The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.

North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.

Best of all, Porch Portraits by Suzanne will donate $15 of every session to our great friends at Flat Rock Playhouse. My goal is to raise $15,000 for the Playhouse by the end of the year so any money over and above the price of $65 will go straight to them.

Perhaps most exciting, an extremely generous Playhouse donor has agreed to a MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN up to $36,000.18! This incredibly generous donation draws on the magic of Chai, the Jewish belief that multiples of 18 bring good luck. Meaning that every session booked will result in at least $30 for the wonderful folks at Flat Rock Playhouse.

For decades, Flat Rock Playhouse has been opening their collective hearts and sharing their fabulous talents to bring joy and entertainment to western North Carolina. This is an opportunity to show our gratitude at a time when they really need our support.

Together, let’s make magic happen! Help us kick off this campaign by contributing today.

Virtual Visits for Students

Groups of pre-K–12 students are invited to schedule an interactive Virtual Visit to the Museum! Led by volunteer docents with Museum staff, our inquiry-based, conversational Virtual Visits introduce the Museum’s galleries with a 3D tour and challenge students to hone their observation skills. All pre-K–12 Virtual Visits make connections to the NC Standard Course of Study.

Virtual Visits for pre-K–12 groups are $50 for 5–25 participants from one or multiple devices through Zoom or Google Meet. Virtual Visits are available Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, and last 30–45 minutes. At least two weeks’ advanced notice is required.

For more information about Virtual Visits for adults, college, and university students, click here. For Virtual Visits for family and friend groups with children, click here.

Asheville Gallery of Art’s November show, “Opening Up to Art,” is a multi-member show featuring each artist’s personal exploration into being part of this world during uneasy times. The show runs November 1-30 during gallery hours 12-5 p.m. Thursday thru Sunday. You can also make arrangements for a private tour by emailing a request to [email protected].

Bruce Davidson, Untitled (African American man with ‘Vote’ written on forehead) from the Time of Change series, 1965, gelatin silver print on paper, 14 × 11 inches. Gift of an anonymous donor, 2018.58.211. © Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos.

Join Megan Pyle, touring docent, for an interactive conversation about three artworks in our Collection. Before the discussion, find a quiet space. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Now open your eyes, and engage with the artworks in the image gallery; click on the thumbnail for a larger image, and spend about 15 minutes looking slowly at each.

• What’s going on in this artwork? What do you see that makes you say that?
• What story do you think each artist is trying to convey? Why?
• What do these artworks have in common? How are they different?
• What mood, thought, or emotion does the artwork inspire in you? Why

Kimpton Hotel Arras and local artists today unveiled, “Ode to Buskers & Asheville Music,” a locally created, life-size stainless steel sculpture located outdoors on the corner of Lexington and Patton at Kimpton Hotel Arras. Inspired by the city’s vibrant street musicians and their lively drum circles, artists Chukk Bruursema and Ash Knight sought to bring the unique rhythms of Asheville to life through this striking, collaborative piece, which was commissioned by the hotel.

“Asheville Music,” the large steel djembe drum sculpted by Chukk Bruursema, has West African roots, where the djembe is traditionally played as part of an ensemble, invoking feelings of community and togetherness. Adorning the drum is “Asheville Music,” Ash Knight’s five musical buskers depicted playing the spoons, the string washtub, jug, washboard, and the fiddle, with a dog observing from the ground below.

“We are pleased to officially introduce the “Ode to Buskers & Asheville Music” sculpture, a defining art piece that truly represents the spirit of our city, to the Asheville community,” said Kimpton Hotel Arras General Manager David McCartney. “This piece is an exciting addition to the hotel and expands our local artwork program, which works to highlight and supporting the work of local artists and purveyors.”

Following the unveiling, tours of the additional local artwork displayed throughout the hotel were offered with the artists in attendance to speak to their pieces, including John Wayne Jackson and Peter Roux. Kimpton Hotel Arras commissioned more than a dozen pieces of local artwork curated by local art consultant Liz Barr of Art Resouces.

Click HERE to view photos of “Ode to Buskers & Asheville Music” from the unveiling.

Join us for a relaxing ride through quiet countryside on your way to small town life in western North Carolina on the Tuckasegee River Excursion. Departing from Bryson City, this 4 hour excursion travels 32 miles round-trip to Dillsboro and back to the Bryson City Depot. Pass by the famous movie set of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford!

The Tuckasegee (tuck-uh-SEE-jee) River Excursion includes an 1½ hour layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City.

Beginning October 7, the three-hour documentary-styled art installation Question Bridge: Black Males will be on view at the Asheville Art Museum. This innovative transmedia project facilitates a dialogue between Black men from diverse and contending backgrounds, and creates a platform for them to represent and redefine Black male identity in America. The work will be on view during regular public hours from October 7, 2020 through March 15, 2021.

Question Bridge: Black Males is a project that explores critically challenging issues within the African American male community by instigating a transmedia conversation among Black men across geographic, economic, generational, educational, and social strata of American society. Question Bridge provides a safe setting for necessary, honest expression and healing dialogue on themes that divide, unite, and puzzle Black males today in the United States.

Adonna Khare, Pool Party, 2015, carbon pencil on paper, 6 × 20 feet. Collection of the Artist. © Adonna Khare, image Phil Hatten.

An exhibition highlighting the works of John James Audubon juxtaposed with the work of 21st-century artists who continue his tradition of animal allegories and metaphors is currently on view at the Asheville Art Museum. The exhibition features more than 40 works and will be on display in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall through November 30.

The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.

North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.

Best of all, Porch Portraits by Suzanne will donate $15 of every session to our great friends at Flat Rock Playhouse. My goal is to raise $15,000 for the Playhouse by the end of the year so any money over and above the price of $65 will go straight to them.

Perhaps most exciting, an extremely generous Playhouse donor has agreed to a MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN up to $36,000.18! This incredibly generous donation draws on the magic of Chai, the Jewish belief that multiples of 18 bring good luck. Meaning that every session booked will result in at least $30 for the wonderful folks at Flat Rock Playhouse.

For decades, Flat Rock Playhouse has been opening their collective hearts and sharing their fabulous talents to bring joy and entertainment to western North Carolina. This is an opportunity to show our gratitude at a time when they really need our support.

Together, let’s make magic happen! Help us kick off this campaign by contributing today.

Virtual Visits for Students

Groups of pre-K–12 students are invited to schedule an interactive Virtual Visit to the Museum! Led by volunteer docents with Museum staff, our inquiry-based, conversational Virtual Visits introduce the Museum’s galleries with a 3D tour and challenge students to hone their observation skills. All pre-K–12 Virtual Visits make connections to the NC Standard Course of Study.

Virtual Visits for pre-K–12 groups are $50 for 5–25 participants from one or multiple devices through Zoom or Google Meet. Virtual Visits are available Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, and last 30–45 minutes. At least two weeks’ advanced notice is required.

For more information about Virtual Visits for adults, college, and university students, click here. For Virtual Visits for family and friend groups with children, click here.

Asheville Gallery of Art’s November show, “Opening Up to Art,” is a multi-member show featuring each artist’s personal exploration into being part of this world during uneasy times. The show runs November 1-30 during gallery hours 12-5 p.m. Thursday thru Sunday. You can also make arrangements for a private tour by emailing a request to [email protected].

Adult Studio: Story Journals
Registration deadline: October 30

In this virtual workshop, use Museum artworks and written prompts to create a handmade journal where you can record your personal ideas and observations! Through demonstrations and detailed instructions, learn to sew and alter journals. Basic drawing exercises with watercolor pencils explore space, light, color, and line, offering both drawing and painting experiences. Creative individual expression is encouraged through exercises and open-ended prompts, guiding students towards an independent and confident journaling practice.

A longtime art museum educator, instructor Susan McChesney has spent her adult life sharing the joys of creating with all ages and abilities. Interested especially in drawing, she has moved from city to seacoast to mountains to broaden her perspectives and experiences, drawing and introducing students to successful experiences creating. She earned an undergraduate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a graduate degree in education.

Registration deadline: October 30
This program takes place virtually via Zoom. Space is limited; to register, click here or call 828.253.3227 x122.

In this workshop, use Museum artworks and written prompts to create a handmade journal where you can record your personal ideas and observations! Through demonstrations and detailed instructions, learn to sew and alter journals. Basic drawing exercises with watercolor pencils explore space, light, color, and line, offering both drawing and painting experiences. Creative individual expression is encouraged through exercises and open-ended prompts, guiding students towards an independent and confident journaling practice.

A longtime art museum educator, instructor Susan McChesney has spent her adult life sharing the joys of creating with all ages and abilities. Interested especially in drawing, she has moved from city to seacoast to mountains to broaden her perspectives and experiences, drawing and introducing students to successful experiences creating. She earned an undergraduate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a graduate degree in education.

In this two hour workshop, learn how to roll and sculpt midrange clay into ceramic pendants! This will be a distanced, masked workshop where we will be working in my open-air pavilion. Participants can make essential oil diffusing pendants, glazed pendants, beads and more. Underglazes will be used on wet clay or crystalline ones will be selected and applied by me at a later time- and then finished work can be picked up the first week of December. Just in time to add cord and mail for holiday gifts! $45/participant sliding scale always available! Open to ages 10-adult (Younger participants are welcome to inquire- I might add another workshop earlier in the day.) To register, send payment to Paypal.me/onaarmstrong (Friends and Family option, with your e-mail, names of participants and “Ceramic Pendant Workshop”)

To kick off our celebrations, we’re hosting two private, socially distanced dinners. For each event, you’re invited to join our executive director and curators for a tour of our current exhibitions and enjoy a three-course dinner in the Windgate Foundation Atrium provided by our café partner, Food Experience. Live music by local bands will accompany the dinner portion of the evening. Guests will enjoy curator-led tours 6:30–7:45pm and the seated dinner and music 8–9:30pm.

Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to 60 people per evening with no more than six people per table. Face coverings and social distancing are required when not seated for dinner.