Calendar of Events

The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to announce that people world-wide can now explore more of the Museum’s diverse Collection of 20th- and 21st-century American art online from the comfort of their homes, on the go with their smart phones, or from their favorite coffee shop.

“This was a massive undertaking, and it’s a tremendous accomplishment,” says Executive Director Pamela Myers. “I cannot express my gratitude to the Museum’s talented curatorial team. They’ve dedicated so much time, energy, and thought to enable these artworks to be experienced and enjoyed on an easily accessible, international platform.”

To date, the curatorial team has meticulously digitized approximately 20 percent of the Museum’s Collection and uploaded it to the online database. “Our evolving Collection has grown to nearly 7,500 works, with 1,500 of them already available online,” says Associate Registrar and Project Lead Chris Whitten. “We’ve already devoted several years to reach this point in the process,” he says, “and plan on regularly adding hundreds more each quarter until the entire Collection is online.”

A Robust, Expanding Collection 
Associate Curator Whitney Richardson says the Museum’s Collection has experienced dramatic growth in the past five years. In fact, it has almost doubled in size and keeps expanding. “Like most museums, we have more art in our Collection than we can show at any one time. With the Collection growing at the rate that it is, this digital platform allows us to share more of what is in our holdings.

Blank walls – they’re everywhere. But in Buncombe County, there’s an opportunity for there to be three fewer thanks to the BC Creative Equity Mural Project. “Each day, thousands of people pass by these blank spaces with no connection, no inspiration,” said Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger. “With the abundance of incredible talent in our area, there’s no reason why these spaces shouldn’t be filled with art that reflects the people, places, and values of Buncombe County.”

Reisinger first inquired about utilizing the wall on the west side of the Register of Deeds building at 205 College St. as potential mural space, and it wasn’t long before that proposal grew to include a wall in the parking deck at 164 College St. and a wall outside the Tax Office at 94 Coxe Ave.

Now, Buncombe County is looking for artists to submit proposals for those three spaces to promote racial equity, enhance a culture of diversity, and promote reconciliation and restoration. Proposals from individual artists or collaborations between artists are welcome.

“This call for art submissions is open to all, regardless of experience or the size of a portfolio,” said Chief Equity & Human Rights Officer Rachel Edens. “In Buncombe County, we value diversity and inclusivity, and we encourage applications from people who have been adversely impacted by systemic racism in connection with local governmental institutions.”

The number of artists and/or murals is to be determined, based on the results of this call for submissions. Selected art may be used in whole or in part.

The intended installation dates of these murals are Spring/Summer 2023.

Proposed mural locations:

94 Coxe Ave.: The proposed mural site is a wall by the Tax Office on street level, approximately 2,250 square feet in size. There are also five sections between the windows on the building with approximately 55 square feet each and the wall on the backside of the building, approximately 125 square feet in size.

164 College St.: The proposed mural site is the parking deck walls, including a wall on ground level, approximately 385 square feet in size as well as two walls on levels 2-6 beside the stairs, approximately 625 square feet total.

205 College St.: The proposed mural site is a wall on the courthouse side of the Register of Deeds building, approximately 1,500 square feet in size.

Proposals for interior murals within Buncombe County Government buildings also will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Click here for a video that shows proposed locations.

The fine print:

To submit, email [email protected] by Nov. 11, 2022 with “Equity Mural” in the subject line. All proposals should include the following:

1.  Artist name(s), organization name (if applicable), address, email, and phone number
2. Introduction expressing artist(s) interest in the mural project and explaining roles of collaborators/partners (if any)
3. Description of proposed mural, including how mural design reflects the theme
4. Image(s) with visual rendering of proposed mural
5. List of proposed materials, including information about durability
6. Estimated square footage, including a range if applicable and desired mural location, if any
7. Description of the method which will be used to securely affix the mural and timeline for installation and completion of the mural, not to exceed six months from the date of mural approval
8. Mural maintenance requirements and schedule
9. Summary of artist’s experience and statement of how the artist’s past work demonstrates an ability to successfully implement the mural. Images of past artwork, public art projects, and/or murals may be included for reference
10. Project cost, including line-item detail regarding proposed artist fee(s), materials, equipment needed for installation, projected mural maintenance/repair expenses, and any other applicable costs

Summary

• The theme is racial equity, reconciliation, and restoration.
• Designs should reflect Buncombe County’s people and beauty.
• New artists and/or collaboration are encouraged.
• Submissions are due by Nov. 11, 2022 and should be sent in by email.
• Proposals should include all 10 required elements, including all proposed costs (artist fee(s), materials, equipment needed for installation, and projected mural maintenance/repair expenses).

For more information, including the selection process, visit www.buncombecounty.org/equitymural.

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!

Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by textile-based artist Erin E. Castellan. Amidst the seemingly endless barrage of digital imagery ever-present in our contemporary world, Castellan makes tactile artworks which necessitate slow-looking, careful examination, quiet contemplation, and stillness. Utilizing both fabric she has woven and stretched canvases, Castellan adds hand-embellishments of stitching, beadwork, and acrylic paint, reveling in the joys of materiality, engaging and engulfing our senses.

With a palette of predominantly earth-tones, in combination with surfaces reminiscent of landscapes, it is tempting to view each piece as its own unique terrestrial space, rooted in the familiarity of earth while transcending to otherworldly realms. The places represented here are fantastical but familiar, like the memory of somewhere felt but not known.

Many of Castellan’s woven works nod both metaphorically and literally to memory as she incorporates materials from years past – a skein of onion skin dyed yarn spun by her mother, or reimagined fabrics she herself wove decades before. She asserts through this iterative process the connection of past and present – the continual folding back of time and the cyclical nature of lived experiences.

Castellan notes, “Everything in the present connects with everything in the past. Everything in the past affects everything in the present. It is impossible to pick apart the pieces of life, to unravel the strands of these nets.”

Erin E. Castellan received her MFA from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) and her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI). Her embroidered and beaded paintings have been exhibited widely including Kyoto Int’l Community House (Kyoto, Japan), The Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC), and Ess Ef Eff (Brooklyn, NY). Her work was published in New American Paintings (2021, 2020, 2015) and she was a 2016 Society for Contemporary Craft LEAP Award Finalist (Pittsburgh, PA). Castellan completed a 2004 Post-Graduate Apprenticeship at the Fabric Workshop and Museum (Philadelphia, PA), and was a 2012-2013 Artist-in-Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN). She currently lives in Spruce Pine, NC and is the Gallery Coordinator at Penland School of Craft.

The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to announce that people world-wide can now explore more of the Museum’s diverse Collection of 20th- and 21st-century American art online from the comfort of their homes, on the go with their smart phones, or from their favorite coffee shop.

“This was a massive undertaking, and it’s a tremendous accomplishment,” says Executive Director Pamela Myers. “I cannot express my gratitude to the Museum’s talented curatorial team. They’ve dedicated so much time, energy, and thought to enable these artworks to be experienced and enjoyed on an easily accessible, international platform.”

To date, the curatorial team has meticulously digitized approximately 20 percent of the Museum’s Collection and uploaded it to the online database. “Our evolving Collection has grown to nearly 7,500 works, with 1,500 of them already available online,” says Associate Registrar and Project Lead Chris Whitten. “We’ve already devoted several years to reach this point in the process,” he says, “and plan on regularly adding hundreds more each quarter until the entire Collection is online.”

A Robust, Expanding Collection 
Associate Curator Whitney Richardson says the Museum’s Collection has experienced dramatic growth in the past five years. In fact, it has almost doubled in size and keeps expanding. “Like most museums, we have more art in our Collection than we can show at any one time. With the Collection growing at the rate that it is, this digital platform allows us to share more of what is in our holdings.

Blank walls – they’re everywhere. But in Buncombe County, there’s an opportunity for there to be three fewer thanks to the BC Creative Equity Mural Project. “Each day, thousands of people pass by these blank spaces with no connection, no inspiration,” said Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger. “With the abundance of incredible talent in our area, there’s no reason why these spaces shouldn’t be filled with art that reflects the people, places, and values of Buncombe County.”

Reisinger first inquired about utilizing the wall on the west side of the Register of Deeds building at 205 College St. as potential mural space, and it wasn’t long before that proposal grew to include a wall in the parking deck at 164 College St. and a wall outside the Tax Office at 94 Coxe Ave.

Now, Buncombe County is looking for artists to submit proposals for those three spaces to promote racial equity, enhance a culture of diversity, and promote reconciliation and restoration. Proposals from individual artists or collaborations between artists are welcome.

“This call for art submissions is open to all, regardless of experience or the size of a portfolio,” said Chief Equity & Human Rights Officer Rachel Edens. “In Buncombe County, we value diversity and inclusivity, and we encourage applications from people who have been adversely impacted by systemic racism in connection with local governmental institutions.”

The number of artists and/or murals is to be determined, based on the results of this call for submissions. Selected art may be used in whole or in part.

The intended installation dates of these murals are Spring/Summer 2023.

Proposed mural locations:

94 Coxe Ave.: The proposed mural site is a wall by the Tax Office on street level, approximately 2,250 square feet in size. There are also five sections between the windows on the building with approximately 55 square feet each and the wall on the backside of the building, approximately 125 square feet in size.

164 College St.: The proposed mural site is the parking deck walls, including a wall on ground level, approximately 385 square feet in size as well as two walls on levels 2-6 beside the stairs, approximately 625 square feet total.

205 College St.: The proposed mural site is a wall on the courthouse side of the Register of Deeds building, approximately 1,500 square feet in size.

Proposals for interior murals within Buncombe County Government buildings also will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Click here for a video that shows proposed locations.

The fine print:

To submit, email [email protected] by Nov. 11, 2022 with “Equity Mural” in the subject line. All proposals should include the following:

1.  Artist name(s), organization name (if applicable), address, email, and phone number
2. Introduction expressing artist(s) interest in the mural project and explaining roles of collaborators/partners (if any)
3. Description of proposed mural, including how mural design reflects the theme
4. Image(s) with visual rendering of proposed mural
5. List of proposed materials, including information about durability
6. Estimated square footage, including a range if applicable and desired mural location, if any
7. Description of the method which will be used to securely affix the mural and timeline for installation and completion of the mural, not to exceed six months from the date of mural approval
8. Mural maintenance requirements and schedule
9. Summary of artist’s experience and statement of how the artist’s past work demonstrates an ability to successfully implement the mural. Images of past artwork, public art projects, and/or murals may be included for reference
10. Project cost, including line-item detail regarding proposed artist fee(s), materials, equipment needed for installation, projected mural maintenance/repair expenses, and any other applicable costs

Summary

• The theme is racial equity, reconciliation, and restoration.
• Designs should reflect Buncombe County’s people and beauty.
• New artists and/or collaboration are encouraged.
• Submissions are due by Nov. 11, 2022 and should be sent in by email.
• Proposals should include all 10 required elements, including all proposed costs (artist fee(s), materials, equipment needed for installation, and projected mural maintenance/repair expenses).

For more information, including the selection process, visit www.buncombecounty.org/equitymural.

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!

MSC is an empirically-supported 9-session program that helps participants develop and deepen the skills of self-compassion. Activities include meditation, talks, discussion, and experiential exercises. This class will be held rain or shine outdoors in a beautiful setting over nine Saturdays, 9/17-11/19, skipping 10/15.

We will meet from 10:30AM-2PM with a 30-minute break for lunch midway through each session. Each class participant will receive a copy of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.

Register at mindfulselfcompassionasheville.com by 8/30 for early-bird pricing.

Blank walls – they’re everywhere. But in Buncombe County, there’s an opportunity for there to be three fewer thanks to the BC Creative Equity Mural Project. “Each day, thousands of people pass by these blank spaces with no connection, no inspiration,” said Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger. “With the abundance of incredible talent in our area, there’s no reason why these spaces shouldn’t be filled with art that reflects the people, places, and values of Buncombe County.”

Reisinger first inquired about utilizing the wall on the west side of the Register of Deeds building at 205 College St. as potential mural space, and it wasn’t long before that proposal grew to include a wall in the parking deck at 164 College St. and a wall outside the Tax Office at 94 Coxe Ave.

Now, Buncombe County is looking for artists to submit proposals for those three spaces to promote racial equity, enhance a culture of diversity, and promote reconciliation and restoration. Proposals from individual artists or collaborations between artists are welcome.

“This call for art submissions is open to all, regardless of experience or the size of a portfolio,” said Chief Equity & Human Rights Officer Rachel Edens. “In Buncombe County, we value diversity and inclusivity, and we encourage applications from people who have been adversely impacted by systemic racism in connection with local governmental institutions.”

The number of artists and/or murals is to be determined, based on the results of this call for submissions. Selected art may be used in whole or in part.

The intended installation dates of these murals are Spring/Summer 2023.

Proposed mural locations:

94 Coxe Ave.: The proposed mural site is a wall by the Tax Office on street level, approximately 2,250 square feet in size. There are also five sections between the windows on the building with approximately 55 square feet each and the wall on the backside of the building, approximately 125 square feet in size.

164 College St.: The proposed mural site is the parking deck walls, including a wall on ground level, approximately 385 square feet in size as well as two walls on levels 2-6 beside the stairs, approximately 625 square feet total.

205 College St.: The proposed mural site is a wall on the courthouse side of the Register of Deeds building, approximately 1,500 square feet in size.

Proposals for interior murals within Buncombe County Government buildings also will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Click here for a video that shows proposed locations.

The fine print:

To submit, email [email protected] by Nov. 11, 2022 with “Equity Mural” in the subject line. All proposals should include the following:

1.  Artist name(s), organization name (if applicable), address, email, and phone number
2. Introduction expressing artist(s) interest in the mural project and explaining roles of collaborators/partners (if any)
3. Description of proposed mural, including how mural design reflects the theme
4. Image(s) with visual rendering of proposed mural
5. List of proposed materials, including information about durability
6. Estimated square footage, including a range if applicable and desired mural location, if any
7. Description of the method which will be used to securely affix the mural and timeline for installation and completion of the mural, not to exceed six months from the date of mural approval
8. Mural maintenance requirements and schedule
9. Summary of artist’s experience and statement of how the artist’s past work demonstrates an ability to successfully implement the mural. Images of past artwork, public art projects, and/or murals may be included for reference
10. Project cost, including line-item detail regarding proposed artist fee(s), materials, equipment needed for installation, projected mural maintenance/repair expenses, and any other applicable costs

Summary

• The theme is racial equity, reconciliation, and restoration.
• Designs should reflect Buncombe County’s people and beauty.
• New artists and/or collaboration are encouraged.
• Submissions are due by Nov. 11, 2022 and should be sent in by email.
• Proposals should include all 10 required elements, including all proposed costs (artist fee(s), materials, equipment needed for installation, and projected mural maintenance/repair expenses).

For more information, including the selection process, visit www.buncombecounty.org/equitymural.

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!