Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Friday, February 12, 2021
Urgent Need for Blood Donations: Asheville Center
Feb 12 @ 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
The Blood Connection

TBC Rewards

PLEASE SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY: Asheville Center – Donate Blood – The Blood Connection

 

Platelet Information

Mon-Tues: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wed-Fri: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm

To make an appointment call: 984.222.1101

General Information

Mon-Tues: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wed-Fri: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Phone: 828-585-8060

Urgent Need for Blood Donations: Hendersonville Center
Feb 12 @ 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
The Blood Connection

TBC Rewards

PLEASE SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY: Hendersonville Center – Donate Blood – The Blood Connection

 

General Information

Mon-Tues: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wed-Fri: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm

Phone: 828-233-5301

Platelet Information

Mon-Tues: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wed-Fri: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm

Make an appointment: 854-429-1700

Drop-ins also welcome

Asheville Outlets Hosts Healthy Food Drive with MANNA FoodBank
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Outlets

Help neighbors in need. As food insecurity continues to rise in Western North Carolina, Asheville Outlets will host a healthy food drive with MANNA FoodBank February 2-14, 2021. Items of need include: green tea, low-sodium canned vegetables, canned tuna and chicken, low salt nuts, no sugar added fruits, shelf stable milk, whole grain pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, canola & olive oil, peanut butter, low sodium soups, canned and dried beans, low sugar cereals, granola bars and popcorn. Collection bins will be located in the Asheville Outlets food court. To make a monetary donation visit ManaFoodBank.org. For more information, visit ShopAshevilleOutlets.com.

Kokoro Valentine’s Special
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Shoji Spa
Valentine’s weekend is booking fast! No need to worry,  in order to celebrate love all month, the Valentine’s package can be booked anytime in the month of February. Treat your Valentine to a sip and soak in your very own steamy, private & secluded salt hydrotherapy tub. As you soak, enjoy a delicious bottle of Italian Rosato paired with a mouth-watering selection of chocolates. Finish up your day of bliss with an hour-long Zen couples massage to reach total relaxation with your favorite person.
Marco Reichert “Man and Machine” Art Exhibit
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Bender Gallery
untitled
2020
78.8 x 59
Marco Reichert
“Man and Machine”, is a solo exhibition featuring new and pivotal works by European painter, Marco Reichert. Berlin-based Reichert is an emerging abstract painter whose current work challenges our ideas of what contemporary art is by using traditional painting techniques in conjunction with experimental “painting machines” to create multi-layered artworks. Reichert’s concept is new and unique, and his paintings exhibit a singular recognizable style. “Man and Machine” opens at the gallery on January 2, 2021 and runs through February 28, 2021.
There are convenient public parking garages located
nearby. The largest is under the Aloft Hotel with an
entrance to the garage on both S Lexington Ave
at the rear of the hotel as well the front of the hotel
on Biltmore Ave. The is also an open air parking lot
at the corner of Aston St and S Lexington Ave.
Mountain RV, Boat + Recreation Show
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
WNC Ag Center

The 25th annual Mountain RV, Boat & Recreation Show will kick off Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. Come see your favorite local dealers with their latest product offerings. The show will showcase industry leading RV, Automotive, Recreation, and Marine Brands.
Visit the show’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date leading up to the show:

www.facebook.com/MountainRvBoatRecreationShow/
Pack Memorial Library Opens at 50 Percent Capacity for Grab and Go Service
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Pack Memorial Library

 

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19, Pack Memorial Library will reopen to the public with limited hours and services. See below for schedule information for most other Buncombe County Public Libraries.

The Pack library schedule will be:

  • Tuesday-Thursday, 1-6 p.m.
  • Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Sunday & Monday, Closed
Smith-McDowell House Museum Open for private, pre-booked tours
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Smith-McDowell House Museum

We are OPEN Fridays and Saturdays
for private, pre-booked tours at:
10:30 AM
12:00 PM
1:30 PM
3:00 PM

Volunteer Opportunities at Blue Ridge Humane Society
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Blue Ridge Humane Society
a smiling girl holds up a bag of pet food

Volunteers are an essential part of the Blue Ridge Humane Society family.

Our Volunteer Program offers a wide variety of opportunities to use unique talents and skills to enhance the quality of life for animals in Henderson County.

We love to see families and friends volunteering together! We welcome volunteers ages 7 and up for some of our volunteer roles. Volunteers ages 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who has also completed the appropriate volunteer training.

Still wondering whether you should give volunteering a try? Contact [email protected] for more information.

Please note, we do not fulfill pre-trial intervention community service hours.

How to Volunteer at the Blue Ridge Humane Society 

Our volunteers:

  • Improve the quality of living for animals in Henderson County.
  • Make a difference in their community through our community programs like our Spay/Neuter Incentive Program and Meals on Wheels Pet Pals.
  • Provide support for all departments and serve on our board and committees.
  • Help raise crucial funds in our Thrift Store.

It’s easy to get started!

  1. Fill out the Volunteer Application.
  2. Attend a Virtual Volunteer Information Session to learn more about Blue Ridge Humane Society and current volunteer opportunities.
  3. Pick a Volunteer Assignment! Decide what volunteer position works best for you! Some assignments can get started right away and some require prior orientation and training such as animal handling training that you can get started on.
  4. Start Volunteering! Get started in your position. Our volunteers make a huge impact in Henderson County to ensure both pets and their people are happy, healthy, and thriving. We wouldn’t be able to accomplish all we do without them.
WNC Nature Center! Welcomes new members Samson and Bonita Red Foxes
Feb 12 @ 10:00 am – 3:30 pm
WNC Nature Center

red foxes

Welcome to your new home, Samson and Bonita!  The two red foxes will be joining the other residents of the WNC Nature Center and are coming to us from Izzie’s Pond Sanctuary in Liberty, S.C.

Samson and Bonita have something more in common than their new home.  They are both less than a year old and were both injured as a result of being caught in leg-hold traps and each has three legs, which means they would not be able to survive in the wild but can live safely in a zoo environment.

“The Nature Center has long provided excellent care for animals that, for one reason or another, could not live in the wild,” said WNC Nature Center Director Chris Gentile. “We are so excited to be able to welcome red foxes back to our Center.”

Come say “Hi!” to Samson and Bonita at the WNC Nature center beginning Feb. 11, when they’ll enter their new habitat for the first time.

Brunch B’yahad Virtual
Feb 12 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online w/ Asheville Jewish Community Center

Brunch B’Yahad is now available through Zoom meeting here.   

Join new and old friends for light brunch, socialization and lively discussion.  Featured guest speakers, and relevant cultural and timely topics will fill our minds.

2021 WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

2021 WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards

February 6–March 8, 2021

The Museum, with the assistance of its volunteer docents and support from the Asheville Area Section of the American Institute of Architects, is proud to sponsor the WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards. Students in grades 7–12 from all across our region are invited to submit work for this special juried competition. The Museum works with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to facilitate regional judging of student artwork and recognition of our community’s burgeoning artistic talent.

In early spring each year, award winners are featured in an exhibition, and are honored at a ceremony. Regional Gold Key recipients’ work is sent to the National Scholastic Art competition hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Across the Atlantic Exhibition
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Across the Atlantic

Across the Atlantic

American Impressionism Through the French Lens

January 22–April 19, 2021
LOCATION:
Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall

This extraordinary exhibition, drawn from the collection of the Reading Public Museum, explores the path to Impressionism through the 19th century in France. The show examines the sometimes complex relationship between French Impressionism of the 1870s and 1880s and the American interpretation of the style in the decades that followed. More than 65 paintings and works on paper help tell the story of the “new style” of painting which developed at the end of the 19th century—one that emphasized light and atmospheric conditions, rapid or loose brushstrokes, and a focus on brightly colored scenes from everyday life, including both urban and rural settings when artists preferred to paint outdoors and capture changing effects of light during different times of day and seasons of the year.

Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens is organized by the Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.

Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges and The Maurer Family Foundation.

Asheville Art Museum: New Exhibition— Meeting the Moon
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum announces Meeting the Moon, an exhibition featuring prints, photographs, ceramics, sculptures, and more from the Museum’s Collection. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s McClinton Gallery February 3 through July 26, 2021.

2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Apollo space program at NASA, but its inception was hardly the beginning of humankind’s fascination with Earth’s only moon. Before space travel existed, the moon—its shape, its mystery, and the face we see in it—inspired countless artists. Once astronauts landed on the moon and we saw our world from a new perspective, a surge of creativity flooded the American art scene, in paintings, prints, sculpture, music, crafts, film, and poetry.

This exhibition, whose title is taken from a 1913 Robert Frost poem, examines artwork in the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection of artists who were inspired by the unknown, then increasingly familiar moon. Meeting the Moon includes works by nationally renowned artists Newcomb Pottery, James Rosenquist, Maltby Sykes, Paul Soldner, John Lewis, Richard Ritter (Bakersville, NC), and Mark Peiser (Penland, NC). Western North Carolina artists include Jane Peiser (Penland, NC), Jak Brewer (Zionville, NC), Dirck Cruser (Asheville, NC), George Peterson (Lake Toxaway, NC), John B. Neff (NC), and Maud Gatewood (Yanceyville, NC).

Meeting the Moon offers the opportunity to combine science and popular culture with works of art in the Museum’s Collection,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “I think all visitors will find something that draws them into this exhibition, whether it’s the artwork, poetry, music, or science of space travel. It’s such an affirmation of humanity to find these mysteries, like the moon, which enchant us all.”

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Visit ashevilleart.org for more information about this and other exhibitions.

Connecting Legacies: A First Look at the Dreier Black Mountain College Archive
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition features archival objects from the Theodore Dreier Sr. Document Collection presented alongside artworks from the Museum’s Black Mountain College Collection to explore the connections between artworks and ephemera. This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by lydia see, fall 2020 curatorial fellow, with support from a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant through the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Desire Paths Art Exhibition
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Center for Crafts

digital collage with face pieces

Desire Paths looks at makers within the discourse of craft and those existing on the periphery of the craftscape who focus on the movement of the body towards something desirable. These desires of the body are in relationship to nature, technology, self, and society. Using architectural theory and queer curatorial strategies, Desire Paths examines the possibilities and futures of bodies, revealing connections between the corporeal and craft.

“Desire paths,” a term taken from urban planning, are lines trodden in the landscape when constructed walkways do not provide a direct or desired route. Through action, repetition, and intentionality, desire paths are crafted modifications to the landscape that allow for a body to move towards a horizon. The format of the works include traditional craft media, performance, video, and interactive web-based work. Through this variety of media and performative tactics the makers in Desire Paths consider how we view, value, and ascribe meaning to a body/the body/the others body. They show us the power and agency held in body and present us with crafted visions of the body that confront and expand expectations

The works in this exhibition reclaim the concept of craft from its historical associations with the decorative, frivolous, feminine, indigenous, and the other. The makers use the medium of craft, and the action of crafting, to produce powerful representations and counter narratives to dominant culture.

Two Ways to View

Virtual Tour

Online visitors can register to attend a virtual tour of this exhibition. This is a free event. A $5-10 donation at time of registration is recommended.

In-Person

The Center is offering free, unguided visits and affordable tours of its exhibitions to the public. Guests can reserve a 30-minute visit to explore the current exhibitions, learn more about the Center’s national impact in their Craft Research Fund Study Collection, and enjoy interactive activities. The Center is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 11 am -5 pm. Hours of operation may be subject to change.

Center for Craft is monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the community and following the instruction of federal, state, and local health departments. Our top priority is always the health and safety of our staff, coworkers, and visitors. At this time, the Center can only allow a maximum of five guests in its public space at once and will require the use of masks or face coverings by all visitors, including children. The Center reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor that will not comply.

Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture Asheville Art Museum
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Left: Virginia Scotchie, Object Maker Series, 2020, glazed stoneware. Asheville Art Museum. © Virginia Scotchie. Right: Jane Palmer, Untitled, circa 1990, glazed stoneware, 41 × 14 ¼ × 21 ½ inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Estate of Jane Palmer.

The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.

North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.

Hawthorne at Weaverville Mobile Drive
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 1:30 pm
Hawthorne at Weaverville

TBC Rewards

Sharing Life. Saving Lives.

The Gallery at Flat Rock: Porch Portraits sessions donates to Flat Rock Playhouse
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Gallery at Flat Rock
Man and woman smiling as
                    their infant son poses in front of them.The Goodrum Family, photo by Suzanne Camarata

Thank you Suzanne Camarata of The Gallery at Flat Rock whose Porch Portraits sessions raised $2835 for the Playhouse! Suzanne began this series when the pandemic made traditional photo sessions a challenge and inspired photographers used social distancing to create a new way to capture memories. “Porch Portraits by Suzanne brings the fun of a casual, light-hearted photoshoot right to your home – literally to your front porch or in your front yard. ” Suzanne is continuing her sessions this year, so make sure to visit the link below to get (or gift) a session today.

Transcendence: An Artistic Celebration of the U.N. International Year of Peace and Trust Exhibit
Feb 12 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Gallery at Flat Rock
Painting of multi-colored
                    birds.Into the Light by Cynthia Wilson; one of the many works in this exhibit.

The Gallery at Flat Rock Offers Virtual and In-Person Exhibit

On January 21, The Gallery at Flat Rock opened their latest exhibit, Transcendence: An Artistic Celebration of the U.N. International Year of Peace and Trust. The in-person and virtual exhibit features, “over two dozen Gallery at Flat Rocks artists, who will each provide one artwork for the show that they believe evokes themes of peace and mutual trust among members of humanity.”

Winter Hours:
Wed – Sat 11am – 4pm
Sun 11am – 3pm
Open by appointment
or by chance

Children + Family Resource Center Diaper + Formula Bank Ribbon Cutting!
Feb 12 @ 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Children + Family Resource Center Diaper + Formula Bank
Join us in celebration of Children & Family Resource Center’s addition of a permanent Formula & Diaper Bank to support the families of Henderson County! *masks will be required for attendance
2021 Ribbon Cuttings Presented by: Duke Energy
Mindfulness Now: Meditation for All Moments
Feb 12 @ 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Asheville Community Yoga

Fridays 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
We have the power to shape our lives and our future through the simple art of awareness. By learning mindfulness skills, we gain the freedom to live more authentically with greater clarity and confidence.
Utilizing the peaceful setting of Asheville Community Yoga, we will practice together in a supportive small group setting where meaningful connections can be made. Participants will take away a memorable experience and priceless tools that will instill the inspiration to meet each moment more fully, influencing the course of our life and the world we live in.
Sessions Include:
-Sitting Meditation
-Walking Meditations
-Mindful Movement (Yoga)
-Deep Relaxation (Yoga Nidra)
-Mindful Sharing
-MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction)
Click here to view a short presentation of Mindfulness Now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRyPybflBE4#t=13
Open Your Heart for Women and Homelessness
Feb 12 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Online w/ Homeward Bound of WNC

Sexual or domestic violence is cited by nearly 60% of women as the direct cause of their homelessness. Your support for Homeward Bound helps put these women in permanent homes and on the road to a brigher future.
Join us at noon on February 12th to learn more about the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness, including the incremental impact of COVID-19. IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED YET, register now for the third annual Women and Homelessness Virtual Event.
The first 200 registrants will receive
a free, delicious box lunch from Ingles! You must register by January 31st to be eligible for a free lunch!
This special event will feature original song, Along the Way, written and performed by country music artists Joe Lasher and Kaitlyn Baker.
Slow Art Friday with Asheville Art Museum: Different Strokes for Different Folks: Selections from Vantage Points
Feb 12 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Join Sylvie Horvath, touring docent, for an interactive conversation about three artworks in our special exhibition Vantage Points: Contemporary Photography from the Whitney Museum of American Art. The goal is simple: slow down, discover the joy of looking at art, and talk about the experience with others. Generous support for this program is provided by Art Bridges. More info and register at ashevilleart.org/events.

Mobile Drive 10 Newbridge Apartments
Feb 12 @ 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
10 Newbridge Apartments

TBC Rewards

Sharing Life. Saving Lives

Hawthorne at the Peak Mobile Drive
Feb 12 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Hawthorne at the Peak

TBC Rewards

Sharing Life. Saving Lives

Treat your Valentine to our  Valenwine Flights + Bites pairing! 
Feb 12 @ 5:30 pm
 Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards

Lorem ipsum

We follow Covid Protocol.  All tables are spaced & mask are required anytime you are not seated.

We take the health of our Patrons and Staff very seriously, thank you in advance for being thoughtful of others.

 Treat your Valentine to Valenwine  Flights & Bites!

Wine & Small Plate Pairing!

(in case of bad weather makeup date is 2/19)

Reservations Required

 2 seating’s available (limited seating at both)

Choose 5:30  or 7:15 seating 

Choose Semi-Sweet Flight or Dry Flight 

Each flight consist of 4 wines (3oz pours) served with an appetizer plate that pairs perfectly with each wine.

When you call for reservations please specify number at your table with names of those attending and order Dry Flight or Semi-sweet Flight for each person.

Please note this is a small plate pairing, think of it as an appetizer not a meal.

 

 SEE YOU AT THE VINEYARD!

Live Stream: Allan Wolf and Brianne Farley Launch No Buddy Like a Book
Feb 12 @ 6:00 pm
Online w/ Malaprop's

We’re excited to celebrate the release of the new picture book by Asheville writer Allan Wolf and illustrator Brianne Farley! RSVP here to receive an email on the day of the event with the link you’ll need to attend.

Signed and personalized copies available from Malaprop’s! Pre-order below and get your copy signed or personalized by Allan Wolf. If you would like personalization (ex. “To Maia”), just indicate that in the comments area when ordering.

There is no fee to attend but we encourage you to purchase from Malaprop’s to help us continue connecting writers and readers and support our local economy. If you would like to support us without purchasing a book, you may also purchase a gift card or make a donation of any amount below. Thank you!


Calling readers and daydreamers, word mavens and lovers of adventure! This celebration of the power of books is a rallying cry for letting imaginations soar.
We learn important stuff from books.
We learn to speak and think.
We learn why icebergs stay afloat . . .
and why Titanics sink.
Have you ever wanted to climb to the top of Everest with one hand behind your back? Kiss a crocodile all by yourself on the Nile River? How about learning how to bottle moonlight, or track a distant star? There are endless things to discover and whole universes to explore simply by reading a book. But books are only smears of ink without the reader’s mind to give their letters meaning and bring them to life. With a rollicking, rhyming text and delightful artwork, poet and storyteller Allan Wolf and illustrator Brianne Farley remind us that books, no matter how they may be consumed, give readers of every background an opportunity to expand their world and spark their imagination. With infectious enthusiasm, No Buddy Like a Book offers an ode to the wonders of language–written, spoken, and everything in between.

Allan Wolf is the author of many award-winning books for children and teens, including The Day the Universe Exploded My Head and The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts. Before the publication of No Buddy Like a Book, Allan Wolf frequently recited the text of the poem for educators and students, to avid response. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Brianne Farley is the author-illustrator of Secret Tree Fort and Ike’s Incredible Ink. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s, the New York Times, and elsewhere. Brianne Farley lives and works in Traverse City, Michigan.

Christie Lenée
Feb 12 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Isis Music Hall--The Main Stage

2017 International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion Christie Lenée is a captivating performer with a devoted following among instrumental, folk-pop and rock band audiences. Combining guitar mastery, contemporary singer/songwriter and a passion for storytelling, she thrives on bringing people together through the language of music.

Love! Valour! Compassion!
Feb 12 @ 7:30 pm
Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center

Winner of the 1995 Tony Award for Best Play

 

Written by Terrence McNally

Directed by Stephanie Hickling Beckman

Winner of the 1995 Tony Award for Best Play, Love! Valour! Compassion! explores the lives, loves, and fears of eight gay men in the 1990s. Over the course of three holiday weekends, the men’s conversations touch on themes of infidelity, flirting, AIDS, skinny-dipping, and questions about life and death. By turns soul-searching and hilarious, the play sings with truth.

Writes McNally, “I think I wanted to write about what it’s like to be a gay man at this particular moment in our history. I think I wanted to tell my friends how much they’ve meant to me. I think I wanted to tell everyone else who we are when they aren’t around.”

“[…]his most ambitiously unambiguous gay play, and it speaks difficult truths with acid grace and all those generous words exclaimed in his title.” —New York Newsday

Love! Valour! Compassion! was the first show ever produced by Different Strokes! We re-visit it now in celebration of our 10-year anniversary!