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, December 31, 2021
History @ Home – Visit Virtually Western North Carolina Historical Association
Dec 31 all-day
online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association
Deep Dive into Archives is a living exhibit shining a light on the individuals who were once enslaved at the Smith-McDowell House through primary documentation.

 

 

 

Douglas Ellington: Asheville’s Boomtown Architect presents a look at Ellington’s iconic Asheville creations along with other buildings he completed throughout his career in other cities.
HillBilly Land explores the power, prevalence, and persistence of the hillbilly stereotype from the days of its beginnings in the late 19th century to the present day.
In 1918 vs 2020, we take an in-depth look at the 1918 influenza epidemic in Western North Carolina through newspaper clippings, advertisements, ephemera, photographs, and oral history and place the events of 1918 into context with our present-day response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Reconnecting with the Magic of Live Theatre
Dec 31 all-day
online with Asheville Community Theatre
“I was very fortunate to see Clue on opening night. It was the first show since the pandemic. I think a lot of people in the audience cried when she announced that. I know we did! So glad to heave theater back. So glad to have Asheville Community Theatre back!!!” – C. Somervill, review on Google

On October 15th, 2021, something magical happened at 35 East Walnut Street. For the first time since March 2020, the magic of live theatre returned to ACT, as once again audience members, technicians, and performers raised the curtain on a nearly sold-out show. Laughter and applause filled our theatre again, and we all feel brighter for it.

How was this possible? YOU! Your support of theatre for and by the community is what makes the arts come alive at ACT. 

How can you help keep the magic alive in 2022? You can make a gift to support the education programs that will welcome thousands of students next year! You can make a gift to support the development of new plays by local playwrights! You can make a gift to support community members expressing their creativity and creating live works of art that explore different world views!

All this with one gift! Thank you for keeping theatre alive in Asheville for the past year. If you can, please consider supporting YOUR community theatre this year.

Regional Resources: Historical Research
Dec 31 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA)

Western North Carolina has a rich assortment of county historical societies, archives, and museums. The Western North Carolina Historical Association seeks to help researchers, historians, genealogists, and the general public take full advantage of these resources.

 

Season Pass for 2022 Magnetic Theatre
Dec 31 all-day
online

Each year, our Mainstage Season offers audiences the opportunity to experience new work by writers whose stories could only be told onstage. These productions are thoughtful, relevant, unfiltered, and boundary-pushing excursions that reflect world we live in and help us see it in new, surprising ways. Since our establishment in 2009, we have produced a wide variety of styles and genres.

Click here to buy a 2022 season pass.
Note: Single tickets go on sale 1/1/2022.

It's the Most _____ Time of the Year

IT’S THE MOST _____ TIME OF THE YEAR: Oil on Canvas
It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and Jean and Doug couldn’t be more excited about the holiday season. The halls are decked, the trees are up, and the kids, Rosemary and Bing, will be arriving any minute. Son-in-law Mike and new grandbaby Suzie round out the family gathering, and loving tolerance and charity abounds. But Jean has arranged a surprise for them all that makes them question her sanity, and as Thanksgiving Day dawns, the family must decide: How far will they go to make Jean’s ultimate Christmas wish come true?

December 3 – 18, 2021
Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm


2022 MAINSTAGE SEASON

Court of the Grandchildren

COURT OF THE GRANDCHILDREN
By Michael Muntisov
Directed by Jason Williams

The year is 2051. Artificial Intelligence has become so ubiquitous that the young people are starting to rebel. The older generation that accelerated climate change is being brought to trial. And climate activist Lily thinks she has it all figured out. Until she meets her great uncle, David, who changes her perspective completely. He’s a man from today. She’s a woman from tomorrow. How will she judge him?”

April 8 – 23, 2022
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm


STARBRIGHT
By Sean David Robinson
Directed by Ashleigh Millett-Goff

Grace, an astronomer with a Ph.D. in astrophysics, is reeling from the death of her daughter, Abigail. When Abigail appears to Grace and begins to make predictions about events in the cosmos, Grace must choose between her memories and her sanity.

May 6 – 21, 2022
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm


RECYCLED NUTS
By Travis Lowe
Directed by Tippin

Almond farmer Jerry wants to change the negative public perception of his nuts. Alma and Felix are there to report on it. Tressa and Effie want to claim the ranch for themselves, since farm wife Adelaide defaulted on the mortgage. Officers Kemp and Ren are there just to keep the peace. When Alma dies of a nut allergy and returns as a ghost, it sets off a series of comically fatal accidents. As each character expires and the farmhouse slowly fills with spirits, cameraman and reluctant medium Felix must manage the living and the dead, while maintaining both his life and sanity.

July 8 – 23, 2022
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm


BEAUTIFUL CAGES
By Jamie Knox
Directed by Katie Jones

Patricia, a mother who has always kept a safe emotional distance from her daughter, Amanda, is suddenly compelled to tell the truth about her past, and the secret she’s been hiding for decades. Set simultaneously in the 1960s and today, this is a story about love, paying debts and what it means to set yourself free.

September 9 – 24, 2022
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm


THE FRANKENSTEIN RUBRICS
By David Hopes
Directed by Doug Savitt

The scientist. The monster. The tale of a creation suffering at the hands of his maker. It’s a story we all know – but what if the creation takes on a life of its own? What if the relationship between them was more complicated than we ever realized, and what if, by the act of making the monster, the scientist was changed as well?

October 7 – 22, 2022
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm


SHIMMERA AND THE THREE MAGI
A Collaboration with Pagans & Androids

Shimmera and the Three Magi is a rock opera dreamed up by local performance group Pagans & Androids, and will feature a fascinating juxtaposition of woodsy whimsy and the magic of digitization. Based on the myth of the three magi, Shimmera is a birthing of three different, seemingly oppositional states, asking us whether we can live as three creatures simultaneously.

December 2 – 17, 2022
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm

Southern Appalachian Growers Alliance (SAGA) Memberships
Dec 31 all-day
Organic Growers School

We’re GAGA for SAGA!

Southern Appalachian Growers Alliance (SAGA) is a network for home & community growers at all scales and levels to connect and learn from each other year round. The network will be centered around a listserv, through which home growers can ask for advice, make joint orders for materials, and organize gatherings and meet-ups. SAGA members also receive discounts on select home grower programs, including Homegrown Dreams and the Gardening Series. Over time, we hope that it will branch out to include OGS-organized events such as the Living on the Land Series and Homegrown Tours.

Membership Cost: Flat fee of $20/year

We want SAGA to be accessible to all who wish to join. Please contact [email protected] if the membership cost is a barrier for you.

Sustainability Consulting Organic Growers School
Dec 31 all-day
Organic Growers School

Need help with your farm, garden, or homestead? We offer a wide variety of one-on-one consulting services— hourly follow-up support and reduced fees available.

Contact us for a free 20 minute call helping you to identify your needs and goals and assess which service might be right for you. We offer a wide variety of consulting services—with hourly follow-up support and reduced fees available—including:

  • Assessment of land that you own or want to purchase.
  • Sustainability systems on your farm, garden, or homestead.
  • Guidance for your land-based project.

How the process works:

Step 1: We talk on the phone to identify your goals and needs.
Step 2: We select a service and price that best meets your needs.
Step 3: We set up a time for an in-person site visit or video call
Step 4: We coach you through a self-assessment process.
Step 5: We have our virtual or in-person site visit.
Step 6: We invoice you.
Step 7: We followup with you with next steps, referrals, report, etc.

The Asheville Art Museum Fall Annual Fund
Dec 31 all-day
Online w/ Asheville Art Museum
The Asheville Art Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization supported by your generous contributions. As our Fall Annual Fund wraps up at the end of the year, we ask you to join us in our vision: to transform lives through art.

If you have been positively impacted by the Museum’s exhibitions and/or programming, show your appreciation through a gift to the Annual Fund. A gift of any amount is immensely appreciated and allows us to continue to provide meaningful art, education, and experiences to the people of Western North Carolina and the many visitors to our region. Contributions to the Annual Fund are tax deductible.

We can only do what we do through your support. Make your gift today and help us continue to make a difference in our community.

Van Gogh Alive at Biltmore Estate
Dec 31 all-day
Biltmore Estate

See the source image

Various times

His masterworks have been displayed around the world for over a century… but never like this. Described as “an unforgettable multi-sensory experience,” Van Gogh Alive is a powerful and vibrant symphony of light, color, sound, and scent that compels you to leave the world behind and immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s paintings. Simultaneously enchanting, entertaining, and educational, Van Gogh Alive stimulates all the senses and opens the mind.

Wine and Wolves! Donate to Full Moon Farm Wolf Sanctuary
Dec 31 all-day
online w/ Full Moon Farm

Full Moon Farm is an organization dedicated to the well being of the wolfdog (wolf hybrid). Situated on 17 beautiful mountain acres in Black Mountain, NC, we operate as a federally recognized 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization for abused and refused wolfdogs who find themselves in need of love, shelter, and care through no fault of their own.

Full Moon Farm provides a safe haven for animals that cannot be placed into homes for the rest of their lives.  Our rescued wolfdogs come from animal control agencies, closed breeding situations and occasionally, an owner in crisis.  We evaluate each animal upon intake and work with them at their level of comfort.

Some animals are “hands off” and we respect their choice, as well as that of the animals that crave human interaction.  Our goal is to enrich the lives of the residents, allowing them to reach their highest potential.  Your support by donation or sponsorship makes our task possible.

Though they may be abused or neglected, homeless because of death or divorce, they are all God’s Creatures and worthy of a lifetime of respect. We are here to serve them.

  • Nancy Brown

It’s Memorable, Fast, and Easy! Also, 15% of your purchase will directly be applied to Full Moon Farm, not only will mom be getting great wines, but you will also be supporting a great cause.

Use code GBFULLMOON19 at checkout to donate 15% to Full Moon Farm.

Buncombe County Solid Waste Offers a Compost Drop-Off Center
Dec 31 @ 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
The Buncombe County Landfill

News
                            article image

A new partnership from Buncombe County and the City of Asheville aims to help reduce greenhouse gases and organic matter in the landfill by offering residents a place to drop off compostable matter. Starting Oct. 4, County residents can drop off food scraps and other compostable materials at the Buncombe County Landfill Convenience Center to be recycled into compost. The City of Asheville is operating a drop-off location at Stephens-Lee Recreation Center that also opens to the public on Oct. 4. Read more about that initiative here.

Organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By composting wasted food and other organics, methane emissions may be significantly reduced. For residents who are interested in composting but worry about bears or finding the space for backyard composting Buncombe County is proud to partner with the City of Asheville and Food Waste Solutions to open two compost drop-off locations for County residents.

In alignment with the Buncombe County Strategic Plan goals, the Landfill compost drop-off center is part of a pilot program designed to assess interest and engagement for food waste diversion and composting in Buncombe County.

How the compost drop-off works

  • Collect compostable materials at home and make sure to remove all produce stickers, rubber bands, wrappers, ties, bags, and plastics.
  • To collect materials use a compost pail, bucket, paper bags, or other certified compostable bag.
  • At the landfill scalehouse let us know you would like to drop off your compostable materials and staff will direct you to the drop-off location.
  • Empty food scraps and compostable waste into the cart on-site.
  • Close and secure lid when finished.
  • Do not overfill.

 

WNC Farmers Market Open Daily
Dec 31 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
WNC Farmers Market

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

With the convenience of being open year-round, 7 days a week, the WNC Farmers Market offers a selection of farm-fresh produce at the lowest prices in Western N.C. Our popular retail buildings, providing a selection of non-perishables, fruits, vegetables, crafts and more, are open daily.

Asheville Parks + Recreation Holiday Camp for local youth
Dec 31 @ 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Area two locations--see below

Asheville parks holiday camp children

 

 

Spend your holidays with us!  Asheville Parks & Recreation will hold its annual Holiday Camp for youth and teens in grades kindergarten through middle school. Camps are located at the Tempie Avery Montford Center (youth and middle school), 34 Pearson Drive, and Stephens-Lee Community Center (middle school), 30 George Washington Carver Avenue.

 

Camp hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. December 20-23 and 27-31.  Campers will enjoy games, crafts, organized play and all kinds of holiday fun.

 

Cost is FREE! 

 

Register at www.ashevillenc.gov/parksregistration. Click on Youth Programs, then enter “holiday camp” in the keyword search bar. Or call 828-259-5800.

 

 

FREE Holiday Youth Camp Asheville Parks and Rec
Dec 31 @ 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
Montford Community Center Stephens-Lee Community Center

FREE
December 20-23, 27-31 | 8:30am–6pm
Spend your holiday with us! Enjoy games,
activities, crafts, exercise and all kinds of
holiday fun!
Locations: Montford, Stephens-Lee

Holiday Camp: Middle School
Dec 31 @ 8:30 am – 6:00 pm

Holiday Camp: Middle School
FREE
December 20-23, 27-31 | 8:30am–6pm
Spend your holiday with us! Enjoy games,
activities, crafts, exercise and all kinds of
holiday fun!
Location: Stephens-Lee

Arbor Huescapes: Paintings by Michael Fowler
Dec 31 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

Artist Michael Fowler creates evocative abstract landscape paintings by incorporating vibrant colors with subtle, complex details. His semi-large-scale approach invites viewers to step into his work and build a sense of wonder and contemplation surrounding the natural world. Fowler’s artistic response in contemplating nature is to capture something of a landscape’s pleasantness, which is often unexpected harmonies of color and shape. In his latest exhibit, Arbor Huescapes, Fowler highlights the distinctive vegetation – primarily trees – and topography of North and South Carolina’s midlands and piedmont regions.

Fowler received his Bachelor of Arts from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas with a focus in Advertising Design. He then attended the University of Nebraska where he received a Master’s degree in Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing with a minor in Art History. From there, he attended the University of Memphis where he earned a Doctorate in Higher Education. Based in North Augusta, South Carolina, Fowler is currently an associate professor of design and computer graphics and serves as the Mary Durban Toole Chair of Art at the University of South Carolina in Aiken. His paintings are in a number of public and private collections nationally, and he actively exhibits in regional and national shows.

Please note: Arbor Huescapes has been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 crisis and will now open in fall 2021. The exhibit is on display daily September 18, 2021 – January 9, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Baker Exhibit Center. All works are available for purchase and a portion of sales will be donated to The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Get Started  Dance can be life-changing: The Academy at Terpsicorps Studios
Dec 31 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Academy at Terpsicorps Studios

Get Started

 Dance can be life-changing. We want to show you how.  Come try two weeks of classes for just $29.99

Fall/Winter Schedule 2021/2022

Additional Information

ATTD New Fall 2021-2022 Class Schedule – August 22, 2021- May 27, 2022

*Note that ages serve only as a guideline.  Below represents our Curriculum based ballet programs.  Look for additional class offerings of Int/Adv Tap, Jazz & Hip- Hop TBA. Combo I – Elementary II placement is based on age.  Level 1 and above are skill based placement.  All schedules are subject to change.

Combo I : Pre- Ballet/Pre- Tap Curriculum (Age 3-4 )

Monday 4:00-5:00

OR
Wednesday 5:00-6:00

OR
Saturday 9:45-10:45

OR

Saturday11:00-12:00

Combo II : Ballet/Tap Curriculum Age (5-6)

Monday 4:00-5:00

OR

Wednesday 5:00-6:00

OR

Saturday  9:45-10:45

OR

Saturday 11:00-12:00

Elementary I : Introduction to Classical Technique w/Tap & Jazz (Age 6-7)

Monday 5:00-5:45 Ballet: Section A

5:45-6:30 Tap & Jazz : Section A

Wednesday 5:00-5:45 Ballet: Section B

5:45-6:30 Tap & Jazz : Section B
Elementary II: Introduction to Classical Technique w/ Tap, Jazz & Repertoire(Age 7-8)

Monday 5:00-5:45 Ballet:
5:45-6:30 Tap / Jazz
Thursday 5:00-6:15 Ballet
6:15-7:00 Repertoire

Boys Class:
Wednesday 6:00-6:45 w/Mr. Merz Elementary I- Level II

Level I : Classical Ballet Technique, with Repertoire and one enrichment class (Age 8-10 placement required)

Tuesday 4:30-5:30 Conditioning w/ Jazz Contemporary

5:30-6:30 Ballet Technique

Thursday 5:00-6:15 Ballet

6:15-7:00 Repertoire

Level II : Classical Ballet Technique, w/ Repertoire and 2 enrichment classes (Age 9-11 placement required)

Tuesday 4:30-5:30 Conditioning w/ Jazz Contemporary

5:30-6:30 Ballet Technique
Thursday 5:00-6:15 Ballet
Friday 4:00-5:30 Ballet Technique

5:30-6:30 Repertoire

Level III : Classical Ballet Technique w/Repertoire, pre-pointe, conditioning, specialty classes (Age 10-12 placement required)

Monday 5:00-6:30 Ballet Technique
6:30-7:15 Pre- Pointe/Variations
Tuesday 4:30-5:30 Conditioning w/ Jazz Contemporary

5:30-6:30 Ballet Technique
Friday 4:30-5:30 Ballet Technique
5:30-6:15 Repertoire

Level IV/V : Classical Ballet Technique w/ Repertoire, pointe, conditioning, specialty classes ( Placement required)

Monday 4:30-6:00 Ballet Technique

6:00-7:00 Repertoire

Tuesday 4:30-6:00 Ballet Technique

6:00-7:00 Modern
Wednesday 4:30-6:00 Ballet Technique

6:00-7:00 Pointe/Conditioning

Thursday 4:30-6:00 Ballet Technique

6:00-6:45 Pointe

*Saturday 11:00-12:15 Warm-up Technique **ONLY WHEN CALLED**

12:30-2pm Rehearsal **ONLY WHEN CALLED**

PreProfessional Day Program : Vocational Ballet Training ( Age 14- audition required)

Monday: 2:00-3:30 Ballet Technique

3:30-4:30 Pointe-Conditioning/Pointe

4:30-6:00 2nd Technique barre en pointe

Tuesday  2:00-3:30 Ballet Technique center en pointe

3:30-4:30 Modern

4:30-6:00 2nd Technique barre en pointe

Wednesday 2:00-3:30 Ballet Technique

3:30-4:30 Pointe/Repertoire

4:30-6:00 2nd Technique

Thursday 2:00-3:30 Ballet Technique

3:30-4:30 Pointe Variations

4:30-6:00 2nd Technique

Friday 2:00-3:30 Ballet Technique

3:30-4:30 Pas de Deux

*Saturday 11:00-12:15 Warm-up Technique

12:30-2pm Rehearsal

HOLIDAY POP UP SHOP AT CITIZEN VINYL
Dec 31 @ 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Citizen Vinyl

May be an image of text that says 'S U P P o SIZEN Holiday POP-ÚP SHOP መመ0N S c A L DECEMBER 8TH THROUGH NEW YEARS EVE 9aM- 7PM EVERY WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT CITIZEN VINYL 14 O'HENRY AVENUE'

Join Citizen Vinyl for a Holiday Pop Up shop with local vendors including:

@loomimports (home goods/decor)
@hummingbirdcandles (candles)
@twindenimco (apparel)
@jennypickens616 (art)
@codaavl (vinyl records + art)
+ more!

Food and beverages from @sessionavl

Pisgah Legal Services is helping local people sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance
Dec 31 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
online

Healthcare.gov is Open with Record-Low Premiums
New Savings Mean More People Qualify for Quality, Affordable Health Insurance

Free Help Is Available
Trained navigators are ready to help local people – at no cost – who would like help reviewing the plans and signing up. Make an appointment at pisgahlegal.org/aca or call (828) 210-3404.

Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care. In addition, consumers receive free preventive care services, such as immunizations and health screenings. Testing and treatment of COVID-19 are considered essential health benefits and are covered by all HealthCare.gov plans.

Consumers should avoid insurance plans offered outside of HealthCare.gov that seem too good to be true. “Junk insurance” products and short-term limited duration plans pose huge financial risks to consumers. These products can refuse to pay for care for pre-existing conditions, charge consumers more based on their gender, and impose annual coverage limits. HealthCare.gov is the only website where North Carolina consumers are guaranteed to get comprehensive coverage.

Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigators Consortium.

Since 1978, nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services has provided free civil legal aid to help people with low incomes seek justice and meet their basic needs including preventing homelessness, stopping domestic violence and securing health care. PLS provides a broad array of free legal services. Last year Pisgah Legal served more than 20,000 people across the mountain region.

PLS has offices in Asheville, Burnsville, Brevard, Hendersonville, Highlands/Cashiers, Marshall, Newland, Rutherfordton and Spruce Pine. Pisgah Legal employs staff attorneys and relies heavily on the pro bono legal services of approximately 300 volunteer attorneys.

Seeking Creative, Innovative Business Stories for January’s WomanUP event
Dec 31 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
online
Our WomanUP Celebration in January will focus on deliberate creativity & innovation that leads to a business thriving. Innovation is critical, especially during times of change or uncertainty like we’ve experienced during the past two years and we know there’s been a lot of creativity among our business community.

While the program will teach attendees how deliberate creativity works, we’re looking to highlight some local businesses who have gotten creative and innovated in recent years.

Our speaker, Dr. Amy Climer, will weave some of these stories into her presentation at our event on January 27.

Have you faced a challenge that you approached creatively? A business challenge? A new way to support your employees? It doesn’t have to be COVID-related and it doesn’t necessarily have to have been a success. We want to hear your story.

If you have a story about creative innovation, contact our Vice President of Communications Erin Leonard at [email protected].

WomanUP Celebration

The 2022 AIR Passport
Dec 31 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Visitor Center in the Asheville Shop

The tastiest ticket in town returns with BOGO (buy-one-get-one) deals from 50 independently owned restaurants in Buncombe County.

 

The 2022 AIR Passport is the perfect way to visit an old favorite with a friend or dine and discover new restaurants in our area’s vibrant independent eateries. All proceeds from the AIR Passport go to benefit the ongoing efforts of AIR to keep Asheville’s food scene eclectic and authentic.

Limited supply available and they go fast!

“Weaving Across Time”
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft

Bringing thousands of years of tradition into conversation with contemporary practice, the Center for Craft’s exhibition ᎢᏛᏍᎦ ᏫᏥᏤᎢ ᎠᎵᏰᎵᏒ Weaving Across Time showcases the works of nine Eastern Band Cherokee basket makers. Touching on the dynamic evolution of lineage, sustainability, and cultural expression, the exhibition opens on December 13. This exhibition is supported in part by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and AARP, Mountain Region North Carolina.

The artists’ work with two of the oldest materials in Cherokee basket making tradition, mountain rivercane and white oak, both of which have been used for thousands of years by Southeastern tribes. The end results are both beautiful and functional – entries in an evolving craft tradition that began tens of thousands of years ago and is experiencing a resurgence. The labor-intensive process of basket making, which includes harvesting materials, gathering plants for dyes, and deciding on intricate patterns, itself becomes a key component of the final object, which interweaves ecology, culture, land, and identity.

These plants, particularly rivercane, are at the heart of Cherokee tradition and culture. The subject of serious conservation efforts, rivercane is also a vital plant for water quality and erosion mitigation, as well as a habitat for riparian species. Despite its importance, the effects of climate change and continually encroaching development in rivercane habitats has contributed to its depletion, both as a material for artists and a plant essential for environmental health. Basket makers harvesting rivercane for splints approach the plant with deep reverence and knowledge of its centrality to the ecosystem, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles to harvest it sustainably.

Other materials, selected with just as much care, reveal elements of process and the natural environment, including the plants available to harvest in particular seasons. White oak can be gathered year-round, but is easiest to process in spring and summer when sap runs up the tree. Dyes used for the baskets, sourced from plants including bloodroot, butternut, and walnut, add rich color to final pieces while also revealing information about harvest time and supply. The laborious, intensive process links generations of basket makers across centuries.

As Cherokee lands have been stolen or transformed beyond recognition, materials are harder to come by, but the rewards are rich. As basket maker ᏚᏍᏓᏯᎫᎾᏱ Gabriel Crow, explains, “When you’re taking that extra step, going out and doing this completely by hand, you’re a basket maker, not just a weaver. My hands are rough and calloused over because I make the splints myself.” Crow makes an average of just 20 baskets a year and, like other basket makers, wastes no scraps, instead making mats, miniature pieces, or, as a last resort, using them for kindling.

The baskets in the exhibition, all of which were created in the last two decades, connect lineages across time and space in a vibrant, living tradition. Patterns based on rhythmic numerical sequences are passed down from teacher to student. Basket makers also borrow from contemporaries and innovate to create pieces in their own recognizable styles. Basket maker ᎺᎵ ᏔᎻᏏᏂ Mary W. Thompson, who is also the consulting artist for The Basket public art parklet, finds inspiration in designs she sees on her travels to visit other tribes in North and South America. For her, baskets are symbolic of Cherokee resilience. “The Cherokee have always been able to change and adapt with time,” she says, “so our artwork and art forms have changed and evolved along with us.”

The exhibition will be on view until April 22. Visitors can reserve 30-minute time slots for unguided visits to explore the current exhibitions, learn more about the Center’s national impact, and enjoy interactive activities. The Center is open to the public Monday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm. Hours of operation may be subject to change.

Center for Craft is monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the community and following the instruction of federal, state, and local health departments. Our top priority is always the health and safety of our staff, coworkers, and visitors. At this time, the Center requires the use of masks or face coverings by all visitors, including children. The Center reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor that will not comply.

BLACK + WHITE 4
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Main Gallery show featuring members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible Exhibition
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft

three images of works from Black in Black on Black Exhibition at the Center for Craft

In-Person

The Center is offering free, unguided visits and affordable tours of its exhibitions to the public. Guests can reserve a 30-minute visit to explore the current exhibitions, learn more about the Center’s national impact in their Craft Research Fund Study Collection, and enjoy interactive activities. The Center is open to the public Monday-Friday, 10 am – 6 pm. Hours of operation may be subject to change.

Center for Craft is monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the community and following the instruction of federal, state, and local health departments. Our top priority is always the health and safety of our staff, coworkers, and visitors. At this time, the Center can only allow a maximum of five guests in its public space at once and will require the use of masks or face coverings by all visitors, including children. The Center reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor that will not comply.

Deck The Trees
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Monte Vista Hotel

Deck The Trees presents: A Black Mountain Christmas, December 2, 2021 – January 3, 2022 Come experience the charm of Black Mountain and get in the Christmas spirit. You will discover 35 (and possibly more) beautifully decorated Christmas trees situated at the Monte Vista Hotel and in stores and businesses throughout Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley area.

Each tree, uniquely decorated around the theme: A Black Mountain Christmas, will be created by businesses, organizations, or individuals to help raise funds for the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund. Come join us! Share in the Christmas spirit and support your favorite tree by donating with cash, check, or on-line at svcmblackmountain.org.

Heart of Health Art and Social Science Exhibit: WNC African American Lives
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
John Cram Partner Gallery at the Center for Craft
“He”, by artist Ann Miller Woodford, will be on display as part of the Black in Black on Black exhibit in downtown Asheville, NC’s John Cram Partner Gallery at the Center for Craft

Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible 

On September 6th, UNC Asheville, the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), and partners will launch a new exhibit, Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible in the John Cram Partner Gallery at the Center for Craft. The new exhibit is a visual conversation about the lives and contributions of Black/African American communities in Western North Carolina (WNC).

Bringing together stunning artwork and visual design by WNC-based artists Ann Miller Woodford, Ronda Birtha, Viola Spells, and Reggie Tidwell, with social science data and stories, this exhibit invites audiences into an often invisible history of our region. As Woodford states, “My emphasis has been on people who have dedicated their lives to humanity, but have been overlooked, ignored, and often forgotten.”

Deeply personal art is integrated with charts and quotes from the Heart of Health: Race, Place, and Faith in Western North Carolina project. Heart of Health is a three-year community-participatory research study that seeks to better understand the role and impact of race and racism on health through secondary data analyses and interviews. It is co-led by researchers from UNC Asheville, ABIPA, and Sparrow Research, and community partners from around WNC. “One of our first findings was that much of the data on African Americans and drivers of health and inequities, for example, land and business ownership, have been suppressed due to small populations or other reasons. This collaborative research seeks to highlight and encourage responsible collection and use of data and stories,” said Ameena Batada, UNC Asheville professor of health and wellness and one of the co-leads on the Heart of Health project.

Visitors to the exhibit, both in-person and online, are invited to a multisensory and interactive experience, including paintings, photographs, narrative text, quotes and graphics, sculptural pieces, digital data visualization, and music. The exhibit also invites visitors to learn about the ways in which African Americans and others in WNC are working to reduce racism and build community through grassroots and organizational efforts. JéWana Grier McEachin, executive director of ABIPA, co-lead on the Heart of Health project, and member of exhibit partner The LINKS Incorporated, remarked, “The gathering of data and translation of research through Black in Black on Black has been influenced by the connections of the Artists, WNC Research Team and Community Advisory Board. This sort of six degrees of separation between the research exhibit and active change agents through Organizations in Western North Carolina is impactful and invaluable.”

Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible will be up in the John Cram Partner Gallery at the Center for Craft at 67 Broadway Street in Asheville, NC from September 6, 2021 – January 7, 2021, and a virtual tour soon online. Support for this project was provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program. Interdisciplinary Research Leaders is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation led by the University of Minnesota. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Foundation or the University of Minnesota.

Learn more about the exhibit, artists, and research at: heartofhealthwnc.wordpress.com/annstree.comthinlyfoldedegg.comwww.facebook.com/ZenobiaStudio/, and pro16productions.com.

Winter Wonderland
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
North Carolina Glass Center

Come celebrate the season at our first Winter Wonderland! Our D Space Gallery, will be adorned with glass ornaments, snowflakes, snowmen, candy canes, and whatever else Asheville area glassblowers dream up. Shop for holiday gifts or festive decor for your home while watching live glassblowing in our studio. Winter Wonderland will be open during our normal gallery hours. The opening of this show coincides with River Arts District Studio Stroll, so there will be plenty to do and see in the area. NCGC is a non-profit glassblowing studio and gallery. Your purchases help to support local artists and our mission of education, exploration, and collaboration in all forms of glass.

Winter Wonderland at Grove Arcade
Dec 31 @ 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Grove Arcade

You can find our beautiful holiday decorations all over the Grove Arcade; from swinging lights to hanging snowflakes, your eyes will never have a dull moment! Nostalgic holiday music will be resonating through our halls, bouncing off the walls of our merchant’s stores and all of their holiday specials. The holiday season is here at the Grove Arcade! Come by to enjoy the timeless feelings of the holidays, family and home.

Join us any day this season for the most beautiful holiday decorations in Asheville. Featuring weekly events, indoor snow, seasonal promotions, and a percentage of all sales donated to local non-profits.

 

Brunch B’yahad Virtual
Dec 31 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online w/ Asheville Jewish Community Center

Brunch B’Yahad is now available through Zoom meeting here.   

Join new and old friends for light brunch, socialization and lively discussion.  Featured guest speakers, and relevant cultural and timely topics will fill our minds.

A Dance of Images and Words: The Nancy Graves/Pedro Cuperman Tango Portfolio Art Exhibition
Dec 31 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Nancy Graves, Parable of Nostalgia from the Tango portfolio, 1991, intaglio on cotton rag paper, edition 12/26, publisher: Iris Editions, New York, image: 26 × 17 5/8 inches, sheet: 35 3/4 × 26 inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Nancy Graves Foundation, Inc. / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Dance of Images and Words: The Nancy Graves/Pedro Cuperman Tango Portfolio features a series of eight intaglio prints that depict plants and animals alongside eleven sheets of prose that explore the steps of the Argentinian dance, the tango. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum from the Museum’s Collection and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator, this exhibition will be on view in The Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery at the Museum from September 29, 2021 through January 10, 2022.

The common idiom “it takes two to tango” is immediately called into question in both the imagery and words of the Tango portfolio. The portfolio is an expression of artist Nancy Graves (Pittsfield, MA 1939–1995 New York, NY) writer Pedro Cuperman’s (1936–2016 Buenos Aires, Argentina) meditations on the dance. Their imagery and words become paired in an illustrated book though their explorations take different formats and directions. Both Graves and Cuperman look towards humankind and nature as a place where beings come together in the experience of living. This exhibition presents Graves’s eight prints alongside the portfolio frontispiece and a page of Cuperman’s text to immerse visitors in the collaborative dance of the tango.

A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art
Dec 31 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Rhiannon Skye Tafoya (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Ul’nigid’, 2020, letterpress (photopolymer and Bembo & Cherokee Syllabary metal type) printed on handmade & color plan paper with paperweaving, closed: 11 × 11 ¼ inches, assembled: 23 ½ × 11 ¼ × 5 ⁵⁄₈ inches. Courtesy the Artist. © Rhiannon Skye Tafoya, image Rhiannon Skye Tafoya.
 Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art features over 50 works of art in a variety of media by 30+ Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and Cherokee Nation artists. The exhibition highlights the use of the written Cherokee language, a syllabary developed by Cherokee innovator Sequoyah (circa 1776–1843). Cherokee syllabary is frequently found in the work of Cherokee artists as a compositional element or the subject matter of the work itself. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, NC from June 12, 2021 to October 31, 2021, and in the Asheville Art Museum’s Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall from November 19, 2021 to March 14, 2022.

The Cherokee Syllabary is a system of writing developed by Sequoyah in the early 1800s prior to the Removal period. Through Sequoyah’s innovative work, Cherokee people embraced the writing system as an expedient form of communication and documentation. During the Removal period, the syllabary was used as a tactic to combat land dispossession. Cherokee people continue to use the syllabary as a form of cultural expression and pride, which is showcased in the contemporary artwork of the Cherokee Citizens in this exhibition.

“We’re pleased to host this gathering of works from contemporary Cherokee artists, who perfectly illustrate how our language is a living and evolving part of who we are. It’s moving to see how each artist finds inspiration in their own way from this language that connects us as Cherokee people,” said Shana Bushyhead Condill, executive director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

“The Asheville Art Museum and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian have been long-term collaborators, and we are delighted to further our partnership by working together to manage an open call to Cherokee artists and subsequently curate this exciting exhibition of contemporary works that take inspiration from, celebrate, preserve and interpret the syllabary,” said Pamela L. Myers, executive director of the Asheville Art Museum. “On view at both museums, we hope the exhibition engages a wide and diverse audience in dialogue with these extraordinary works.”

A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator at the Asheville Art Museum, with assistance from curatorial consultant Joshua Adams (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians). Special thanks to S. Dakota Brown, education director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and Alexis Meldrum, curatorial assistant at the Asheville Art Museum, for their support in the planning of this exhibition. This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership, and sponsored in part by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and Kevin Click & April Liou in memory of Myron E. Click.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians artists include Joshua Adams, Jody Lipscomb Bradley, Nathan Bush, Kane Crowe, John Henry Gloyne, Shan Goshorn, Luzene Hill, Christy Long, Louise Bigmeat Maney, Christopher McCoy, Tara McCoy, Joel Queen, Sean Ross, Jakeli Swimmer, Rhiannon Skye Tafoya, Mary Thompson, Stan Tooni Jr.,  Alica Wildcatt, and Fred Wilnoty.

Cherokee Nation artists include Roy Boney Jr., Jeff Edwards, Joseph Erb, Raychel Foster, Kenny Glass, Camilla McGinty, Jessica Mehta, America Meredith, Jane Osti, Lisa Rutherford, Janet L. Smith, Jennifer Thiessen, and Jennie Wilson.

About the Museum of the Cherokee Indian

Established in 1948, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian is one of the longest operating tribal museums. Recognized for its innovative storytelling, the Museum features exhibits, artwork, and hands-on technology that brings over 15,000 years of Cherokee history to life. Located in Cherokee, NC, the Museum is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Learn more by visiting mci.org.