February and so many beautiful days had on campus already. Whether you have a romantic fantastic month ahead, celebrations of big games with parties, or are just planning a selfish savoring of some of Ramsey Library’s newest reads [Newest all here; Newest print books here] with chocolate and tea, this month has the potential to be amazing. Up right now in Blowers Gallery is an exhibit by UNCA’s own Jeremy Phillips, Double Take, and it looks great. It will likely pleasantly play with your mind a bit. We will also hold a reception for the exhibit where you can meet the artist Jeremy Phillips in Blowers Gallery on Valentine’s Day from 4-6pm.
Did you know that Ramsey Library’s Special Collections hosts regularly hosts scholarly talks by our own UNCA scholars and guests? Hear what our amazing faculty are focusing on and what neat projects are being taken on by attending! All Brown Bags for the Spring 2023 semester can be found here. February’s remaining sessions include “Climate Resiliency through the Sherrill Center Microgrid and Mobile Microgrid Work Vehicles” by Alison Ormsby, Keith Thomson, Nick Haas, John Castellani, and Trevor Goldston on February 16th; and “Antigua, Guatemala and Alcohol Over The Centuries: Change Over Time?” by Alvis Dunn on February 23rd. These are so interesting and insightful, please check them out.
Also, if the spectre of THE FUTURE and all those things happening after graduation is on your mind, considering investing in yourself, developing new skills and connections, and expanding your knowledge horizons of what’s possible by making use of Ramsey Library’s Career Center, located in the center of our main level. They have many useful services available on demand and offer several skill bolstering events still coming up this semester including an The Internship Event (2/21) and Local Career Trek (2/23) happening this month. Click here to check them out or to make an appointment.
All those recommendations made, here are a few more from our wonderful Ramsey Library Staff for February 2023!
Recommendation: The Complete Recordings of the Paul Desmond Quartet with Jim Hall (CD set in Ramsey – Call number J DESP 0001) LINK
By: Gene Hyde, Special Collections
Description: Alto saxophonist Paul Desmond is best known for his years with Dave Brubeck, where he penned the classic tune “Take Five.” The quick witted Desmond once said he wanted his alto sax to “sound like a dry martini.” For years he collaborated with guitarist Jim Hall, an equally brilliant musician “whose technique has been called subtle, his sound mellow, and his compositions understated,” according to the National Endowment for the Arts. These four CDs are a delight.
Recommendation: Main Street Weaverville
By: Mikayla Hylemon, Career Center
Description: I feel like Main Street Weaverville is severely underrated by UNCA students, as Downtown Asheville seems to take up a lot of the spotlight. They have some of the best places I’ve eaten at, including Main Street Grill (where I had the best burger of my life), Twisted Laurel, and even an old timey Ice Cream Pharmacy called The Pad! I hope more students and folks get to visit there more often.
Recommendation: Artist Toshiaki Yamasaki
By: Jon Morris, Ramsey Library Research Services
Description: Toshi’s art captures interesting interactions with cats he’s met while traveling around the world, and he does so with a level of detail that breathes the life and spirit back into them. I love how Toshi’s pieces combine playfulness, utterly masterful precision, and a sense of the Japanese concept of ‘Ichigo ichie’ (Meaning something like, “Savor each chance interaction”-me or “treasure the unrepeatable“). Toshi’s drawings are, amazingly, completed almost exclusively with colored pencils. If you prefer cute dogs, don’t worry: Toshi’s collection includes wonderful drawings of them as well. Check out some of Toshi’s other work here.
Ramsey Sidebar Selection: Ramsey Library’s UNCA Asheville Featured Faculty Bookshelf
Where: Main floor of Ramsey Library, just to the right of the Career Center
Yes, your UNCA professors are accomplished authors! Come take a leisurely perusal of some of our own UNCA faculty’s academic and general interest publications. There are all sorts of good reads here, varying from local topics to international ones. To the faculty, did we miss something? Let us know if you have published something lately and we do not already have a copy, and we will add it to our collection if possible. Your achievements make us look so good.
Thanks for tuning in for this month’s Ramsey Staff Selections! Savor the serendipitous of this shortest month.
