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Transformation on trail: Volunteers converge to secure Max Patch’s future WRITTEN BY HOLLY KAYS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 On a sunny Saturday in September, tall grasses wave a fringe atop Max Patch, framing mountain layers fading from ripened green to hazy blue....

History Feature: Retracing the ‘Much Traveled’ Drovers Road By Lauren Stepp The year is 1835, and Sherrill’s Tavern smells of cider and swine. Bedford Sherrill, an enterprising man who purchased acreage in the Hickory Nut Gorge months prior, is peddling apple cider to...

Artists retrace historic route, mount conservation benefit show Posted on September 15, 2021 by Bill Kopp As founder of the nonprofit Preserving a Picturesque America, Scott “Doc” Varn is on a mission to create a modern-day version of a printed project dating from the...

PAPA members seek to create modern works based on the 900 wood engravings and 50 steel engravings of American scenery in Picturesque America, a two-volume set of books published in the 1870s. This inaugural event will feature works from artists in a variety of media, all depicting scenes along the French Broad River found in Picturesque America.

by WLOS Staff - Saturday, May 8th 2021 ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Recreating art from the 1800s -- that's the goal of two artists traveling around the mountains. Adventure artists Scott Varn and Mike Wurman have ventured 80 miles from Chimney Rock to Del Rio, Tenn. It's...

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...

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Thomas Calder Happenstance led Asheville artist and printmaker Scott “Doc” Varn to establish Preserving a Picturesque America, a local nonprofit that promotes conservation efforts through the arts. More than a decade ago, Varn came across...

PAPA Presents: Footsteps & Brush Strokes Along the French Broad Preserving a Picturesque America (PAPA) is an organization striving to protect our natural and historic places through the power of the arts. By finding the vantage points of the original 1800s...

We regret that the Spring Artist Retreat will be heavily modified due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We want our supporters and community to be safe and stay healthy during this difficult time. We are supporting social distancing and will maintain the guidelines for the...