Many regard LEAF as a music competition, however founder Jennifer Pickering has at all times identified it’s about neighborhood

After graduating school, Jennifer Pickering spent $1,400 on an around-the-world airplane ticket. Over the following yr, she backpacked by Africa, India and Southeast Asia. When she returned to Asheville, within the mid ‘80s, Pickering got down to give individuals right here a style of what she’d seen and who she met.

“I had dreamed to open up an area and a spot you’d stroll into be capable of journey the world,” she stated.

Pickering didn’t envision doing that by music. Even on the eve of the 50th LEAF Festival, she’s nonetheless reluctant to label it a music competition. As a substitute, she sticks to the ethos that underscored the unique Lake Eden Arts Competition, within the fall of 1995.

“On the time, there weren’t festivals that have been presenting all completely different sorts of genres, that had therapeutic arts, that had poetry. Folks didn’t say I used to be loopy, they stated it could by no means work,” she stated. “I began to see so clearly the magic and potentialities of festivals as a solution to join individuals to the world by the music and humanities.”

Not many festivals can anticipate to promote out 6,000 tickets with Angelique Kidjo of Benin and Rocky Dawuni of Ghana among the many headliners. Then once more, for LEAF regulars—particularly those that camp—the competition is absolutely concerning the neighborhood that gathers there. The music is a soundtrack to their expertise.

Performances and workshops for the upcoming competition run October 20-23 at Lake Eden in Black Mountain.

“How we share the story of LEAF in a means that folks get it has at all times been considered one of our greatest challenges,” Pickering stated. “As soon as individuals come, they are usually LEAFers for a extremely very long time.”

Pickering describes herself as a baby of privilege. Her father based Camp Rockmont, and her experiences there performed into her enthusiasm to develop the competition on the grounds round Lake Eden. She deflects deeper questions on her upbringing, although, and defines her household extra broadly.

“I used to be actually grateful to be raised by a number of girls, however one who was a really sturdy, stunning Black lady, and her voice and her steerage actually fashioned a variety of how I noticed the world,” she stated. “ After which, dwelling and rising up at a camp the place youngsters got here from everywhere in the world.”

Pickering is fast to call her early collaborators on shaping and birthing the competition and the staff members who curate and handle occasions in the present day. Nonetheless, she defied advisers who advised her the competition would by no means discover an viewers if she insisted on that includes poetry and therapeutic arts alongside the music. To today, these parts stay on the cloth of LEAF.

“There’s so many individuals doing huge identify, huge live shows, and that’s not what we do greatest,” Pickering stated. “We’re very mission pushed somewhat than what’s going to promote and what’s going to be in style.”

Simply earlier than the pandemic, Pickering and her staff extra absolutely realized their authentic mission by opening LEAF International Arts. It’s within the former Membership Del Cardo, on the entrance to The Block in downtown Asheville. Together with housing LEAF’s headquarters, it’s a cultural and schooling middle that additionally hosts recording periods and small performances. Guests can put their palms on dozens of percussion devices from around the globe and discover music from 60 international locations.

“This concept actually got here again to life once I was turning 50 and actually excited about the sustainability and way forward for LEAF, and figuring out and exploring ‘What does LEAF provide to our neighborhood and is that price persevering with on?’” Pickering stated. “In that exploration, it grew to become clear we wanted a house the place individuals might expertise LEAF yr spherical.”

In 2013, LEAF grew to become a proper identify somewhat than an acronym. There at the moment are smaller LEAF festivals downtown within the spring and alongside the French Broad River in the summertime, earlier than workers gear up for his or her flagship occasion in October.

On a day in mid-September, Pickering was neck-deep within the logistics of manufacturing a competition that includes artists from around the globe. At the present time’s problem: Working by one performer’s visa points.

“Festivals are usually not for the faint of coronary heart,” she stated with amusing. “I’m terribly grateful for the journey that LEAF has been, and I’m terribly we’re nonetheless right here.”