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.

Friday, May 5, 2023
Minority-Owned Businesses, Nonprofit Organizations: Kudzu’s $10K Brand Giveaway
May 5 all-day
online

Minority-Owned Businesses, Nonprofit Organizations Encouraged to Apply for Kudzu’s $10K Brand Giveaway

The winner will be chosen through public voting on social media.

 

 

Kudzu Brands’ $10K donation includes brand story development, logo creation, and marketing collateral development. Past winners include Literacy Together and More To Love Consignment.

 

The contest timeline, rules, details, and updates are on Kudzu’s website, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The application, rules, and complete list of WNC counties permitted for entry are published on the agency’s website, too.

 

Kudzu’s $10K Brand Giveaway relies on the influence of social media to determine the winner. Once finalists are announced on June 7, they will need to use their social platforms to engage followers to vote them into the winner’s circle.

Kudzu Brands has extensive experience helping businesses and nonprofit organizations grow into memorable, profitable, and sustainable brands. Our full suite of brand and marketing services uses a proven and effective process that makes supporting you easy and effective.

Need Help With Water Bills? New Water Assistance Program Could Offer Help.
May 5 all-day
online

If you’re behind on your water bill or afraid your water might get cut off, a new resource might be able to help you. On Jan. 4, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved more than $450,000 in federal funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The initiative is aimed at preventing water disconnections and helping reconnect drinking and wastewater services.

The LIHWAP will be administered by Buncombe County-based Eblen Charities. The nonprofit will make payments directly to utilities on behalf of qualifying households. The program is slated to run through Sept. 30, 2023 or until funds are exhausted.

Eligibility requirements

Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services from Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit if their water services have been cut off or are in danger of being cut off.

For additional eligibility information or to apply, please contact Eblen Charities at (828) 255-3066.

Neighborhood Matching Grants
May 5 all-day
online
  • What are Neighborhood Matching Grants?

    The Neighborhood Matching Grants Program (NMG) helps Asheville’s neighborhood-based organizations fund various improvement projects by providing a dollar-for-dollar matching grant of up to $5,000. The program is designed  to strengthen relationships between neighbors, cultivate the spirit of volunteerism, and create projects for the benefit of their communities.

    The City of Asheville’s goal is to:

    • Build neighborhood capacity and increase civic participation
    • Empower neighborhoods to self-determine improvement projects
    • Create and strengthen partnerships between the City and community groups

     

     

    Who can apply?

    Eligible recipients of NMG funds must meet the following requirements:

    • Must represent a specific geographic location within Asheville city limits
    • Completed or in the process of completing their “Neighborhood Registration Form”
    • Are a neighborhood-based organization (Neighborhood Associations, Homeowners Associations, Neighborhood Coalition, and Resident Organizations in Tax Credit Funded Communities)

     

    What types of projects can be funded?

    Asheville’s Neighborhood Matching Grants program aims to fund projects or programs that produce shared benefits with the goal of improving the neighborhood’s quality of life. Any project that is submitted must meet the following criteria:

    • Be achievable within 12 months on contract execution
    • Occur within Asheville’s city limits
    • Provide a public benefit and be accessible to all members of the community
    • Be planned, organized and implemented by community members
    • Must provide a dollar-for-dollar match
      • At least 50% of the match must be matched in volunteer hours
      • Cash, in-kind donation of goods or services can be used to make up the other 50% match

    Neighborhoods are encouraged to submit creative project ideas. There are a variety of projects that can be supported with NMG including: landscaping, murals. community art, cultural festivals, traffic calming, public safety, marketing and branding, organizational development and more.

     

    How can your neighborhood apply?

    Applications will be open for submission March 27 – May 27, 2023.

    You can apply for a Neighborhood Matching Grant by following these steps:

    1. Confirm your neighborhood’s eligibility.
    2. Review the NMG Program Policies.
    3. Select your neighborhood’s project.
    4. Submit a completed application.
    5. Register as a Vendor with the City of Asheville.

     


    Have questions?

    Check out this FAQ Document.

    eer hours, in-kind donation of goods or services)\

NOC Paddling School
May 5 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Voted “Best Place to Learn” by Outside, NOC Paddling School has taught more paddlers than anyone else, with 50 years of experience going into every class. Our commitment to the sport and to providing the best possible instruction has not waivered. So come and let us be your respected and experienced instructor.

Nonstop flights to Phoenix on Allegiant start in May
May 5 all-day
Asheville Regional Airport
Starting May 26, Allegiant will take off for Phoenix twice weekly! This new nonstop is Allegiant’s eighteenth in Asheville, and another sunny and exciting vacation destination easily accessible from AVL.

The flight is scheduled on Mondays and Fridays, giving travelers great weekend or week(s)-long itinerary options.

Playhouse Jr. Summer Camps
May 5 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

The Education program at Flat Rock Playhouse is undergoing a name change! We are excited to streamline our program and we can’t wait to share the news with you!

Our new name will be Playhouse Jr.!

 

This new name will encompass many things. You might ask….what is Playhouse Jr.?

• Playhouse Jr. is classes and camps for K-12th Graders and Adults.
• Playhouse Jr. is mainstage shows performed by our Playhouse Jr. students and families.
• Playhouse Jr. is our touring company that visits our local schools and is performed by our fall apprentices.
• Playhouse Jr. is a licensing program for our new and exciting Playhouse Jr. touring shows!

Playhouse Jr. means many things and we are excited to share this news with our community!

We are introducing a new software system for our Playhouse Jr. families! This new system will make your life easier! Once you have registered you are in our system for good. That means that once you register all you have to do is access your account to purchase any classes and camps moving forward. No need to register every time!

To register for our new system and to enroll in classes please visit this link: https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/regv2.asp?id=548849

Questions? Please email [email protected]!

Want to register over the phone? No problem! You can call our Education Director, Lauren Hopkins at (828)693-0403 ext. 246 starting Monday March 6!

Spring Photo Contest: “Spring Trails”
May 5 all-day
Chimney Rock State Park

NC State Parks’ Year of the Trail continues with a celebration of how our trails transform each spring. Bring your camera on your next excursion in the park and capture budding wildflowers, spring hikers, or whatever you encounter along the way. You may even win a prize for your efforts!

GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES

1st Prize: The winning photo will be our Facebook cover photo for two weeks, and the photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park and lunch for four at the Old Rock Café.

2nd Prize: After the first place photo, the second place photo will be our Facebook cover photo for one week. The photographer will receive one annual pass to Chimney Rock State Park and lunch for two at the Old Rock Café.

3rd Prize: The third place photographer will receive two adult day passes (or one family pack of day passes) to Chimney Rock State Park and lunch for two at the Old Rock Café.

Summer Camps at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute-PARI
May 5 all-day
PARI

Camps for all passions and interests

Summer STEM & Astronomy, and Space Exploration Camps

Residential summer camps for kids in grades 6th-12th on topics like astronomy, robotics, cryptography, and 3D modeling and printing, and more. Including our premiere camp experience, Above and Beyond.

25" Optical telescope observing at night

Weekend STEM & Astronomy, and Space Exploration Camps

Curriculum or astronomical event based camps for educators and scout leaders.

Don Cline making presentation

Tailored Camps

Build your own camping experience according to your interest.

Summer Counselor Application
6/1 – 7/31
Ages 17 years 6 months – 99
$0.00
REGISTER
Counselor in Training Application – Full Summer Session
6/11 2 PM – 7/27 10 AM
Ages 16 years 6 months – 18 years 6 mont
$0.00
REGISTER
Counselor in Training Application – Mini Session 1
6/11 2 PM – 6/30 10 AM
Ages 16 years 6 months – 18 years 6 mont
$0.00
REGISTER
Exoplanet Exploration
6/11 4 PM – 6/22 10 AM
Grades 8th – 12th
$3,960.00
REGISTER
Secrets of a Spy Station
6/25 4 PM – 6/30 10 AM
Grades 6th – 8th
$1,700.00
REGISTER
Counselor in Training Application – Mini Session 2
7/2 2 PM – 7/27 10 AM
Ages 16 years 6 months – 18 years 6 mont
$0.00
REGISTER
Above & Beyond
7/2 4 PM – 7/13 10 AM
Grades 9th – 12th
$3,960.00
REGISTER
Milky Way Trailblazers
7/16 4 PM – 7/27 10 AM
Grades 9th – 12th
$3,960.00
REGISTER
The Curator’s Journal: A Year-long Insider’s View of American Bonsai at The North Carolina Arboretum
May 5 all-day
online w/ The North Carolina Arboretum

Registration is ongoing through the year. Get new updates and access all previous entries in a convenient online library.

The Curator’s Journal by Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura is a year-long course offering the ultimate insider’s view of bonsai at The North Carolina Arboretum. Regular entries chronicle growing an art and growing an enterprise. Some journal entries will be long and others more brief; some will be mostly words and others mostly pictures; some will be close-up studies of detail and others will step back to take in the wider scene. The path will not be linear, but all the entries will be steps along a journey.

You’re invited to come along.

The PACT Act and Veterans Benefits
May 5 all-day
online

In August of 2022 the President of the United States signed into law the PACT Act, the most sweeping legislation in regards to Veteran benefits in three plus decades. This legislation will provide healthcare and disability benefits to hundreds of thousands of Veterans who served in hostile locations across the globe. It is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances and adds to the list of health conditions that are presumed to be caused by exposure to these substances.

On April 1, 2023, multiple veterans affairs groups organized a town hall at the A-B Tech Conference Center to help veterans in WNC. Charles George VA partnered with Vietnam Veterans of America and the North Carolina State Council to host a Toxic Exposure/PACT Act Veterans Town Hall. At the event, veterans received assistance with signing up for healthcare benefits, filing disability claims, and completing toxic exposure screenings.

According to the VA website, the PACT Act will bring these changes:

  • Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras
  • Adds 20+ more presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic exposures
  • Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
  • Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care

The PACT Act also includes benefits for surviving family members of a Veteran including a monthly VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC) payment, a one-time accrued benefits payment, or a survivors pension. More information on the PACT Act can be found here.

Buncombe County residents who think that they could be eligible for the PACT Act should contact the Buncombe County Veterans Service Office (VSO). Buncombe County Veterans Services Supervisor, Heath Smith, gave a presentation about the PACT Act at the town hall event. Navigating benefits eligibility can be a challenge which is why Smith encourages people to contact their local VSO. Smith says, “If you think that a health condition is due to your time in service, get in touch with your local Veterans Service Office and they will guide you through the benefits that you might be entitled to. We encourage people to contact a Veterans Service Officer to learn more about this new legislation.”

In Buncombe County, Veterans Service Officers can be reached by calling (828) 250-5726. Our Veterans Services team will be happy to assist you with questions you might have about the PACT Act and other benefits that you and your relatives could qualify for.

Click here to watch the video of Heath Smith’s presentation at the Town Hall.

Click here for WLOS coverage of the event.

Wild West Adventure Trips w/ Nantahala Outdoor Center
May 5 all-day
various locations
Work out for free at Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
May 5 all-day
Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center

Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) recently renovated fitness centers at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers – and community members can enjoy use of cardio equipment, exercise machines, free weights, open gym time, and more through June 30, 2023. During this time, APR will waive membership and daily pass fees so more people can access the necessities for a regular fitness routine. Locals can sign up online or at either community center to receive a fitness center key fob that can be scanned at either location.

 

“Our team is committed to creating spaces in which everyone feels welcome,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “We are in the community building business. The gyms and fitness rooms at these two locations are filled with everything you’d expect from other top-notch fitness facilities and dedicated to body positivity and accessible wellness. By waiving the cost to use them for the first six months of the year, we hope more friends and neighbors will be able to connect with each other and maintain healthy lifestyles.”

Work out for free at Stephens-Lee Community Center
May 5 all-day
Stephens-Lee Community Center

Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) recently renovated fitness centers at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers – and community members can enjoy use of cardio equipment, exercise machines, free weights, open gym time, and more through June 30, 2023. During this time, APR will waive membership and daily pass fees so more people can access the necessities for a regular fitness routine. Locals can sign up online or at either community center to receive a fitness center key fob that can be scanned at either location.

 

“Our team is committed to creating spaces in which everyone feels welcome,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “We are in the community building business. The gyms and fitness rooms at these two locations are filled with everything you’d expect from other top-notch fitness facilities and dedicated to body positivity and accessible wellness. By waiving the cost to use them for the first six months of the year, we hope more friends and neighbors will be able to connect with each other and maintain healthy lifestyles.”

Bloom with a View
May 5 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
NC Arboretum
Coming this spring! “Bloom with a View,” is an immersive floral installation on the grounds of The North Carolina Arboretum. Throughout the gardens, colorful and festive planters will elevate thousands of blooms to eye-level. Wander, explore and even lose yourself among the flowers!
For its introductory year, “Bloom with a View” will place vibrant bursts of colorful hydrangeas prominently, with appearances by elegant calla lilies, with oriental and Asiatic lilies forecasted! The ocean of color will provide an excellent avenue to wander meditatively, frolic among the flowers or take that uniquely perfect image or video. Be sure to tag your photos with #NCBloomWithAView and share the experience!
Special Event Daily Parking Fees apply to all vehicles entering the property May 1-14. Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enjoy Bloom with a View.
Includes all-day access to gardens, trails and indoor exhibits
Members: FREE
Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $30
Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $75
Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $150
Members of The North Carolina Arboretum Society will have free access!
Exhibition on Display: Attributes
May 5 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

 

Michelle Tway – fiber
Timothy Bridges – fiber
Martine House – mixed media
Noel Yovovich – metal
Deb Herman – fiber

The Focus Gallery is located on the second level of the Folk Art Center. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just north of the Highway 70 entrance in east Asheville, NC. 

This exhibition is hosted by the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Guild is a non-profit, educational organization established in 1930 to cultivate the crafts and makers of the Southern Highlands for the purpose of shared resources, education, marketing, and conservation. The Southern Highland Craft Guild is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. 

Food Scraps Drop Off: Buncombe County Landfill
May 5 @ 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center

Food Scraps Drop Off

The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in two locations for all Buncombe County residents.  This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Register for Food Scraps Drop Off

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin?  Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.

 

Locations Holidays call for hours

Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center

85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander

    • Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
    • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm

Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot

749 Fairview Road, Asheville

    • Dawn – Dusk

Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot

30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville

    • Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
    • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
    • Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.

West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building

942 Haywood Road, Asheville

    • Library open hours
Raleigh Legislative Visit
May 5 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Raleigh

Join us in presenting a comprehensive voice of WNC business during our Raleigh Legislative Visit from Tuesday, June 6 to Wednesday, June 7!Registration for this event and the room block closes May 7, 2023.As a delegate on the trip, connect with business leaders from across our region and reinforce WNC business priorities to the North Carolina General Assembly. Together, we can have more impact on our region’s priorities.

Raleigh

About 50 representatives from eight regional chambers will participate in the two-day trip to discuss issues with legislators and state agencies vital to our regional business environment.
Events will include an evening reception at Whiskey Kitchen, presentations on important policy issues, and visits with members of the North Carolina General Assembly. Visits will be focused on local priorities, economic development funding for WNC and key workforce issues including childcare and medicaid expansion. Participants must make their own hotel reservations, with a discounted rate available at The Sheraton. Registration for this event and the room block closes May 7, 2023.

WNC Farmers Market
May 5 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
WNC Farmers Market

NCDA&CS - Marketing Division - Western North Carolina Farmers Market

The WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers & food producers to household & wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food & heritage.

House of Operation:

WNC Farmers Market: 24/7, 361 days a year market access for farmers
Office: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm
Market Shops: 7 days a week, 8 am-5 pm
Wholesale and Truck Sheds: 7 days a week

Asheville Herb Festival
May 5 @ 8:30 am
WNC Agricultural Center

The Annual Spring Herb Festival at the WNC Ag Center offers herbs and heirloom vegetables as well as products and soil additives and organic expertise.

Great regional herb growers, herbal product manufacturers, herbalists, and specialists in herbiculture, including growing herbs for culinary and medicinal uses join for two days of herb celebration.

Get ready to make that herb garden shine! Fruit trees, permaculture and everything herbal. Come later in the afternoon if you want to avoid crowds! Free workshops again in 2023. Food trucks! Handmade herbal products, garden ornaments and soil amendments too!

The largest herb festival in the United States and Canada — promoting WNC herbs and herbal products since 1990!

May 5th,  FRIDAY 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

May 6th, SATURDAY 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

May 7th, SUNDAY 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Biltmore Estate: Ciao! From Italy Sculptural Postcard Display
May 5 @ 8:30 am
Biltmore Estate

Included with admission

Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.

Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.

Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!

Spring Herb Festival
May 5 @ 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
WNC Ag Center

The largest herb festival in the United States and Canada — promoting WNC herbs and herbal products since 1990!

An Abundance of Riches
May 5 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Andrea Rich’s intricately designed, carved, and printed woodcuts draw viewers in for an up-close look.

Some of the artist’s earliest memories are of drawing animals. Childhood encounters with pets, livestock, and wildlife, including birds, deer, and toads, created a lasting connection to the natural world. Through encounters with creatures both tame and wild, Rich developed a fascination and a compassion for animals integral to her art.

“My prints are a visual record of the intriguing creatures that have enriched my life. The woodcut process challenges me to focus on the essence of my subjects. At the same time, I am drawn to the smell of the wood, its texture and grain, and the pleasure I experience while carving. I begin working on a block of wood and realize later that hours have passed without notice.”

Rich uses a centuries-old medium that requires one carved wood panel for each color – varying from one to sixteen – necessary to develop the composition. These panels are painstakingly aligned one atop another sequentially and pulled through a printing press to create the final woodcut.

The subjects of Rich’s woodcuts range from the wilderness of the Australian outback and the lush tropical Amazon forests to the roaring rivers of Yellowstone Park. Rich has traveled worldwide to study wildlife habitats and these varied firsthand experiences are reflected in her work.

Among Rich’s many achievements are international recognition for her woodcut prints, including a 2009 Award of Excellence from the Society of Animal Artists and a 2009 Medal of Excellence from the Artists for Conservation Foundation. She was named Master Artist by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in 2006. In 2010 her work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center, Canton, Massachusetts. Rich is a member of the California Society of Printmakers, Artists for Nature Foundation, the Society of Animal Artists, and Society of Wildlife Artists.

In 2000 Rich designated the Woodson Art Museum as the repository for her artistic oeuvre. An Abundance of Riches is drawn from these holdings, which include an example of each of her woodcuts created since the mid-1980s.

Exhibition: NEO MINERALIA
May 5 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft

Photo credit:

Sae Honda. Courtesy of the Artist.

NEO MINERALIA suggests that recent rock formations no longer fit within the traditional groups: Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary. Instead, the Anthropocene, the era of human influence on the climate and environment, has introduced two post-natural rocks: Synthetic and Digital.

NEO MINERALIA presents a selection of new geological specimens crafted by ten international artists exploring rocks as reflections of our effects on human and nonhuman ecologies. By embedding synthetic materials (plastics, e-waste) and layers of data points (critical, financial, social) into the craftsmanship of these artifacts, the artists transgress the definition of rocks, turning them from passive aggregates of minerals into metaphorical aggregates of data. Within their apparent “rockness” we can decode hopes, warnings, and speculative future scenarios.

The featured works stemming from places as varied as Mexico, Japan, Poland, and Australia (including a curated artists’ books library), collectively signal a new era of planetary and geological consciousness where we are asked to read, feel, and listen to rocks in new ways.

Exhibition: Something earned, Something left behind
May 5 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft

Photo credit:

J Diamond, “Pony II,” 2022. Courtesy of the Artist

Something earned, Something left behind is an exhibition of objecthood; a critical analysis of the transactional and political languages of everyday and culturally significant objects. This exhibition challenges a history of exclusion and inclusion of People of Color (POC) and their narratives from the canon of craft based on subject matter. It dissects this history’s origins and precedent as an economic transaction to gain access to white spaces.

Racial and ethnic identity influences the way individuals perceive themselves, the way others perceive them, and the way they choose to behave. For this reason, People of Color are expected to perform certain roles in order to fit into hegemonic institutions. These roles can be an active shrinking of themselves and the racialized part of them, or a personal exploitation of their racialized selves. This exhibition addresses and redresses the ways narrowed populations have been included, and the ways in which they have been asked to participate.

Together, this work creates space for and legitimizes POC narratives with depth and care. The exhibiting artists’ practices work against institutionalized expectations of POC work, expanding discourse and inserting new subjectivity into the canon of craft art. It engages with a community hungry for the revitalization and resuscitation of non-Western voices within art spaces. This exhibition challenges the expectations of art from artists of marginalized backgrounds and embraces a new subjectivity of interrogating one’s inherited experiences.

Exhibition: Crafting Denim
May 5 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft

Photo credit:

Photograph by Bowery Blue Makers

Jeans – with their standardized pockets, rivets, and denim – are so much a part of everyday wardrobes that they are easy to overlook. Yet, in workshops across the nation, independent makers are reevaluating the garment and creating jeans by hand, using antiquated equipment and denim woven on midcentury looms. Crafting Denim explores how and why jeans have come to exist at the intersections of industry and craft, modernity, and tradition.

A product of industrial factory production for over a century, jeans are being recast by a new cohort of small-scale makers including craftspeople like Ryan Martin of W.H. Ranch Dungarees, Takayuki Echigoya of Bowery Blue Makers, and Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko of Raleigh Denim, who favor choice materials and small-batch fabrication. The jeans they make merge craft traditions with industry and extend the conversation between hand and machine.

Each maker creates a distinctive product but shares a deep appreciation for materials, tools, history, and denim. These jeans are in dialogue with the past and in line with contemporary interests in sustainability. The small workshops featured here are sites of innovation and preservation, and visitors are invited to take a close look at an everyday item and imagine alternative contexts for making and living in our own clothes.

Food Scraps Drop Off: West Asheville Library
May 5 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
West Asheville Library

Food Scraps Drop Off

The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in

two locations for all Buncombe County residents.  This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Register for Food Scraps Drop Off

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin?  Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.

 

Locations

West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building

942 Haywood Road, Asheville

Library open hours

Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot

30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville

    • Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
    • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
    • Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.

Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot

749 Fairview Road, Asheville

    • Dawn – Dusk

 

Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander

        • Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
        • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm
Italian Renaissance Alive
May 5 @ 10:00 am
Biltmore Estate

Explore Biltmore House with an Audio Guide that introduces you to the Vanderbilt family and their magnificent home’s history, architecture, and collections of fine art and furnishings.

PLUS: Immersive, multi-sensory Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition created by Grande Experiences

PLUS: FREE next-day access to Biltmore’s Gardens and Grounds

This visit includes access to:

  • Italian Renaissance Alive at Amherst at Deerpark®
  • 8,000 Acres of Gardens and Grounds for two consecutive days
  • Antler Hill Village & Winery
  • Complimentary Wine Tastings at the Winery
  • Tastings require a Day-of-Visit Reservation, which can be made by:
    • Scanning the QR Code found in your Estate Guide
    • Visiting any Guest Services location
  • Complimentary parking

Art Exhibition: Italian Renaissance Alive

This fascinating experience takes you on a spellbinding tour of Italy, fully immersing you in the beauty and brilliance of iconic masterworks from the greatest artistic period in history

LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
May 5 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

  • Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
  • 90-Minutes – tours run daily
  • 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
  • $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Art Exhibit: RAUSCHENBERG: A Gift in Your Pocket
May 5 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
RAUSCHENBERG: A Gift in Your Pocket From the Collections of Friends in Honor of Bradley Jeffries

Robert Rauschenberg, Autobiography, 1968

In the late 70s, Bradley Jeffries had a chance meeting with Robert Rauschenberg outside his home on Captiva Island, and they bonded immediately. Bradley was hired to be the artist’s business and life manager. Her employment with him for over 30 years, until his death in 2008, involved many roles on the Board of Directors of Change, Inc and The Rauschenberg Foundation. Bradley’s travels with Rauschenberg took her on incredible adventures all over the world and exposed her to extraordinary opportunities. Throughout their friendship and work together, Rauschenberg gifted Bradley with many of his original artworks.

The family and friends of Bradley Jeffries will use her expansive and never previously exhibited Rauschenberg collection as a means of memorializing Bradley through this traveling exhibition. “Rauschenberg: A Gift in Your Pocket” opens on April 25, 2022 at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Florida Southwestern State College in Ft. Myers for display throughout the summer. After which her collection will travel to The University of Kentucky Art Museum followed by its culminating exhibition at BMCM+AC.

Once her collection of Rauschenberg’s artwork completes its planned memorial exhibitions, pieces will be donated to each of the involved institutions in an ongoing memorial to Bradley and her legacy of promoting the arts and artists.

Curated by Jade Dellinger, Director of the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Florida Southwestern State College.

Flower Power – Asheville Gallery of Art
May 5 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Gallery Of Art

Asheville Gallery of Art’s May show, “Flower Power,” introduces three new Gallery members: Nick Colquitt, Jean-Pierre Dubreuil, and Yvonne McCabe. This delightful exhibition takes its audience on a journey through the mountains of North Carolina, showcasing the mysterious beauty they display within their natural terrain. The show runs May 1-31 during Gallery hours, 11am-6pm daily.