Calendar of Events

Included with admission

Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:

• An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
• A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
• Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels

Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.

In the past 50 years in the United States and beyond, artists have sought to break down social and political hierarchies that include issues of identity, gender, power, race, authority, and authenticity. Unsurprisingly, these decades generated a reconsideration of the idea of pattern and decoration as a third option to figuration and abstraction in art. From 1972 to 1985, artists in the Pattern and Decoration movement worked to expand the visual vocabulary of contemporary art to include ethnically and culturally diverse options that eradicated the barriers between fine art and craft and questioned the dominant minimalist aesthetic. These artists did so by incorporating opulence and bold intricacies garnered from such wide-ranging inspirations as United States quilt-making and Islamic architecture. Too Much Is Just Right: The Legacy of Pattern and Decoration features more than 70 artworks in an array of media from both the original time frame of the Pattern and Decoration movement, as well as contemporary artworks created between 1985 and the present. The artworks in this exhibition demonstrate the vibrant and varied approaches to pattern and decoration in art. Artworks from the 21st century elucidate contemporary perspectives on the employment of pattern to inform visual vocabularies and investigations of diverse themes in the present day. Artworks drawn from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection join select major loans and feature Pattern and Decoration artists Valerie Jaudon, Joyce Kozloff, Robert Kushner, and Miriam Schapiro, as well as Anni Albers, Elizabeth Alexander, Sanford Biggers, Tawny Chatmon, Margaret Curtis, Mary Engel, Cathy Fussell, Samantha Hennekke, John Himmelfarb, Anne Lemanski, Rashaad Newsome, Peter Olson, Don Reitz, Sarah Sense, Billie Ruth Sudduth, Mickalene Thomas, Shoku Teruyama, Anna Valdez, Kehinde Wiley, and more. This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and guest curated by Marilyn Laufer & Tom Butler.

Do you have an overactive Spider Plant? Is your Aloe Plant giving you the stink eye? Maybe it’s time to mix things up! Bring any & all unwanted houseplants to the Weaverville Library in May and swap them out for something new.  Houseplant Exchange is available and self serve during all open hours.

“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Written in just 10 days as a tribute to his sister Susan by playwright Robert Harling, Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorously acerbic verbal lacerations, the play deepens when the spunky Shelby (who is diabetic) contradicts her doctor’s advice and risks pregnancy. Steel Magnolias exemplifies the universal and unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love.

We are seeking volunteers to assist us in our small after school program for children in West Asheville in low-income housing.  We provide a safe and nourishing environment, healthy snacks, and creative activities.  Our program currently meets during the school year on most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00-5:00pm. You may volunteer for one or two days a week. 

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Assist with serving snacks
• Interact with children during activity time
• Supervise games and outdoor free time
• For people with background in education, there is also an opportunity to assist with curriculum development and program planning and administration

Requirements:

• Background check
• Orientation booklets will be provided
• Masks are required if unvaccinated

Join us on Thursdays from 3-6 pm through October

Celebrating over 15 years of bringing fresh, local produce and handcrafted goods to the community of Flat Rock NC.
Join us every Thursday, May – October at our location at Pinecrest Presbyterian Church at the corner of Upward Rd and Greenville Hwy. 

Please join the Chamber to celebrate the Grand Opening of Sensorium Neuro Wellness.

Do you want to improve focus, concentration, emotional wellbeing, healthy relationships, and academic or work performance? Sensorium Neuro Wellness’s mission is to help their clients achieve better brain and body performance with sustained results through comprehensive cutting-edge assessments and personalized Neuro Fitness exercises. They offer Brain Health, Brain Training, Neurofeedback, Functional Neuro Assessments and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

There will be food, drinks, tours and raffle prizes with drawings every half hour! The grand prize will be a 10 session MHBOT (mild hyberboric oxygen therapy) series.

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

MOON WATER

The mother/daughter duo whose tight blood harmonies drive the music, came to be during the covid-19 pandemic when Jenny Renee, a single mom, moved her two kids, Blu Belle and Bud, to The Appalachian Mountains from Manhattan, New York. Having grown up in the south, Jen got reconnected to her roots and started playing old hymns and mountain music with her kids. They began posting videos and getting positive feedback.

Without much work due to the pandemic and being free of the bustle that is NYC, Jen had time on her hands to write more music and contemplate what’s important in life. As a cancer survivor, she found new joy and appreciation for life and nature on the mountain top and began singing about it. Blu started experimenting with fiddle, lap steel and bass when Moon Water was born.  Bud sits in occasionally on drums as well.

Why Moon Water? A month after arriving in Western North Carolina, Blu collected rain water before the Flower  Moon and then sat it out the night of the full moon. There the water became moon water and they keep it  in a mason jar as their positive energy force for musical inspiration.

Their new album Deep Medicine, recorded at Citizen Studios and featuring Matt Smith on pedal steel and Lyndsay Pruett on fiddle, is available on all streaming platforms.

Our live jazz series featuring host, pianist, and composer Michael Jefry Stevens returns to the Enka-Candler Library on Thursday, May 25 at 6 p.m.! Musical guests will be accompanying Michael for an hour of live outdoor jazz, at the side of the library building. This free program is for all ages and no registration is required.

We will have some seats outside, but you are welcome to bring your own blanket or lawn chairs, and you can even pack a picnic if you’d like. In case of inclement weather, the program will take place in the library community room.

Trivia, Singo, tailgate games, and more! Our games are sure to challenge you, but c’mon… it’s not rocket science!

The incredibly talented duo of Jilly Martin and Ryan Brooks Kelly have become the next must-see act from New England to Nashville. Over the years, they’ve been featured as support acts for many traditional, and mainstream country artists. Standouts in today’s crossover country music scene, Jilly & Ryan’s songs bridge the boundary between traditional and new country. They’ve made their mark with highly-acclaimed original music and are winning over audiences each and every time they perform. Jilly and Ryan’s compelling songwriting, dynamic vocal harmonies, and stunning musicianship have them poised for a breakthrough in the music industry.

Nancy Cohen, Interior View, 2007, handmade kozo paper, publisher: Dieu Donné, New York, 10 × 13 ½ inches. Gift of Dieu Donné, New York, 2022.27.01 © Nancy Cohen.

Join artist Nancy Cohen for this virtual conversation and discover the breadth of possibilities and unique qualities that exist in handmade paper. Nancy Cohen’s Interior View is in the Museum’s exhibition Pulp Potential: Works in Handmade Paper, on view through July 24.

Click the button below to join the virtual conversation:

VIRTUAL ZOOM LINK

Meeting ID: 524 004 3452

Join us every Thursday at 6:15 pm for our group run at Wedge Brewing Company’s Foundation location in Asheville’s River Arts District (5 Foundy Street).  Runners of all abilities are welcomed for this self-paced, self-guided jaunt along the French Broad River.  The run follows a route that is 7.5 miles out-and-back, but feel free to turn around whenever you want for a shorter option.

While we are spoiled with an abundance of singletrack trails, fire roads, and dirt roads in and around Asheville, flat road runs are harder to find.  The Wedge Run was started in the Spring of 2012 to put a flat run on the calendar every week on a no-brainer out-and-back route.  Oh yeah – we like finishing the run at a brewery, too.

We realize that Wedge Run has had a reputation of being a hammerfest. There is some truth to that – for many runners it is a good opportunity to go fast with friends.  However, every week there are athletes of all abilities running a variety of paces and distances.  This run is a great venue for an easy short jog, a long run, or anything in-between.

Summary:
– 6:15 pm
– Meet in the Wedge at Foundation parking lot.
– Run is self-guided and self-paced.
– Route is out-and-back from Wedge to the end of the Hominy Creek Greenway (7.5 miles). 3, 4, 6 mile options available by turning around early!
– New runners get a FREE beer (courtesy of the Asheville Running Collective).

Christian Lopez is not merely riding the wave of Americana Music, the West Virginia native, is bending it to its knees. With the will of his voice and the stomp of a steady beat, Christian Lopez is pioneering his own brand of Alt. Folk Country Rock.

On Thursday, May 25, singer-songwriter and archivist Greg Cartwright will host a songwriter showcase, featuring Amanda Anne Platt, and Wes Pearce.

6:30 pm doors / 7 pm show

$16 tickets in advance / $20 at the door

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 21.

Amanda Anne Platt has been writing and performing her original songs in front of live audiences for almost two decades. With her band The Honeycutters she has released nine albums of her own original material and toured extensively in the US and Europe. Her last five studio albums have landed in the top five of WNCW’s annual listener voted top 100 releases, most recently at #4 with her double album, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea in 2022. Platt won second place in Merlefest’s Chris Austin songwriting competition in 2011 with her song “Little Bird”, and has been privileged over the years to share the stage with such songwriting greats as Guy Clark, Amy Ray, Billy Joe Shaver, Tift Merrit, and Radney Foster. She lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, with her husband and daughter.

Asheville-based Wes Pearce sings sweet and melancholic originals which blend contemporary-folk songwriting and finger-style guitar playing, with ’60s doo-wop and pop influences. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Wes left home as a teenager and found himself amongst a world of traveling folk-singers and string bands with whom he cut his musical teeth. On April 14th, 2023, almost 15 years since leaving home and finding musical community, he has released his debut EP of original songs titled Death & Darlins — truly a blending of his story and influences.

Greg Cartwright is a Memphis-born singer and songwriter who has called Asheville home since 2004. He’s an avid music fan and archivist with a passion for the singer, the song and the story. You may see him at Harvest Records curating the 45 section or volunteering at events for local community radio station 103.3FM where he was a host and on-air DJ until 2019.

Our jazz trio with Thommy Knoles on keys, Felix Pastorius on bass, and Paul Gladstone on drums will perform an opening set from about 7-8:15 pm.

An open jam session follows. Drop-ins are welcome and encouraged for a suggested donation of $10.

Jazz Jam will feature a diverse array of music from jazz’s rich history, ranging from 1940s bebop up to 1970s jazz fusion, as well as material from prominent present-day composers. Bring your instruments and jam with us, or just come and enjoy!

Amanda Anne Platt has been writing and performing her original songs in front of live audiences for almost two decades. With her band The Honeycutters she has released nine albums of her own original material and toured extensively in the US and Europe. Her last five studio albums have landed in the top five of WNCW’s annual listener voted top 100 releases, most recently at #4 with her double album, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea in 2022. Platt won second place in Merlefest’s Chris Austin songwriting competition in 2011 with her song “Little Bird”, and has been privileged over the years to share the stage with such songwriting greats as Guy Clark, Amy Ray, Billy Joe Shaver, Tift Merrit, and Radney Foster. She lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, with her husband and daughter.

Asheville-based Wes Pearce sings sweet and melancholic originals which blend contemporary-folk songwriting and finger-style guitar playing, with ’60s doo-wop and pop influences. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Wes left home as a teenager and found himself amongst a world of traveling folk-singers and string bands with whom he cut his musical teeth. On April 14th, 2023, almost 15 years since leaving home and finding musical community, he has released his debut EP of original songs titled Death & Darlins — truly a blending of his story and influences.

Greg Cartwright is a Memphis-born singer and songwriter who has called Asheville home since 2004. He’s an avid music fan and archivist with a passion for the singer, the song and the story. You may see him at Harvest Records curating the 45 section or volunteering at events for local community radio station 103.3FM where he was a host and on-air DJ until 2019.

Come out the third Thursday night for these FREE monthly improv jam sessions. What better place to test out your improv skills than in a low stakes setting among friends.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

SOME SHOWS YOU SEE. THIS SHOW YOU FEEL.

Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE—everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music.

Directed by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, upcoming 1776) with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody (Juno) and Grammy-winning score, this electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, JAGGED LITTLE PILL stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway” (The New York Times).

You live, you learn, you remember what it’s like to feel truly human… at JAGGED LITTLE PILL.

“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Written in just 10 days as a tribute to his sister Susan by playwright Robert Harling, Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorously acerbic verbal lacerations, the play deepens when the spunky Shelby (who is diabetic) contradicts her doctor’s advice and risks pregnancy. Steel Magnolias exemplifies the universal and unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love.

By Lauren Gunderson

Produced by Immediate Theatre Project

Four badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection…that ends in a song and a scaffold.

From the people who brought you Silent Sky comes this grand and dream-tweaked comedy about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.

Discretionary Content: Adult themes and badass ladies

5.25.23 The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement PULP
What: Stand up Comedy at The Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge
When: Thursday 5.25.2023. 8p-10p, doors at 7:30p
Where: The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement, Pulp Lounge103 Hilliard Ave, Downtown Asheville
Tickets: $14 (available at door or The Orange Peel website)
Cocktails available while you laugh the night away to some of the area’s best Stand Up Comics in a ridiculously fun adult environment!! .
Open mic comics signup at door get 3-5m. [Free entry for performing comics, free snacks at comics table]
Feature TBA
Host Cody Hughes: Cody is a comedian who cut his teeth in Chicago and Atlanta. He is now based out of West North Carolina and tours the Southeast. He has opened for Lewis Black, John Oliver and Maria Bamford among others and hosts the regular Slice of Life Comedy shows at The Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge.
About Pulp: The speakeasy inspired hideaway offers a cozy space for show-goers to relax and enjoy a beverage during the concert. Boasting over 200 different Bourbons and Whiskeys, alongside a myriad of other spirits, it is a must-visit for cocktail lovers and Bourbon sippers alike. Pulp will also open various other nights to feature local artists and “Slice of Life” open-mic comedy nights. To stay informed with the happenings at Pulp, visit the Orange Peel’s website, and follow @pulp_avl on Instagram.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a tribe of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. 

The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in early summer, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. 

You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Cradle of Forestry team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30pm.

Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event!
In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants.