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.
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Join Alexis from Cisco Pilates Asheville for a free Pilates mat class! The class is beginner friendly. This will be offered in-person at Pack Library or from the comfort of your own home. You choose! To register for these classes, please go to: www.ciscopilates.com… These classes are offered to the public free of charge. We will have some yoga mats on hand for the in-person participants, but feel free to bring your own equipment and water bottle! If you have any questions, please call Jen at 828-250-4700 or email [email protected]. |
Exhibition and Public Programming
Vera B. Williams, an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books, started making pictures almost as soon as she could walk. She studied at Black Mountain College in a time where summer institutes were held with classes taught by John Cage and Merce Cunningham. Williams studied under the Bauhaus luminary Josef Albers and went on to make art for the rest of her life. At the time of her death, The New York Times wrote: “Her illustrations, known for bold colors and a style reminiscent of folk art, were praised by reviewers for their great tenderness and crackling vitality.” Despite numerous awards and recognition for her children’s books, much of her wider life and work remains unexplored. This retrospective will showcase the complete range of Williams’ life and work. It will highlight her time at Black Mountain College, her political activism, and her establishment, with Paul Williams, of an influential yet little-known artist community, in addition to her work as an author and illustrator.
Author and illustrator of 17 children’s books, including Caldecott medal winner, A Chair for My Mother, Vera B. Williams always had a passion for the arts. Williams grew up in the Bronx, NY, and in 1936, when she was nine years old, one of her paintings, called Yentas, opens a new window, was included in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. While Williams is widely known for her children’s books today, this exhibition’s expansive scope highlights unexplored aspects of her artistic practice and eight decades of life. From groundbreaking, powerful covers for Liberation Magazine, to Peace calendar collaborations with writer activist Grace Paley, to scenic sketches for Julian Beck and Judith Malina’s Living Theater, to hundreds of late life “Aging and Illness” cartoons sketches and doodles, Vera never sat still.
Williams arrived at Black Mountain College in 1945. While there, she embraced all aspects of living, working, and learning in the intensely creative college community. She was at BMC during a particularly fertile period, which allowed her to study with faculty members Buckminster Fuller and Josef Albers, and to participate in the famed summer sessions with John Cage, Merce Cunningham, M.C. Richards, and Robert Rauschenberg. In 1948, she graduated with Josef Albers as her advisor and sculptor Richard Lippold as her outside examiner. Forever one of the College’s shining stars, Vera graduated from BMC with just six semesters of coursework, at only twenty-one years old. She continued to visit BMC for years afterward, staying deeply involved with the artistic community that BMC incubated.
Anticipating the eventual closure of BMC, Williams, alongside her husband Paul Williams and a group of influential former BMC figures, founded The Gate Hill Cooperative Artists community located 30 miles north of NYC on the outskirts of Stony Point, NY. The Gate Hill Cooperative, also known as The Land, became an outcropping of Black Mountain College’s experimental ethos. Students and faculty including John Cage, M.C. Richards, David Tudor, Karen Karnes, David Weinrib, Stan VanDerBeek, and Patsy Lynch Wood shaped Gate Hill as founding members of the community. Vera B. Williams raised her three children at Gate Hill while continuing to make work.
The early Gate Hill era represented an especially creative phase for the BMC group. For Williams, this period saw the creation of 76 covers for Liberation Magazine, a radical, groundbreaking publication. This exhibition will feature some of Williams’ most powerful Liberation covers including a design for the June 1963 edition, which contained the first full publication of MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Williams’ activism work continued throughout her life. As president of PEN’s Children Committee and member of The War Resisters league, she created a wide range of political and educational posters and journal covers. Williams protested the war in Vietnam and nuclear proliferation while supporting women’s causes and racial equality. In 1981, Williams was arrested and spent a month in a federal prison on charges stemming from her political activism.
In her late 40’s, Williams embarked in earnest on her career as a children’s book author and illustrator, a career which garnered the NY Public Library’s recognition of A Chair for My Mother as one of the greatest 100 children’s books of all time. Infinitely curious and always a wanderer at heart, Williams’ personal life was as expansive as her art. In addition to her prolific picture making, Williams started and helped run a Summerhill-based alternative school, canoed the Yukon, and lived alone on a houseboat in Vancouver Harbor. She helped to organize and attended dozens of political demonstrations throughout her adult life.
Her books won many awards including the Caldecott Medal Honor Book for A Chair for My Mother in 1983, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award– Fiction category– for Scooter in 1994, the Jane Addams Honor for Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart in 2002, and the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature in 2009. Her books reflected her values, emphasizing love, compassion, kindness, joy, strength, individuality, and courage.
Images:
Cover of Vera B. Williams’ A Chair for My Mother, published in 1982.
Vera B. Williams, Cover for Liberation Magazine, November 1958.
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Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. Begun in 1962 in Wisconsin, it was a student of Littleton’s that first came to the area in 1965 and set up a glass studio at the Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina. By 1967, Mark Peiser was the first glass artist resident at the school and taught many notable artists, like Jak Brewer in 1968 and Richard Ritter who came to study in 1971. By 1977, Littleton retired from teaching and moved to nearby Spruce Pine, North Carolina and set up a glass studio at his home. Since that time, glass artists like Ken Carder, Rick and Valerie Beck, Shane Fero, and Yaffa Sikorsky and Jeff Todd—to name only a few—have flocked to the area to reside, collaborate, and teach, making it a significant place for experimentation and education in glass. The next generation of artists like Hayden Wilson and Alex Bernstein continue to create here. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. Exhibitions, including Intersections of American Art, explore glass art in the context of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum’s Collection. |
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From the work songs of the fields of people who were enduring the bonds of slavery, to Ragtime, Jazz, R&B, and the inspired spirituals of the Civil Rights movement, this play follows the compelling story of the role that music played in the history of Black Americans. Meet incredible Americans like Scott Joplin, Billie Holiday, Little Richard and more in a tale that is sure to intrigue audiences of all ages! Space is limited. Registration is required. All ages are welcome but this program is ideal for Grade 4 – Adult. Please stop by the Weaverville Library or call 250-6482 to reserve your space! |
Please sign up for one (1) 15 minute audition slot.
The audition will consist of reading from sides of the script.
Sides will be emailed to you after signing up.
If you would like to schedule an audition outside of these times, please send an email with times that work.
Rehearsals will begin mid-March. Performances are Friday – Sunday, May 10th – 26th at 7:30
PSABC is proud to once again participate in the National Arts & Crafts Conference with our Historic Home Tour. This conference draws Arts & Crafts enthusiasts from all over the country for a weekend of seminars, group discussions, demonstrations, selling shows and our home tour.
This year, the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County is pleased to offer four or more unique historic homes for the Historic Home Tour. The homes on the tour are located in the historic Montford Neighborhood. Planning for the Montford Neighborhood we know today began in 1889 as Asheville’s first electric streetcar suburb by the Asheville Loan, Construction and Improvement Company. Development proceeded slowly until business tycoon George W. Pack took over the enterprise. The sprawling and irregularly shaped residential neighborhood grew to include a collection of houses representing a variety of architectural styles from the early twentieth century, which are included on this tour
Join the Buncombe County Special Collections and our partners from the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and Vance Birthplace State Historic Sites for a mini-symposium examining issues of race in Thomas Wolfe’s Asheville and how those themes continue to impact our community in the present.
Saturday, February 17, 2024, 2:30 pm, Lord Auditorium Dr. Darin Waters (Deputy Secretary of Archives and History for North Carolina) and Dr. Kevin Young (Appalachian State University) will present short lectures on Thomas Wolfe’s examination of race in his works Welcome to Our City and Child By Tiger followed by a facilitated Q&A.
Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
A 2 hour hands-on experience with a Barista learning about espresso on a pro espresso machine. Anyone who has a home espresso machine and wants to learn their way around the machine, make better espresso, steam latte better, or is looking to get a machine would enjoy taking this workshop and learn a lot! We use only locally roasted beans in all our offerings. 4 people per class. $125 a person.
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Join the Buncombe County Special Collections and our partners from the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and Vance Birthplace State Historic Sites for a mini-symposium examining issues of race in Thomas Wolfe’s Asheville and how those themes continue to impact our community in the present.
Saturday, February 17, 2024, 2:30 pm, Lord Auditorium Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Mountain History and Culture Group. |
Wilde’s most successful and enduring play is a wonderful and witty comedy of deception, disguise and misadventure. Two bachelors, Jack and Algernon, create alter egos in an effort to avoid tedious social obligations and win the hearts of Gwendolen and Cecily, the two women they adore.
A lot has been said and published that is confusing about Art during the Arts & Crafts movement. To cut through the gibberish, join Mike McCue for a behind-the-scenes program and view rare and unique artworks from the Museum’s Collection. McCue’s approach to the “A” in Arts & Crafts will help you understand what actually was happening during that fascinating era in America.
Beginning in January 2024, ASAP (Appalachian
Sustainable Agriculture Project) will partner with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture and MountainWise
to expand Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables programs to more farmers markets, farmstands,
and groceries in Western North Carolina. This group has established the WNC Double SNAP Network
in order to bring together existing programs and expand to new sites, making SNAP incentives more
accessible throughout the region.
SNAP programs that center local food and farms can significantly improve individual and community
health. They make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible, keep food dollars in the local
economy, and connect participants with positive food and social environments in their communities.
“ASAP, Mountainwise, and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture currently operate successful SNAP
incentive programs at 26 sites, which connect participants with fresh food and farms in their
communities,” said Mike McCreary, ASAP’s Farmers Market Program Manager. “By combining efforts
and resources, we’ll not only be able to deepen the impact of our existing programs, but also create
adaptive programs that meet the needs of communities that don’t currently have access.”
The first phase of the project focuses on strengthening existing programs across sites operating
January through March, including:
● Asheville City Winter Market, 52 N. Market St., Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● Winter King Street Market, 252 Poplar Grove Rd., Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● Columbus Winter Market, 35 Locust St., 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● High Country Food Hub, 252 Poplar Grove Rd., Boone, online ordering with Wednesday pick-up,
12–6:30 p.m.
● Jackson County Winter Farmers Market, 110 Railroad Ave., Sylva, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● Jarrett Brothers IGA, 191 Main St., Rosman, daily, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
● North Asheville Tailgate Market, 275 Edgewood Rd., Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● River Arts District Farmers Market, 350 Riverside Dr., Asheville, 3–5:30 p.m.
● Rutherford County Winter Farmers Market, 146 North Main St., Rutherfordton, 1st and 3rd
Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● Saluda Winter Market, 64 Greenville St., 2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
● Transylvania Farmers Market, 200 E. Main St., Brevard, Saturdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
● Weaverville Tailgate Market, 60 Lakeshore Dr., Saturdays, 3–6 p.m
Join us for an all-ages Community Singing Session led by the inspirational Melanie DeMore, which promises to be a feast for the soul and a joyous celebration of music for all ages.
Melanie DeMore is a 3 time Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director, and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. In her presentations, DeMore beautifully brings her participants together through her music and commentary. DeMore facilitates vocal and stick-pounding workshops for professional choirs, and community groups as well as directing numerous choral organizations across the U.S., Canada, and beyond.
For tickets please visit http://tinyurl.com/uucamdm
Adv – Adult $20/ Youth $0
Door – Adult $25/ Youth $5
Sign up to greet voters at the Friendship Community Center during Early Voting!
Poll greeting is an important way you can help make sure voters fill out their entire ballot, even our important local races.
The shifts are 2 hours long, but please consider 1) signing up for two shifts at a time on as many days as possible; and 2) signing up for an empty shift first until they’re all filled with at least one volunteer. Early Voting begins on February 15th and will continue through March 2nd.
All Poll Greeters are encouraged to attend a Poll Greeter Training. Here is the link to sign up for the training: https://mobilize.us/s/oazSHJ
Thanks so much for agreeing to welcome and inform voters, and to encourage them to join our efforts.
Step into the enigmatic world of “Til Death Do We Part” – an enthralling Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner, presented by SKYLARANNA in collaboration with JJ Brown Productions
Whether you yearn for an unforgettable evening of dinner alone or desire the full immersive experience, including an overnight stay, the choice is yours to make.
Price: From $349 to $449 Per Couple (Excludes tax and gratuity)
For any inquiries, call (828) 919 – 7777
TIL DEATH DO WE PART Valentine Weekend Package:
Continental Breakfast
Lodging for 2 guests
Cocktail Reception
Five-Course Dinner
Interactive Murder Mystery Show
Bonfire and S’mores Kit
Date: February 17 – February 18, 2024
SKYLARANNA Resort and SPA
February 17 – Hotel check-in @3pm, Cocktail Reception @5pm, Dinner + Show @6pm, Bonfire @9pm.
February 18 – Breakfast between 9am-11am, Hotel check-out @11am.
Reserve your spot now for a weekend that will linger in your memory!
Act fast, as our exclusive packages are selling out quickly!
Secure your spot now before it’s too late!
What happens when Washington, D.C.’s premiere, political satire group – The Capitol Steps – call it quits after nearly 40 years? Most folks would agree that it was a great run, and the story would end there.
But an intrepid group of cast members and a co-writer would not go quietly into that good night. This band of fools reflected on a world without musical, political satire, and didn’t like what they saw. And just like that The Capitol Fools were born.
While foolish enough to embark on this new journey, they were smart enough to not reinvent the wheel. Fast-paced, laugh out loud show…check. Equal opportunity offenders…check. Skewering both sides of the aisle…check. If a “Steps-style show” is wrong, they don’t want to be right.
The Capitol Fools hold up a mirror to our crazy political culture, providing hilarious song parodies and foolish reflections that continue to inspire belly-laughter. Audiences will continue to see cast members from past seasons of the Capitol Steps performing all the beloved bits, the mind-boggling backward talking spoonerisms, break-neck costume changes, over-the-top impressions, and all-new song parodies reflecting the day’s news. They will give you a memory that will last a lunch time. The spirit, irreverence and D.N.A. of The Capitol Steps lives on with The Capitol Fools!
Calling adventurous tweens/teens! Join us for Dungeons & Dragons at the Weaverville Library! This program is open to tweens and teens ages 12+.
All skill levels are welcome.
Space for this program is limited. Registration is required. Please stop by the Weaverville Library or call 828-250-6482 to reserve your space!
Sign up to greet voters at the Friendship Community Center during Early Voting!
Poll greeting is an important way you can help make sure voters fill out their entire ballot, even our important local races.
The shifts are 2 hours long, but please consider 1) signing up for two shifts at a time on as many days as possible; and 2) signing up for an empty shift first until they’re all filled with at least one volunteer. Early Voting begins on February 15th and will continue through March 2nd.
All Poll Greeters are encouraged to attend a Poll Greeter Training. Here is the link to sign up for the training: https://mobilize.us/s/oazSHJ
Thanks so much for agreeing to welcome and inform voters, and to encourage them to join our efforts.
Explore the dark side of Beer City on LaZoom’s Ghosted Tour!
Duration
1 hour
About
Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!
About
Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!
Learn about Asheville’s strange, sometimes sordid past from our ghoulish guides. You’ll laugh! You’ll scream! You’ll discover mysteries and chilling tales of scandal and murder on the blood-stained streets of this picturesque town!
Ghosted runs approximately 60 minutes. Beer and wine are welcome onboard, but no open containers, and absolutely no liquor, please! All beer and wine must be purchased from the LaZoom Room. (Passengers must be at least 21 years old to drink on the bus, and must have valid ID.)
Age Restrictions
17 and up. No exceptions.
What’s Included
A bunch of bus seats
History of murders, ghosts and tragedies in the Land of the Sky
Tongue-in-cheek comedy
A live (not dead) tour guide
What’s Not Included
Bathroom breaks (It’s 60 minutes long – plan accordingly!)
Beer or Wine (Purchase at our bar, the LaZoom Room, and take on the bus)
Laughing (we’ll give you the funny, but it’s up to you to laugh)
Gratuity (guides only accept dead president currency)
Waitlist
If your desired time and availability is full, then please give us a call to be added to the waitlist.
The innovative “klezgrass” music of Zoe & Cloyd springs from the rich traditions and complementary styles of fiddler/vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist John Cloyd Miller. Descending from a lineage of klezmer and jazz musicians, Natalya trained classically in her home state of Massachusetts before moving south in 2004. John, a twelfth generation North Carolinian and grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler, Jim Shumate, is a 1st place winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest. Based in Asheville, NC, Zoe & Cloyd delight audiences with soaring harmonies and heartfelt songwriting, seamlessly combining original bluegrass, klezmer, old-time and folk with sincerity and zeal.
In 2023, Zoe & Cloyd released their fifth studio album on Organic Records, entitled Songs of Our Grandfathers. The project is an homage to their respective bluegrass and klezmer roots and has been enthusiastically received with feature articles in Bluegrass Unlimited, No Depression and the Bluegrass Situation. Also in 2023, Zoe & Cloyd performed at numerous events including Bluegrass Omagh in Northern Ireland, the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, the NC Folk Festival, and will host A Swannanoa Solstice at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville.
Zoe & Cloyd will be joined at the BMCA by bassist and long-time collaborator, Kevin Kehrberg. Kevin is an award-winning bassist who has performed jazz and traditional music styles all over the world from Indonesia to Kyrgyzstan, Japan and beyond. His recent collaborative recording for Bluegrass at the Crossroads won IBMA 2021 Instrumental Recording of the Year. Kevin has taught many workshops and clinics in addition to being a professor of music at Warren Wilson College, where he maintains an active bass studio and teaches various courses in music and culture.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Seating is general admission. Online ticket sales end one hour prior to showtime. If the show has not sold out, tickets may still be available for purchase in the office after online sales have ended. Call 828-669-0930 for availability.
Greenville Swamp Rabbits vs. Atlanta Gladiators
By Bob Larbey
Directed by Mark Colbenson
Feichter Studio
Step into the world of Cooper and Aylott, residents of “Paradise House” retirement home, as they plot their escape and navigate the rocky road of aging with humor, grace, and… trepidation. Watch as Cooper charmingly flirts with his nurse, engages in witty banter with the cleaning lady, and attempts to bridge the gap with his somewhat estranged daughter. Don’t miss out on this uplifting winter production—it’s a celebration of life, love, and the enduring spirit that connects us all.
Rated PG-13
Hendersonville Theatre welcomes back Asheville Americana band, Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters to its Hometown Sound Music Series in February. Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters’s music is nuanced, bringing insight and wit to the stories Platt tells through songwriting. Lyrically driven, the country roots music often inspires introspection, whether it be about life on the road, heartache, or hope. There is an empathetic and charming wit ingrained in songwriting. She has a knack for accessing a deep well of emotion and applying it to her songwriting, whether she is writing from her own experiences or immersing herself in the melody of emotions in another person’s life.
Performing along with Platt, The Honeycutters are Matt Smith (pedal steel and electric guitars), Kevin Williams (keys/vocals), Rick Cooper (bass/vocals), and Evan Martin (drums/vocals). The band is currently on tour supporting their sixth studio album, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, released in February 2022 on Organic Records.
See more about AAPH at www.honeycutters.com.
Raised in Michigan and now based in Nashville, GRAMMY Award-winning Billy Strings is known as one of music’s most compelling artists. Most recently, he unveiled “California Sober,” a collaboration with legendary artist Willie Nelson—his first release since partnering with venerable label, Reprise Records.
The collaboration follows Strings’ most recent full-length album, Me/And/Dad, which was released last fall and features Strings alongside his dad, Terry Barber. The product of a longtime dream, the record features new versions of fourteen bluegrass and country classics that the two have been playing together since Strings was a young child.
Since his 2017 debut, Strings has been awarded Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, Artist of the Year at the 2022 and 2023 Americana Music Awards, Entertainer of the Year at the 2021, 2022 and 2023 International Bluegrass Music Awards, Best New Headliner at the 2022 Pollstar Awards, Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic at the 2021 Pollstar Awards and has performed on the 64th GRAMMY Awards, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” PBS’ “Austin City Limits,” “Bluegrass Underground” as well as countless sold-out tour dates world-wide.
Flyin’ West is a compelling, crowd-pleasing drama by esteemed playwright Pearl Cleage. Set in the 1890s, the story unfolds in the historic town of Nicodemus, Kansas, one of the many all-black towns established in the American West following the Civil War. Through the eyes of four African-American women, the play delves into their journey of resilience and aspiration as they navigate their lives against the backdrop of the harsh realities of the frontier and the societal constraints of the era. With themes of community, racial pride, and female empowerment, Flyin’ West is a powerful portrayal of the determination and grit of black pioneers, offering audiences a captivating glimpse into an often overlooked chapter of American history.
A talkback with the cast & crew of Flyin’ West will be held following the performances on February 11th and 18th.
In the tradition of The Vagina Monologues and For Colored Girls…, The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks, and Curls is a collection of monologues and scenes exploring the often complex relationship Black women have with their hair. From Afros to braids, weddings, and funerals, falling in love to grieving a loss, these stories serve as a powerful reminder that for Black women in particular, hair is both deeply personal and political. These heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hilarious stories will take audiences on an unparalleled journey into the world of Black womanhood.
Purchase the Different Strokes! 23-24 Season 4 Production Package! Buy two tickets to each production and get two additional half-price tickets to every show in your package. Purchase your 4 Production Package through the link below and then call the box office at 828-257-4530, ext 1, to purchase your half price tickets.