Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Gardening in the Mountains presents:
All About Pruning—Tool Selection and Tool Sharpening
NC Cooperative Extension
Buncombe County Center
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC
Presenter: Alan Wagner, Extension Master Gardener SM Volunteer
Pruning in the landscape requires different methods than pruning tomatoes or bonsai. Many gardeners
and homeowners are uncertain about when, why, and how to prune shrubs and trees. Pruning requires
time-tested technique, good sharp tools, and knowledge of the right time to prune different kinds of
plants. And pruning requires practice.
Join Alan Wagner as he demonstrates the tools, techniques, and principles of pruning shrubs and small
trees. If weather permits, some outdoor demonstrations may be possible.
There will also be a session on how to sharpen your pruning tools, so bring them with you.
This program will be offered twice, once on Thursday, February 15, and once on Saturday, February 17.
Both programs begin at 10 a.m. and are at the Cooperative Extension office.
The talk is free but registration is requested by calling 828-255-5522
LINING: SHEATHING
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4
Reception: Thursday, April 19 from 5-7pm
Lining: Sheathing is a large-scale installation about the tactile and protective qualities of textiles by collaborators Denise Bookwalter and Lee Running. The artists have been working together for five years, creating installations and artist books that include printed fabric, handmade paper, woodblock prints, custom garments and embroidery. This installation has been developed in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, Constellation Studios, Lincoln NE, and Small Craft Advisory Press, Tallahassee FL. The focal point of the installation is a room-size tent suspended beneath a skylight. The tent is made from large printed and dyed textile panels which create a space that viewers can enter. Viewers are invited to try on one of the handmade garments and view the series of eight queen bed sized woodblock prints on handmade paper. For the exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bookwalter and Running will also create a three-story site-specific window installation for the atrium of the Bardo Arts Center.
MUSEUM HOURS: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm/ Th 10am-7pm
Closed weekends & University holidays
828.227.ARTS
Image Caption: Detail: Denise Bookwalter, Lee Emma Running, “LINING:SHEATHING”, 2011
To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Windgate Fellowship, the Center for Craft awarded a total of ten, $10,000 Project Grants. This exhibition showcases how the next generation of craft artists used their funds to explore scale, installation, and community practice.
Artists: Andrea Donnelly (Richmond, VA), Josh Copus (Marshall, NC), Dustin Farnsworth (Montreal, QC), Brian Fleetwood (La Mesilla, NM), Ani Geragosian (Salem, MA), Adam Ledford (Philadelphia, PA), Rebecca Manson (Bedford Hills, NY), Rachel Mauser (Louisville, KY), Aaron McIntosh (Richmond, VA), and Mark Reigelman II (Brooklyn, NY).
School of Art & Design Alumni Invitational Exhibition
Exhibition: February 13 – May 4, 2018
Reception: February 15, 2018
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, the WCU Fine Art Museum invites 12 accomplished alumni of the School of Art & Design back to campus for this exhibition. Exhibiting artists include Amy M. Anderson, Connie Bostic, Mary Charles Griffin, Luzene Hill, Sally Jacobs, Cole Johnson, Dakota Ling, Jeff Marley, Olivia Mears, Tom Pazderka, Byron Tenesaca, and Preston Tolbert.
Image Caption: Tom Pazderka, Angels of the New Light, 2017, ash, charcoal, and oil on burned panel, 43 x 43 in
Willie Cole: Soles and Boards
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4, 2018
Since 1989, Willie Cole has employed the image of the clothes iron in his work. Cole morphs this utilitarian object to represent and reference a range of associations from African masks to scarification to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This exhibition presents prints from Cole’s time working at Highpoint Editions in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2011-2012.
Image Caption: Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Willie Cole
Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show features the work of two new members, Ana Blanton and Zoe Schumaker. Though they paint in two different styles and mediums, the artists’ work represents the inspiration each derives from nature. The show runs February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery, located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park, will host a reception for the artists on Friday, February 2, from 5-8 p.m. Everyone is cordially invited to stop by.
“When I process ideas, I see them as layers of images rather than words, and as my thoughts become imagery, I feel more comfortable expressing myself through abstract form,” says Ana Blanton. Of her latest series of mixed-media paintings she says, “In this series I am more interested in representing the sense and feel of light in nature. It is about exploring the sense of energy and movement that is unique to light traveling through air, water, and objects in nature or a simple still life.”
Blanton, who has lived in Asheville since 1997, has a BA in Art Studio from Mars Hill University. She studied Art Conservation at University of Madrid, Spain, and mural painting and mural Conservation at the International School of Mural Painting Miguel Farre, Barcelona, Spain.
Zoe Schumaker says, “From an early age, I tried to capture the beauty I saw by drawing and photographing my surroundings.” Raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California, the artist spent many afternoons immersed in imaginative drawings of the mountains, lakes and forests, and the animals that live there.
Schumaker rediscovered her passion for painting upon moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2005. “As I explored the area, I started bringing my backpack kit of pastels. It was not long before I decided to pursue art full time.” The artist teaches painting at the John C. Campbell Folk School and is active in several regional environmental non-profits. She frequently donates her work to support these causes. “Nature is my muse. I hope my paintings capture the joy and reverence I feel for our beautiful home.”
The featured works by Blanton and Schumaker, as well as the paintings of the other 29 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month of February. For further information about this show, you can contact Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery Facebook page.
Asheville, prepare for a little Chai Pani by the river. For the first time in eight years, the beloved downtown Indian street food restaurant that spawned a restaurant group is undergoing a month-long renovation. But fear not, dear chaat lovers, as there’s a pop-up in store to fill the Chai Pani-sized hole in your heart. ’Chotta Chai Pani’, a three week pop-up from Meherwan Irani and the Chai Pani team, will be coming to Riverside Drive throughout the month of February. Featuring mainstay favorites alongside additions from MG Road and Botiwalla, the pop-up menu includes a bevy of hits from around the restaurant group, previously unavailable at Chai Pani Asheville, including the Mumbai Club, Frankies, Pav Bhaji, sweet handpies from Buxton Hall’s lead pastry chef Ashley Capps and more, as well as the return of the beloved Kheema Pav (Sloppy Jai lovers, rejoice!). The pop-up will be open 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Learn more about becoming a volunteer tutor and sign up for orientation by clicking here.
Mixing It Up: Drawing & Mixed Media
Thursdays — February 1, 8, 15, 22, March 1 + 8 — 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
$220 Museum Members, $240 non-members (includes some materials)
Ignite or expand your drawing skills by combining layers of mark-making with acrylic paint, collage, ink, transfer, and transparency, and by drawing on a painted three-dimensional object.
February 16 through Monday, February 19, Audubon North Carolina invites bird watchers across the state to step outside (or grab a kitchen window seat) and participate in the 21st Great Backyard Bird Count! Special guided counts will even be led in and around Asheville.
It only takes 15 minutes to make a long-term impact on birds through this community science project. Participation is free and easy—simply go outside to your backyard or the nearest park, write down any birds you see for 15 minutes or longer, and report your sightings online at birdcount.org.
We’d love to have you attend a count, and I’d be happy to connect you with Audubon staff for an interview and more details about this year’s event.
February 16-18, Brandy Clements will be demonstrating authentic cattail rush weaving on a chair seat designed by Brian Brace Fine Furniture. This style of weaving dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and can be found on classic Gustav Stickley chair seats.
LINING: SHEATHING
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4
Reception: Thursday, April 19 from 5-7pm
Lining: Sheathing is a large-scale installation about the tactile and protective qualities of textiles by collaborators Denise Bookwalter and Lee Running. The artists have been working together for five years, creating installations and artist books that include printed fabric, handmade paper, woodblock prints, custom garments and embroidery. This installation has been developed in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, Constellation Studios, Lincoln NE, and Small Craft Advisory Press, Tallahassee FL. The focal point of the installation is a room-size tent suspended beneath a skylight. The tent is made from large printed and dyed textile panels which create a space that viewers can enter. Viewers are invited to try on one of the handmade garments and view the series of eight queen bed sized woodblock prints on handmade paper. For the exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bookwalter and Running will also create a three-story site-specific window installation for the atrium of the Bardo Arts Center.
MUSEUM HOURS: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm/ Th 10am-7pm
Closed weekends & University holidays
828.227.ARTS
Image Caption: Detail: Denise Bookwalter, Lee Emma Running, “LINING:SHEATHING”, 2011
To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Windgate Fellowship, the Center for Craft awarded a total of ten, $10,000 Project Grants. This exhibition showcases how the next generation of craft artists used their funds to explore scale, installation, and community practice.
Artists: Andrea Donnelly (Richmond, VA), Josh Copus (Marshall, NC), Dustin Farnsworth (Montreal, QC), Brian Fleetwood (La Mesilla, NM), Ani Geragosian (Salem, MA), Adam Ledford (Philadelphia, PA), Rebecca Manson (Bedford Hills, NY), Rachel Mauser (Louisville, KY), Aaron McIntosh (Richmond, VA), and Mark Reigelman II (Brooklyn, NY).
School of Art & Design Alumni Invitational Exhibition
Exhibition: February 13 – May 4, 2018
Reception: February 15, 2018
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the College of Fine & Performing Arts, the WCU Fine Art Museum invites 12 accomplished alumni of the School of Art & Design back to campus for this exhibition. Exhibiting artists include Amy M. Anderson, Connie Bostic, Mary Charles Griffin, Luzene Hill, Sally Jacobs, Cole Johnson, Dakota Ling, Jeff Marley, Olivia Mears, Tom Pazderka, Byron Tenesaca, and Preston Tolbert.
Image Caption: Tom Pazderka, Angels of the New Light, 2017, ash, charcoal, and oil on burned panel, 43 x 43 in
Willie Cole: Soles and Boards
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4, 2018
Since 1989, Willie Cole has employed the image of the clothes iron in his work. Cole morphs this utilitarian object to represent and reference a range of associations from African masks to scarification to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This exhibition presents prints from Cole’s time working at Highpoint Editions in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2011-2012.
Image Caption: Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Willie Cole
Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show features the work of two new members, Ana Blanton and Zoe Schumaker. Though they paint in two different styles and mediums, the artists’ work represents the inspiration each derives from nature. The show runs February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery, located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park, will host a reception for the artists on Friday, February 2, from 5-8 p.m. Everyone is cordially invited to stop by.
“When I process ideas, I see them as layers of images rather than words, and as my thoughts become imagery, I feel more comfortable expressing myself through abstract form,” says Ana Blanton. Of her latest series of mixed-media paintings she says, “In this series I am more interested in representing the sense and feel of light in nature. It is about exploring the sense of energy and movement that is unique to light traveling through air, water, and objects in nature or a simple still life.”
Blanton, who has lived in Asheville since 1997, has a BA in Art Studio from Mars Hill University. She studied Art Conservation at University of Madrid, Spain, and mural painting and mural Conservation at the International School of Mural Painting Miguel Farre, Barcelona, Spain.
Zoe Schumaker says, “From an early age, I tried to capture the beauty I saw by drawing and photographing my surroundings.” Raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California, the artist spent many afternoons immersed in imaginative drawings of the mountains, lakes and forests, and the animals that live there.
Schumaker rediscovered her passion for painting upon moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2005. “As I explored the area, I started bringing my backpack kit of pastels. It was not long before I decided to pursue art full time.” The artist teaches painting at the John C. Campbell Folk School and is active in several regional environmental non-profits. She frequently donates her work to support these causes. “Nature is my muse. I hope my paintings capture the joy and reverence I feel for our beautiful home.”
The featured works by Blanton and Schumaker, as well as the paintings of the other 29 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month of February. For further information about this show, you can contact Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery Facebook page.
Asheville, prepare for a little Chai Pani by the river. For the first time in eight years, the beloved downtown Indian street food restaurant that spawned a restaurant group is undergoing a month-long renovation. But fear not, dear chaat lovers, as there’s a pop-up in store to fill the Chai Pani-sized hole in your heart. ’Chotta Chai Pani’, a three week pop-up from Meherwan Irani and the Chai Pani team, will be coming to Riverside Drive throughout the month of February. Featuring mainstay favorites alongside additions from MG Road and Botiwalla, the pop-up menu includes a bevy of hits from around the restaurant group, previously unavailable at Chai Pani Asheville, including the Mumbai Club, Frankies, Pav Bhaji, sweet handpies from Buxton Hall’s lead pastry chef Ashley Capps and more, as well as the return of the beloved Kheema Pav (Sloppy Jai lovers, rejoice!). The pop-up will be open 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Asheville’s Jangling Sparrows play a rare local gig, with an upcoming performance at French Broad Brewing, 101 Fairview Rd., Friday, February 16. Showtime:6:00pm. Free show. Info: (828) 277-0222 or visit http://www.frenchbroadbrewery.
Their recently-released 140 Nickels album was just voted to the “Best Indie Album of 2017” list by the L.A. Music Critic Awards, who raved, “Watch for these guys near the top of the Americana music scene!” The album is available for purchase atwww.janglingsparrows.com and has received stellar reviews from national publications No Depression, The Alternate Root, Music Connection and more, plus national/international airplay.
(ASHEVILLE, NC) – Asheville’s Jangling Sparrows play a rare local gig, with an upcoming performance at French Broad Brewing, 101 Fairview Rd., Friday, February 16. Showtime: 6:00pm. Free show. Info: (828) 277-0222 or visit http://www.frenchbroadbrewery.com/.
Their recently-released 140 Nickels album was just voted to the “Best Indie Album of 2017” list by the L.A. Music Critic Awards, who raved, “Watch for these guys near the top of the Americana music scene!” The album is available for purchase at www.janglingsparrows.com and has received stellar reviews from national publications No Depression, The Alternate Root, Music Connection and more, plus national/international airplay.
Andy Woodhull, who’s appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, CONAN, and featured in his own Half Hour Comedy Central Special, is set perform two shows in Asheville on Friday, February 16th. Opening for Andy will be Maddie Wiener.
Andy Woodhull
Andy Recently appeared on Conan on TBS the same year his half hour special premiered on Comedy Central. In 2014, he was the first comedian to make his network television debut on the Tonight Show: Staring Jimmy Fallon. He has also recently appeared on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, and Gotham Comedy Live on AXS. In 2009, he appeared on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham.
Andy has appeared at many comedy festivals and contests including, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, The Maui Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, and The Great American Comedy Festival. He has been featured on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom radio show, and was a semi-finalist in CMT’s “Next Big Comic”. He won the Best of the Midwest Competition at Gilda’s Laugh Fest in 2010. His 2012 album release “Lucy” was named top 10 comedy albums of the year by comedyreviews.com. His newest release “Step Parenting” spent time in the top 20 comedy albums on iTunes.
Andy is a former resident of Chicago, where he was named one of four comedians to watch by the Chicago Tribune.
Maddie Wiener
One of the youngest comics in North Carolina, Maddie Wiener has opened for Rich Vos, Josh Blue, and John Evans, and is a regular at Goodnights Comedy Club. Her dark and witty comedy has been the subject of multiple articles published by The Piedmont Sundial, Raleigh&Company, and The Daily Tarheel.
Veteran comics have described her as “a natural writer with a quirky performance style that is abrasive and likeable at the same time.” Since she was 16 she has been traveling around North Carolina performing at clubs such as Goodnights, the Charlotte Comedy Zone, and Dead Crow Comedy Room.
VALENTINE’S FRIDAY COMEDY SPECIAL W/ ANDY WOODHULL – FUNNY BUSINESS @ THE GREY EAGLE
Friday, February 16th @ 7:00pm & 9:30pm
$15 advance / $18 at the door
Tickets @ http://www.ashevillefunnybusiness.com/
9 to 5 The Musical
Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton; Book by Patricia Resnick; Directed by Jerry Crouch
February 9-March 4, 2018
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm; Additional Thursday performances at 7:30 pm
Working 9 to 5, three female employees team up to dream up ways they could rid themselves of their horrible chauvinistic boss. These ladies live out their wildest fantasy to give him the boot and, while he is out of commission, take control of the company. There’s nothing these ladies can’t do!
Laura Story wrote the No. 1 worship hit “Indescribable” which was recorded in 2004 by Chris Tomlin. Soon after, she signed an artist deal with the INO Records and her 2008 national debut won a Dove Award for Inspirational Album and earned Laura two consecutive nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year while suffering through personal hardships. “Life is filled with things you don’t expect, but the Bible tells us to respond by trusting God and continuing to worship Him. This is how faith works, and God has proven to be faithful.” Singing and teaching in churches across the United States, Western Europe, and South America, Laura believes through music and prayer, this is her chance to share the gospel. Presented by Heart for Families as a special “date night” event.
On February 17-18, Pamella O’Connor will be demonstrating paper gathering techniques used to create texture on her signature line of hanji flower lamps. Hanji is traditional handmade paper from Korea, made from the inner bark of Paper Mulberry, a shrub-like tree that grows throughout Asia.
Gardening in the Mountains presents:
All About Pruning—Tool Selection and Tool Sharpening
NC Cooperative Extension
Buncombe County Center
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC
Presenter: Alan Wagner, Extension Master Gardener SM Volunteer
Pruning in the landscape requires different methods than pruning tomatoes or bonsai. Many gardeners
and homeowners are uncertain about when, why, and how to prune shrubs and trees. Pruning requires
time-tested technique, good sharp tools, and knowledge of the right time to prune different kinds of
plants. And pruning requires practice.
Join Alan Wagner as he demonstrates the tools, techniques, and principles of pruning shrubs and small
trees. If weather permits, some outdoor demonstrations may be possible.
There will also be a session on how to sharpen your pruning tools, so bring them with you.
This program will be offered twice, once on Thursday, February 15, and once on Saturday, February 17.
Both programs begin at 10 a.m. and are at the Cooperative Extension office.
The talk is free but registration is requested by calling 828-255-5522
LINING: SHEATHING
Exhibition: January 16 – May 4
Reception: Thursday, April 19 from 5-7pm
Lining: Sheathing is a large-scale installation about the tactile and protective qualities of textiles by collaborators Denise Bookwalter and Lee Running. The artists have been working together for five years, creating installations and artist books that include printed fabric, handmade paper, woodblock prints, custom garments and embroidery. This installation has been developed in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC, Constellation Studios, Lincoln NE, and Small Craft Advisory Press, Tallahassee FL. The focal point of the installation is a room-size tent suspended beneath a skylight. The tent is made from large printed and dyed textile panels which create a space that viewers can enter. Viewers are invited to try on one of the handmade garments and view the series of eight queen bed sized woodblock prints on handmade paper. For the exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bookwalter and Running will also create a three-story site-specific window installation for the atrium of the Bardo Arts Center.
MUSEUM HOURS: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm/ Th 10am-7pm
Closed weekends & University holidays
828.227.ARTS
Image Caption: Detail: Denise Bookwalter, Lee Emma Running, “LINING:SHEATHING”, 2011