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.

Sunday, February 23, 2025
Riverdance 30 – The New Generation
Feb 23 @ 8:00 pm
Peace Center

Since Riverdance first emerged onto the world stage, its fusion of Irish and international dance and music has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. The Grammy award-winning music and the infectious energy of its mesmerising choreography and breathtaking performances has left audiences in awe and established Riverdance as a global cultural sensation.

To celebrate this incredible 30th year milestone, Riverdance will embark on a special anniversary tour, bringing its magic to audiences around the world.  This spectacular production rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes and state of the art lighting, projection and motion graphics. And for the first time Riverdance welcomes “The New Generation” of performers, all of whom were not born when show began 30 years ago.

Audiences will enjoy a unique and memorable performance which blends the traditional and the contemporary, showcasing the skill and passion of the world-class of dancers, musicians and singers in the Riverdance ensemble.

Composed by Bill Whelan. Produced by Moya Doherty. Directed by John McColgan.

Monday, February 24, 2025
Max Adrian: RIPSTOP
Feb 24 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
The Center for Craft is thrilled to announce the opening of Max Adrian: RIPSTOP. Adrian (he/they), a textile artist who was awarded a Windgate-Lamar Fellowship by the Center in 2015 and a Career Advancement Fellowship in 2022, will bring the playful, experiential, and provocative solo exhibition of textiles and inflatable sculptures to the Bresler Family Gallery beginning July 26, 2024 through March 29, 2025.

Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.

Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”

Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.

RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.

As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”

“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”

See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.

# # #
ABOUT CENTER FOR CRAFT Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft’s mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. As a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships and programs that bring people together. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States. For more information, visit www.centerforcraft.org.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Max Adrian: RIPSTOP
Feb 25 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
The Center for Craft is thrilled to announce the opening of Max Adrian: RIPSTOP. Adrian (he/they), a textile artist who was awarded a Windgate-Lamar Fellowship by the Center in 2015 and a Career Advancement Fellowship in 2022, will bring the playful, experiential, and provocative solo exhibition of textiles and inflatable sculptures to the Bresler Family Gallery beginning July 26, 2024 through March 29, 2025.

Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.

Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”

Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.

RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.

As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”

“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”

See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.

# # #
ABOUT CENTER FOR CRAFT Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft’s mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. As a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships and programs that bring people together. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States. For more information, visit www.centerforcraft.org.
8-Week Diabetes Prevention & Management Program
Feb 25 @ 4:30 pm
Bounty & Soul Education, Warehouse & Volunteer Hub

Join us for an empowering 8-week journey where food truly becomes medicine. This comprehensive program will guide you through the process of optimizing your blood glucose levels by understanding and managing insulin resistance. You’ll learn how nourishing foods, mindful exercise, stress management, and restful sleep all play a vital role in balancing your blood sugar and supporting overall health. This course is designed for all levels, offering personalized insights and guidance through one-on-one counseling with our Registered Dietitian. Together, we will help you take a holistic approach to managing or preventing diabetes, using the healing power of food to support your journey to better health.

Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Max Adrian: RIPSTOP
Feb 26 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
The Center for Craft is thrilled to announce the opening of Max Adrian: RIPSTOP. Adrian (he/they), a textile artist who was awarded a Windgate-Lamar Fellowship by the Center in 2015 and a Career Advancement Fellowship in 2022, will bring the playful, experiential, and provocative solo exhibition of textiles and inflatable sculptures to the Bresler Family Gallery beginning July 26, 2024 through March 29, 2025.

Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.

Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”

Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.

RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.

As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”

“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”

See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.

# # #
ABOUT CENTER FOR CRAFT Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft’s mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. As a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships and programs that bring people together. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States. For more information, visit www.centerforcraft.org.
Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene
Feb 26 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene, a poignant and inspiring exhibition on view February 13–May 5, 2025, in the Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall. This non-juried exhibition
showcases the works of artists from the Helene-affected Appalachia region, celebrating their
resilience, creativity, and strength while highlighting the power of art to inspire and bring communities
together.

Forces of Nature
Feb 26 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Ceramic artists throughout history have become masters of all four elements—creating clay from a mixture of earth and water to shape their work, drying it in air, and hardening it in fire. Throughout this process, the artist decides which aspects of the work will be tightly controlled, and when the elements can step in to leave nature’s mark. This exhibition traces the historical, stylistic, and conceptual origins of work that either embraces or refuses the element of chance in ceramics, looking at modern and contemporary work made in Western North Carolina.

Greetings From Asheville
Feb 26 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

The Real Bonhoeffer: Theology for Faith In Times of Crisis
Feb 26 @ 6:00 pm
First Baptist Church of Asheville

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a beloved pastor and theologian whose work has blessed countless people around the world. Christians especially have cherished his practical theology, approachable writing style, and prophetic vision. This Epiphany chapel study will engage Bonhoeffer’s works to help us learn how to be faithful in times of political and social upheaval.

Alton Brown Live: The Last Bite
Feb 26 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Center

Bryce Vine: Motel California Tour
Feb 26 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Bryce Vine: Motel California Tour with Jayo in concert at The Orange Peel.
Wednesday, February 26
Show: 8pm | Doors: 7pm
All Ages – under 12 requires venue approval
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Valuation Day at Brunk Auction House!
Feb 27 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Brunk Auctions

Thursday, February 27 from 9am-3pm

Food Connection and Loving Food Resources are collaborating to bring you a one-of-a-kind fundraiser! Brunk Auction House will be offering their appraisal services for $15/item or $40 for 3 items!

Choose the hour time slot that works best for you and bring in family heirlooms, high-valued finds, and other antiques to be appraised by the professionals! All proceeds from tickets sales go to Food Connection and Loving Food Resources and participants may have the option to consign their items through the auction house and make some money themselves!

BRUNK AUCTIONS – 117 Tunnel Rd, Asheville

Brunk is a private auction house specializing in the sale of fine art, jewelry, Asian art, antique furniture, coins, and countless other areas of collecting – ranging from Contemporary Art to Antiquities. Excellence in connoisseurship is the hallmark of our specialist staff. Consistent and thoughtful client service is the foundation of our 40 years in business.

Max Adrian: RIPSTOP
Feb 27 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
The Center for Craft is thrilled to announce the opening of Max Adrian: RIPSTOP. Adrian (he/they), a textile artist who was awarded a Windgate-Lamar Fellowship by the Center in 2015 and a Career Advancement Fellowship in 2022, will bring the playful, experiential, and provocative solo exhibition of textiles and inflatable sculptures to the Bresler Family Gallery beginning July 26, 2024 through March 29, 2025.

Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.

Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”

Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.

RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.

As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”

“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”

See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.

# # #
ABOUT CENTER FOR CRAFT Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft’s mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. As a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships and programs that bring people together. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States. For more information, visit www.centerforcraft.org.
Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene
Feb 27 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene, a poignant and inspiring exhibition on view February 13–May 5, 2025, in the Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall. This non-juried exhibition
showcases the works of artists from the Helene-affected Appalachia region, celebrating their
resilience, creativity, and strength while highlighting the power of art to inspire and bring communities
together.

Forces of Nature
Feb 27 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Ceramic artists throughout history have become masters of all four elements—creating clay from a mixture of earth and water to shape their work, drying it in air, and hardening it in fire. Throughout this process, the artist decides which aspects of the work will be tightly controlled, and when the elements can step in to leave nature’s mark. This exhibition traces the historical, stylistic, and conceptual origins of work that either embraces or refuses the element of chance in ceramics, looking at modern and contemporary work made in Western North Carolina.

Greetings From Asheville
Feb 27 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

Indivisible AVL Organizational Kickoff Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Weaverville Community Center

It’s time to hit the ground running! At Indivisible AVL’s first general meeting of the year, we’ll launch our three-prong strategy for 2025: RESISTING the current attacks on our rights and government institutions; CONNECTING with others and giving back to the community; and REBUILDING a strong democracy. We’ll share information and tools that help make active engagement easy to fit into busy lives. We’ll welcome past and potential partners and look at active collaborations. And we’ll launch critical Action Teams to hold our elected officials accountable and work together to push for change. Join us Feb 27 to learn more and find out how you can get involved. Progressive activisits and concerned citizens in Buncombe and surrounding counties are invited to join. RSVP: https://bit.ly/here-we-go-2025

Indivisible Asheville/WNC is a volunteer-run nonprofit committed to progressive advocacy, legislative accountability and voter outreach. Learn more at IndivisibleAVL.org.

URLs:
Facebook: https://go.evvnt.com/2910684-2?pid=10412
Instagram: https://go.evvnt.com/2910684-3?pid=10412
Twitter: https://go.evvnt.com/2910684-4?pid=10412

Date and Time: On Thursday February 27, 2025 at 18:00 – 19:30

Venue details: Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, North Carolina, 28787, United States

Category: Community | Local / Community

Delight: A Countercultural Force of Resistance
Feb 27 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Asheville High School Auditorium

Ross Gay is interested in joy.
Ross Gay wants to understand joy.
Ross Gay is curious about joy.
Ross Gay studies joy.
Something like that.

Ross Gay — Poet, Essayist, & National Book Critics Circle Award Winner — will visit ACS with a profound mission: to explore and understand joy.

Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays— The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023.

City Dance
Feb 27 @ 7:30 pm
Landmark Hal

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Niko Moon
Feb 27 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Niko Moon with David J in concert at The Orange Peel.
Thursday, February 27
Show: 8pm | Doors: 7pm
Ages 18+
Friday, February 28, 2025
Max Adrian: RIPSTOP
Feb 28 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
The Center for Craft is thrilled to announce the opening of Max Adrian: RIPSTOP. Adrian (he/they), a textile artist who was awarded a Windgate-Lamar Fellowship by the Center in 2015 and a Career Advancement Fellowship in 2022, will bring the playful, experiential, and provocative solo exhibition of textiles and inflatable sculptures to the Bresler Family Gallery beginning July 26, 2024 through March 29, 2025.

Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.

Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”

Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.

RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.

As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”

“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”

See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.

# # #
ABOUT CENTER FOR CRAFT Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft’s mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. As a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships and programs that bring people together. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States. For more information, visit www.centerforcraft.org.
Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene
Feb 28 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene, a poignant and inspiring exhibition on view February 13–May 5, 2025, in the Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall. This non-juried exhibition
showcases the works of artists from the Helene-affected Appalachia region, celebrating their
resilience, creativity, and strength while highlighting the power of art to inspire and bring communities
together.

Forces of Nature
Feb 28 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Ceramic artists throughout history have become masters of all four elements—creating clay from a mixture of earth and water to shape their work, drying it in air, and hardening it in fire. Throughout this process, the artist decides which aspects of the work will be tightly controlled, and when the elements can step in to leave nature’s mark. This exhibition traces the historical, stylistic, and conceptual origins of work that either embraces or refuses the element of chance in ceramics, looking at modern and contemporary work made in Western North Carolina.

Greetings From Asheville
Feb 28 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

Screening of “Come Hell or High Water: Remembering the Great Flood of 1916”
Feb 28 @ 6:00 pm
Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site

After the devastating events in late September of last year, we thought it would be relevant to screen David Weintraub’s documentary “Come Hell or High Water: Remembering the Great Flood of 1916,” and examine the parallels between now and then.
Join us here at the Memorial for a brief discussion preceding the 50-minute documentary as we highlight the Wolfe family’s memories of the 1916 flood and how it featured in Look Homeward, Angel.
View the trailer for the documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKrhY_SUT_o
If you’d like to attend, please call the Memorial at 828-253-8304, or email Kayla Seay at [email protected] to reserve a spot. Our capacity for this event is 45.
**This is a free event, however we are accepting cash donations to help upgrade our A/V equipment, and we are also accepting food donations for our friends at 12 Baskets Café with the Asheville Poverty Initiative. If you are able to contribute, 12 Baskets would greatly benefit from the donation of condiments (mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, ketchup, ranch and other salad dressings), shelf stable coffee creamers, and boxed goods like pasta and rice. To learn more about 12 Baskets Café and their mission, visit https://www.ashevillepovertyinitiative.org/ **

Yoga Nidra & Reiki – Avl Salt Cave
Feb 28 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Asheville Salt Cave

Within this space, a dream will be induced taking you into a state of consciousness that can bring about immense healing in your conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind. The cave will transform into a “Nidra Nest” with comfy reclining loungers, blankets, and bolsters to fully support you, whether sitting or lying down, for the entire experience. During this session Kate will also be offering Reiki to those who desire. Reiki feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. It is a powerful attunement that treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well being. Release stuck emotions, rest, and rejuvenate! Join Reiki Master Teacher and Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Kate Wargo of Woven Light LLC in a soothing Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) practice guiding you into the “in between”; that space between being awake and being asleep.
$56 per person

ACMS Presents the Goldmund String Quartet
Feb 28 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
UU Congregation of Asheville

These rising stars of the classical music world are well known across Europe and beyond for their impeccable interpretations of the great classical and modern string quartet masterpieces.

PROGRAM

Franz Schubert: Erlkonig, arranged for string quartet by Jakob Enko

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F major, Op. 77, No. 2, Hob. III:82

Edvard Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in F minor, Op. 27

Date and Time: On Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:30 – 22:00

Venue details: UU Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801, United States

Prices:
General Admission: USD 48.00,
Students 25 and younger: USD 0.00

Artist: Goldmund Quartet

ACMS Presents the Goldmund String Quartet
Feb 28 @ 7:30 pm
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF ASHEVILLE

Be inspired by this ensemble’s unbelievably fine intonation and phrasing, carefully honed and polished to the smallest detail. These rising stars of the classical music world are well known across Europe and beyond for their impeccable interpretations of the great classical and modern string quartet masterpieces.

Flogging Molly
Feb 28 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

Flogging Molly with The Aggrolites Slaughterhouse in concert at The Orange Peel. 

Friday, February 28

Show: 8pm | Doors: 7pm

The Comedy of Errors
Feb 28 @ 8:00 pm
Wortham Center for Performing Arts

Wortham Presents The Acting Company presents The Comedy of Errors

Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Christina Anderson
Directed by Devin Brain

Friday, February 28, 2025 at 8 p.m.

In the Mediterranean city of Ephesus, two sets of identical twins — both separated from their other halves at birth — unknowingly cross paths, and chaos, mishaps and misunderstandings abound. Experience the joy and hilarity of one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, a slapstick comedy about mistaken identities, through a new and contemporary lens: a 21st century translation that reinterprets antiquated slang, metaphor and double entendre with updated jokes and clever, modern wordplay. 

Connect with the art and artists in pre-show discussions.