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.

Thursday, September 1, 2022
“Life Art Life” William Bernstein 50 Year Art Retrospective
Sep 1 @ 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Toe River Arts, Kokol Gallery

“LIFE ART LIFE William Bernstein 50 year retrospective” exhibition August 6-October 9, 2022 at the Toe River Arts’ Kokol Gallery, Spruce Pine, NC, features the paintings and glass of this artist who has been on the forefront of the studio glass movement.

Graduating 1968 from the Philadelphia College of Arts and just married, Bernstein moved to Penland School of Crafts to be their second glass resident artist from 1968-70. He was a co-founder of the Glass Arts Society (GAS) that formed to bring together the glass community so people could work together and learn from each other. Receiving numerous awards, fellowships and grants, he has exhibited internationally and has artwork in many private and public collections. Bernstein has lived most of his professional life in the rural Celo community of Yancey, North Carolina along with his family and artist wife, Katherine Bernstin. This retrospective provides a great opportunity for one to imagine a life surrounded by art.

This has been not only been a year-long process of curating pieces for an exhibit, but a lifetime of making art that connects with all things about one’s life. Bernstein’s work in glass and paint showcases just that: his family, his pets, friends, his environs, his moods and so much more. A life well-lived in creating art. More on Bernstein Glass www.bernsteinglass.com

William Warmus (A Fellow and former curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum), writes for the exhibition catalog, “Bernstein is a minimalist whose style is based upon the dedication to the concepts of honesty, modesty, and humility. It has a feel of its surroundings and of the people of the region.”

The Toe River Arts Kokol Gallery is located at 269 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine, NC 28777. The exhibition dates: August 6 – October 9, 2022. Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10:30 – 5:00 pm. 828-765-0520, www.toeriverarts.org

Public receptions on Fridays: August 12 and October 7, both 5:00-7:00 PM. Artist gallery talk Friday, August 12, 4:00 pm. The exhibition travels to Cary Arts Center November 30 – January 21, 2023.

Coinciding with the United Nations’ Year 2022 as the Year of Glass and the 60th Anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement, this has been made possible by Toe River Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Cary Art Center, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the Blumenthal Foundation, and Mountain Electronics in Micaville, NC.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection
Sep 1 @ 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Jessie B. Telfair, Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton with pencil, 74 × 68 inches. American Folk Art Museum, New York. Image Gavin Ashworth.
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.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection
Sep 1 @ 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
Sep 1 @ 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
Sep 1 @ 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
Sep 1 @ 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
Sep 1 @ 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.

Thursday Produce Sorting/Box Prep with Bounty + Soul
Sep 1 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Bounty + Soul

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.


Bounty & Soul is a community-based non-profit with a mission to connect people to food, education and each other.

This opportunity involves sorting and inspecting produce donations from local grocers and placing them into food boxes that are distributed at weekly drive-thru markets. 

Time Commitment:

  • Thursdays 10am-12pm
  • Thursdays 1-3pm

Requirements:

  • Volunteers should agree to adhere to all the safety measures implemented
  • Ability to lift 25 lbs.
  • Bending, stooping, and twisting may be required
  • Closed toed shoes

Health/Safety:

  • We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face covering when delivering items
    • Cloth covering nose and mouth
    • Fabric or disposable face mask
  • Asking volunteers to maintain physical distance of 6 feet or more when possible
    • Note: there are times when the volunteer task requires volunteers to engage closer than 6 feet. Please do not sign up if you feel uncomfortable.

 

1 and older
Is Family Friendly
Is Not Outdoors
Is Wheelchair Accessible
Pint Night
Sep 1 @ 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Down Dog Yoga Studio and Dog Bar

Pint Night

$1 off draft beers every Thursday!

East Asheville Welcome Table
Sep 1 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Groce United Methodist Church

The East Asheville Welcome Table is an engaged and committed partner of ours who host and serve free weekly dinners.

The East Asheville Welcome Table is run by a group of volunteers who love interacting with their community. In the past 6 months, The East Asheville Welcome Table has distributed 3,623 pounds of food, while serving an average of 500 meals each month.

East Asheville Welcome Table’s weekly meals include live music performed by community members, games of cards, and knitting.

The Welcome Table’s dedication to creating a food secure community, however, goes beyond their walls. At the beginning of the pandemic, Welcome Table volunteers leapt into action and served meals to folks staying at the Ramada Inn.

We are thankful to have such a remarkable partner like East Asheville Welcome Table, who consistently do all they can to ensure their neighbors have access to food with dignity. If you or anyone you know lives near East Asheville and could benefit from a free dinner, be sure to stop by the East Asheville Welcome Table from 5:00-6:30 PM on Thursdays.

ArborEvenings
Sep 1 @ 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! ArborEvenings runs Thursdays and most Fridays through September 30, 2022 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

There is no additional cost to attend ArborEvenings beyond our standard parking fee. As always, Arboretum Society members and their accompanying guests can enter for FREE (guests must be in member vehicles to receive free entry). Proceeds from ArborEvenings help support the The North Carolina Arboretum Society and further advance the Arboretum’s mission.

Find more information, including a musician schedule, here.

Beverage Service

Beer, Wine, and soft drinks will be for sale onsite at the Green Gardener’s Shed from 5:30 to 8:15 p.m. each night of the event. Outside alcohol is strictly prohibited, but guests are welcome to bring in water or a favorite non-alcoholic beverage.

Food Available for Pre-Order, Picnics Welcome

Although the Bent Creek Bistro will not be open during the event, they will be offering their delicious dining options at ArborEvenings via pre-order! Simply place your online order — including alcoholic beverages — up until 11 a.m. on the date you plan to attend, then pick up your order at the Baker Information Desk between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (In the event of rain cancellation, pre-orders will be fully refunded.)

Guests are welcome to bring in outside food and non-alcoholic beverages. However, outside alcohol is strictly prohibited.

Please note: ArborEvenings will not be held in the event of rain. Please check the website or Facebook page by 3 p.m. for any cancellation announcements prior to attending. 

Gluten-free comedy open mic at Ginger’s Revenge  
Sep 1 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Ginger's Revenge  

  • Gluten-free comedy open mic at Ginger's Revenge
  • 6:00pm – 8:00pm

    Open mic comedy every Thursday from 6-8pm at Ginger’s Revenge Tasting Room.

    Rotating hosts each week Clay Jones, James Burks and Katy Hudson

    No cover
    Signup starts at 5:30, and signup order will not necessarily be show order. Each comic gets 5 mins of stage time

Live Story Telling: Michael Reno Harrell
Sep 1 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Jessie B. Telfair, Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton with pencil, 74 × 68 inches. American Folk Art Museum, NY, gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander, 2004.9.1. Image Gavin Ashworth.

In conjunction with American Perspectives, Asheville Art Museum and Buncombe County Libraries present Live Story Telling at Pack Memorial Library by storyteller, Michael Reno Harrell.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection 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.

Summer Nights Live at Asheville Art Museum: Owen Grooms + Adam Masters
Sep 1 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Jean-Marcel St. Jacques, Mother Sister May Have Sat in That Chair When She Lived in This House Before Me, 2014, wood, nails, and antique hardware on a plywood backing, 84 × 96 inches. American Folk Art Museum, NY, gift of Jean-Marcel St. Jacques, LLC, 2014.18.2. © Jean-Marcel St. Jacques.

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE

On select Thursdays, local musicians enliven our spaces with music to complement your visit. As you stroll the galleries, a variety of tunes adds new dimensions to your viewing experience.

Asheville Tourists Game Highlight: Thirsty Thursday
Sep 1 @ 6:30 pm
McCormick Field

Come enjoy $1 Beers and $1 Cokes every Thursday, thanks to Catawba Brewing Co.!

Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic & Feature Comedy at Pulp Lounge
Sep 1 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Pulp Lounge

9.01. 22 The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement PULPWhat: Stand up Comedy at The Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge
When: Thursday 9.01.22.
8p-11p, doors at 7:30p
Where: The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement, Pulp Lounge
103 Hilliard Ave, Downtown Asheville
Tickets: $13 (available at door or https://theorangepeel.net/…/slice-of-life-comedy-open…/e)
Cocktails, taps & menu available while you laugh the night away to some of the area’s best Stand Up Comics in a ridiculously fun adult environment!! .
Open mic comics signup at door get 3-5m. [Free entry for performing comics, free snacks at comics table]
[Music before show provided by Buzz Radio Asheville, “All Asheville Music & Comedy, All the Time.”]
Stand up comedy featuring Mario Trevzo with special guest James Harrod. Hosted by Cody Hughes
Mario Trevizo
Originally from the suburbs of Maryland, Mario has made a home for himself with stand up comedy in Asheville, North Carolina. His style focuses on the awkward moments that come with being a non Spanish speaking Mexican living in the south. Beyond hosting various events around town, he is mainly known for his animated performances, quirky faces, and crying randomly at movies.
James Harrod
James is a stand up comedian originally from Raleigh now living in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to hosting the Comedy Freakshow every Tuesday night at The Odditorium, he also performs around the east coast opening for comedians like Sean Patton, Yedoye Travis, Michael Palascak, Brandie Posey and many more. Out of all the comics in his scene he was voted most needy and desperate for compliments.
Host Cody Hughes
Cody is a comedian who cut his teeth in Chicago and Atlanta. He is now based out of West North Carolina and tours the Southeast. He has opened for Lewis Black, John Oliver and Maria Bamford among others and hosts the regular Slice of Life Comedy shows at The Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge
We will also be signing people up for the Sweet Sweepstakes for Jubilee Alternative Shelter for Women, please donate items or tix ar sliceoflifecomedy.com or get tix at: https://go.eventgroovefundraising.com/jams/

Friday, September 2, 2022
Asheville Gallery of Art September Show, “Full Circle” featuring artist Anne Marie Braown
Sep 2 all-day
Asheville Gallery of Art

Visitors to the Asheville Gallery of Art will be able to view Anne Marie Brown’s show from September 1st through September 30th.

Anne Marie Brown started her career as a florist in New Jersey in her 20’s. “I owned a shop with a boyfriend who was into houseplants, and I loved flowers! I would do an arrangement and fall so in love with it, that I would do a small watercolor of it.” Many careers later, Anne Marie again picked up a brush and started painting when, as a realtor in Florida in 2007, the market tanked. “I’m not sure how I started painting again, I guess it was sheer boredom.”

She started doing outdoor art shows with the Delray Art League in Delray Beach, Florida. And to her surprise and delight, the pieces were selling. Thus started a 10 year journey of the outdoor art circuit. She attended shows all over Florida, and eventually started travelling up the east coast.

“I went from watercolor to acrylic, and finally to oil. By the time I got to oil painting, I had moved to Asheville, North Carolina, and started participating in plein air events.” The rolling mountain ranges were exceptionally inspirational to her after all the ocean scenes she’d been exposed to. “I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in October, 2014, and that was it! I had to move here!”

Anne Marie’s first and strongest passion is painting, particularly flowers and landscapes. “I also create needle felted animals, and do jewelry work in silver, but painting is my first love, and I devote most of my time to it.” She has won numerous awards, participated in multiple juried shows, and even ran an artists’ cooperative in Delray Beach called “The Arts Arena”.

Now, her heart is settled within these Blue Ridge Mountains, and she hopes that the scenes that touch her heart, will touch yours, and thus, the circle is complete!

Anne Marie’s artwork can be found under “Fine Art by Anne Marie Brown” on Etsy, Fine Art America and Facebook and her website is www.anne-marie-brown.pixels.com

Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk + Auction
Sep 2 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.

 

Buncombe County Votes ‘I Voted’ Sticker Contest
Sep 2 all-day
online

 I voted stickers

Buncombe County Election Services wants to see your designs for the ever-popular ‘I Voted’ sticker. “We rolled out a custom Buncombe County branded sticker for the mid-term primary election and so many people loved it, says Election Services Director Corinne Duncan. “We want to see how creative the community can get.” Break out your colored pens, roll up your sleeves, show your civic pride, and show us your best ‘I Voted,’ sticker design.

WHO: Any young person, ages 13-18 that is a resident of Buncombe County is eligible to participate.

WHAT: Design a logo that we will use to create 2-inch “I Voted” stickers and digital graphics that can be used for sharing for the Nov. 8, 2022 Mid-Term Election. I Voted must appear somewhere in the design, but the rest is up to you.

WHEN: Artwork will be collected until Sept. 2, 2022. The Buncombe County Board of Elections will select the top three designs and then – of course – we open the contest up to the community to vote on the top designs on our website at engage.buncombecounty.org. From Sept. 7-21 cast your vote for your favorite design. The winning artwork will be selected from the top vote getters and announced on Sept. 22, 2022. Stickers will be distributed during the General Election to all voters in Buncombe County.

HOW: Send us your artwork – Photo, PDF, JPEG to [email protected]

El condado de Buncombe vota en el concurso de calcomanías “Yo voté”

Los Servicios Electorales del Condado de Buncombe quieren ver sus diseños para la calcomanía más popular calcomanía “Yo voté”. “Lanzamos una calcomanía personalizada con la marca del condado de Buncombe para las elecciones primarias de mitad de período y a mucha gente le encantó, dice la directora de Servicios Electorales, Corinne Duncan. “Queremos ver qué tan creativa puede llegar a ser la comunidad”. Saca tus bolígrafos de colores, súbete las mangas, muestra tu orgullo cívico y muéstranos tu mejor diseño de pegatina “Yo voté”.

QUIÉN: Se puede participar cualquier joven de 13 a 18 años que sea residente del condado de Buncombe.

QUÉ: Diseñar un logotipo que se convertirá en calcomanía de 2 pulgadas “Yo voté” y gráficos digitales que se pueden usar para compartir en las elecciones de mitad de período del 8 de noviembre de 2022. Yo voté debe aparecer en alguna parte del diseño, pero el resto depende de ti.

CUÁNDO: Las obras de arte se pueden enviar hasta el 2 de septiembre de 2022. La Junta Electoral del Condado de Buncombe seleccionará los tres mejores diseños y luego, por supuesto, abriremos el concurso a la comunidad para votar por los mejores diseños en nuestro sitio web Para participar.buncombecounty.org. Del 7 al 21 de septiembre elija su voto para su diseño favorito. La obra de arte ganadora se seleccionará entre las que tengan la mayor cantidad de votos y se anunciará el 22 de septiembre de 2022. Se distribuirán calcomanías durante las elecciones generales a todos los votantes del condado de Buncombe.

CÓMO: envíe su obra de arte: foto, PDF, JPEG a [email protected]

 

Entries for the 30th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition™ are now being accepted!
Sep 2 all-day
online

 

The Omni Grove Park Inn, an award-winning, 513-room resort set in the idyllic Blue Ridge Mountains just minutes from downtown Asheville, N.C., is celebrating The 30th National Gingerbread House Competition™, which is the nation’s largest, hosted at the resort annually. Beginning July 6, 2022 the competition registration is officially now open here through November 14, 2022. The competition will be held and winners will be announced on November 21, 2022.

 

New elements for The 30th National Gingerbread House Competition™ include:

  • Introduction of 10th Judge, Ashleigh Shanti, chef/owner of Good Hot Fish & 2020 James Beard finalist.
  • Addition of six brand-new specialty awards and increased prizes (60% increase to years past) across the four age categories, which include Best Use of Sprinkles, Most Unique Ingredient, Longest Standing Competitor, Best Use of Color, Pop Culture Star, Most Innovative Structure, and Best Use of Spice.
  • All registered competitors will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite piece of the entire competition to determine the winner of the new People’s Choice: Best in Show award.

 

The full press release announcing the official rules and entry forms can be found here and below, and a highlight reel and hi-res imagery from last year’s competition can be found here. Please let me know if you will consider the news on behalf of The Omni Grove Park Inn!

Grassroots Arts Grant
Sep 2 all-day
online

Since 1977, the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) has provided North Carolina citizens access to quality arts experiences. Using a per capita based formula, the program provides funding for the arts in all 100 counties of the state through partnerships with local arts councils. The Grassroots Grant Program is made possible by the Grassroots Arts Program of North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, and Buncombe County Government.

The Grassroot Arts Program provides programmatic and operating support for nonprofit arts organizations in Buncombe County. Grants for FY23 will range from $2,500-7,500 dollars depending on the size of the organization. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2022.

Multicultural programs and organizations located outside of the City of Asheville will receive special consideration. To be considered a multicultural organization the mission of the organization must be focused on supporting African American, Asian American, Latino, or Native American cultures. For a program to be considered multicultural it must be conducted by artists, ensembles, or organizations of color.

Hello Death, Where Have You Been All My Life?
Sep 2 all-day
Center for Craft

Over the past two years, artist-researcher, community organizer, and Center for Craft grant recipient, Macon Reed has built Hello Death, Where Have You Been All My Life? an immersive installation that harnesses the social function of ritual space to reflect, process grief, heal, and envision alternative futures.

The 11th Annual ReStore ReUse Contest
Sep 2 all-day
online

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ReUse Contest Guidelines

WHEN
The contest begins on August 1, 2022 and ends on September 30, 2022. Winners will be announced in October.

WHO
Anyone! (Except employees of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity)

WHAT
The Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore is hosting the 11th annual ReUse Contest to showcase innovative building projects constructed predominantly of used building materials.

Winners will be selected in the following categories:

  • Furniture: $200 ReStore gift card
  • Homesteading (i.e. chicken coop, raised bed): $200 ReStore gift card
  • Live and/or work space: $200 ReStore gift card
  • Art: $200 ReStore gift card
  • Home Decor: $200 ReStore gift card
  • Vans & Vehicles: $200 ReStore gift card
  • Best in Show: $500 ReStore gift card

Winners will be announced in a press release, on Asheville Habitat’s website and social media pages, and featured in the Asheville Habitat ReStore.

OTHER DETAILS

  • Entries must be submitted electronically using the form provided.
  • Projects should have been completed within the last 2 years.
  • You may submit up to three separate projects (individually).
  • Re-submission of a project submitted in previous years will not be accepted.
  • Incomplete entries will not be considered.
  • Questions? Email [email protected].

JUDGING
There will be 5 judges, assessing entries based on:

  • Quality of design and execution
  • Replicability of concept
  • Clarity of description
  • Quality of photos (if we can’t see it well, we can’t judge it fairly)
Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program Graduate Exhibition
Sep 2 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center
Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program Graduate Exhibition
Sep 2 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center
“Life Art Life” William Bernstein 50 Year Art Retrospective
Sep 2 @ 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Toe River Arts, Kokol Gallery

“LIFE ART LIFE William Bernstein 50 year retrospective” exhibition August 6-October 9, 2022 at the Toe River Arts’ Kokol Gallery, Spruce Pine, NC, features the paintings and glass of this artist who has been on the forefront of the studio glass movement.

Graduating 1968 from the Philadelphia College of Arts and just married, Bernstein moved to Penland School of Crafts to be their second glass resident artist from 1968-70. He was a co-founder of the Glass Arts Society (GAS) that formed to bring together the glass community so people could work together and learn from each other. Receiving numerous awards, fellowships and grants, he has exhibited internationally and has artwork in many private and public collections. Bernstein has lived most of his professional life in the rural Celo community of Yancey, North Carolina along with his family and artist wife, Katherine Bernstin. This retrospective provides a great opportunity for one to imagine a life surrounded by art.

This has been not only been a year-long process of curating pieces for an exhibit, but a lifetime of making art that connects with all things about one’s life. Bernstein’s work in glass and paint showcases just that: his family, his pets, friends, his environs, his moods and so much more. A life well-lived in creating art. More on Bernstein Glass www.bernsteinglass.com

William Warmus (A Fellow and former curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum), writes for the exhibition catalog, “Bernstein is a minimalist whose style is based upon the dedication to the concepts of honesty, modesty, and humility. It has a feel of its surroundings and of the people of the region.”

The Toe River Arts Kokol Gallery is located at 269 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine, NC 28777. The exhibition dates: August 6 – October 9, 2022. Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10:30 – 5:00 pm. 828-765-0520, www.toeriverarts.org

Public receptions on Fridays: August 12 and October 7, both 5:00-7:00 PM. Artist gallery talk Friday, August 12, 4:00 pm. The exhibition travels to Cary Arts Center November 30 – January 21, 2023.

Coinciding with the United Nations’ Year 2022 as the Year of Glass and the 60th Anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement, this has been made possible by Toe River Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Cary Art Center, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the Blumenthal Foundation, and Mountain Electronics in Micaville, NC.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection
Sep 2 @ 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
Sep 2 @ 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
Sep 2 @ 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
Sep 2 @ 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.”