Calendar of Events
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.
We’re excited to now offer curbside pickup on Monday and Saturday afternoons and Thursday mornings for your purchases from the Museum Store! Browse the selection of apparel, books, handcrafted jewelry and art, inspiring toys, and more online. Simply select “pickup” at checkout, and we’ll contact you to find a time that fits your schedule.

Craft Your Commerce is a Mountain BizWorks entrepreneurial program designed to connect, elevate and advance creative and craft-centered companies through a series of business training workshops and classes designed by makers for makers. The program is offered in partnership with Center for Craft, UNC Asheville, and area creative entrepreneurs.
The 2020 Summer Workshop Series: Creative Shifts will focus on adapting your craft business to thrive in a drastically changed market.
We will start with a speaker panel of leading WNC based craft business entrepreneurs to hear how they’ve adjusted their business model and operations to meet the challenges of COVID-19. We will then learn from a Portland-based craft manufacturing entrepreneur about the innovative techniques and leadership strategies that have helped him to successfully scale his business and continue to weather these challenging market conditions. Finally, we will open a window into the realm of commercial projects and buyers, which is a customer and revenue segment that remains untapped for many craft entrepreneurs.
Throughout the series, an integrative cohort-based learning program will help weave together lessons from the workshops and guide entrepreneurs in developing their own goals and actionable plans.
The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.

“As we continue to press into Hope, we continue to hear from supporters, and the message is loud and clear – they also feel the Hope connected to our mission, and want to keep supporting us.” Discovering new ways to sustain The Village Potters Clay Center during this season is the primary job now for the resident potters at TVPCC. As Sarah continues to apply for loans and grants, other potters are choosing hope each day by taking the torch from her to carry on the mission with a second “chapter” of Vessels of Hope.
The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, and community. The Village Potters includes a fine craft gallery, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes in wheel and hand building for adults, an Advanced Ceramic Studies Program, and online demonstration and workshops. The Village Potters Clay Center is an educational member of The Craft Guild of the Southern Highlands, and is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.
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Artists Collective | Spartanburg 2020 Juried Exhibition4 state exhibit – SC, NC, TN, GA We have struggled with whether to cancel this exhibit or not. We know that artists need this type of exhibit more than ever so we are continuing as planned. The dates are Sept. 15 – Oct. 17. There will not be an awards reception this year, but we will make the awards announcements online at a given time. The exhibit can be viewed during normal business hours. Last year this was a very successful event and prizes totaled $4500. We plan the same this year. |
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Craft Your Commerce is a Mountain BizWorks entrepreneurial program designed to connect, elevate and advance creative and craft-centered companies through a series of business training workshops and classes designed by makers for makers. The program is offered in partnership with Center for Craft, UNC Asheville, and area creative entrepreneurs.
The 2020 Summer Workshop Series: Creative Shifts will focus on adapting your craft business to thrive in a drastically changed market.
We will start with a speaker panel of leading WNC based craft business entrepreneurs to hear how they’ve adjusted their business model and operations to meet the challenges of COVID-19. We will then learn from a Portland-based craft manufacturing entrepreneur about the innovative techniques and leadership strategies that have helped him to successfully scale his business and continue to weather these challenging market conditions. Finally, we will open a window into the realm of commercial projects and buyers, which is a customer and revenue segment that remains untapped for many craft entrepreneurs.
Throughout the series, an integrative cohort-based learning program will help weave together lessons from the workshops and guide entrepreneurs in developing their own goals and actionable plans.
The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.
This form has been a signature piece in Sarah’s body of work for years. The award winning Dancing Pitcher celebrates gracefulness, soft lines, and movement. The process making this unique form is inspiring and challenging.
This workshop is designed to push our limits as potters and push the limits of clay. We will cover many techniques. The goal is to stretch our thinking when making and designing pots. Creating designs where the flow of line and space are key. The making of this sectional graceful pot is perfect for discussion about design and training our eye to see.
We will cover:
- Throwing w/excellence
- Throwing in Sections
- Throwing with larger volumes of clay
- Darting
- Fluid Handles
- Pulling a large handle off the pot
- How to glaze this 24″ tall form and not ruin it
- Art that functions and why it matters
I will have several Pitchers in the different stages so we can all see this pot made to completion in the set 2 hours.
Hang on to you potters stool because you are in for a beautiful ride!
The video workshop is available for 30 days after purchase.

“As we continue to press into Hope, we continue to hear from supporters, and the message is loud and clear – they also feel the Hope connected to our mission, and want to keep supporting us.” Discovering new ways to sustain The Village Potters Clay Center during this season is the primary job now for the resident potters at TVPCC. As Sarah continues to apply for loans and grants, other potters are choosing hope each day by taking the torch from her to carry on the mission with a second “chapter” of Vessels of Hope.
The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, and community. The Village Potters includes a fine craft gallery, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes in wheel and hand building for adults, an Advanced Ceramic Studies Program, and online demonstration and workshops. The Village Potters Clay Center is an educational member of The Craft Guild of the Southern Highlands, and is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.
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Instructor: Kristen Easters
In this camp, designed for the youngest age group, we’ll create beautiful and functional pottery forms on and off the potter’s wheel. We’ll decorate our masterpieces using colors we love and fire them so that you can
Tuition: $225
$25 discount for siblings enrolled in the same class
Use promo code “claycamp25”

Explore the messy side of art! Students experiment with painting, printmaking, and much more. Students explore different artists from the Museum’s Collection and how they use their messy styles to create art and inspire the world around us.
(additional charge for shipping)

Join me in the studio as we use hammers, saws, files and fire to transform silver wire into a beautiful pair of silver drop earrings. Class price includes all materials.
Instructor: Amy Briggs
Ready? Set? Throw! Let’s explore what clay can do! We’ll use the potter’s wheel to make cereal bowls, candlesticks, storage jars and more. Join Amy as she shows you how to spin some amazing creations in the studio!
Tuition: $225
$25 discount for siblings enrolled in the same class
Use promo code “claycamp25”
The “SAY THEIR NAMES” display at The Oak Street Gallery lists the names of more than 60 Black Americans killed by police officers and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
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Artists Collective | Spartanburg 2020 Juried Exhibition4 state exhibit – SC, NC, TN, GA We have struggled with whether to cancel this exhibit or not. We know that artists need this type of exhibit more than ever so we are continuing as planned. The dates are Sept. 15 – Oct. 17. There will not be an awards reception this year, but we will make the awards announcements online at a given time. The exhibit can be viewed during normal business hours. Last year this was a very successful event and prizes totaled $4500. We plan the same this year. |
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We’re excited to now offer curbside pickup on Monday and Saturday afternoons and Thursday mornings for your purchases from the Museum Store! Browse the selection of apparel, books, handcrafted jewelry and art, inspiring toys, and more online. Simply select “pickup” at checkout, and we’ll contact you to find a time that fits your schedule.
Black Lives Matter mural around Vance Monument completed |
| This week, 3 local Asheville artists completed a Black Lives Matter mural in Pack Square downtown. The mural wraps around the now-shrouded Vance Monument.
The mural was approved by Asheville City Council, and coordinated via the Asheville Area Arts Council. The push for the mural comes on the heels of weeks of protests over the death of George Floyd, heated debate over the Vance Monument and the memorial to Confederate soldiers in front of the Buncombe County Courthouse, and Asheville’s recent commitment to reparations. Each artist took the lead on a different word in the mural. Joseph Pearson was the lead artist for the word Black, Jenny Pickens for the word Lives, and Marie T. Cochran for the word Matter. |

Craft Your Commerce is a Mountain BizWorks entrepreneurial program designed to connect, elevate and advance creative and craft-centered companies through a series of business training workshops and classes designed by makers for makers. The program is offered in partnership with Center for Craft, UNC Asheville, and area creative entrepreneurs.
The 2020 Summer Workshop Series: Creative Shifts will focus on adapting your craft business to thrive in a drastically changed market.
We will start with a speaker panel of leading WNC based craft business entrepreneurs to hear how they’ve adjusted their business model and operations to meet the challenges of COVID-19. We will then learn from a Portland-based craft manufacturing entrepreneur about the innovative techniques and leadership strategies that have helped him to successfully scale his business and continue to weather these challenging market conditions. Finally, we will open a window into the realm of commercial projects and buyers, which is a customer and revenue segment that remains untapped for many craft entrepreneurs.
Throughout the series, an integrative cohort-based learning program will help weave together lessons from the workshops and guide entrepreneurs in developing their own goals and actionable plans.
The Craft Futures Fund will fund up to $30,000 each month from May 2020 – October 2020 to support craft-based education projects. These one-time, unrestricted grants of $5,000 will be disbursed to craft-based education projects that envision and build new futures for craft.
As an advocate for the arts in our community, Haywood County Arts Council develops partnerships with schools, other nonprofits, county governments, schools, city revitalization boards, economic development councils, chambers of commerce, and tourism bureaus. These partnerships are often the catalyst for sustainable economic and community development using the arts and can lead to programs that connect diverse parts of the county through shared arts experiences.
With the assistance and support of the North Carolina Arts Council, the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) has an important role in sustaining, growing, and advocating for the arts in Haywood County. The HCAC is a Designated County Partner (DCP) for the North Carolina Arts Council, and administers the Grassroots Arts Program subgrant process as well as the Artist Support Grant for Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania Counties.
The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.
This form has been a signature piece in Sarah’s body of work for years. The award winning Dancing Pitcher celebrates gracefulness, soft lines, and movement. The process making this unique form is inspiring and challenging.
This workshop is designed to push our limits as potters and push the limits of clay. We will cover many techniques. The goal is to stretch our thinking when making and designing pots. Creating designs where the flow of line and space are key. The making of this sectional graceful pot is perfect for discussion about design and training our eye to see.
We will cover:
- Throwing w/excellence
- Throwing in Sections
- Throwing with larger volumes of clay
- Darting
- Fluid Handles
- Pulling a large handle off the pot
- How to glaze this 24″ tall form and not ruin it
- Art that functions and why it matters
I will have several Pitchers in the different stages so we can all see this pot made to completion in the set 2 hours.
Hang on to you potters stool because you are in for a beautiful ride!
The video workshop is available for 30 days after purchase.

“As we continue to press into Hope, we continue to hear from supporters, and the message is loud and clear – they also feel the Hope connected to our mission, and want to keep supporting us.” Discovering new ways to sustain The Village Potters Clay Center during this season is the primary job now for the resident potters at TVPCC. As Sarah continues to apply for loans and grants, other potters are choosing hope each day by taking the torch from her to carry on the mission with a second “chapter” of Vessels of Hope.
The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, and community. The Village Potters includes a fine craft gallery, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes in wheel and hand building for adults, an Advanced Ceramic Studies Program, and online demonstration and workshops. The Village Potters Clay Center is an educational member of The Craft Guild of the Southern Highlands, and is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.
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When a friend gave Toland Sand a stained glass studio in 1977, he embarked upon a journey that would lead him to explore the myriad qualities that define glass as a medium. Sand’s 43 years as a sculptor has resulted in works of stained glass, blown glass, and every combination in between. A pioneer in utilizing the unique properties of dichroic glass, Sand begins his current sculpture with optical crystal and dichroic coated glass, hand worked by grinding in ever finer stages until a polish is achieved. Seeking balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent on deconstructed form, his work inhabits the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. Sand is inspired by his peers as well as artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko.
Sand’s work can be found numerous public and private collections including the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, Imagine Museum, Sarasota, FL, and others.
Bender Gallery continues to be open and welcoming visitors into our gallery in limited numbers and with facemasks, of course. We remain dedicated to supporting our artists during these unprecedented times by making ourselves available almost anytime you wish to speak with us to answer questions and sharing their work online and through social media. We and our artists thank you for your support!

On the Second Saturday of each month, the River Arts District holds gallery walks with demonstrations, workshops, live music, wine tastings, delicious food, and more! Meander the mile-long district or hop on and off the free trolley and discover all that the “RAD” has to offer. There are more than 200 artists in the 23 buildings throughout the district. Most of them will be on hand to describe or show you their techniques and share their inspirations.
*There will be no free trolley for the June and July Second Saturdays. Ample free parking is available in the district.*
*Both in person and virtual events are happening for Second Saturday. Many are listed here and you may also check our EVENTS listings for more details.”
Events with an *asterisk are available in person AND online, Events which are solely virtual listed separately.
Special day & evening events will be listed for each date – so please come back and plan your day as we get closer to the date!






