Magic Portals and Doorways
Welcome to the Ashe County Fairy Door Trail adventure.
This project was initiated by Pat Kincheloe Morrison, Ashe County resident. Pat was able to start the project after receiving the 2025 Jane Lonon Legacy grant from Ashe County Arts Council. As a firm believer in the power of art for helping heal trauma of any kind, she hoped this project would provide magic and positivity to help uplift the spirit of our community after hurricane Helene’s devastation.
The project involves having children of “all ages” explore the Ashe County Fairy Door Trail and find the magic it offers as they find a creative variety of fairy doors. What stories and ideas will those doors inspire about the faeries who live there, and what might be behind those doors?!
Discover Doors
Experience the magic of the hunt and visit all the local spots on your journey
We’ve created a map for fairy hunters with all the secret spots!
The Passport Zine for the Faerie Door Trail of Ashe
Print out a Passport Zine (pronounced “zeen”) from the link on this website OR pick up a printed one at one of these locations: Ashe County Arts Council, Florence Art School, Doe Ridge Pottery, Ashe Chamber of Commerce, Old Store in Grassy Creek.
Cut and fold according to directions below to create your Passport Zine.
• Take your “Passport” around the Ashe County Fairy Door Trail finding doors.
• Draw and color something from the doors in the blank “stamps” on the Passport and write where it was or it’s number. Fill up and color all the blank stamps.
• Bring the Passport to Doe Ridge Pottery and draw something in the stamp on the back of the Passport from their special fairy door located in the window.
• Come inside Doe Ridge Pottery and show your filled up and colored Passport drawings to Nate, Ashley or Renee. They will stamp the back of your passport and let you choose a “wee clay medallion” to wear or add to your Passport as a trinket.
**Only one medallion for each filled and colored Passport.
About the Artist
Pat Kincheloe Morrison is a beloved retired art and ceramics teacher, ceramic artist, and creative spirit who calls the mountains of West Jefferson home. After dedicating many years to nurturing creativity in her Ashe high school art students, Pat now pours that same passion into her own artistic practice and into teaching others from her welcoming home studio as well as Doe Ridge Pottery and Florence Art School. Her work is deeply inspired by the beauty, character, and traditions of the North Carolina mountains, where she continues to create handcrafted ceramics and foster meaningful artistic connections within her community. Pat’s ceramics are also featured among local artists at the Florence Thomas Art School consignment gallery, Doe Ridge Pottery and Old Store at Grassy Creek.
Known for her generosity, warmth, and infectious enthusiasm, Pat believes that art has the power to create magic and healing in everyday life. Whether she is shaping clay, stitching fabric, guiding a student through a new technique, or encouraging someone to embrace their creative voice, she approaches every endeavor with the conviction that beauty should be shared. Through her art and teaching, Pat continues to enrich the cultural fabric of Ashe County, inspiring others to slow down, create with intention, and find wonder in the world around them.
For Pat, making art is more than a practice—it is a way of building community, celebrating creativity, and bringing a little more magic into the mountains she loves.
Enjoy the fairy door project?
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