: “Scene on the French Broad” (#5) in Hot Springs
May 16: 2 to 5 p.m.: “Paint Rock”(#2) & “French Broad” (#3) in Hot Springs
May 17: 9:30 a.m. to noon: “The Smoky Mountains” (#1) along Paint Rock Trail in Hot Springs
May 17: 6 p.m.: Camp-out and Celebration at the Hillside Farm vantage point near Del Rio, TN
May 18: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: “A Farm on the French Broad” (#8) near Del Rio, TN
For more precise location information, contact sam@preservationthroughart.org