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.
Willie Cole: Soles and Boards
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4, 2018
Since 1989, Willie Cole has employed the image of the clothes iron in his work. Cole morphs this utilitarian object to represent and reference a range of associations from African masks to scarification to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This exhibition presents prints from Cole’s time working at Highpoint Editions in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2011-2012.
Image Caption: Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Willie Cole
Phone: (828) 250-4752
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Story Time for Kids
Age Group: Baby – (ages 4 mos.-18 mos.)
Library: North Asheville
Location: 1030 Merrimon Ave. – Asheville
Phone: (828) 250-4700
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Performance,Story Telling
Age Group: Preschool – (ages 3-5)
Library: Pack Memorial
Location: 67 Haywood St. – Asheville
Preschoolers, Get Ready! This year’s “Preschoolers We Love You!” show promises to be one of the silliest ever. This popular variety show for children began as a special valentine to the library’s youngest book lovers and continues to be one of our most favorite events. Each year, shows regularly draw over 1,000 children for the multiple performances. The program is a book inspired musical revue especially designed for preschoolers, with puppets, dancing and other lighthearted fun. The talented performers are drawn from the library staff across the county.
The dates and locations for this year’s performances are:
- Tuesday, April 17 at Pack Memorial Library; Shows at 9:30 and 10:45
- Wednesday, April 18 at the Weaverville United Methodist Fellowship Center ; Shows at 9:30 and 10:45
- Thursday, April 19 at the Black Mountain United Methodist Church; Shows at 9:30 and 10:45
All shows are free, but space is limited. All school groups wanting to attend must call 250-4729 to make a reservation.
Phone: (828) 250-6482
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Story Time for Kids
Age Group: Family – (children of all ages)
Library: Weaverville
Location: 41 N. Main St. – Weaverville
A family friendly story time for all ages.
Phone: (828) 250-6484
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Story Time for Kids
Age Group: Baby – (ages 4 mos.-18 mos.)
Library: Fairview
Location: 1 Taylor Rd. – Fairview
Mother Goose Time is a lively language enrichment story time serving our youngest folks–the 4 month-old to 18 month-old set.
On April 7 through 23, Grovewood Gallery will host Spring Awakening, a pediatric patients’ exhibition to benefit Arts For Life, an Asheville-based nonprofit that provides pediatric patients and their families with arts education and engagement opportunities. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, April 7 from 2-5pm and feature live music by the Haw Creek Sweet Hots, ice cream by The Hop, and craft activities for kids. Admission is free.
All artwork will be available for sale, and 100% of proceeds will benefit Arts For Life. Grovewood Gallery will also donate 10% of all regular gallery sales from the exhibition’s opening day.
Every day across North Carolina, Arts For Life’s team of staff members, volunteers, interns, and teaching fellows brighten the lives and healthcare experiences of children and families facing serious illnesses and disabilities. By bringing visual art, music, and creative writing education into hospitals and clinics, they help these children and teens remember that they’re not just patients: they’re artists, musicians, and poets, with a world of possibility at their fingertips.
Phone: 828-250-4756
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Story Time for Kids
Age Group: Baby – (ages 4 mos.-18 mos.)
Library: Black Mountain
Location: 105 N. Dougherty St. – Black Mountain
Mother Goose Time is a lively language enrichment story time serving our youngest folks–the 4 month-old to 18 month-old set.
Each Tuesday and Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., April through October, trained volunteer guides lead small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season, topics of discussion include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history, and the cultural and land use history of The North Carolina Arboretum. Guides may include areas such as the Natural Garden Trail and Bent Creek.
Programs are held rain or shine and participants should dress appropriately for the weather. Individuals should also wear sturdy shoes and bring water. Walks last 1.5- 2.5 hours, depending upon the interest of the group, and are approximately one to two miles in length. Due to length and content, this program is not recommended for children under 8 years of age.
Walks begin in the Baker Exhibit Center Lobby and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Groups of five or more are required to pre-register by calling 828-665-2492. Walks are FREE, however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are appreciated. Regular parking fees apply. Arboretum Society Members always park free.
Due to size limitations of the tours, groups of 10 or more are required to book a private guided trail tour.
Sue Ferguson, Ruby Begonia, c.1976, tapestry on mixed fiber, 60 x 57.5 inches. Museum Purchase with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.The Asheville Art Museum is excited to present Crafting Abstraction, a new exhibition opening Saturday, March 10 at the Asheville Art Museum On the Slope (175 Biltmore Avenue). The exhibition brings together a selection from the Museum’s Permanent Collection that highlights the importance of craft to the development of modernist abstraction in the United States. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, modernist artists have used abstract forms—geometric and organic—to express immaterial phenomena such as spirituality, gracefulness, vitality, speed, sensuality and emotion. In many of these artworks, the physical attributes of the materials and the processes of hand-making are integral to the ideas and experiences conveyed.
This exhibition was curated by Holly Gore, PhD candidate in art history at the University of California, Santa Barbara + the Museum’s Windgate Curatorial Intern 2018. This internship was supported by a Windgate Museum Internship Award administered by the Center for Craft.
As a complement to Crafting Abstraction, Turning Traditions is an installation of selected works by Ed, Philip and Matt Moulthrop. This family of Southern woodturners has created unique vessels for three generations.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (828) 774-3000
Link: http://www.leicestercommunitycenter.com
Manna Food Distribution every third Tuesday at 2:30pm
Come cheer on the Lions!
The Asheville Area Arts Council is now accepting 2018-2019 North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program applications for Buncombe County. Please join us for our free info session at AAAC’s Refinery Creator Space, located at 207 Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC, and find out how you can apply!
We look forward to working with your organization as you develop programs, projects or services to promote the cultural arts in Buncombe County.
This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Phone: (828) 250-6480
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Arts & Crafts
Age Group: Family – (children of all ages),Adult
Library: Leicester
Location: 1561 Alexander Rd. – Leicester
Have you always wanted to learn how to knit? Do you have any unfinished knitting or crochet projects hanging around? If so, come join us for an afternoon workshop with Ellen Whitcomb who has taught knitting to adults and children for over 30 years. Supplies are available for use during the workshop, but bring your own if you can. Experienced knitters are encouraged to sit and knit with us. All ages welcome.
Garden & Gun’s Mint Julep Month is underway, and MG Road is joining the party! From April 5 to May 5, the Asheville lounge is whipping up their own version of the classic cocktail – dubbed the MG Julep – composed of Olmeca Altos Reposado tequila, coriander, ginger and lime zest syrup, all served over crushed ice and garnished with fresh cilantro. Bottoms up!
Topics:
Learn college admission basics
Determine what you want to get out of college
Get organized
Find the right resources
Understand how to create a college list
Recommended for:
8-12th graders and their parents/guardians
Presenter:
Jessica Browning
Director of College Counseling
Carolina Day School
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (828) 250-4260
Event Location: BC Sports Park – 58 Apac Cir, Asheville, NC
Link: http://buncomberecreation.org
Phone: (828) 250-4718
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Classes
Age Group: Teen – (grades 6-12),Adult
Library: Pack Memorial
Location: 67 Haywood St. – Asheville
Every Tuesday at 6 PM, we’ll be having basic computer skills classes in our computer lab downstairs. Each week we will have a new topic to focus on.
The topic for Tuesday, April 17: BEGINNING COMPUTER SKILLS
Contact Sam at [email protected] for more information or call 250-4718.
Come and improve your email skills in a patient and understanding environment.
All library events are free. No registration is required for the class, all are
welcome. Computers may be limited based on capacity.
Phone: (828) 250-6488
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Arts & Crafts
Age Group: Adult
Library: Skyland / South Buncombe
Location: 260 Overlook Rd. – Asheville
Bring your own materials and work on a project, share tips, try something new, and make new friends!
The Craft of Abstraction and the Abstract Power of Realism
Tuesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17 + 24 — 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $220 Museum Members, $240 non-members (includes some materials)
This painting and mixed-media class explores the “craft” of painting as it applies to abstract (non-objective or non-representational) imagery, as well as to the abstract qualities that also enhance the power of representational approaches.
The Asheville Tourists are a minor league baseball team based in Asheville, North Carolina. They play in the Class A South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since 1994.
Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different leagues and classifications for decades, with the earliest dating to 1897. The current team has played continuously in what is now known as the South Atlantic League since 1976. They have won three league championships, first in 1984 and most recently in 2014. Previous Tourists teams won a total of four additional championships.
The Tourists play home games at McCormick Field. The park opened in 1924, renovated in 1959, and renovated again for the 1992 season. McCormick Field seats 4,000 fans, and is notable for the scoreboard which reads “Visitors” in the guest slot and “Tourists” in the home slot
Phone: (828) 250-6484
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Book Club
Age Group: Adult
Library: Fairview
Location: 1 Taylor Rd. – Fairview
Fairview Evening Book Club will be reading ‘My Brilliant Friend’ by Elena Ferrante for the month of April and will be discussing it on Tuesday, April 17th at 7pm.
“Soon to be an HBO series, book one in the New York Times bestselling Neapolitan quartet about two friends growing up in post-war Italy is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted family epic by Italy’s most beloved and acclaimed writer, Elena Ferrante, one of the great novelists of our time.”– The New York Times
No sign up or registration is required to be a part of Evening Book Club, and you can join anytime.
Phone: 828-250-4756
Email: [email protected]
Event Type: Book Club
Age Group: Adult
Library: Black Mountain
Location: 105 N. Dougherty St. – Black Mountain
Come cheer on the Tourists!
Wind Ensemble Concert
The 51st Annual UNC Asheville Juried Student Exhibition will be held in the Thom Robinson and Ray Griffin Exhibition Space. This year, UNCA’s Art Guild will be sponsoring the exhibit. Art Guild, is a campus – wide student arts organization that is open to all forms of art visual art, music, theatre. Entry in the Juried Exhibition is open to any registered student on campus.
This year’s juror will be Robert Tynes. Robert Tynes was born in Chicago and spent his formative years in Birmingham, Alabama, with regular summer retreats to the mountains of North Carolina. He received a BA degree in Art from Rhodes College and a MFA degree in Painting from East Carolina University.
Tynes has held over twenty-five solo exhibitions of his work and has participated in more than a hundred and fifty group shows across the country. He is the recipient of several artist-in-residence grants including two from the Roswell Museum and Art Center, New Mexico and one from the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. In addition, he has completed several large-scale commissions for The Doubletree Hotel in Kansas City, IBM Corporation in Atlanta, and the city of Charlotte’s Convention Center.
Currently Professor of Art in Painting at UNCA, Tynes has also taught at the University of Hawaii, Humboldt State University in California, and East Carolina University. He was the first Chairman of the Board for the Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, and has served as a member of the Boards of Directors for both the Asheville Area Arts Council and the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
An opening reception will be Friday, April 6, 2018 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The exhibit will be open to the public Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The closing reception will be Friday, May 4, 2018.
With 20 years of silk painting experience, WNC-based artist Kathy Goodson uses poncho jackets, scarves and framed wall art as part of her exhibit, Dream Silks, on display in the Education Center daily January 13 – April 22, 2018. Using a multi-step process, Goodson applies French dyes to crepe de Chine using various techniques that are often layered, creating vibrant, rich colors. After steam setting, the paintings are often re-stretched and treated with fabric paints and/or wax to create additional effects. Inspired by natural beauty, Goodson primarily focuses on plants, flowers and leaves in her work.
arth Skin is based upon the forms and textures of the earth using inspiration from aerial photography of Western North Carolina and topographical maps of local areas, including Pisgah National Forest and Balsam Range. Created by ceramic artists Trish Salmon and Crystal Allen, Earth Skin includes wall structures and pieces designed for mantles, shelves and tables. All works are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will be donated to The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
About the Artists
Trish Salmon
Trish has been studying clay for many years through the various classes available to her when she lived in the Atlanta area. Taking classes at Penland was a life changing experience and a turning point in her desire to become a studio ceramicist. She and her husband moved to Western North Carolina in 2007, and she has pursued her claywork full time after her career as a kitchen designer. Immediately after retirement, she enrolled in Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program in clay where she received her Associate’s Degree in 2014. She currently is a member of the Odyssey Coop Gallery in the River Arts District in Asheville, NC. She is also a founding member of Artisans on Main in downtown Weaverville where her studio is and where her work is primarily displayed.
Crystal Allen
Before discovering ceramics, Crystal earned a degree in Graphic Art and Design. She has also taught calligraphy, dabbled in watercolors and and learned how to felt, dye and spin natural fibers from her own llamas and sheep. Most recently, Crystal completed the Professional Crafts: Clay Associates degree at Haywood Community College. Her pottery is primarily functional, with altered or hand built additions. Her pieces are produced in her studio, one of her favorite places on earth!
The AAAC is excited to announce Zander Stefani’s upcoming exhibition: “I Am, Are U?” in the Front Gallery of the Refinery Creator Space. An exhibition that ponders the phrase: ‘I am’, Stefani exemplifies the constant moral battle between self and other. The way all past experiences blend to become a reflection of the present moment. Life is a monumental journey and we are mere human beings facing the infinite universe. He explores the questions of identity that we are all forced to face each day, contemplating the boundaries society embeds on us from the moment we are born. While this new body of work has a more developed sense of style, Stefani’s figures continue to portray the same sense of entrapment; plagued by the illusions presented in this world, yet realizing the infinite depths of reality. Intertwining tones of spirituality and street style fill the visual plane in Stefani’s work, bringing to light the palpable connection between the pure expression of graffiti and the intense meditation of spirituality. He tends to work autonomously, allowing the painting to reveal itself through many transparent layers of acrylic paint.
Zander Stefani (b. 1994, Toronto) is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, GA with a BFA in painting. He currently lives in Asheville and has exhibited along the eastern United States. His work can be seen in the homes of collectors throughout North America.
Stefani on his latest body of work:
“Our world these days is so reliant on labels and beliefs in order to be properly delineated and judged. It is hard to have a conversation with a young adult that doesn’t end up revolving around social media, orientation, goals for the future, the steps you will take to get there, etc. We place so much importance on how we identify ourselves that our true spirit gets lost in the mix.
The confusion that comes after asking the first question, “who am I?” only leads to more questions: “what am I doing here?”, “what is my purpose?” “what can I accomplish in this lifetime?” “Do I stand up to those that have come before me?”. Growing up in a society that is so focused on the end result and the next step, it is all too easy to lose sight of ourselves and our connection to the universe. I try to create work that visually represents the melancholy attuned to human existence, an attempt at divulging the questions with no answers.”
The exhibition will be open to the public in the Front Gallery from Friday, April 6 – Friday, May 25, 2018 with an opening reception Friday, April 6th from 5-8 pm. The first 50 attendees to arrive will receive a free signed and editioned poster!
Join Hands On! Children’s Museum in downtown Hendersonville, as we prepare to celebrate National High Five Day on Thursday, April 19! Make a hand print wand and be sure to give your friends and family a Hands On! High Five for a job well done! This activity will be available in the party room Tuesday, April 17, through Thursday, April 19. High Five Days are sponsored by Van Winkle Law Firm. This activity is free with $5 admission and free for members.
The mission of Hands On! is to provide “hands on” educational experiences ans science programs that stimulate the imagination and motivate learning in a fun, safe environment. For additional information about their educational programs and facility, please visit their website at www.handsonwnc.org or call 828-697-8333.
Roots of Wisdom showcases the ways in which the traditional knowledge of native peoples and Western science are woven together to improve the natural world.
Featuring four indigenous communities, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, this traveling exhibit shares inspiring stories of environmental and cultural restoration that society faces today. Through the voices of elders and youth, engaging video interactives and hands-on games, visitors will gather resources, examine data and take part in the growing movement towards sustainability and the reclamation of age-old practices.
Exhibit support is provided in part by The North Carolina Arboretum Society, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine and Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty. “Roots of Wisdom: Native Knowledge. Shared Science.” was produced and is toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). The exhibit was made possible with funds provided by the National Science Foundation.