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The Shape of Summer: Wildflower Walk and Site-Specific Cyanotypes with Brent Martin & Eric William Carroll

Saturday, July 22nd, 10 am – 4 pm @ Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin, NC
Hosted by: The Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

Brent Martin will lead participants in a midsummer wildflower walk on the Little Tennessee River in the Cowee National Historic District. This easy walk will allow participants to collect a wide variety of plants and flowering parts for the creation of their own cyanotype, as well as learn about the incredible plant diversity in the Little Tennessee Watershed.

Following the wildflower walk, we’ll meet at the Cowee School where participants will be introduced to the cyanotype process by artist Eric William Carroll. Together we’ll create photograms (cameraless photographs) based on the specimens collected during the walk. Participants will be encouraged to creatively illuminate their clippings in multiple ways, showcasing the broad range of interpretations each plant can have. Some of the work created during the workshop will be displayed at the Bascom: Center for Visual Arts in an exhibition this fall. No experience is necessary and this workshop is appropriate for ages 10+. All materials will be provided. More photos at the bottom of this page.

More information can be found on the Kinship Photography website – https://kinship.photography/listening-to-the-land-workshops/shape-of-summer

Cost: $50 (scholarships are available)

Class size: 15 students – Spots are still available!

Cyanotype prints by Eric William Carroll

Eric William Carroll processing a cyanotype in a mountain creek

July 28th, Walking With Bartram – Wayah Bald to Wallace Branch

We’re going to take advantage of the longer summer days to knock out this long hike from Wayah Bald all the way down to Wallace Branch. This is roughly an 11-mile section of mostly elevation loss on one of the most popular sections of the Bartram Trail.

We’ll plan on meeting at Wallace Branch at 9am and shuttling up to Wayah Bald to begin the day.

Newcomers are welcome to join us. Please plan to bring plenty of water, lunch, clothing appropriate for this season, and your sense of humor and wonder.

We have had great interest in these hikes and are working to create new hiking opportunities. If you are interested in leading a hike, let us know!

Please RSVP below to help with planning:

June 30th Walking With Bartram – Wallace Branch to Trimont Trail

This hike will pick up where we left off on our hike of the new route. We’ll plan to meet at the Church Parking across from Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin and shuttle to our starting point of Wallace Branch. We’ll hike the section from Wallace Branch up to Trimont Trail and head back into town down the proposed Trimont Trail reroute to the Old State Prison / NCDOT Yard. From there, we will walk down Harrison Avenue to the Lazy Hiker.

This is a slightly modified and abbreviated section to hike, but will not disappoint.

Newcomers are welcome to join us. All you need to bring is water, lunch, clothing appropriate for this season, and your sense of humor and wonder.

We have had great interest in these hikes and are working to create new hiking opportunities. If you are interested in leading a hike, let us know!

Please RSVP below to help with planning.

May 21, 2023: The History of Franklinia Alatamaha at Winding Stair Nursery

Brent Martin of the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy and co-owner of Alarka Expeditions will present The History of Franklinia Alatamaha or Franklin tree, so named after Benjamin Franklin. This event will be held at Winding Stair Nursery in Franklin, NC on Sunday, May 21st. The event starts at 2pm and is free to the public.

William Bartram collected the species in the 1770s and propagated it at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. The rare species was extinct in the wild by the early 1800s due to cotton farming and the subsequent introduction of the waterborne disease, phytophthora. The species will no longer grow in its natural habitat but does very well here in southern Appalachia.

Martin will talk about his own success in propagating Franklinia, and there will be specimens available for purchase at the nursery. He will also discuss the other two rare members of the Theaceae family in North America, Stewartia ovata (our native Mountain Camellia) and Stewartia malacodendron (Silky Camellia, found on the coastal plain) and how to also grow them in our southern mountains.

Attendance is free, but please head over to the Winding Stair Farm and Nursery website to register to help with planning for this event: http://windingstairfarm.com/nursery/events/franklintree/

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