What makes a place idyllic?

Start with an emerald river that flows from ancient mountains. Add an abundance of living creatures that co-evolved over millennia. Bring in humans who honor their place in the interconnected web. And rebuild a vital stream that supports us all.

Your support and engagement helps ensure the health of this watershed for the ages! We can’t do it without you.

The Asheville Art Museum is entering a new chapter. When organizations are healthy and strong, they can look to the future. Therefore, the Museum is focusing on what steps it should take to better serve our community. One recent stride was the addition of an Online Collection database to our website. Since its launch in October, more than 1,500 searchable objects have been digitized and uploaded out of our growing Collection of 7,500-plus artworks. The goal is to enable interested patrons, scholars, curators, artists, and educators worldwide to learn about the Museum’s holdings, whether they are on view or not, and to make the Collection accessible to more of the general community from the comfort of their homes. We know virtual learning is here to stay, and families and students of all ages can use the database for exploration and learning from anywhere with an internet connection! Christopher Whitten, associate registrar for the Museum, speaks more about the project: “I think there’s this constant wonder among patrons about what is in the vault or behind doors. The online database allows us to share a significant portion of the Collection on a global scale. Often, there are inquiries by researchers into which artists we have. Others ask about potential gifting of more artworks by a current artist, or even by a new artist that would be a good fit within the Collection. The Online Collection gives a new, deeper Museum experience to visitors. With three-dimension artworks, we’re able to feature more than one view, allowing visitors to see the objects from multiple angles. “For many of the artists, we’ve included updated biographies, including where they were educated and/or taught. Keywords help visitors find artworks associated with a certain subject. For example, when one types in the word dog, it will pull artworks not only with the word in their titles, but also ones in which the descriptive field mentions the word dog. “Another great thing about clicking on an object record is getting to know its dimensions—information that’s not included on museum labels. Families and donors can search and find out what items were gifted to the Museum, and by whom. Our goal is to have the entire Collection accessible online soon. We’ll be adding large groups of objects every quarter, with the next round starting in January.” Thanks to supporters like you, the Museum can provide programs that facilitate and sustain meaningful relationships. A gift to the Annual Fund ensures the Museum continues to engage artists, educators, and other experts in programs that broaden and deepen our understanding of art, ourselves, and our communities. Help us continue to support Asheville’s deeply rooted arts community by making a tax-deductible gift to the Museum’s Annual Fund today, either by visiting ashevilleart.org/donate or calling 828.253.3227 x117. We deeply appreciate your dedication to the Museum and to keeping the arts vibrant in Western North Carolina. Because of your continued support, we can share the transformative power of art with our regional community and beyond.

From 11/15 – 12/31, we’re offering a Holiday Special on our subscriptions! Get tickets at a discounted price, AND get a free ticket voucher for our next play, Native Gardens! Check our website on 11/15 to purchase this limited-time deal!

Decorating Your Windows for the Holiday Season? Join the Holiday Windows Walking Tour. Plus Share Holiday Happenings Downtown businesses: Are you decorating your windows for the Holiday Season? Be sure to let us know and we will include you on our Holiday Windows Walking Tour. This is a self-guided tour for people to follow as the stroll Downtown Asheville throughout the holidays. Also, are you have a holiday sale, event or promotion? We’re happy to share through our social media, newsletters and press releases.

SAHC is thrilled to be selected again this year to participate in the MountainXpress Give!Local Campaign. Our generous partners at Wicked Weed Brewing will MATCH donations up to $10,000! PLUS, anyone donating at a level of $100 or above will receive a $10 gift card from Wicked Weed.

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy

• Donate $25+ and get a day pass to the WNC Nature Center.
• Donate $50+ and get an animal sticker and a day pass.
• Donate $100+ and get an animal tracks necklace, animal sticker, and a day pass.
• Donate $250+ and get a a guided tour of the Nature Center with animal enrichment for two people, plus the necklace, sticker, and day pass. PLUS, you’ll be entered to win a chance to go on habitat with red pandas Leafa and Phoenix in 2023!

Merchants all over Henderson County vie for the honor of best holiday window displays and lighting, Take a drive around the county then vote for your favorite store front online, All displays will be available to view by November 26, but voting is only open December 6 – 17, Find the list of participants and information for online voting.

the City of Hendersonville will begin their fall bulk leaf collection service for City residents. Bulk leaf collection will continue throughout the fall season and conclude on December 30.

During bulk leaf collection, City residents should pile loose leaves as close to the street, curb, or sidewalk as possible without placing the leaves in the roadway or on the sidewalk. Leaves should not be bagged by City of Hendersonville residents.

Residents can help prevent safety hazards by keeping leaf piles out of the sidewalks. Obstructed sidewalks may force people to walk into the street and pose a danger for pedestrians and motorists. Keeping leaf piles out of the roadways and sidewalks also helps prevent debris from being washed into the storm drains which can cause flooding.

The bulk leaf collection process is separate from brush collection crews; therefore, residents will need to keep their brush and leaves in separate piles until bulk leaf collection has concluded at the end of the year. Leaf piles should be free of tree limbs or other objects that may damage collection equipment. Spring bulk leaf collection typically occurs during the month of March.

It is not necessary for the public to contact Public Works with leaf pick-up requests as this service is automatically provided to City residents. Leaf piles are picked up from homes every ten to fourteen days but, depending on the volume of leaves placed out for collection, the piles could be picked up sooner or later than that time frame.

Homeowners all over Henderson County vie for the honor of having the best holiday decorations, as voted on by you. You are invited to take a drive around the county to look at all the festive holiday displays and then vote online for your favorite. An interactive online Google map with all locations and a printable PDF will be available by Nov. 25, 2022.

Printed copies of maps will also be at the Hendersonville Welcome Center at that time. Online voting opens in December.

The upcoming Journeyperson course is now available AT NO COST! Due to some timely grant funding, we can offer this in-depth farmer training for farmers in years 3-7 with no associated tuition fee! The course consists of monthly cohort meet-ups and 2-3 in-depth workshops, plus mentorship!

In addition, a select number of participants will also receive matched FUNDS for your farm savings account (Savings Incentive Program) and money to spend on a professional development opportunity of your choosing! Want to attend a workshop on livestock management? OGS will contribute towards that fee! Are you saving money for a farm asset? OGS will contribute up to a certain amount to that investment.

The Journeyperson Program is for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region.

• Help Us Meet the Need This Holiday Season Round Up Campaigns & Community Events

  We are so grateful to all of our partners who are helping us during this critical time by providing various ways for people to get involved and help provide meals for neighbors this holiday season. Read through the list below to find out ways you can get involved.

• Food Lions Feeds (11/9 – 12/12): Food Lion stores will be hosting Food Lion Feeds, which is an in-store food drive program where customers have the opportunity to purchase and donate a Food Lion Feeds for the Holidays box of food that will be donated to MANNA FoodBank.

If you’re behind on your water bill or afraid your water might get cut off, a new resource might be able to help you. On Jan. 4, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved more than $450,000 in federal funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The initiative is aimed at preventing water disconnections and helping reconnect drinking and wastewater services.

The LIHWAP will be administered by Buncombe County-based Eblen Charities. The nonprofit will make payments directly to utilities on behalf of qualifying households. The program is slated to run through Sept. 30, 2023 or until funds are exhausted.

Eligibility requirements

Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services from Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit if their water services have been cut off or are in danger of being cut off.

For additional eligibility information or to apply, please contact Eblen Charities at (828) 255-3066.

Oral History Resources

 

Why Oral History?

 

 

“You don’t have to be famous for your life to be history.” -Nell Sigmon

 

 

The words above serve as the unofficial motto of the Southern Oral History Program, a project that has inspired and guided the development of Buncombe County Public Libraries’ oral history collecting initiatives.

 

 

History doesn’t just live in public records, letters, maps, or photographs. Many people aren’t well-represented in documented history, especially those that have been historically excluded from power or property.

 

 

Oral histories gives people the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words and allow their voices to endure through times. Oral histories fill in the gaps of the historical record, and deepen our comprehension of the past and present by showing us how lives are experienced on an individual level.

 

 

Through conducting, facilitating, and collecting oral histories, we hope to help bond generations, build understanding, and strengthen community.

 

 

Oral History Backpack Loan Program

 

 

You can now check out an oral history backpack from Buncombe County Public Libraries!

 

 

Call your local library or 828-250-4740 to request a backpack. You will receive a phone call when the backpack is ready to be picked up. There is no cost to borrow a backpack!

 

 

Your oral history backpack will include everything you need (and more) to record a successful oral history interview, and (if you choose) to donate the recording to a collection where it can be made available to the public and preserved for future generations. Donating your oral history recording is not a requirement of checking out a backpack. Accepted donations must meet specific donation conditions and criteria; see “Donating Oral History Recordings” below.

 

 

Borrowing Rules and Procedures

 

 

• Only one backpack may be checked out per household at a time.
• Borrowers must be 18 years or older, with a Buncombe County library card in good standing.
• The loan period is four weeks.
• Backpacks can be picked up at any Buncombe County library.
• Backpacks must be returned during normal library operating hours, either inside or using curbside service. NO OUTSIDE DROP BOX returns.
• Files must be saved by the borrower before returning. All data on returned devices will be deleted and may not be recovered.
• Backpacks will be considered lost when 10 days overdue. The charge for lost items is: voice recorder $100; backpack $30; headphones $20; microSD card, adapters, windscreen, or hard-shell cases $10 each.

 

 

Forms and Documents

For borrowers:

• Borrower Agreement (must be signed when checking out a backpack)
• Oral History Manual (includes list of backpack inventory, guidelines, and basic tech guide)
• Video Instructions [COMING SOON]
• Oral History Question Cards (ideas to get you started)
• H1n Handy Recorder Quick Start Guide & Safety Manual
• H1n Handy Recorder Complete Operation Manual