On the morning of Monday, Jan. 12, a group from Cherokee Historical Association visited the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

Both CHA and SVC are nonprofits dedicated to the preservation of history and culture. Thus, the CHA representatives’ focus was on how Cherokee history and culture was being presented at SVC. 

Recently, a teacher of history asked me, a former teacher of history, about ways to bring history alive for high school students. My response hasn’t varied in 40 years: “Make connections.” Students — and the rest of us as well — need to remember we live today with the consequences of events like the signing of the Declaration of Independence or the Battle of Gettysburg.

As Haywood Community College celebrates its 60-year anniversary Thursday, Sept. 18, administrators are reflecting on more than a half-century of progress while looking ahead to the institution’s evolving legacy.  

Earlier this summer, two Western North Carolina artists completed and installed a new public sculpture at a park in Virginia.  

Metalsmith William Rogers designed the work and created steel elements that support hammered copper panels made by Nathan Bush.

The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville announced the arrival of “Trolls: A Field Study.” Visiting on their first North American excursion, these 12 interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind. 

Lake Junaluska’s Artists in Residence invite the public to visit “Art in the Gardens,” now through Wednesday, May 15.

Overcast skies didn’t deter a large crowd from coming out to witness the unveiling of the sculpture “Sowing Seeds of the Future,” on Saturday, March 23,­ in downtown Franklin. 

The “Women’s History Trail Sculpture Community Celebration” will be held on Saturday, March 23, in Franklin.  

The Folk Heritage Association of Macon County (FHAMC) held a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 27 after completing a five-year grassroots campaign to raise funds for its Women’s History Trail sculpture. 

The series “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” will host the Women’s History Trail program “Voices from the Past” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin.