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.
The future stars of tomorrow take the stage in this inspired competition featuring BMC’s gifted high school and college pianists.
$25 General Admission.
Every Tuesday Open Mic
Open Format
Come experience the love of clay with our talented artists at Odyssey ClayWorks! Learn to sculpt, coil, and even get to try your hand at throwing on the potter’s wheel in a fun and upbeat atmosphere. All skill levels welcome.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, King Princess is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. The product of a musical family, she spent much of her childhood tinkering on the vintage Neve board in her father’s Brooklyn studio, learning guitar and piano along the way. Her 2018 debut single, an ode to untold queer histories titled “1950,” became an overnight smash hit with over 200 million streams to date. The song has achieved Gold status in the United States, Canada and Norway and is Platinum in Australia. Her debut EP, Make My Bed, marked the first release for Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records and was released to critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Complex, Refinery29, Billboard, Highsnobiety, Interview and Vogue among others. Since, King Princess has graced the covers of V Magazine, The Ingenue, Jalouse and The Travel Almanac. She’s played sold out shows across North America and Europe with festival debuts at Coachella, Glastonbury, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and many more. King Princess’ debut album, Cheap Queen, is set for release this year
Momentum Gallery in downtown Asheville hosts new summer exhibitions – Mariella Bisson, Setting Shapes; Oil paintings by two new painters: Samantha Keely Smith and Paul Sattler; and a group invitational called Give Me Wood. These exhibitions continue at 24 N Lexington Avenue through the end of August.
Mariella Bisson deftly delineates the sculptural planes of regional waterfalls and sylvan scenes creating refreshingly contemporary landscape paintings. Her oil-over-collage paintings feature built-up texture, suggesting the complex surface of stone and tree bark, lichen, and moss. Bisson’s paintings demonstrate a strong understanding of formal composition and reflect a sensibility honed from time she’s spent immersed in the outdoors. Of note, Bisson is a two-time recipient of the Pollock-Krasner grant and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in painting.
Samantha Keely Smith creates inspired and stirring abstract paintings in oil. The Brooklyn-based artist sees her paintings “as an expression of our internal turbulence. They reflect the overwhelming reality of being constantly aware of what is happening in the wider world – Change is the only constant.” Smith’s nebulous compositions are evocative of luminous cloudscapes and primordial oceans. Brilliant areas of stained pigment collide with waves of painterly brush strokes ultimately conjuring imagined environments with a timeless quality. “These paintings are about the essence of who we all are, as human beings… We all want love and connection.” Smith’s works give form to fluctuations between turbulence and calm present in everything from our emotions to the temporal world. Overall, Smith’s focus is on the underlying psychological impact of the dawning awareness of our shifting reality.
An accomplished oil painter, Paul Sattler was the recipient of the John R. Solomon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 2004, he was selected to exhibit at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he received the Wallace Truman Prize. Dramatic narratives unfold in his charged and enigmatic oil paintings which reference historic and literary sources. Sattler comments, “A diverse population of animals are enmeshed in my works’ human-inhabited environments, theatrical locales, and domestic dramas.”
Give Me Wood is an imaginative and evocative collection of contemporary painting and wood sculpture. Central to the identity and creation of all the extraordinary two- and three-dimensional works in the exhibition is the common material of wood. The participating artists defy logic, explore space (both real and imagined), carve, bend, turn, and otherwise construct some truly amazing and innovative work! Featuring Michael Alm, Garry Knox Bennett, Gil Bruvel, Christian Burchard, Tom Eckert, David Ellsworth, Ron Layport, Wendy Maruyama, and Sylvie Rosenthal.
There’s more than Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge Chunk in downtown Asheville’s Ben & Jerry’s this summer.
Art created by Vance Elementary School fifth grade students of art educator Robbie Lipe is now on display on the brick walls opposite the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The exhibit depicts the students’ interpretation of the artist Kehinde Wiley and the contemporary portraits he creates inspired by traditional Baroque paintings. It will be featured through the end of the summer.
“Ben & Jerry’s is excited about showcasing art from the community inside our scoop shop,” said general manager Chris Carter. “Making use of our walls to show what local artists are creating complements our social mission — to be actively involved in the places we live and do business. I hope this is the first of many art exhibits on our walls.”
Carter gave all the credit for the exhibit to Ms. Lipe, who teaches kindergarten through 5th-grade students at Vance Elementary. She was named the North Carolina Arts Educators Association “Art Educator of the Year” in 2017-2018.
Ben & Jerry’s is located at 19 Haywood Street. Current hours are Monday-Thursday 12 pm to 10 pm; Friday 12 pm – 11 pm; Saturday 11:30 am – 11 pm; Sunday 11:30 am – 10 pm.
For more information, call Carter at 310-601-6247.
Throughout our summer festival season, Brevard Music Center is delighted to present the following free events, which are held at Straus Auditorium and Searcy Hall (on the BMC campus) and Transylvania County Library (TCL) in downtown Brevard. All seating is general admission.
Infused with gracious optimism and delicious tunes, a performance of Dvořák’s popular Serenade for Strings is a feel-good occasion for audience members and musicians alike. BMC’s own William Ludwig shines in Joan Tower’s Red Maple for bassoon and string orchestra.
PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
Brevard Camerata
William Ludwig, bassoon
MOZART Serenata notturna
TOWER Red Maple for Bassoon and String Orchestra
DVORAK Serenade for Strings
Please note: All seating is general admission.
Every Wednesday Epic Karaoke at Alley Cat Social Club.
Anything Goes 9pm until 2am
Come experience the love of clay with our talented artists at Odyssey ClayWorks! Learn to sculpt, coil, and even get to try your hand at throwing on the potter’s wheel in a fun and upbeat atmosphere. All skill levels welcome.
Momentum Gallery in downtown Asheville hosts new summer exhibitions – Mariella Bisson, Setting Shapes; Oil paintings by two new painters: Samantha Keely Smith and Paul Sattler; and a group invitational called Give Me Wood. These exhibitions continue at 24 N Lexington Avenue through the end of August.
Mariella Bisson deftly delineates the sculptural planes of regional waterfalls and sylvan scenes creating refreshingly contemporary landscape paintings. Her oil-over-collage paintings feature built-up texture, suggesting the complex surface of stone and tree bark, lichen, and moss. Bisson’s paintings demonstrate a strong understanding of formal composition and reflect a sensibility honed from time she’s spent immersed in the outdoors. Of note, Bisson is a two-time recipient of the Pollock-Krasner grant and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in painting.
Samantha Keely Smith creates inspired and stirring abstract paintings in oil. The Brooklyn-based artist sees her paintings “as an expression of our internal turbulence. They reflect the overwhelming reality of being constantly aware of what is happening in the wider world – Change is the only constant.” Smith’s nebulous compositions are evocative of luminous cloudscapes and primordial oceans. Brilliant areas of stained pigment collide with waves of painterly brush strokes ultimately conjuring imagined environments with a timeless quality. “These paintings are about the essence of who we all are, as human beings… We all want love and connection.” Smith’s works give form to fluctuations between turbulence and calm present in everything from our emotions to the temporal world. Overall, Smith’s focus is on the underlying psychological impact of the dawning awareness of our shifting reality.
An accomplished oil painter, Paul Sattler was the recipient of the John R. Solomon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 2004, he was selected to exhibit at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he received the Wallace Truman Prize. Dramatic narratives unfold in his charged and enigmatic oil paintings which reference historic and literary sources. Sattler comments, “A diverse population of animals are enmeshed in my works’ human-inhabited environments, theatrical locales, and domestic dramas.”
Give Me Wood is an imaginative and evocative collection of contemporary painting and wood sculpture. Central to the identity and creation of all the extraordinary two- and three-dimensional works in the exhibition is the common material of wood. The participating artists defy logic, explore space (both real and imagined), carve, bend, turn, and otherwise construct some truly amazing and innovative work! Featuring Michael Alm, Garry Knox Bennett, Gil Bruvel, Christian Burchard, Tom Eckert, David Ellsworth, Ron Layport, Wendy Maruyama, and Sylvie Rosenthal.
There’s more than Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge Chunk in downtown Asheville’s Ben & Jerry’s this summer.
Art created by Vance Elementary School fifth grade students of art educator Robbie Lipe is now on display on the brick walls opposite the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The exhibit depicts the students’ interpretation of the artist Kehinde Wiley and the contemporary portraits he creates inspired by traditional Baroque paintings. It will be featured through the end of the summer.
“Ben & Jerry’s is excited about showcasing art from the community inside our scoop shop,” said general manager Chris Carter. “Making use of our walls to show what local artists are creating complements our social mission — to be actively involved in the places we live and do business. I hope this is the first of many art exhibits on our walls.”
Carter gave all the credit for the exhibit to Ms. Lipe, who teaches kindergarten through 5th-grade students at Vance Elementary. She was named the North Carolina Arts Educators Association “Art Educator of the Year” in 2017-2018.
Ben & Jerry’s is located at 19 Haywood Street. Current hours are Monday-Thursday 12 pm to 10 pm; Friday 12 pm – 11 pm; Saturday 11:30 am – 11 pm; Sunday 11:30 am – 10 pm.
For more information, call Carter at 310-601-6247.
Throughout our summer festival season, Brevard Music Center is delighted to present the following free events, which are held at Straus Auditorium and Searcy Hall (on the BMC campus) and Transylvania County Library (TCL) in downtown Brevard. All seating is general admission.
From the Pulitzer Prize to the Tony Award to the Academy Award, Frank Loesser has won them all! Join us in celebrating the legendary American songwriter with this special evening of his favorite melodies, including Broadway’s Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and The Most Happy Fella, among others acclaimed works.
PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center
Dean Anthony and Marla Berg, directors
Neill Campbell, piano
Josh Quinn, piano
Please note: All seating is reserved.
Come experience the love of clay with our talented artists at Odyssey ClayWorks! Learn to sculpt, coil, and even get to try your hand at throwing on the potter’s wheel in a fun and upbeat atmosphere. All skill levels welcome.
Momentum Gallery in downtown Asheville hosts new summer exhibitions – Mariella Bisson, Setting Shapes; Oil paintings by two new painters: Samantha Keely Smith and Paul Sattler; and a group invitational called Give Me Wood. These exhibitions continue at 24 N Lexington Avenue through the end of August.
Mariella Bisson deftly delineates the sculptural planes of regional waterfalls and sylvan scenes creating refreshingly contemporary landscape paintings. Her oil-over-collage paintings feature built-up texture, suggesting the complex surface of stone and tree bark, lichen, and moss. Bisson’s paintings demonstrate a strong understanding of formal composition and reflect a sensibility honed from time she’s spent immersed in the outdoors. Of note, Bisson is a two-time recipient of the Pollock-Krasner grant and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in painting.
Samantha Keely Smith creates inspired and stirring abstract paintings in oil. The Brooklyn-based artist sees her paintings “as an expression of our internal turbulence. They reflect the overwhelming reality of being constantly aware of what is happening in the wider world – Change is the only constant.” Smith’s nebulous compositions are evocative of luminous cloudscapes and primordial oceans. Brilliant areas of stained pigment collide with waves of painterly brush strokes ultimately conjuring imagined environments with a timeless quality. “These paintings are about the essence of who we all are, as human beings… We all want love and connection.” Smith’s works give form to fluctuations between turbulence and calm present in everything from our emotions to the temporal world. Overall, Smith’s focus is on the underlying psychological impact of the dawning awareness of our shifting reality.
An accomplished oil painter, Paul Sattler was the recipient of the John R. Solomon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 2004, he was selected to exhibit at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he received the Wallace Truman Prize. Dramatic narratives unfold in his charged and enigmatic oil paintings which reference historic and literary sources. Sattler comments, “A diverse population of animals are enmeshed in my works’ human-inhabited environments, theatrical locales, and domestic dramas.”
Give Me Wood is an imaginative and evocative collection of contemporary painting and wood sculpture. Central to the identity and creation of all the extraordinary two- and three-dimensional works in the exhibition is the common material of wood. The participating artists defy logic, explore space (both real and imagined), carve, bend, turn, and otherwise construct some truly amazing and innovative work! Featuring Michael Alm, Garry Knox Bennett, Gil Bruvel, Christian Burchard, Tom Eckert, David Ellsworth, Ron Layport, Wendy Maruyama, and Sylvie Rosenthal.
There’s more than Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge Chunk in downtown Asheville’s Ben & Jerry’s this summer.
Art created by Vance Elementary School fifth grade students of art educator Robbie Lipe is now on display on the brick walls opposite the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The exhibit depicts the students’ interpretation of the artist Kehinde Wiley and the contemporary portraits he creates inspired by traditional Baroque paintings. It will be featured through the end of the summer.
“Ben & Jerry’s is excited about showcasing art from the community inside our scoop shop,” said general manager Chris Carter. “Making use of our walls to show what local artists are creating complements our social mission — to be actively involved in the places we live and do business. I hope this is the first of many art exhibits on our walls.”
Carter gave all the credit for the exhibit to Ms. Lipe, who teaches kindergarten through 5th-grade students at Vance Elementary. She was named the North Carolina Arts Educators Association “Art Educator of the Year” in 2017-2018.
Ben & Jerry’s is located at 19 Haywood Street. Current hours are Monday-Thursday 12 pm to 10 pm; Friday 12 pm – 11 pm; Saturday 11:30 am – 11 pm; Sunday 11:30 am – 10 pm.
For more information, call Carter at 310-601-6247.
Throughout our summer festival season, Brevard Music Center is delighted to present the following free events, which are held at Straus Auditorium and Searcy Hall (on the BMC campus) and Transylvania County Library (TCL) in downtown Brevard. All seating is general admission
Throughout our summer festival season, Brevard Music Center is delighted to present the following free events, which are held at Straus Auditorium and Searcy Hall (on the BMC campus) and Transylvania County Library (TCL) in downtown Brevard. All seating is general admission.
Throughout our summer festival season, Brevard Music Center is delighted to present the following free events, which are held at Straus Auditorium and Searcy Hall (on the BMC campus) and Transylvania County Library (TCL) in downtown Brevard. All seating is general admission.

Deconstruct to a New Paradigm
AAAC Main Gallery | July 16 – August 16
Curated by Tekla Howachyn, this exhibit seeks a vision of the future beyond the crumbling patriarchy. How will we embrace love rather than hate? How will we come together as equals? What might that look like, and how might we get there? Eight [women] artists respond to these questions via visual art, dance, and thematic workshops. The First Friday reception for this exhibit will be held on August 2. On August 3 artists in this exhibit will be holding a day or workshops, more details in the section below.
MistSister: ReFashioned Myths of Ragnarok
AAAC Refinery Front Gallery | August 2 – September 27
Refinery artist, Valeria Watson will exhibit her work in the AAAC front gallery. She is continuing to explore the space and place of an immersive, retail redefinition and concept. Bring the forest inside. Enter the primordial village represented on the brown papered walls: walls littered with bits and pieces of truth shining through time.
Cubist Characters And Codes Portraits
AAAC Refinery Hall Gallery | August 2 – September 27
Hall Fletcher 4th Graders created this work during a 2018 project sponsored by Asheville City School Foundation with TAPAS teaching artist and ALNUGE Inventor Cleaster Cotton. ALNUGE Codes + Art Techniques (STEM + Art = STEAM) was used to teach English Language Arts (ELA) Standards in a project called Cubist Characters and Codes Portraits
Held the first weekend in August, this area’s premier outdoor art and craft fair hosts over 100 exhibitors representing all media. The Fair draws thousands of eager shoppers to the beautiful tree covered grounds of the Cathedral of All Souls in charming Historic Biltmore Village.
Come experience the love of clay with our talented artists at Odyssey ClayWorks! Learn to sculpt, coil, and even get to try your hand at throwing on the potter’s wheel in a fun and upbeat atmosphere. All skill levels welcome.
Momentum Gallery in downtown Asheville hosts new summer exhibitions – Mariella Bisson, Setting Shapes; Oil paintings by two new painters: Samantha Keely Smith and Paul Sattler; and a group invitational called Give Me Wood. These exhibitions continue at 24 N Lexington Avenue through the end of August.
Mariella Bisson deftly delineates the sculptural planes of regional waterfalls and sylvan scenes creating refreshingly contemporary landscape paintings. Her oil-over-collage paintings feature built-up texture, suggesting the complex surface of stone and tree bark, lichen, and moss. Bisson’s paintings demonstrate a strong understanding of formal composition and reflect a sensibility honed from time she’s spent immersed in the outdoors. Of note, Bisson is a two-time recipient of the Pollock-Krasner grant and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in painting.
Samantha Keely Smith creates inspired and stirring abstract paintings in oil. The Brooklyn-based artist sees her paintings “as an expression of our internal turbulence. They reflect the overwhelming reality of being constantly aware of what is happening in the wider world – Change is the only constant.” Smith’s nebulous compositions are evocative of luminous cloudscapes and primordial oceans. Brilliant areas of stained pigment collide with waves of painterly brush strokes ultimately conjuring imagined environments with a timeless quality. “These paintings are about the essence of who we all are, as human beings… We all want love and connection.” Smith’s works give form to fluctuations between turbulence and calm present in everything from our emotions to the temporal world. Overall, Smith’s focus is on the underlying psychological impact of the dawning awareness of our shifting reality.
An accomplished oil painter, Paul Sattler was the recipient of the John R. Solomon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 2004, he was selected to exhibit at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he received the Wallace Truman Prize. Dramatic narratives unfold in his charged and enigmatic oil paintings which reference historic and literary sources. Sattler comments, “A diverse population of animals are enmeshed in my works’ human-inhabited environments, theatrical locales, and domestic dramas.”
Give Me Wood is an imaginative and evocative collection of contemporary painting and wood sculpture. Central to the identity and creation of all the extraordinary two- and three-dimensional works in the exhibition is the common material of wood. The participating artists defy logic, explore space (both real and imagined), carve, bend, turn, and otherwise construct some truly amazing and innovative work! Featuring Michael Alm, Garry Knox Bennett, Gil Bruvel, Christian Burchard, Tom Eckert, David Ellsworth, Ron Layport, Wendy Maruyama, and Sylvie Rosenthal.
Interested in attending workshop led by one of these artists?
A portion of the proceeds will be donated the nonprofit Our VOICE.
Why the Labyrinths? led by Marty Cain
10:00 – 11:55 am | $60 | Sign up
During this workshop participants will walk a labyrinth, learn about its history, its construction, and its uses. Cain will also teach beginning dowsing and demonstrate the effects of walking a labyrinth. There will be lots of time for questions and handouts will be provided.
Breaking Out of Beliefs That Bind
led by Jay Pfeil
12:00 – 12:55 pm | $10 | Sign up
We will be exploring ways to change our beliefs through verbal and nonverbal means. Often we hold beliefs that stop us from being all we’d like to be. ‘I’m too old, too young, too stupid, too ugly, or not worthy!’ There are many fun ways to create change from the inside out. When we change the way we think of ourselves, our outer world changes too.
Make Your Own Story Quilt
led by Jenny Kiehn
1:00 – 1:55 pm | $20 | Sign up
In this workshop you will create a design for your own story quilt in the style of my resin quilt sculptures. We will mindfully approach this by carefully examining, selecting and arranging natural forms and found objects to create your design. Each design tells it’s own story in a symbolic way, so this is perfect for people who like symbolism and puzzles. No artistic skill needed! Each participant will get a photographic print of their design to take home. All materials will be provided.
ReFraming Our Narratives
Led by Mary Lounsbury, PhD in Myth and Depth Psych
2:00 – 2:55 pm | $10 | Sign up
See your personal narratives anew through creative journaling. Entering the landscape of this visionary exhibit with meditation and imagination, we will revisit life events from new angles. Narrative formation is always a creative process. Change your perspective, and your perspective changes everything!
$10 fee includes a simple hand-constructed journal for you to use and take with you. *This creative journaling session includes time for sharing, but sharing is always optional.
Empowering Embodiment Through the 5Rhythms movement
Led by Karen Chapman, Certified 5Rhythms Teacher
3:00 – 5:00 | $20 | Sign up
How do we stay strong and empowered in a hectic, unpredictable world? How can we give ourselves the love and care that we need in order to carry on? We can’t just think our way through it? “Put your body in motion and your psyche will heal itself!” says Gabrielle Roth creator and founder of the 5Rhythms Movement Meditation Practice. Staying in motion on the dance floor fosters healing and creativity through movement. Each one of the 5Rhythms-Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness has unique qualities to help move your body to empowerment, which translates to empowerment in your life!
There’s more than Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge Chunk in downtown Asheville’s Ben & Jerry’s this summer.
Art created by Vance Elementary School fifth grade students of art educator Robbie Lipe is now on display on the brick walls opposite the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The exhibit depicts the students’ interpretation of the artist Kehinde Wiley and the contemporary portraits he creates inspired by traditional Baroque paintings. It will be featured through the end of the summer.
“Ben & Jerry’s is excited about showcasing art from the community inside our scoop shop,” said general manager Chris Carter. “Making use of our walls to show what local artists are creating complements our social mission — to be actively involved in the places we live and do business. I hope this is the first of many art exhibits on our walls.”
Carter gave all the credit for the exhibit to Ms. Lipe, who teaches kindergarten through 5th-grade students at Vance Elementary. She was named the North Carolina Arts Educators Association “Art Educator of the Year” in 2017-2018.
Ben & Jerry’s is located at 19 Haywood Street. Current hours are Monday-Thursday 12 pm to 10 pm; Friday 12 pm – 11 pm; Saturday 11:30 am – 11 pm; Sunday 11:30 am – 10 pm.
For more information, call Carter at 310-601-6247.

Angular rhythms and vibrant orchestral colors abound in Stravinsky’s entrancing ballet score composed for Diaghilev’s famed Ballets Russes. Young violin virtuoso SooBeen Lee makes her Brevard debut in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor.
PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
Brevard Sinfonia
Ken Lam, conductor
SooBeen Lee, violin
LIADOV From the Apocalypse
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor
STRAVINSKY Song of the Nightingale
STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite
Please note: Auditorium seating is reserved. Lawn seating is general admission.
This program was previously named Sibelius Symphony No. 1. In addition, the PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 has changed to the SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor.
Ticket holders may attend The PreConcert, a free recital in Thomas Hall, which begins one hour before the performance.
Come experience the love of clay with our talented artists at Odyssey ClayWorks! Learn to sculpt, coil, and even get to try your hand at throwing on the potter’s wheel in a fun and upbeat atmosphere. All skill levels welcome.
Momentum Gallery in downtown Asheville hosts new summer exhibitions – Mariella Bisson, Setting Shapes; Oil paintings by two new painters: Samantha Keely Smith and Paul Sattler; and a group invitational called Give Me Wood. These exhibitions continue at 24 N Lexington Avenue through the end of August.
Mariella Bisson deftly delineates the sculptural planes of regional waterfalls and sylvan scenes creating refreshingly contemporary landscape paintings. Her oil-over-collage paintings feature built-up texture, suggesting the complex surface of stone and tree bark, lichen, and moss. Bisson’s paintings demonstrate a strong understanding of formal composition and reflect a sensibility honed from time she’s spent immersed in the outdoors. Of note, Bisson is a two-time recipient of the Pollock-Krasner grant and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in painting.
Samantha Keely Smith creates inspired and stirring abstract paintings in oil. The Brooklyn-based artist sees her paintings “as an expression of our internal turbulence. They reflect the overwhelming reality of being constantly aware of what is happening in the wider world – Change is the only constant.” Smith’s nebulous compositions are evocative of luminous cloudscapes and primordial oceans. Brilliant areas of stained pigment collide with waves of painterly brush strokes ultimately conjuring imagined environments with a timeless quality. “These paintings are about the essence of who we all are, as human beings… We all want love and connection.” Smith’s works give form to fluctuations between turbulence and calm present in everything from our emotions to the temporal world. Overall, Smith’s focus is on the underlying psychological impact of the dawning awareness of our shifting reality.
An accomplished oil painter, Paul Sattler was the recipient of the John R. Solomon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 2004, he was selected to exhibit at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he received the Wallace Truman Prize. Dramatic narratives unfold in his charged and enigmatic oil paintings which reference historic and literary sources. Sattler comments, “A diverse population of animals are enmeshed in my works’ human-inhabited environments, theatrical locales, and domestic dramas.”
Give Me Wood is an imaginative and evocative collection of contemporary painting and wood sculpture. Central to the identity and creation of all the extraordinary two- and three-dimensional works in the exhibition is the common material of wood. The participating artists defy logic, explore space (both real and imagined), carve, bend, turn, and otherwise construct some truly amazing and innovative work! Featuring Michael Alm, Garry Knox Bennett, Gil Bruvel, Christian Burchard, Tom Eckert, David Ellsworth, Ron Layport, Wendy Maruyama, and Sylvie Rosenthal.
There’s more than Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge Chunk in downtown Asheville’s Ben & Jerry’s this summer.
Art created by Vance Elementary School fifth grade students of art educator Robbie Lipe is now on display on the brick walls opposite the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The exhibit depicts the students’ interpretation of the artist Kehinde Wiley and the contemporary portraits he creates inspired by traditional Baroque paintings. It will be featured through the end of the summer.
“Ben & Jerry’s is excited about showcasing art from the community inside our scoop shop,” said general manager Chris Carter. “Making use of our walls to show what local artists are creating complements our social mission — to be actively involved in the places we live and do business. I hope this is the first of many art exhibits on our walls.”
Carter gave all the credit for the exhibit to Ms. Lipe, who teaches kindergarten through 5th-grade students at Vance Elementary. She was named the North Carolina Arts Educators Association “Art Educator of the Year” in 2017-2018.
Ben & Jerry’s is located at 19 Haywood Street. Current hours are Monday-Thursday 12 pm to 10 pm; Friday 12 pm – 11 pm; Saturday 11:30 am – 11 pm; Sunday 11:30 am – 10 pm.
For more information, call Carter at 310-601-6247.


