Calendar of Events

Robert Turner (1913-2005) arrived at Black Mountain College in 1949 to establish the first studio pottery program at the College. He worked with student architect Paul Williams to design the Potshop and stayed until 1951 as a teacher and potter. There he formed lifelong friendships with M.C. Richards, Joe Fiore, and Natasha Goldowski Renner, and was part of the lively mix of art and ideas generated by Clement Greenberg, Katherine Litz, Kenneth Noland, Theodoros Stamos, and many others. Turner’s education prior to his arrival at Black Mountain included Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Barnes Foundation, Penland School of Crafts, and Alfred University.

After Black Mountain, Turner and his family moved to Alfred Station, NY where they bought a farm, and he established a successful studio pottery practice and actively exhibited his work in galleries across the U.S. In 1958 he began teaching pottery and sculpture at Alfred University where he would lead the ceramics program until his retirement in 1979. In addition to his influential teaching position at Alfred, Turner taught at Penland, Haystack, and Anderson Ranch helping a new generation of artists and potters develop their work and establishing his own reputation as a gifted teacher.

Robert Turner’s travels to Africa and to the American Southwest proved to be important life experiences and important to his growth as an artist. Over his lifetime he received many awards for his work, but his humble, gentle demeanor and Quaker background helped keep him centered while also remaining open to exploration and discovery in nature and life.

The exhibition will include work by some of Turner’s students and colleagues at BMC, Alfred University, and Penland as well as work by contemporary ceramic artists whose work fits within the context of the show. Artists include: Meredith Brickell, Cynthia Bringle, Marjorie Dial, Cynthia Homire, Bill C. Jones, Bobby Kaddis, Karen Karnes, Eric Knoche, Jeannine Marchand, Neil Noland, Daniel Rhodes, M.C. Richards, Gay Smith, Tom Spleth, Adele Suska, Lydia C. Thompson, Xavier Toubes, Jerilyn Virden, Peter Voulkos, David Weinrib, and Kensuke Yamáda.

I wanted to work with clay so that the way it moved, the vitality of clay, is not meeting something that’s been on the drawing board. It’s using clay with abstraction to start with and then seeing what it’s going to do, how it will move and change, and always surprise you.

Curated by Alice Sebrell, Director of Preservation

Bender Gallery Artists Featured in Asheville Art Museum Exhibition The New Salon: A Contemporary View The Asheville Art Museum will be opening their exhibit, The New Salon: A Contemporary View, on March 8 and it will run until August 19, 2024. The New Salon offers a modern take on the prestigious tradition of the Parisian Salon with the diversity and innovation of today’s art world. Guest-curated by Gabriel Shaffer, the show will include works from Pop Surrealism, Outsider Art, Street Art, and Graffiti genres.   Bender Gallery has been collaborating with the Asheville Art Museum to loan four paintings from three of our artists. The artists are Laine Bachman, Kukula, and Yui Sakamoto. Be sure to check out this special exhibition in downtown Asheville. Learn More Kukula, Impossible Voyage, oil on board, 48 x 24 inches Kukula (b. 1980, Israel) Nataly Abramovitch, better known in the art world as, Kukula, paints imagined worlds filled with elaborately dressed women in fanciful settings. The artist does extensive research on the layouts of paintings from the Renaissance and Rococo periods. Kukula subverts these images by depicting women characters in place of traditionally male positions and settings. Her characters are powerful, commanding, and have an air of indifference. Available Work Yui Sakamoto, Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 63 x 63 inches Yui Sakamoto (b. 1981, Japan) Our surrealist artist, Yui Sakamoto, will have two paintings featured including My Soul and Self Portrait. Self Portrait is still available from his recent solo exhibition at Bender Gallery. Standing in front of Self Portrait, one is immersed in the dual-worlds of Sakamoto’s Japanese and Mexican cultures. There is a sense of calm reflected in the repeating rose pattern, mixed with the uneasy realization that the coral, fungi, and otherworldly forms are what makeup the figure. Available Work Laine Bachman, Night Bloomers, acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 inches Laine Bachman (b. 1974, USA) Our prolific Magical Realism artist, Laine Bachman, makes a feature in the exhibition with her painting, Night Bloomers. She has been hard at work making 17 new pieces for her solo exhibition at the Canton Art Museum in Canton, Ohio. The Canton show opens on April 28 and continues through to July 28, 2024. Available Work

Ride the free ArtsAVL Trolley connecting the Downtown and River Arts Districts with two overlapping routes every Second Saturday from 12-6 pm.

EXPLORE ASHEVILLE’S ART SCENE

Ride the free  ArtsAVL Trolley linking the Downtown and River Arts Districts with two overlapping loops every Second Saturday from 12-6 pm. Trolley loops take about 20-25 mins, and riders are free to hop on or off at any stop.

Buncombe County Public Library is thrilled to announce The Hop Ice Cream as a proud supporting partner of this year’s Summer Reading Program to encourage youth literacy in our community. The Hop will provide free ice cream at the Summer Library Fest on Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m.-noon at East Asheville Library. For added fun, The Hop owner Greg Garrison will collaborate with Secret Agent 23 Skidoo to provide a special dance performance to families in attendance.

Any kid or teen who visits a Buncombe County library to pick up their summer reading activity sheet will also receive a 10 percent off coupon redeemable at any Hop location or at Pop Bubble Tea. Return your completed activity sheet to any branch and receive a bookmark for a free kiddie scoop of ice cream at any Hop location. You must complete 10 or more activities on your sheet to be eligible for ice cream – and you can also select a free book of your choice!

Summer Reading runs from June 1 to  August 31 and is open to anyone from birth to age 18.  If you have any questions, just contact your friendly neighborhood library.

Visit LEAF Global Arts every Saturday for an in-house cultural exchange with Adama Dembele. Experience the Ivory Coast with our Culture Keeper from the House of Djembe.

Blossoms & Blooms: Creating Vibrant Arrangements with Easy-to-Grow Annuals

Unleash your inner florist and join us for a journey into the world of floral design! Learn the art of crafting stunning flower arrangements using easy-to-grow annuals that you can easily self-seed. Floral materials will be provided, just bring your favorite container.

Led by Mary Quirk who previously designed for Biltmore House, this hands-on class is perfect for beginners and gardening enthusiasts alike.

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 1 hour and 20 minute layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, a brewery, and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City. Please refer to the map below for a layout of Dillsboro.

Itinerary

Below is an outline of this train’s excursion. Please refer to this train’s schedule for exact departure times.

Given the nature of railroading, durations are approximate and subject to change with

Cabaret

Book by Joe Masteroff

Based on the play by John Van Druten

and Stories by Christopher Isherwood

Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Willkommen to the Kit Kat Klub! A Berlin Nightclub at the end of the 1920s. Hitler’s totalitarian regime and the Nazi Party are on the rise. Be transported back in time and welcome for the first time at Flat Rock Playhouse, Kander and Ebb’s Broadway sensation, Cabaret! Dark and sensual, it will break your heart and lift your spirits more wildly than anything else you’ll see this season.  “Cabaret is one of the great Broadway musicals and musical scores of all time–an exhilarating, harrowing masterpiece.” –Time Out New York

*Adult language and content. Parental discretion is advised.

Internationally renowned Storyteller, Donna Washington, graces us with tales for all ages.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Black Mountain Library.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on May 1. To receive early access to tickets for this event, become a donor today! Donor presale begins March 25.

Join us on Second Saturdays each month of 2024 for our Who Am I, Who Are We? exhibit in collaboration with The River Arts District!

Each month we will be exploring a new subtopic as it relates to the overarching exhibit topic, with each of our artists telling their stories in this group exhibit.

Join us this Second Saturday, July 13th, 2024 for the opening of the Who Am I, Who Are We: Our Landscape exhibit, featuring Art Garden AVL artists Annie Kyla Bennett, Medicine Heart Murals, and more!

The Opening Reception for Our Landscape group exhibit will take place in The Canopy Gallery at Art Garden AVL, July 13th from 4 pm – 6 pm.

191 Lyman St., #320, Asheville, NC, 28801.

Come by to check out the exhibit, enjoy the gallery space, grab a drink from The Pot Stirred, and meet and mingle with the artists whose work are featured in the exhibit. This is amazing opportunity to ask the artists questions directly about their art, and learn their origin stories!

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On Second Saturdays you can also find live art creation, demos, and more in The Canopy. Peer into the process of artists in their studios, working in ceramic, fiber, paint, and more. Featuring Art Garden studio artists, and occasional special guests.

Studios:

#314: Trish Salmon, hand-built ceramic sculpture

#324: Cynthia Llanes, landscape expressionism

#320 Canopy Suite:

320a: Harper Leich, Greta Aguirre, and Lupo Passero, fine art, jewelry, herbalism.

320d: Jack Henry, painting and wheel-thrown ceramics

320e: Dillon Endico, oil painting, woodwork, murals

320f: Annie Kyla Bennett, Regenerative Nouveau. oil and mixed media

320g: Sierra the Moth Queen, apothecary and plant arts

320h: Alex Stilber, painting and mixed media

Come out to Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Winery Saturday, July 13 for live music at the vineyard with Ashley Heath! Asheville songwriter Ashley Heath has been winning over the hearts of Americana music lovers since she gave up her barista apron in the Spring of 2015. Heath delivers her signature blend of sultry blues and anthemic rock n’ roll with a voice described as “velvet soul”. She is often compared to musical influences Bonnie Raitt, Grace Potter, and Susan Tedeschi. Yet Heath still manages to find a voice all her own. 

Ashley is recognized across Appalachia for her strong songwriting and vocal abilities. Ashley has made the WNCW Top 100 list and Mountain Xpress’ “Best Of” several years in a row. She recently appeared at Merlefest, Bonnaroo, and Shakori Hills, supporting artists including Donna The Buffalo, Del McCoury Band, Anders Osborne, and Shamarr Allen. With her band “The Heathens”, Ashley aims to bring her message of hope and resilience to audiences everywhere. Ashley will be performing at Burntshirt Vineyards in Hendersonville Saturday from 4-7 PM. Join us for food, wine, and a musical good time! We look forward to seeing you here!

July 13 and July 27,

4-5pm .:. Free .:. Ages 2-5 with parent or guardian

Whether they’re dipping their toes in for the first time or confidently splashing, this promises enriching and memorable water adventures for toddlers.

Guests will meet at Dssolvr Asheville (63 N. Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) and then depart with their treasure map on a walking team scavenger hunt where they will use their minds and feet to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes to find and unlock the treasure chest for a grand prize!

The hunt involves walking a distance of up to 2.0 miles in total and will take place rain or shine, so long as the weather does not become dangerous. The hunt typically takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Children under 10 years old are welcome to participate for free with the purchase of an Adult ticket.

fletcher parks concerts

July 13th & August 17th, 2024

The annual Summer Concert Series at Fletcher Parks offers free, live music. Organized by the Fletcher Parks & Recreation.

Join us for a delicious evening featuring a 5-course dinner and tequila pairing by Chef Bob and Chef Kimsey. Maria “Tequila” Lehman will guide guests through the selected tequilas with each course.

Ticket price includes 5-courses and tequila. A cash bar will be available.

Must be 21+ to attend.

Every Weekend Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country! This week we have Mia Jackson from NYC!!!

Mia Jackson, a native of Columbus, GA, started her stand up career in Atlanta. Now living in New York, Mia performs regularly around the city when not on the road. In 2022, she was one of the openers for Amy Schumer’s national tour.

She has written for Life & Beth (Hulu) and I Love Us (BET+). Her first original comedy pilot, Aim Higher, was optioned in 2021. A true multi-hyphenate, Mia’s delightful Georgia accent landed her a voiceover role as the narrator for My Celebrity Dream Wedding (VH1). Her second half hour special premiered on Comedy Central in Nov 2019 and her stand up has been featured on This Week at The Comedy Cellar (Comedy Central). Mia is smart, funny, relatable and versatile. Her endearing comedy and bright attitude entertains all types of crowds.

featuring Alex Schubert

ages 18+
doors at 6:30, show at 7pm

Tickets $18 GA, $23 premium seating*

*premium seating is table seating in the front three rows

Sebastian Maniscalco is the undisputed king of physical comedy, hailed by The New York Times as the “hottest comic in America.” He has been performing for over two decades amassing a huge loyal fanbase and as Pollstar has noted, “He’s been a voice in the vanguard of a live comedy revolution.” During his latest tour, Maniscalco conquered New York City by selling out Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, and Prudential Center, and with his two shows at Chicago’s United Center, he is currently the highest-grossing comedian in the venue’s three-decade history. With residencies at the Borgata Event Center in Atlantic City, as well as the Wynn, Encore Theatre in Las Vegas, he continues his record-breaking arena shows that earned him the top spot on Pollstar’s Top Comedy Tours list. He has also starred in 6 comedy specials for networks such as Netflix, Showtime and Comedy Central.

Locals and visitors alike come together at downtown’s Pack Square Park “along about sundown,” or at 7:00 pm for those who wear a watch, and continues until 10:00 pm. Concessions are available!

The stage show takes place on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford stage, named for the founder of the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Since the outdoor event’s inception in 1967, hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the region and throughout the world have shared and enjoyed the rich traditional music and dance heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in this outdoor setting.

Shindig on the Green remains a free event due in part to net proceeds from ticket sales to the nation’s longest continually running festival, the granddaddy of all festivals, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.

Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Philippe Quint, violin
Allison Pohl, soprano

ERROLLYN WALLEN Spirit In Motion
ERROLLYN WALLEN Violin Concerto (premiere)
RICHARD STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben

Tickets go on sale to the general public on May 1. To receive early access to tickets for this event, become a donor today! Donor presale begins March 25.

A SLOW RIDE | PLAY BY JOSEPH REED HAYES

Three generations of women take a Sunday ride. A story about the tension, humor, affection and near-demented discord of families; the journey of mothers and daughters; in-jokes, embarrassment and eyeball rolling; but also the concerns and terrors of living under — and living with someone within — the shadow of encroaching dementia.

Award-winning playwright Joseph Reed Hayes has had dozens of productions and readings of his works in Florida, New York, California, and the United Kingdom; he’s also a performance artist and jazz producer, whose Jazz on Edge series encourages the performance of original music. Born in Manhattan, Hayes moved to Asheville in 2023, after a nearly three-decade career as a freelance writer and food critic in Florida. He has been a three-time associate artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and has been the recipient of state and local arts grants and fellowships. “A Slow Ride” and “Destination Moon” are his first Asheville productions.
https://www.hayesplays.com

Three generations of women take a Sunday ride. A story about the tension, humor, affection and near-demented discord of families; the journey of mothers and daughters; in-jokes, embarrassment and eyeball rolling; but also the concerns and terrors of living under — and living with someone within — the shadow of encroaching dementia. The Asheville premiere of a play by award-winning playwright Joseph Reed Hayes. Destination Moon is produced by HayesPlays and presented in partnership with Asheville Community Theatre.

Cabaret

Book by Joe Masteroff

Based on the play by John Van Druten

and Stories by Christopher Isherwood

Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Willkommen to the Kit Kat Klub! A Berlin Nightclub at the end of the 1920s. Hitler’s totalitarian regime and the Nazi Party are on the rise. Be transported back in time and welcome for the first time at Flat Rock Playhouse, Kander and Ebb’s Broadway sensation, Cabaret! Dark and sensual, it will break your heart and lift your spirits more wildly than anything else you’ll see this season.  “Cabaret is one of the great Broadway musicals and musical scores of all time–an exhilarating, harrowing masterpiece.” –Time Out New York

*Adult language and content. Parental discretion is advised.

The Montford Park Players is pleased to announce auditions for its 52nd  Season: 

Muse of Fire: Shakespeare’s Wars of the Roses

Jason Williams, Artistic Director

5/10/2024 5/24/2024   Edward III, directed by Mandy Bean
5/31/2024 6/23/2024   Richard II, directed by Jason Williams
6/28/2024 7/21/2024   Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, directed by Dr. George Brown, Callista Brown and Elizabeth DeVault
7/26/2024 8/25/2024   Henry V, directed by David Doersch
8/30/2024 9/22/2024  Henry VI Parts 1, 2 & 3, directed by Glenna Grant, Ariel Robinson and Adam Kampouris
9/27/2024 10/27/2024 Richard III, directed by Kristi DeVille

Conveniently located in the heart of the Historic Montford District of Asheville, North Carolina, the Outdoor Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre is easy to get to and accessible from I-240 and I-26. And, it’s just a short drive down Montford Avenue from downtown.

Embracing diversity and excellence, our burlesque festival in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC, celebrates the best of the best in burlesque entertainment. We curate inclusive shows, offering a blend of vibrant performances. Hailed the “Burlesque Hall of Fame of the south” we’re committed to bringing our audiences an unforgettable experience and can guarantee it’s one of the best shows money can buy! Come celebrate with us as we bring you “Just a Peak”, THE PINNACLE OF BURLESQUE, presented at Diana Wortham Theatre!

https://www.landoftheskyburlesque.com/

Ages 18+