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.

Sunday, May 18, 2025
Greetings From Asheville
May 18 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
viewshed
May 20 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College

viewshed illuminates the enduring impact of Black Mountain College as a crucible of artistic experimentation and exchange, tracing the transmission of ideas across generations and exploring how BMC’s radical pedagogical approaches continue to shape contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition stages a dynamic dialogue between past and present, featuring contemporary artists Richard Garet, Jennie MaryTai Liu, Deanna Sirlin, and Susie Taylor alongside seminal BMC figures such as Dorothea Rockburne, Sewell (Si) Sillman, and Jacob Lawrence. By engaging with transparency, structure, color, collaboration, and expanded forms, viewshed brings into focus the porous boundaries between disciplines, unfolding as a sensorial and conceptual investigation into the shifting terrain of artistic influence. The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. At its core, viewshed underscores the ways in which BMC’s experimental ethos continues to inspire artists to challenge, reinterpret, and expand the possibilities of creative expression.

Age Well Buncombe
May 20 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
East Asheville Public Library

Join us for Age Well Buncombe and learn how to “age in place” with resources provided by area organizations and a panel discussion. PLUS – FREE Refreshments, FREE Blood Pressure Readings and GIVEAWAYS. The panel features area aging experts and is moderated by Ashley Steward, RN from MAHEC. Panelists include:
-Ann Marr with AdventHealth who will discuss Home Safety Tips
-Maureen Williams with Four Seasons, The Care You Trust who will discuss Advance Care Planning
-Edward Jones with Area Agency on Aging at Land of Sky Regional Council who will discuss Caregiver Support
-Molly Behan, with Four Seasons, The Care You Trust who will discuss the Quality of Life Care

Bring your friends and family and come learn more about ways to make the aging journey a bit easier.

Dark City Poets Society Open Mic Night at Oak & Grist
May 20 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Oak & Grist Distilling Company

Everyone is welcome to share a few poems (3-5 min. each), or just sit back and have a drink for a good cause.

$1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to the Friends of the Black Mountain Library!

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
 Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Age
May 21 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Our latest exhibition, Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Agefocuses on a dynamic era in American history when industrialization and advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Showcasing Collection prints from 1905 to the 1940s, Iron and Ink explores connections between industrial labor, urbanization, and the growing middle class. The exhibition highlights works by Works Progress Administration artists from the 1930s whose powerful images of machinery, skyscrapers, and daily life—both at work and recreation—capture this transformational era in American society.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Robin Klaus, PhD, assistant curator.

Coatlicue & Las Meninas
May 21 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The mirror has been a powerful symbol invoked in the arts across centuries and cultures. Mirrors double reality, question the veracity of your perception, open portals to other dimensions, and act as objects of magic and divination. In the series Black Mirror/Espejo Negro (2007, ongoing), Pedro Lasch employs the mirror as an emblem that interrogates the tension between presence and absence, colonial histories, and the politics of visibility. The selections from the series displayed in this installation conceptually bring together canonical works of art from early modern Europe and prominent pre-Columbian sculptural figures, whose superimposed images emerge specter-like through darkened glass. Each work includes an accompanying text the artist produced for that pairing.

Greetings From Asheville
May 21 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

viewshed
May 21 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College

viewshed illuminates the enduring impact of Black Mountain College as a crucible of artistic experimentation and exchange, tracing the transmission of ideas across generations and exploring how BMC’s radical pedagogical approaches continue to shape contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition stages a dynamic dialogue between past and present, featuring contemporary artists Richard Garet, Jennie MaryTai Liu, Deanna Sirlin, and Susie Taylor alongside seminal BMC figures such as Dorothea Rockburne, Sewell (Si) Sillman, and Jacob Lawrence. By engaging with transparency, structure, color, collaboration, and expanded forms, viewshed brings into focus the porous boundaries between disciplines, unfolding as a sensorial and conceptual investigation into the shifting terrain of artistic influence. The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. At its core, viewshed underscores the ways in which BMC’s experimental ethos continues to inspire artists to challenge, reinterpret, and expand the possibilities of creative expression.

Up In the Air: Monitoring our Mountain Air Quality
May 21 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Join us at the Black Mountain Library where local air quality staff will provide updates on post-Helene conditions, tips for protecting against pollution and wildfire smoke, and information on finding reliable air quality information.

Thursday, May 22, 2025
 Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Age
May 22 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Our latest exhibition, Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Agefocuses on a dynamic era in American history when industrialization and advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Showcasing Collection prints from 1905 to the 1940s, Iron and Ink explores connections between industrial labor, urbanization, and the growing middle class. The exhibition highlights works by Works Progress Administration artists from the 1930s whose powerful images of machinery, skyscrapers, and daily life—both at work and recreation—capture this transformational era in American society.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Robin Klaus, PhD, assistant curator.

Coatlicue & Las Meninas
May 22 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The mirror has been a powerful symbol invoked in the arts across centuries and cultures. Mirrors double reality, question the veracity of your perception, open portals to other dimensions, and act as objects of magic and divination. In the series Black Mirror/Espejo Negro (2007, ongoing), Pedro Lasch employs the mirror as an emblem that interrogates the tension between presence and absence, colonial histories, and the politics of visibility. The selections from the series displayed in this installation conceptually bring together canonical works of art from early modern Europe and prominent pre-Columbian sculptural figures, whose superimposed images emerge specter-like through darkened glass. Each work includes an accompanying text the artist produced for that pairing.

Greetings From Asheville
May 22 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

Native America: In Translation
May 22 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum presents Native America: In Translation, an
exhibition curated by Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star, on view from May 22 through November 3,
2025. Featuring work by seven Indigenous photographers and lens-based artists from across North
America, the exhibition explores urgent questions of identity, heritage, land rights, and the ongoing
impact of colonialism.

Building on Red Star’s role as guest editor of the Fall 2020 issue of Aperture magazine, Native
America: In Translation continues the conversation through personal and often experimental visual
storytelling. Using self-portraits, performance-based imagery, and multimedia assemblages, the
artists offer new perspectives on Native life and representation today.

viewshed
May 22 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College

viewshed illuminates the enduring impact of Black Mountain College as a crucible of artistic experimentation and exchange, tracing the transmission of ideas across generations and exploring how BMC’s radical pedagogical approaches continue to shape contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition stages a dynamic dialogue between past and present, featuring contemporary artists Richard Garet, Jennie MaryTai Liu, Deanna Sirlin, and Susie Taylor alongside seminal BMC figures such as Dorothea Rockburne, Sewell (Si) Sillman, and Jacob Lawrence. By engaging with transparency, structure, color, collaboration, and expanded forms, viewshed brings into focus the porous boundaries between disciplines, unfolding as a sensorial and conceptual investigation into the shifting terrain of artistic influence. The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. At its core, viewshed underscores the ways in which BMC’s experimental ethos continues to inspire artists to challenge, reinterpret, and expand the possibilities of creative expression.

Free Altered Book Workshop for Turning the Page on Helene
May 22 @ 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
East Asheville Library, Meeting Room A

Learn how to make altered books and make a page for one of the volumes of Turning the Page on Helene. All supplies are provided free of charge. No previous art experience is necessary.

Turning the Page on Helene is a community-based art project that is using the transformative power of altered books to tell our communities’ stories of Hurricane Helene through the visual arts. The goal is to create a safe space for community members to share experiences of the hurricane as well as their hopes for rebuilding a better and brighter future.

Friday, May 23, 2025
 Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Age
May 23 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Our latest exhibition, Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Agefocuses on a dynamic era in American history when industrialization and advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Showcasing Collection prints from 1905 to the 1940s, Iron and Ink explores connections between industrial labor, urbanization, and the growing middle class. The exhibition highlights works by Works Progress Administration artists from the 1930s whose powerful images of machinery, skyscrapers, and daily life—both at work and recreation—capture this transformational era in American society.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Robin Klaus, PhD, assistant curator.

Coatlicue & Las Meninas
May 23 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The mirror has been a powerful symbol invoked in the arts across centuries and cultures. Mirrors double reality, question the veracity of your perception, open portals to other dimensions, and act as objects of magic and divination. In the series Black Mirror/Espejo Negro (2007, ongoing), Pedro Lasch employs the mirror as an emblem that interrogates the tension between presence and absence, colonial histories, and the politics of visibility. The selections from the series displayed in this installation conceptually bring together canonical works of art from early modern Europe and prominent pre-Columbian sculptural figures, whose superimposed images emerge specter-like through darkened glass. Each work includes an accompanying text the artist produced for that pairing.

Greetings From Asheville
May 23 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

Native America: In Translation
May 23 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum presents Native America: In Translation, an
exhibition curated by Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star, on view from May 22 through November 3,
2025. Featuring work by seven Indigenous photographers and lens-based artists from across North
America, the exhibition explores urgent questions of identity, heritage, land rights, and the ongoing
impact of colonialism.

Building on Red Star’s role as guest editor of the Fall 2020 issue of Aperture magazine, Native
America: In Translation continues the conversation through personal and often experimental visual
storytelling. Using self-portraits, performance-based imagery, and multimedia assemblages, the
artists offer new perspectives on Native life and representation today.

viewshed
May 23 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College

viewshed illuminates the enduring impact of Black Mountain College as a crucible of artistic experimentation and exchange, tracing the transmission of ideas across generations and exploring how BMC’s radical pedagogical approaches continue to shape contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition stages a dynamic dialogue between past and present, featuring contemporary artists Richard Garet, Jennie MaryTai Liu, Deanna Sirlin, and Susie Taylor alongside seminal BMC figures such as Dorothea Rockburne, Sewell (Si) Sillman, and Jacob Lawrence. By engaging with transparency, structure, color, collaboration, and expanded forms, viewshed brings into focus the porous boundaries between disciplines, unfolding as a sensorial and conceptual investigation into the shifting terrain of artistic influence. The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. At its core, viewshed underscores the ways in which BMC’s experimental ethos continues to inspire artists to challenge, reinterpret, and expand the possibilities of creative expression.

AdventHealth Hosts LEGACY MOTOR CLUB To Help Local Veteran Community
May 23 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Quality Inn

AdventHealth, in collaboration with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY MC), is hosting
an event to support the local veteran community at Asheville-Buncombe Community
Christian Ministry (ABCCM). LEGACY MC Co-Owner Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR Cup
Series driver Erik Jones, and the LEGACY MC pit crew will visit ABCCM in Asheville to
pack backpacks and lunches for Veterans of the Armed Forces who are still being
impacted by Hurricane Helene. AdventHealth is proud to be the host of this effort,
demonstrating its commitment to the well-being of veterans and the local community.
LEGACY MC will also have the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE show car at
the appearance.

 Jimmie Johnson, LEGACY MC Co-Owner & Driver of the No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry
XSE
 Erik Jones, driver of the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE for LEGACY MC

If you are interested in attending and/or participating, contact AdventHealth NC
Communications Director, Victoria Dunkle at [email protected] or 828-209-
8570.

Hammered Wide Band Rings Workshop at Ignite Jewelry Studios
May 23 @ 1:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Ignite Jewelry Studios

Join us in this hands on class where you will make a hammered sterling silver wide band ring. One of Ignite’s talented instructors will take you through the process step by step including soldering, shaping, hammering, and finishing your ring.

These also make great wedding bands!

You’ll leave with a beautiful ring made to size in our downtown Asheville metalsmithing studio.

$120 person *All Materials Included

*Class times and avialbalility are subject to change. SIgn up in advance online to ensure your time and space.

This is a Weekly Recurring Event
Runs from May 23, 2025 to Jun 27, 2025 and happens every:
Fridays: 1:15pm – 3:30pm Timezone: EDT
Saturdays: 1:15pm – 3:30pm Timezone: EDT

Saturday, May 24, 2025
 Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Age
May 24 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Our latest exhibition, Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Agefocuses on a dynamic era in American history when industrialization and advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Showcasing Collection prints from 1905 to the 1940s, Iron and Ink explores connections between industrial labor, urbanization, and the growing middle class. The exhibition highlights works by Works Progress Administration artists from the 1930s whose powerful images of machinery, skyscrapers, and daily life—both at work and recreation—capture this transformational era in American society.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Robin Klaus, PhD, assistant curator.

Coatlicue & Las Meninas
May 24 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The mirror has been a powerful symbol invoked in the arts across centuries and cultures. Mirrors double reality, question the veracity of your perception, open portals to other dimensions, and act as objects of magic and divination. In the series Black Mirror/Espejo Negro (2007, ongoing), Pedro Lasch employs the mirror as an emblem that interrogates the tension between presence and absence, colonial histories, and the politics of visibility. The selections from the series displayed in this installation conceptually bring together canonical works of art from early modern Europe and prominent pre-Columbian sculptural figures, whose superimposed images emerge specter-like through darkened glass. Each work includes an accompanying text the artist produced for that pairing.

Greetings From Asheville
May 24 @ 11:00 am
The Asheville Art Museum

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

Native America: In Translation
May 24 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The Asheville Art Museum presents Native America: In Translation, an
exhibition curated by Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star, on view from May 22 through November 3,
2025. Featuring work by seven Indigenous photographers and lens-based artists from across North
America, the exhibition explores urgent questions of identity, heritage, land rights, and the ongoing
impact of colonialism.

Building on Red Star’s role as guest editor of the Fall 2020 issue of Aperture magazine, Native
America: In Translation continues the conversation through personal and often experimental visual
storytelling. Using self-portraits, performance-based imagery, and multimedia assemblages, the
artists offer new perspectives on Native life and representation today.

viewshed
May 24 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College

viewshed illuminates the enduring impact of Black Mountain College as a crucible of artistic experimentation and exchange, tracing the transmission of ideas across generations and exploring how BMC’s radical pedagogical approaches continue to shape contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition stages a dynamic dialogue between past and present, featuring contemporary artists Richard Garet, Jennie MaryTai Liu, Deanna Sirlin, and Susie Taylor alongside seminal BMC figures such as Dorothea Rockburne, Sewell (Si) Sillman, and Jacob Lawrence. By engaging with transparency, structure, color, collaboration, and expanded forms, viewshed brings into focus the porous boundaries between disciplines, unfolding as a sensorial and conceptual investigation into the shifting terrain of artistic influence. The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. At its core, viewshed underscores the ways in which BMC’s experimental ethos continues to inspire artists to challenge, reinterpret, and expand the possibilities of creative expression.

Hammered Wide Band Rings Workshop at Ignite Jewelry Studios
May 24 @ 1:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Ignite Jewelry Studios

Join us in this hands on class where you will make a hammered sterling silver wide band ring. One of Ignite’s talented instructors will take you through the process step by step including soldering, shaping, hammering, and finishing your ring.

These also make great wedding bands!

You’ll leave with a beautiful ring made to size in our downtown Asheville metalsmithing studio.

$120 person *All Materials Included

*Class times and avialbalility are subject to change. SIgn up in advance online to ensure your time and space.

This is a Weekly Recurring Event
Runs from May 23, 2025 to Jun 27, 2025 and happens every:
Fridays: 1:15pm – 3:30pm Timezone: EDT
Saturdays: 1:15pm – 3:30pm Timezone: EDT

Blue Ridge Roller Derby Doubleheader
May 24 @ 3:00 pm
Smoky Mountain Event Center

Catch an afternoon FULL of high-level ROLLER DERBY!

This family-friendly derby-filled afternoon will include TWO Travel Season bouts. First, the Y’All Stars will face River City Riot from Richmond, Virginia in an A-level sanctioned game. Then, the Retrogrades will take on the River City River Rats in a B-level sanctioned game. Both games’ final scores will impact BRRD and River City’s INTERNATIONAL WFTDA rankings.
Tickets available online or at the door.

2:00 Doors Open
3:00 BRRD Y’AllStars vs. River City Riot
5:00 BRRD Retrogrades vs. River City River Rats

Tickets are $10 for ages 12 and up. Kids 11 and under are FREE. All ages are welcome.

Delish Food Truck and Budgies Bake Shop will provide a great menu of refreshments and snacks, including plant-based options.

BRRD is a non-profit organization that relies on the support of our community to provide action-packed, family-friendly fun on four wheels.

Sunday, May 25, 2025
4th Annual Downtown Asheville Memorial Day Weekend Festival of the Arts
May 25 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Downtown Asheville

Known for its unified support of visual arts, Asheville is once again welcoming back the Downtown Asheville Festival of the Arts this Memorial Day Weekend. Residents and visitors will see some of the finest locally made art alongside national artists’ works during this free, outdoor event. A scenic stroll amongst sparkling jewels, one of a kind paintings, exquisitely crafted glasswork, stunning sculpture and every medium of hand-made art, all in the artist’s mecca that is downtown Asheville, rounds out the perfect Memorial Day Weekend for art appreciators around the county. The show is set up on the streets of North Pack Square and South Pack Square around the Vance Memorial as well as Reuter Terrace.