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.
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Calling all families! If you visit the Museum with children and/or participate in the Museum’s family programs (or might in the future!), we want to hear from you. As we transition family programs to virtual or small-group in-person formats, we need your feedback to create a model that will work for you this fall. We’re giving away a FREE guest pass to one of the first 50 people to fill out the survey.
We invite you to join us for the fourteenth annual Come to Leicester studio tour. We are excited to celebrate this annual event. The Come to Leicester studio tour is held every year on the third weekend in August; for 2019, that is 17-18 August. Our community of artists create in a variety of mediums, including painting, iron work, wood work, textiles, pottery, jewelry, and brooms. They welcome you to their open studios so that you can enjoy their talented work. Come to Leicester to see for yourself!
Due to these extraordinary times, the Tour will look a little different this year. For this Tour,
we have 21 artists exhibiting along 11 stops. Most of them have chosen to participate both days, as usual, but a number of them are only going to be open on Saturday. This *Saturday Only* distinction will be noted on each artist’s info page on our website at www.cometoleicester.org. In our brochures and on our map, this will be denoted by color. Purple for Saturday only, orange for both.
Our artists will be showing outdoors or in areas where they can distance themselves and provide good ventilation. We ask that you please stay home if you feel sick and remember the three “W’s,” as we will all be following the recommended NCDHHS and Buncombe County public health guidelines of “Wear, Wait, and Wash.” Wear a mask, wait six feet apart, and wash your hands. Hand sanitizer will be available at every stop, and we encourage you to bring your own mask. We want this to be the same wonderful experience as always, but we also want it to be a safe event for all our customers and artists.
The thing that hasn’t changed is that visitors will still be able to view unique, hand-crafted
work, see how it’s made first hand, and even purchase a piece that can be taken home and treasured for years to come. Leicester Tour artists are comprised of both local and visiting artists from nearby communities, and make work in a variety of medium including clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, and wood.
Participating artists this year include Wesley Angel, Valerie Berlage, John Cummings, Raquel Egosi, Michael Forehand, Andy Gordon, Barbara Hebert, Cat Jarosz, Beth Hampton Jones, Matt Jones, Sandra Mason, Patrick McDermott, Nirado, Cindy Parks, Janet Renfro, Suzanne Saunders, Anita Walling, Doc Welty, Brad Worden, and Noel Yovovich.
The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.
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Caldwell Arts Council announces its “Western NC Regional Online Poetry Competition,” featuring Final Judge Kari Gunter-Seymour, Poet Laureate of the state of Ohio and $1200 in total cash awards! Click here for a printable pdf of these guidelines.

Eligibility and Guidelines:
- Residents of the following 31 counties in western North Carolina are eligible to enter: Alexander,
Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey. - The deadline for entry is midnight, September 15, 2020.
- Entrants must be at least 18 years of age at time of submission.
- Each entrant may submit up to two original poems.
- Cost to enter is $10 for up to two poems.
- All entries AND entry fees must be submitted electronically. See below for submission and payment details. No U.S.P.S. mailed entries, checks or cash will be accepted.
- Poems must not have been written before January 1, 2019.
- Previously published poems are not eligible for submission.
- Poems can be of any subject matter or style; however the Caldwell Arts Council reserves the right to decline the written or audible posting/performance of any entered poem to its website, or other Arts Council platform due to its unsuitability for wide audiences as determined solely by the Caldwell Arts Council.
- Poems must be submitted electronically as a WORD document using .doc or .docx as your file
extension. - Poems cannot exceed 100 lines.
- All poems must be single spaced, in Times New Roman font, and be 12pt. type.
- Winning entrants must agree to allow their poems to be posted on the Caldwell Arts Council’s website and/or to be used in subsequent marketing/promotional materials by the Caldwell Arts Council.
- Entrants reserve/keep all other publication rights.
- Caldwell Arts Council staff, board members and their immediate family members are ineligible to
enter.

When a friend gave Toland Sand a stained glass studio in 1977, he embarked upon a journey that would lead him to explore the myriad qualities that define glass as a medium. Sand’s 43 years as a sculptor has resulted in works of stained glass, blown glass, and every combination in between. A pioneer in utilizing the unique properties of dichroic glass, Sand begins his current sculpture with optical crystal and dichroic coated glass, hand worked by grinding in ever finer stages until a polish is achieved. Seeking balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent on deconstructed form, his work inhabits the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. Sand is inspired by his peers as well as artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko.
Sand’s work can be found numerous public and private collections including the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, Imagine Museum, Sarasota, FL, and others.
Bender Gallery continues to be open and welcoming visitors into our gallery in limited numbers and with facemasks, of course. We remain dedicated to supporting our artists during these unprecedented times by making ourselves available almost anytime you wish to speak with us to answer questions and sharing their work online and through social media. We and our artists thank you for your support!
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Calling all families! If you visit the Museum with children and/or participate in the Museum’s family programs (or might in the future!), we want to hear from you. As we transition family programs to virtual or small-group in-person formats, we need your feedback to create a model that will work for you this fall. We’re giving away a FREE guest pass to one of the first 50 people to fill out the survey.
As an advocate for the arts in our community, Haywood County Arts Council develops partnerships with schools, other nonprofits, county governments, schools, city revitalization boards, economic development councils, chambers of commerce, and tourism bureaus. These partnerships are often the catalyst for sustainable economic and community development using the arts and can lead to programs that connect diverse parts of the county through shared arts experiences.
With the assistance and support of the North Carolina Arts Council, the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) has an important role in sustaining, growing, and advocating for the arts in Haywood County. The HCAC is a Designated County Partner (DCP) for the North Carolina Arts Council, and administers the Grassroots Arts Program subgrant process as well as the Artist Support Grant for Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania Counties.
The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.
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Now available as Video On Demand!
All tickets are $25.00 plus taxes and fees and benefit ACT.
Asheville Community Theatre’s annual fundraiser Costume Drama: A Fashion Show is a fashion show where designers create garments from unconventional materials. Twelve designers competed in this year’s challenge, four were chosen as category winners – and one was named the Best in Show winner.
As in years past, Best in Show will receive a $500 prize, and the other 3 winners will each receive a $250 prize. Winners are revealed at the end of the broadcast!
Costume Drama: A Fashion Show originally aired on Saturday, August 8, 2020. Video On Demand of this show will be available for purchase until September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm.
Caldwell Arts Council announces its “Western NC Regional Online Poetry Competition,” featuring Final Judge Kari Gunter-Seymour, Poet Laureate of the state of Ohio and $1200 in total cash awards! Click here for a printable pdf of these guidelines.

Eligibility and Guidelines:
- Residents of the following 31 counties in western North Carolina are eligible to enter: Alexander,
Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey. - The deadline for entry is midnight, September 15, 2020.
- Entrants must be at least 18 years of age at time of submission.
- Each entrant may submit up to two original poems.
- Cost to enter is $10 for up to two poems.
- All entries AND entry fees must be submitted electronically. See below for submission and payment details. No U.S.P.S. mailed entries, checks or cash will be accepted.
- Poems must not have been written before January 1, 2019.
- Previously published poems are not eligible for submission.
- Poems can be of any subject matter or style; however the Caldwell Arts Council reserves the right to decline the written or audible posting/performance of any entered poem to its website, or other Arts Council platform due to its unsuitability for wide audiences as determined solely by the Caldwell Arts Council.
- Poems must be submitted electronically as a WORD document using .doc or .docx as your file
extension. - Poems cannot exceed 100 lines.
- All poems must be single spaced, in Times New Roman font, and be 12pt. type.
- Winning entrants must agree to allow their poems to be posted on the Caldwell Arts Council’s website and/or to be used in subsequent marketing/promotional materials by the Caldwell Arts Council.
- Entrants reserve/keep all other publication rights.
- Caldwell Arts Council staff, board members and their immediate family members are ineligible to
enter.

When a friend gave Toland Sand a stained glass studio in 1977, he embarked upon a journey that would lead him to explore the myriad qualities that define glass as a medium. Sand’s 43 years as a sculptor has resulted in works of stained glass, blown glass, and every combination in between. A pioneer in utilizing the unique properties of dichroic glass, Sand begins his current sculpture with optical crystal and dichroic coated glass, hand worked by grinding in ever finer stages until a polish is achieved. Seeking balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent on deconstructed form, his work inhabits the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. Sand is inspired by his peers as well as artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko.
Sand’s work can be found numerous public and private collections including the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, Imagine Museum, Sarasota, FL, and others.
Bender Gallery continues to be open and welcoming visitors into our gallery in limited numbers and with facemasks, of course. We remain dedicated to supporting our artists during these unprecedented times by making ourselves available almost anytime you wish to speak with us to answer questions and sharing their work online and through social media. We and our artists thank you for your support!

Virtually enjoy the process of marbling, the antique process of floating paint on a thickened water surface. Watch as Pam Granger Gale drops paint onto the surface and each drop expands. More and more paint drops push others around without mixing. Then combs and rakes are used to create both historical and freeform patterns. Paper is placed on the surface and captures this monoprint forever.
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Artists Collective | Spartanburg 2020 Juried Exhibition4 state exhibit – SC, NC, TN, GA We have struggled with whether to cancel this exhibit or not. We know that artists need this type of exhibit more than ever so we are continuing as planned. The dates are Sept. 15 – Oct. 17. There will not be an awards reception this year, but we will make the awards announcements online at a given time. The exhibit can be viewed during normal business hours. Last year this was a very successful event and prizes totaled $4500. We plan the same this year. |
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Calling all families! If you visit the Museum with children and/or participate in the Museum’s family programs (or might in the future!), we want to hear from you. As we transition family programs to virtual or small-group in-person formats, we need your feedback to create a model that will work for you this fall. We’re giving away a FREE guest pass to one of the first 50 people to fill out the survey.
We’re excited to now offer curbside pickup on Monday and Saturday afternoons and Thursday mornings for your purchases from the Museum Store! Browse the selection of apparel, books, handcrafted jewelry and art, inspiring toys, and more online. Simply select “pickup” at checkout, and we’ll contact you to find a time that fits your schedule.
The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.
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Now available as Video On Demand!
All tickets are $25.00 plus taxes and fees and benefit ACT.
Asheville Community Theatre’s annual fundraiser Costume Drama: A Fashion Show is a fashion show where designers create garments from unconventional materials. Twelve designers competed in this year’s challenge, four were chosen as category winners – and one was named the Best in Show winner.
As in years past, Best in Show will receive a $500 prize, and the other 3 winners will each receive a $250 prize. Winners are revealed at the end of the broadcast!
Costume Drama: A Fashion Show originally aired on Saturday, August 8, 2020. Video On Demand of this show will be available for purchase until September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

Apply to become a Featured Artist
https://sandhillartists.com/featured-artists/
28806, 28715, 28728, 28716, and 28810 are the eligible zip codes for entry.

| The Omni Grove Park Inn is revolutionizing the National Gingerbread House Competition – the largest in the world! – for the 2020 holiday season to ensure that the competition’s legacy built on design, innovation and tradition continues safely for future generations.
The competition will continue virtually without a public display of Gingerbread Houses at the historic hotel due to social distancing requirements surrounding COVID-19. Considering this, the hotel is generating engaging experiences in place of a physical display, including socially distanced alternatives for hotel guests and fans at-home to view the Gingerbread finalists, to be announced in the coming weeks. Gingerbread lovers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to enter the competition beginning August 26, 2020 and dream up the ultimate confectionary creation for the chance to win cash and prizes. A renowned group of food, arts and media professionals – including Food Network star Carla Hall – will formally judge the Gingerbread designs both virtually and in-person. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person August Gingerbread Workshop, the hotel will release a Digital Gingerbread Tool Kit including tips and tricks on how to digitally showcase their creations as well as the rules for entry in the new competition format. |
| Please visit The Omni Grove Park Inn’s website for competition updates:
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Caldwell Arts Council announces its “Western NC Regional Online Poetry Competition,” featuring Final Judge Kari Gunter-Seymour, Poet Laureate of the state of Ohio and $1200 in total cash awards! Click here for a printable pdf of these guidelines.

Eligibility and Guidelines:
- Residents of the following 31 counties in western North Carolina are eligible to enter: Alexander,
Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey. - The deadline for entry is midnight, September 15, 2020.
- Entrants must be at least 18 years of age at time of submission.
- Each entrant may submit up to two original poems.
- Cost to enter is $10 for up to two poems.
- All entries AND entry fees must be submitted electronically. See below for submission and payment details. No U.S.P.S. mailed entries, checks or cash will be accepted.
- Poems must not have been written before January 1, 2019.
- Previously published poems are not eligible for submission.
- Poems can be of any subject matter or style; however the Caldwell Arts Council reserves the right to decline the written or audible posting/performance of any entered poem to its website, or other Arts Council platform due to its unsuitability for wide audiences as determined solely by the Caldwell Arts Council.
- Poems must be submitted electronically as a WORD document using .doc or .docx as your file
extension. - Poems cannot exceed 100 lines.
- All poems must be single spaced, in Times New Roman font, and be 12pt. type.
- Winning entrants must agree to allow their poems to be posted on the Caldwell Arts Council’s website and/or to be used in subsequent marketing/promotional materials by the Caldwell Arts Council.
- Entrants reserve/keep all other publication rights.
- Caldwell Arts Council staff, board members and their immediate family members are ineligible to
enter.

When a friend gave Toland Sand a stained glass studio in 1977, he embarked upon a journey that would lead him to explore the myriad qualities that define glass as a medium. Sand’s 43 years as a sculptor has resulted in works of stained glass, blown glass, and every combination in between. A pioneer in utilizing the unique properties of dichroic glass, Sand begins his current sculpture with optical crystal and dichroic coated glass, hand worked by grinding in ever finer stages until a polish is achieved. Seeking balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent on deconstructed form, his work inhabits the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. Sand is inspired by his peers as well as artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko.
Sand’s work can be found numerous public and private collections including the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, Imagine Museum, Sarasota, FL, and others.
Bender Gallery continues to be open and welcoming visitors into our gallery in limited numbers and with facemasks, of course. We remain dedicated to supporting our artists during these unprecedented times by making ourselves available almost anytime you wish to speak with us to answer questions and sharing their work online and through social media. We and our artists thank you for your support!
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Mitch Fortune brings you an irreverent and nostalgia filled night of pop culture trivia every Thursday night 7-9 pm at the One Stop in Downtown Asheville. A potpourri of movies, music, TV show trivia just for you!
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Artists Collective | Spartanburg 2020 Juried Exhibition4 state exhibit – SC, NC, TN, GA We have struggled with whether to cancel this exhibit or not. We know that artists need this type of exhibit more than ever so we are continuing as planned. The dates are Sept. 15 – Oct. 17. There will not be an awards reception this year, but we will make the awards announcements online at a given time. The exhibit can be viewed during normal business hours. Last year this was a very successful event and prizes totaled $4500. We plan the same this year. |
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