UNC-TV ONLINE: Our State : Episode 102

Photo: lighthouse,lanscape and horses at the beach

Episode 102: Play Promo Video: Low Speed High Speed
The Grove Arcade - Jon Kuhn Glass - Grist for the Mill - Featured Video Clip - If You Want To Go

The Grove Arcade

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In 1926, E.W. Grove of Asheville envisioned an elegant building in downtown Asheville that would be the business and residential center of the city. He dreamed of a building that would tower every other building in the area-between 12 and 18 stories high-and would be home to craftsmen, shopkeepers, and apartment dwellers. In 1939 the Grove Arcade opened, and Grove's dream was realized.

Although Grove did not live to see the project's completion, the arcade was his legacy to Asheville. Not only was it one of the most graceful buildings in the state, it was also one of the tallest. After the Grove Arcade opened, various retail shopkeepers opened their stores on the first floor. Doctors and dentists inhabited the apartments upstairs. Grinning gargoyles greet visitors from inside and out, and two griffins guard the entrance to the north side of the arcade. Residents from around the state came to stare in wonder at the beautiful new shopping mall-one of the first in the country.

In 1942 the United States government appropriated the Arcade for the war effort. After the war, the mall was abandoned until several Asheville citizens got together to resurrect the building. Thanks to donations, grants and a large grant from Progress Energy, craftspeople have been able to restore the building to its original grandeur.

Today the Grove Arcade stands of one of three malls in Asheville, but its grace and unique character give it prominence in the mountain area.

Jon Kuhn Glass

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Jon Kuhn likes to play with glass-cutting it, turning it, polishing it until it catches the light and throws it off in a million vibrant colors. He is North Carolina's glass artist, and his pieces are known across the nation, housed in some of the most prestigious museums. The Mint Museum in Charlotte has a large collection of his works, called "Kuhns," tracing the history of his work from its roots in earthy pieces to the current dazzling display of complex colors and light.

Kuhn got the idea to experiment with glass when he cut through a piece of glass and noticed a colorful display inside. He then began testing other pieces of glass, cutting it into different shapes and cutting through different aspects of it. Most of his recent work explodes with light and color, like "Golden Dusk," a spherical sparkling creation that he says is his biggest breakthrough.

His sculptures are created with dozens of pieces of glass, cut different ways. His latest vision is to make sculptures that would fit in very large buildings. With his team of artisans, craftsmen, engineers, machinists and glass technicians, he realizes his vision. Even with his team, his sculptures can take between three months and two years a piece.

Kuhn uses special equipment to cut and polish the glass, equipment that he has adapted himself for this special use. The blade that cuts his glass originally was fashioned to cut granite, and his adaptations make it the only one of its kind in the world.

Grist for the Mill

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In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the mill was a magnet for settlements and socializing. People would gather in the old mill as they waited for their corn to be ground into meal and talk about life, much the way people gather at a café today. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a few of the old mills have been restored to their original capacity. In this feature, millers Herbert Sullivan and Paul Yount describe two of them.

Sullivan demonstrates one of the original corn grinding mills, powered by water to turn the giant gears inside to grind the corn. Almost every part of the mill is made of wood, even the mill gears, to prevent cracking. Milling was not a full-time job by any means. Farmers who milled also raised their own crops and spent the rest of the time tending and harvesting their crops.

Yount shows off an old turbine mill, which uses a turbine to interact with the water power and turn the gears. He also explains how the mill was the bustle of the town in its day; people gathered around the mill and exchanged stories while they waited for their corn to be ground. The mills were quite powerful devices; in their heyday, they could turn out a bushel of corn an hour at full speed. Of course, today the mills are treated with gentle care to keep them functioning.