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

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Monday, July 25, 2022
Asheville Gallery of Art’s July Show: “From Realism to Abstract” Featuring Artists, Joyce Schlapkohl and Sally Lordeon
Jul 25 all-day
Asheville Gallery of Art

The Asheville Gallery of Art presents the extraordinary paintings of Joyce Schlapkohl and Sally Lordeon, during the month of July, in an exhibition titled ’From Realism to Abstract’. The opening reception will be held on Friday, July 1, from 5:00-8:00pm.

All artists, whether realistic or abstract, use the same visual language to put together their paintings. The difference is that realistic artists use that visual language to describe their subjects, whereas abstract artists use the same visual language, in conjunction with subject matter, to express feelings or ideas. ‘From Realism to Abstraction’ focuses on that ‘perfect’ blend of creating both types of beautiful compositions and invites viewers to participate in an epic art journey along the way.

“Painterly realism” best describes Joyce’s oil paintings. Her strong focal point, creative design, and bold clear color, revealing light and shadow, invite you into her paintings but it’s her emotional response to her various subjects that holds the viewer’s attention. Her subjects vary from landscape, flowers, animals, still life and any subject that moves her and encourages a sense of sharing that response with others. Joyce declares; “Western North Carolina is an artist’s dream for a variety of subjects and seasons.”

After receiving a Master’s Degree in Business, at UNC Chapel Hill, Joyce returned to painting, her first love, when she attended Florida Atlantic University to study art. She continues her art education through workshops with nationally known artists. In Joyce’s words; “I’m very fortunate to be a full-time painter and occasional teacher. Putting paint on canvas to create a memorable piece of art is amazing, exciting and rewarding”

Joyce’s studio is in Waynesville, NC. She exhibits at The Asheville Gallery of Art and several other well-known galleries.
Visit Joyce’s website: www.joycepaints.com

Many of Sally’s abstract paintings include a horizontal line, suggesting a landscape tableau. In those artworks, she uses the elements of color, shape, texture and value to help the viewer envision a sense of place and arouse a personal meaning. In Sally’s other abstracts, she uses those elements to express elan, movement, and energy, with the intent of fostering a positive, spirited feeling. Her art has been described as powerful, yet serene. Sally quotes; “Abstract art gives me, as an artist, a unique voice that elicits openness and expression, engaging the viewer in the same way. There is so much to explore in abstract painting and I love that.”

Sally studied fine arts at Chatham University in Pennsylvania. She moved to the majestic mountains of Asheville, NC more than thirty years ago and after a successful career as a technical writer and college textbook author, Sally returned full-time to her first passion—her love of color, form and the ‘divine’ pleasure of painting.

Sally’s work is exhibited locally at Asheville Gallery of Art and other well-known galleries as well as two galleries in Los Angeles. She has been the featured artist at The Asheville Airport Gallery.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Field of Sunflowers’ was painted at the Biltmore Estate. “I visit every year, in September, to paint the endless field of sunflowers. This year is even more meaningful with the sunflower representing a symbol for peace in the Ukraine.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Carolina Mountain Glow’ represents one of our beautiful, majestic and everchanging landscapes.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Boat Roundup’ was inspired by the lighting on each surface and the sun, fun and relaxation of being on the water

Sally Lordeon’s ‘It’s a Wonderful World’, acrylic, showcases the exquisiteness and warmth of our own personal places.

Sally Lordeon’s ‘Wisp’, acrylic and gold leaf, demonstrates energy bursting into time and space.

Sally Lordeon’s ‘ Isthmus I & II’,mixed media, is a powerful, yet serene, abstract tableau on two canvases.

Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk + Auction
Jul 25 all-day
Hendersonville nc

ince 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has helped raise funding for Downtown Hendersonville and a variety of local non-profits. In addition to raising funds, the bears offer a window into good work being done by community organizations in Henderson County.

The Bearfootin’ Bears arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each in a spectacular fashion, with creative themes ranging from Mona Lisa to Blue Ridge Mountain scenery. After the “Reveal” event in early May, the bears then take up residence in downtown Hendersonville for the duration of the summer and fall, up until auction. Participants bid during the auction to raise funds for local non-profits and Downtown Hendersonville. Winning bids up to $3,000 are split evenly between the downtown program and the nonprofit chosen by the sponsor, while bid amounts exceeding $3,000 are directed entirely to the non-profit. In 2021, the Bears raised more than $100,000, and in 2022 we hope to continue the tradition of giving.

 

International Photo Exhibit
Jul 25 all-day
Ramsey Library Blowers Gallery

The exhibit features thought-provoking photos taken by students, faculty, and staff while traveling abroad.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.

THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper
Jul 25 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
UNCA Owen Hall

Current students, alumni, staff, faculty, and faculty emeriti of the UNC Asheville Department of Art & Art History are participating in THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper.

“I wanted to express this idea that despite COVID, and despite our department’s relocation during renovation – art thrives here, it is the constant that cannot be disrupted,” says THRIVE ! curator Leisa Rundquist, professor of art history and curator of art collections at UNC Asheville.

The informal arrangement installation will be displayed in the hallway gallery next to the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in Owen Hall through August 1.

Viewing is available during open Owen Hall hours. 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (M – F)

 

Community Expectations
As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Be respectful of individual choice to wear or not wear a mask in any situation; wear a mask when and where encouraged, following guidelines and precautions outlined by the CDC.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.

Earth’s Gifts | Focus Gallery Exhibition
Jul 25 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

purple patchwork lap quilt

Featured Artists: Jude Stuecker (fiber) Erica Bailey (jewelry) Mary Dashiell (clay) Steve Miller (wood) Rex Redd (clay)

Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program Graduate Exhibition
Jul 25 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center
Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program Graduate Exhibition
Jul 25 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center
RAD Collabs
Jul 25 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
North Carolina Glass Center

Image for RAD Collabs

Being an artist can be a lonely endeavor. RAD Collabs seeks to inspire artists to leave behind solitary work habits, encourage new friendships and inspire imaginative art.

We put the word out to Asheville-area artists earlier this year and had an overwhelming response from painters, potters, metalsmiths, woodworkers and others who expressed an interest in working with glassblowers.

The work exhibited in this show will shine the light on these new partnerships. Come see the show and watch glassblowers in action all at the same time!

Pictured is a collaboration between Joe Nicholson and Vanessa Tsumura.

SETH CLARK SOLO EXHIBITION
Jul 25 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Momentum Gallery

Seth Clark, Factory

“My work focuses on deteriorating architecture. These structures, designed to be huge forces of permanence, are continually being challenged, destroyed and forgotten. I see an inherent honesty in the face of my subject. Among all of the clutter—the shards of wood and layers of rubble—there remains a gentle resolve. As I work, I study these structures incessantly. The buildings, often on the brink of ruin, have something very energized and present trying to escape from their fragmented reality.”  –Seth Clark

This first solo show of Seth’s work at Momentum’s new space features large-scale works from his BarnGhost, and Aerial View Series.  The collection also includes some of the artist’s sculptural objects in wood.  Abstract works, which still reference weathered architecture, such as Lath Study and Vinyl Study, round out the exhibition.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection
Jul 25 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
 

Jessie B. Telfair, Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton with pencil, 74 × 68 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, NY, gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander, 2004.9.1. © Estate of Jessie. B. Telfair, image Gavin Ashworth.
American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection showcases over 80 stellar works of folk and self-taught art including assemblages, needlework, paintings, pottery, quilts, and sculpture. Organized by the American Folk Art Museum in New York, this exhibition will be on view in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall at the Asheville Art Museum from June 18 through September 5, 2022.

Everyone has stories to tell from both the private and mutual experiences encountered throughout their lifetime. American folk and self-taught artists capture these stories in powerful visual narratives that offer firsthand testimonies to chapters in the unfolding story of America from its inception to the present. Beautiful, diverse, and truthful; the art illuminates the thoughts and experiences of individuals with an immediacy that is palpable and unique to these expressions. These artworks held meaning in the makers’ worlds filtered through their own perceptions.

The artworks are organized into four sections—Founders, Travelers, Philosophers, and Seekers—that respond to such themes as nationhood, freedom, community, imagination, opportunity, and legacy. Evocative visual juxtapositions and accessible contextual information further reveal the vital role that folk art plays as a witness to history, carrier of cultural heritage, and a reflection of the world at large through the eyes, heart, and mind of the artist.

“While the Asheville Art Museum exhibits many folk and self-taught artists, most are local to the Southeast,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “American Perspectives adds a national voice to the conversation by adding New England, Midwestern, Southwestern, and West Coast artworks that the Museum could never achieve alone. The amount of creative output from folk and self-taught artists was (and still is) on a national level and this exhibition helps to put that into a clear context. Traveling to Asheville from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum in New York, this exhibition will complement and expand the Museum’s ongoing conversations around American history and storytelling through works of art.”

This exhibition has been organized by the American Folk Art Museum, NY, with support provided by Art Bridges. Originally curated for installation at the American Folk Art Museum February 11, 2020–January 3, 2021 by Stacy C. Hollander, independent curator. Tour coordinated by Emelie Gevalt, Curator of Folk Art and Curatorial Chair for Collections, the American Folk Art Museum.

Border Cantos | Sonic Border Art Exhibition
Jul 25 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Richard Misrach, Wall, Jacumba, California, 2009, pigment print, 60 × 80 inches. Courtesy the Artist. © Richard Misrach, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco..
Border Cantos | Sonic Border, a unique collaboration between American photographer Richard Misrach and Mexican American sculptor and composer Guillermo Galindo, uses the power of art to explore and humanize the complex issues surrounding the Mexican-American border. Organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the transformative and multi-sensory experience will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall from July 22 through October 24, 2022.

Misrach, who has photographed the border since 2004, beautifully captures landscapes and objects, including things left behind by migrants. His large-scale photographs, along with grids of smaller photos, highlight issues surrounding migration and its effect on regions and people, and also introduce a complicated look at policing the boundary.

Responding to these photographs, Galindo fashioned sound-generating sculptures from items Misrach collected along the border, such as water bottles, Border Patrol “drag tires,” spent shotgun shells, ladders, and sections of the border wall itself. The sounds they produce give voices to people through the personal belongings they have left behind. The composition embraces the Pre-Columbian belief that there was an intimate connection between an instrument and the material from which it was made, with no separation between spiritual and physical worlds. Based on the Mesoamerican Venus calendar, Sonic Border plays for a total of 260 minutes and is separated into 13 cycles of 20 minutes. Within these cycles, the instruments play in small groups of two or more, or all together as an orchestra.

Presented in English and Spanish, Border Cantos | Sonic Border offers perspective on the challenges of migration, inviting us to bridge boundaries. When experienced as a whole, the images, instruments, and emanating sounds create an immersive space in which to look, listen, and learn about the complicated issues surrounding the Mexican-American border. While the artists do not seek to provide solutions to these issues, they do provide insight into a place where most people have never ventured, creating a poignant connection that draws on our humanity.

Border Cantos | Sonic Border is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Support for the national tour of Border Cantos | Sonic Border is provided by Art Bridges.

Learn more at ashevilleart.org.

Draped and Veiled Art Exhibit
Jul 25 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Draped and Veiled: 20×24 Polaroid Photographs by Joyce Tenneson showcases Joyce Tenneson’s Transformations series, which she began in 1985 and engaged with through 2005. Transformations features partially or fully nude figures poetically presented; Tenneson’s photographs have always been interested in the magic of the human figure, contained within bodies of all ages and emotions in a broad range that are both vulnerable and bold. This exhibition features 12 large Polaroids from the poetic series. Draped and Veiled will be on view May 25–October 10, 2022.
Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton Exhibition
Jul 25 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
 
Left: Thermon Statom, Frankincense, 1999, siligraphy from glass plate with digital transfer on BFK Rives paper, edition 50/50, 36 1/4 × 29 3/8 inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Thermon Statom. | Right: Dale Chihuly, Suite of Ten Prints: Chandelier, 1994, 4-color intaglio from glass plate on BRK Rives paper, edition 34/50, image: 29 ½ × 23 ½ inches, sheet: 36 × 29 ½ inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Dale Chihuly / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Asheville, N.C.—The selection of works from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection presented in Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton features imagery that recreates the sensation and colors of stained glass. The exhibition showcases Littleton and the range of makers who worked with him, including Dale Chihuly, Cynthia Bringle, Thermon Statom, and more. This exhibition—organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator—will be on view in The Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery at the Museum from January 12 through May 23, 2022.

In 1974 Harvey K. Littleton (Corning, NY 1922–2013 Spruce Pine, NC) developed a process for using glass to create prints on paper. Littleton, who began as a ceramicist and became a leading figure in the American Studio Glass Movement, expanded his curiosity around the experimental potential of glass into innovations in the world of printmaking. A wide circle of artists in a variety of media—including glass, ceramics, and painting—were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine, NC, to create prints using the vitreograph process developed by Littleton. Upending notions of both traditional glassmaking and printmaking, vitreographs innovatively combine the two into something new. The resulting prints created through a process of etched glass, ink, and paper create rich, colorful scenes reminiscent of luminous stained glass.

“Printmaking is a medium that many artists explore at some point in their career,” says Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. “The process is often collaborative, as they may find themselves working with a print studio and highly skilled printmaker. The medium can also be quite experimental. Harvey Littleton’s contribution to the field is very much so in this spirit, as seen in his incorporation of glass and his invitation to artists who might otherwise not have explored works on paper. Through this exhibition, we are able to appreciate how the artists bring their work in clay, glass, or paint to ink and paper.” 

Useful and Beautiful: Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge
Jul 25 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Left to right: William Waldo Dodge Jr., Teapot, 1928, hammered silver and ebony, 8 × 5 3/4 × 9 1/2 inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Estate of William Waldo Dodge Jr. | William Waldo Dodge Jr., Lidded vegetable bowl, 1932, hammered silver, 6 × 6 5/8 × 6 5/8 inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Estate of William Waldo Dodge Jr.

Useful and Beautiful: Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge features a selection of functional silver works by Dodge drawn from the Museum’s Collection. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator, this exhibition will be on view in the Debra McClinton Gallery at the Museum from February 23 through October 17, 2022.

William Waldo Dodge Jr. (Washington, DC 1895–1971 Asheville, NC) moved to Asheville in 1924 as a trained architect and a newly skilled silversmith. When he opened for business promoting his handwrought silver tableware, including plates, candlesticks, flatware (spoons, forks, and knives), and serving dishes, he did so in a true Arts and Crafts tradition. The aesthetics of the style were dictated by its philosophy: an artist’s handmade creation should reflect their hard work and skill, and the resulting artwork should highlight the material from which it was made. Dodge’s silver often displayed his hammer marks and inventive techniques, revealing the beauty of these useful household goods.

The Arts and Crafts style of England became popular in the United States in the early 1900s. Asheville was an early adopter of the movement because of the popularity and abundance of Arts and Crafts architecture in neighborhoods like Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Village, and the area around The Grove Park Inn. The title of this exhibition was taken from the famous quotation by one of the founding members of the English Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, who said, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Not only did Dodge follow this suggestion; he contributed to American Arts and Crafts silver’s relevancy persisting almost halfway into the 20th century.

“It has been over 15 years since the Museum exhibited its collection of William Waldo Dodge silver and I am looking forward to displaying it in the new space with some new acquisitions added,” said Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Learn more at ashevilleart.org.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022
“Art in the Heart” Call for Artists extended
Jul 26 all-day
online

Call for applications

In partnership with the Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections and Asheville’s Public Art and Cultural Commission, the City is kicking off a new temporary public art program to activate Pack Square Plaza and engage with the community in a new way. Art in the Heart will support the production/installation of up to 10 temporary art projects and/or experiences in Pack Square Plaza, with artist stipends ranging from $500 to $1,500. The City is calling on artists and creatives to apply.

Art in the Heart is now accepting applications via the following application LINK. Interested applicants must submit their proposals by 5 p.m. on June 21, 2022. EXTENDED to Aug. 1st by 5pm. The first installation or performance could begin as early as July with artists’ works continuing on a coordinated or rotating basis through the end of the year.

With the removal of the Vance Monument and the start of the Pack Square Plaza Visioning and Improvements project, the plaza – including the site of the former Vance Monument – will soon enter into a new era. Through the Art in the Heart program, artists and creatives are asked to help cultivate and facilitate critical conversations around the past, present, and future of Pack Square Plaza. A range of temporary artwork may be appropriate including: traditional, non-traditional, experiences, and performances.

Public spaces and monuments are dynamic and should be an inclusive reflection of the people and history they represent. Therefore, artist proposals must embrace the theme of social equity and inclusion and respond to the following questions:

  • What should Pack Square Plaza look and feel like in the future?
  • What stories haven’t been told or represented in downtown Asheville?

Art in the Heart is a way to unite, heal, and strengthen the community. The goal is to use art to spark conversation and ideas on how to make Pack Square Plaza – a central gathering place and hub of activity for the region – a place that resonates with Asheville’s diverse community. The program will help inspire and inform the larger initiative underway of creating a community vision for the future of this area.

For more information and to apply, visit www.ashevillenc.gov/publicart or the City’s bid page: www.ashevillenc.gov/bids.

 

Pack Square Plaza Visioning Updates

The City of Asheville and Buncombe County are continuing to make progress on a broader engagement effort to document the community’s vision for the future of Pack Square Plaza and plan for implementation.

Following a Request for Proposals (RFP) process launched earlier this year, the top ranked team was selected to lead engagement and documentation of the community’s perspectives on the Pack Square area, and to provide guidance on how the design, programming, and management of the space can become more equitable and inclusive for all. This collaborative community engagement and planning initiative is anticipated to begin in July and continue for 6-9 months. Staff will present a contract to the City Council for consideration on June 14.

 

Asheville Gallery of Art’s July Show: “From Realism to Abstract” Featuring Artists, Joyce Schlapkohl and Sally Lordeon
Jul 26 all-day
Asheville Gallery of Art

The Asheville Gallery of Art presents the extraordinary paintings of Joyce Schlapkohl and Sally Lordeon, during the month of July, in an exhibition titled ’From Realism to Abstract’. The opening reception will be held on Friday, July 1, from 5:00-8:00pm.

All artists, whether realistic or abstract, use the same visual language to put together their paintings. The difference is that realistic artists use that visual language to describe their subjects, whereas abstract artists use the same visual language, in conjunction with subject matter, to express feelings or ideas. ‘From Realism to Abstraction’ focuses on that ‘perfect’ blend of creating both types of beautiful compositions and invites viewers to participate in an epic art journey along the way.

“Painterly realism” best describes Joyce’s oil paintings. Her strong focal point, creative design, and bold clear color, revealing light and shadow, invite you into her paintings but it’s her emotional response to her various subjects that holds the viewer’s attention. Her subjects vary from landscape, flowers, animals, still life and any subject that moves her and encourages a sense of sharing that response with others. Joyce declares; “Western North Carolina is an artist’s dream for a variety of subjects and seasons.”

After receiving a Master’s Degree in Business, at UNC Chapel Hill, Joyce returned to painting, her first love, when she attended Florida Atlantic University to study art. She continues her art education through workshops with nationally known artists. In Joyce’s words; “I’m very fortunate to be a full-time painter and occasional teacher. Putting paint on canvas to create a memorable piece of art is amazing, exciting and rewarding”

Joyce’s studio is in Waynesville, NC. She exhibits at The Asheville Gallery of Art and several other well-known galleries.
Visit Joyce’s website: www.joycepaints.com

Many of Sally’s abstract paintings include a horizontal line, suggesting a landscape tableau. In those artworks, she uses the elements of color, shape, texture and value to help the viewer envision a sense of place and arouse a personal meaning. In Sally’s other abstracts, she uses those elements to express elan, movement, and energy, with the intent of fostering a positive, spirited feeling. Her art has been described as powerful, yet serene. Sally quotes; “Abstract art gives me, as an artist, a unique voice that elicits openness and expression, engaging the viewer in the same way. There is so much to explore in abstract painting and I love that.”

Sally studied fine arts at Chatham University in Pennsylvania. She moved to the majestic mountains of Asheville, NC more than thirty years ago and after a successful career as a technical writer and college textbook author, Sally returned full-time to her first passion—her love of color, form and the ‘divine’ pleasure of painting.

Sally’s work is exhibited locally at Asheville Gallery of Art and other well-known galleries as well as two galleries in Los Angeles. She has been the featured artist at The Asheville Airport Gallery.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Field of Sunflowers’ was painted at the Biltmore Estate. “I visit every year, in September, to paint the endless field of sunflowers. This year is even more meaningful with the sunflower representing a symbol for peace in the Ukraine.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Carolina Mountain Glow’ represents one of our beautiful, majestic and everchanging landscapes.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Boat Roundup’ was inspired by the lighting on each surface and the sun, fun and relaxation of being on the water

Sally Lordeon’s ‘It’s a Wonderful World’, acrylic, showcases the exquisiteness and warmth of our own personal places.

Sally Lordeon’s ‘Wisp’, acrylic and gold leaf, demonstrates energy bursting into time and space.

Sally Lordeon’s ‘ Isthmus I & II’,mixed media, is a powerful, yet serene, abstract tableau on two canvases.

Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk + Auction
Jul 26 all-day
Hendersonville nc

ince 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has helped raise funding for Downtown Hendersonville and a variety of local non-profits. In addition to raising funds, the bears offer a window into good work being done by community organizations in Henderson County.

The Bearfootin’ Bears arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each in a spectacular fashion, with creative themes ranging from Mona Lisa to Blue Ridge Mountain scenery. After the “Reveal” event in early May, the bears then take up residence in downtown Hendersonville for the duration of the summer and fall, up until auction. Participants bid during the auction to raise funds for local non-profits and Downtown Hendersonville. Winning bids up to $3,000 are split evenly between the downtown program and the nonprofit chosen by the sponsor, while bid amounts exceeding $3,000 are directed entirely to the non-profit. In 2021, the Bears raised more than $100,000, and in 2022 we hope to continue the tradition of giving.

 

International Photo Exhibit
Jul 26 all-day
Ramsey Library Blowers Gallery

The exhibit features thought-provoking photos taken by students, faculty, and staff while traveling abroad.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.

THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper
Jul 26 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
UNCA Owen Hall

Current students, alumni, staff, faculty, and faculty emeriti of the UNC Asheville Department of Art & Art History are participating in THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper.

“I wanted to express this idea that despite COVID, and despite our department’s relocation during renovation – art thrives here, it is the constant that cannot be disrupted,” says THRIVE ! curator Leisa Rundquist, professor of art history and curator of art collections at UNC Asheville.

The informal arrangement installation will be displayed in the hallway gallery next to the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in Owen Hall through August 1.

Viewing is available during open Owen Hall hours. 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (M – F)

 

Community Expectations
As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Be respectful of individual choice to wear or not wear a mask in any situation; wear a mask when and where encouraged, following guidelines and precautions outlined by the CDC.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.

Earth’s Gifts | Focus Gallery Exhibition
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

purple patchwork lap quilt

Featured Artists: Jude Stuecker (fiber) Erica Bailey (jewelry) Mary Dashiell (clay) Steve Miller (wood) Rex Redd (clay)

Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program Graduate Exhibition
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center
Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program Graduate Exhibition
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center
RAD Collabs
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
North Carolina Glass Center

Image for RAD Collabs

Being an artist can be a lonely endeavor. RAD Collabs seeks to inspire artists to leave behind solitary work habits, encourage new friendships and inspire imaginative art.

We put the word out to Asheville-area artists earlier this year and had an overwhelming response from painters, potters, metalsmiths, woodworkers and others who expressed an interest in working with glassblowers.

The work exhibited in this show will shine the light on these new partnerships. Come see the show and watch glassblowers in action all at the same time!

Pictured is a collaboration between Joe Nicholson and Vanessa Tsumura.

SETH CLARK SOLO EXHIBITION
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Momentum Gallery

Seth Clark, Factory

“My work focuses on deteriorating architecture. These structures, designed to be huge forces of permanence, are continually being challenged, destroyed and forgotten. I see an inherent honesty in the face of my subject. Among all of the clutter—the shards of wood and layers of rubble—there remains a gentle resolve. As I work, I study these structures incessantly. The buildings, often on the brink of ruin, have something very energized and present trying to escape from their fragmented reality.”  –Seth Clark

This first solo show of Seth’s work at Momentum’s new space features large-scale works from his BarnGhost, and Aerial View Series.  The collection also includes some of the artist’s sculptural objects in wood.  Abstract works, which still reference weathered architecture, such as Lath Study and Vinyl Study, round out the exhibition.

Skateboard Re-Purposed Exhibit
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

The synergy of vibrant outsider art created locally and shared with Tryon Fine Arts has resulted
in a one-of-a-kind art exhibit opening June 1, 2022. The Skateboard: Re-purposed includes
works from North Carolina, Oregon, California, England and Germany. Seven artists are
featured, including Tryon’s own Jonathan Caple, Nicholas Harding (England), Matt Mercurio,
George Rocha, Michael Mauney, Paris Evans and Folk Dunker (Gemany).
Skateboarding has been popular for over a century and is now experiencing a resurgence in both

the sports arena and the art world—it became an Olympic sport in 2020 and was part of a
successful 2019 Sotheby’s auction, with boards by, among others, Damien Hirst and Marilyn
Minter.
Skateboards re-purposed as art will be on exhibit in TFAC’s Parker Gallery beginning June 1,
2022. The exhibit will feature skateboard art in many sizes and forms including graceful
sculptures, nature art, chairs, wall art, a crocheted piece, photographs, and more. Several of the
exhibit pieces will be for sale, supporting both the artists and TFAC as the exhibit sponsor.
The public is invited to attend the opening reception on June 9 from 5 – 7 PM, where they can
also meet local skateboard artist, Jonathan Caple. The exhibit will be on display through to the
end of July 2022.
To access the gallery, plan to enter through the Pavilion at the rear of Tryon Fine Arts Center.
Free parking is available behind TFAC and on surrounding side streets. For more information,
call 828-859-8322 or visit www.tryonarts.org.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022
“Art in the Heart” Call for Artists extended
Jul 27 all-day
online

Call for applications

In partnership with the Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections and Asheville’s Public Art and Cultural Commission, the City is kicking off a new temporary public art program to activate Pack Square Plaza and engage with the community in a new way. Art in the Heart will support the production/installation of up to 10 temporary art projects and/or experiences in Pack Square Plaza, with artist stipends ranging from $500 to $1,500. The City is calling on artists and creatives to apply.

Art in the Heart is now accepting applications via the following application LINK. Interested applicants must submit their proposals by 5 p.m. on June 21, 2022. EXTENDED to Aug. 1st by 5pm. The first installation or performance could begin as early as July with artists’ works continuing on a coordinated or rotating basis through the end of the year.

With the removal of the Vance Monument and the start of the Pack Square Plaza Visioning and Improvements project, the plaza – including the site of the former Vance Monument – will soon enter into a new era. Through the Art in the Heart program, artists and creatives are asked to help cultivate and facilitate critical conversations around the past, present, and future of Pack Square Plaza. A range of temporary artwork may be appropriate including: traditional, non-traditional, experiences, and performances.

Public spaces and monuments are dynamic and should be an inclusive reflection of the people and history they represent. Therefore, artist proposals must embrace the theme of social equity and inclusion and respond to the following questions:

  • What should Pack Square Plaza look and feel like in the future?
  • What stories haven’t been told or represented in downtown Asheville?

Art in the Heart is a way to unite, heal, and strengthen the community. The goal is to use art to spark conversation and ideas on how to make Pack Square Plaza – a central gathering place and hub of activity for the region – a place that resonates with Asheville’s diverse community. The program will help inspire and inform the larger initiative underway of creating a community vision for the future of this area.

For more information and to apply, visit www.ashevillenc.gov/publicart or the City’s bid page: www.ashevillenc.gov/bids.

 

Pack Square Plaza Visioning Updates

The City of Asheville and Buncombe County are continuing to make progress on a broader engagement effort to document the community’s vision for the future of Pack Square Plaza and plan for implementation.

Following a Request for Proposals (RFP) process launched earlier this year, the top ranked team was selected to lead engagement and documentation of the community’s perspectives on the Pack Square area, and to provide guidance on how the design, programming, and management of the space can become more equitable and inclusive for all. This collaborative community engagement and planning initiative is anticipated to begin in July and continue for 6-9 months. Staff will present a contract to the City Council for consideration on June 14.

 

Asheville Gallery of Art’s July Show: “From Realism to Abstract” Featuring Artists, Joyce Schlapkohl and Sally Lordeon
Jul 27 all-day
Asheville Gallery of Art

The Asheville Gallery of Art presents the extraordinary paintings of Joyce Schlapkohl and Sally Lordeon, during the month of July, in an exhibition titled ’From Realism to Abstract’. The opening reception will be held on Friday, July 1, from 5:00-8:00pm.

All artists, whether realistic or abstract, use the same visual language to put together their paintings. The difference is that realistic artists use that visual language to describe their subjects, whereas abstract artists use the same visual language, in conjunction with subject matter, to express feelings or ideas. ‘From Realism to Abstraction’ focuses on that ‘perfect’ blend of creating both types of beautiful compositions and invites viewers to participate in an epic art journey along the way.

“Painterly realism” best describes Joyce’s oil paintings. Her strong focal point, creative design, and bold clear color, revealing light and shadow, invite you into her paintings but it’s her emotional response to her various subjects that holds the viewer’s attention. Her subjects vary from landscape, flowers, animals, still life and any subject that moves her and encourages a sense of sharing that response with others. Joyce declares; “Western North Carolina is an artist’s dream for a variety of subjects and seasons.”

After receiving a Master’s Degree in Business, at UNC Chapel Hill, Joyce returned to painting, her first love, when she attended Florida Atlantic University to study art. She continues her art education through workshops with nationally known artists. In Joyce’s words; “I’m very fortunate to be a full-time painter and occasional teacher. Putting paint on canvas to create a memorable piece of art is amazing, exciting and rewarding”

Joyce’s studio is in Waynesville, NC. She exhibits at The Asheville Gallery of Art and several other well-known galleries.
Visit Joyce’s website: www.joycepaints.com

Many of Sally’s abstract paintings include a horizontal line, suggesting a landscape tableau. In those artworks, she uses the elements of color, shape, texture and value to help the viewer envision a sense of place and arouse a personal meaning. In Sally’s other abstracts, she uses those elements to express elan, movement, and energy, with the intent of fostering a positive, spirited feeling. Her art has been described as powerful, yet serene. Sally quotes; “Abstract art gives me, as an artist, a unique voice that elicits openness and expression, engaging the viewer in the same way. There is so much to explore in abstract painting and I love that.”

Sally studied fine arts at Chatham University in Pennsylvania. She moved to the majestic mountains of Asheville, NC more than thirty years ago and after a successful career as a technical writer and college textbook author, Sally returned full-time to her first passion—her love of color, form and the ‘divine’ pleasure of painting.

Sally’s work is exhibited locally at Asheville Gallery of Art and other well-known galleries as well as two galleries in Los Angeles. She has been the featured artist at The Asheville Airport Gallery.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Field of Sunflowers’ was painted at the Biltmore Estate. “I visit every year, in September, to paint the endless field of sunflowers. This year is even more meaningful with the sunflower representing a symbol for peace in the Ukraine.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Carolina Mountain Glow’ represents one of our beautiful, majestic and everchanging landscapes.

Joyce Schlapkohl’s ‘Boat Roundup’ was inspired by the lighting on each surface and the sun, fun and relaxation of being on the water

Sally Lordeon’s ‘It’s a Wonderful World’, acrylic, showcases the exquisiteness and warmth of our own personal places.

Sally Lordeon’s ‘Wisp’, acrylic and gold leaf, demonstrates energy bursting into time and space.

Sally Lordeon’s ‘ Isthmus I & II’,mixed media, is a powerful, yet serene, abstract tableau on two canvases.

Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk + Auction
Jul 27 all-day
Hendersonville nc

ince 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has helped raise funding for Downtown Hendersonville and a variety of local non-profits. In addition to raising funds, the bears offer a window into good work being done by community organizations in Henderson County.

The Bearfootin’ Bears arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each in a spectacular fashion, with creative themes ranging from Mona Lisa to Blue Ridge Mountain scenery. After the “Reveal” event in early May, the bears then take up residence in downtown Hendersonville for the duration of the summer and fall, up until auction. Participants bid during the auction to raise funds for local non-profits and Downtown Hendersonville. Winning bids up to $3,000 are split evenly between the downtown program and the nonprofit chosen by the sponsor, while bid amounts exceeding $3,000 are directed entirely to the non-profit. In 2021, the Bears raised more than $100,000, and in 2022 we hope to continue the tradition of giving.

 

International Photo Exhibit
Jul 27 all-day
Ramsey Library Blowers Gallery

The exhibit features thought-provoking photos taken by students, faculty, and staff while traveling abroad.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.

THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper
Jul 27 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
UNCA Owen Hall

Current students, alumni, staff, faculty, and faculty emeriti of the UNC Asheville Department of Art & Art History are participating in THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper.

“I wanted to express this idea that despite COVID, and despite our department’s relocation during renovation – art thrives here, it is the constant that cannot be disrupted,” says THRIVE ! curator Leisa Rundquist, professor of art history and curator of art collections at UNC Asheville.

The informal arrangement installation will be displayed in the hallway gallery next to the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in Owen Hall through August 1.

Viewing is available during open Owen Hall hours. 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (M – F)

 

Community Expectations
As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Be respectful of individual choice to wear or not wear a mask in any situation; wear a mask when and where encouraged, following guidelines and precautions outlined by the CDC.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.