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.



A new 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 opens at the Asheville Art Museum on February 21. The exhibition features more than 40 works and will be on display in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall through May 4.
Buckner believes visitors will be pleasantly surprised by the fantastical nature of many of the contemporary works in the exhibition. “The artists have taken their inspiration from the animal world but allowed their imaginations to really take over with the stories they are trying to tell.”
The exhibition includes prints by John James Audubon from the private collection of Bill & Peg Steiner, and recent works in diverse media by Minnie Adkins, Bo Bartlett, William Beckman, Beth Cavener, Walton Ford, Laurie Hogin, Evan Kafka, Pamela Earnshaw Kelly, Adonna Khare, Anne Lemanski, Kate MacDowell, Mark Messersmith, William Morris, Joel Sartore, Tom Uttech, and William Wegman.
Click here for related programs and events.
- Bricks-And-Mortar
- Public Education
- Planning, Survey and Designation
Artist Opportunities
The Asheville Area Arts Council is pleased to share the following opportunities for artists that have recently been submitted to us. If you have any questions about an opportunity, please contact the listed organization.
The Asheville Area Arts Council does not endorse or recommend any specific opportunities, but provides this list for information only. We encourage artists to research each opportunity thoroughly before applying.

Call for Artists: NRCC Art Society
The North Ridge Country Club Art Society wishes to promote art and area artists, while also developing increased art appreciation within its membership. The NRCC Art Society continues to expand the permanent art collection in the clubhouse for members …
January 3, 2020 – January 19, 2020

Call for Musicians: Chamber Music Raleigh
ANNOUNCING THE FOLLOWING OPPORTUNITY FOR NC-BASED MUSICIANS Performance Venue: North Carolina Museum of Art, SECU Auditorium Dates: Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 2pm or Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 2pm Artists Fee: up to $2500 Submission Instructions: …
January 2, 2020 – January 24, 2020

Call for Artists: Shenandoah National Park
The Shenandoah National Park Artist-in-Residence program offers professional artists focused time to creatively explore the natural and cultural resources of this astounding landscape. It also allows artists the opportunity to share their work through …
November 25, 2019 – January 31, 2020

Call for Artists: Zapow Juried Show
ZaPow Gallery, the premier Illustration and Narrative Art Gallery in the Southeast, will be hosting its Second Annual Juried Open Show March 2020. If you are an Illustrator or Narrative artist living in the WNC area this is your chance to show your wor …
December 9, 2019 – February 1, 2020

Call for Artists: Magnetic Theater
SPECIAL EVENT – ONE ACT PLAY FESTIVAL Script Submission Guidelines: – The submission deadline is Saturday, February 1st at 11:59pm. – Plays should be between 10 and 30 minutes long, though there is a bit of wiggle room. – No more than 10 roles (prefe …
January 3, 2020 – February 1, 2020

Call for Artists: Chilkoot Trail Residency
The Yukon Arts Centre, the US National Park Service, Parks Canada and the Skagway Arts Council are calling for submissions for the 2021 Chilkoot Trail Artist Residency Program. Participants will combine their artistic abilities with a love of the outdo …
December 9, 2019 – February 11, 2020

Call for Artists: International Artist Residency
Open Call for 2020-21 International Artist Residencies at Farm Studio in Rajasthan, India The deadline for applications is 20th February, 2020. Residencies will take place October, November, December 2020 and January, February 2021. All residency infor …
| Asheville Mardi Gras Parade February 23 |
The 13th annual Asheville Mardi Gras parade will take place on February 23 in South Slope and we’re looking for parade day volunteers. The Asheville Mardi Gras parade is an all-inclusive, family friendly, full-color spectacle that is fun, entertaining, full of music, floats, dancing and celebrating. Spectators receive beads and candy and the photo opportunities are always amazing.
Details include: * About 20-25 volunteers needed for this rain or shine event.
*Setting up, manning and breaking down street barricades
*Assisting with krewe and float line up and timing as the parade begins
*Identifying parked cars that might need to be towed and checking for obstacles to smooth crowd control along the parade route.
*Coordinating with the Parade Logistics manager and city police
*Carrying 1 or 2 parade banners (Costumes optional but always encouraged!)
*Assisting with end of parade float disbursement
*Trash pick up following the parade set up and marching route. This is mostly paper trash and beads. It’s rarely more than a few bags total.
*Returning barricades, cones, etc. to the post-parade collection point
Confirmed Volunteer perks include $10 gift card to Vortex Donuts & Coffee and a free beer at Catawba. Possibly more perks to come!
Send an email to [email protected] if you’re interested in helping out.
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We are in URGENT need of two assistant coaches at Hominy Valley Elementary on one or both program days (greater need on Wednesdays). The team practices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm.
With your support, 15 girls will grow their confidence, learn to stand up for themselves and others, and realize their voices matter. You don’t even need to like running!

Each spring, hundreds of locals 50+ years-old enjoy participating in the Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts. This year’s program will be held at locations throughout Buncombe County from Tuesday, April 14-Friday, May 15. Registration is $5 before March 9 or $10 after that date. Military veterans may register for free.
To register, fill out a registration form (see documents below) or register online at ncseniorgames.org. Archery and pickleball have registration deadline dates.
Sports include basketball, bocce, croquet, football throw, softball throw, golf, cycling, track and field, archery, cheerleading, bowling, swimming, billiards, badminton, cornhole, horseshoes, pickleball, racquetball, shuffleboard, tennis, and table tennis. Miniature golf, rowing, and team softball and basketball are new this year. Age categories start at 50 and increase at five year intervals.
Silver Arts categories are classified as Heritage (quilting, woodwork, crochet, basket weaving, jewelry, needlework, tole painting, weaving, knitting, pottery, stained glass, woodcarving, and woodturning), Visual (solo, small group, and large group), Performing, Literary (poem, short story, essay, and life experience), and Contemporary. Art pieces will be displayed at Buncombe County Libraries in April and May.
A full schedule can be accessed below as a PDF.
Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram.
| File Name | Size | Type | Date & Time Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | 209 KB | 02/04/2020 7:52 AM | |
| Schedule | 45 KB | 02/04/2020 7:52 AM |
Flat Rock Playhouse and The Supporting Players are excited to announce they are welcoming volunteers who will participate in various programs that take you behind-the-scenes at the State Theatre of North Carolina.
“The Supporting Players of Flat Rock Playhouse is a great way to meet and work with people that are like-minded and have a desire to come alongside the staff to help secure the future of performing arts in western North Carolina, “ remarks Karolyn Killian, President of Supporting Players. “It is a pleasure and a joy to volunteer my time and talent for such a wonderful group of people that are dedicated to excellence in live theatre and our community!”
The Supporting Players are a unique way to get an inside look into life on the Rock while making an impact on our community. If you are interested in joining this passionate collective of volunteers and becoming part of the Flat Rock Playhouse family, make sure to tune into WTZQ on March 10th at 8:00 am to hear from some of the Supporting Players. Additionally, you can visit flatrockplayhouse.org/volunteer or email [email protected] to learn more!


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On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.
Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.

View all works acquired from the Appalachia Now! exhibition here.
The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to share that seven artists from the opening exhibition Appalachia Now! An Interdisciplinary Survey of Contemporary Art in Southern Appalachia have entered the Museum’s Collection of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Appalachia Now! was the inaugural exhibition of the newly renovated Museum that celebrated contemporary artists living and working in Southern Appalachia.
Considering available funds, the Museum’s curatorial team selected a range of works that reflect the diversity of Appalachia Now! These works were then presented to the Collectors’ Circle who voted to acquire them.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Asheville Art Museum’s expansion into new media,” says Lei Han, who is an associate professor and director of new media at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. “My collaborators and I are grateful for this recognition and we look forward to future collaborations with the Museum.”
“The Museum looks forward to following the careers of all the Appalachia Now! artists,” says Asheville Art Museum Executive Director Pamela Myers. “We are also very thankful for the Collectors’ Circle—for their generosity and ongoing support of the Museum, and their dedication to building the Museum’s important Collection for the enjoyment of all of our visitors.”
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Asheville is brimming with tourists, but it is not a new phenomenon. In 1880, just before the arrival of the Southern Railroad, Asheville’s population was 2600; in 1900, it had increased to 14,600; and by 1930, it had exploded to over 50,000. Many of these newcomers had first been tourists drawn to the area by the temperate climate, scenery, and wealth of tourist amenities. Where were these folks staying and dining? What souvenirs and postcards did they take home? And what did they buy for their new homes in this booming town? Join panelists Lynne Poirier-Wilson, Whitney Richardson, and Terry Taylor for a discussion of Asheville during the Arts & Crafts Movement and beyond.
Join us early to explore the new Asheville Art Museum! Our newly reopened and expanded landmark building on Pack Square features the best of American art of the 20th and 21st centuries, with a special look at art of Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia.
Space is limited; register by February 17. To register now, click
Mystical Night Market presented by The Guild of Sacred Arts. Join us for a celebration of the mind, body, and spirit. Local readers, healers, and makers will be offering: astrological readings, intuitive/psychic/medium readings, Akashic Records and animal communication readings, Reiki/energy healings, transformational coaching, local art, Reiki-infused jewelry, fairy hair, natural soaps, apothecary items, and more.
No entry fees! Raffle prizes! Come join us for a night of fun!
- Bricks-And-Mortar
- Public Education
- Planning, Survey and Designation

Each spring, hundreds of locals 50+ years-old enjoy participating in the Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts. This year’s program will be held at locations throughout Buncombe County from Tuesday, April 14-Friday, May 15. Registration is $5 before March 9 or $10 after that date. Military veterans may register for free.
To register, fill out a registration form (see documents below) or register online at ncseniorgames.org. Archery and pickleball have registration deadline dates.
Sports include basketball, bocce, croquet, football throw, softball throw, golf, cycling, track and field, archery, cheerleading, bowling, swimming, billiards, badminton, cornhole, horseshoes, pickleball, racquetball, shuffleboard, tennis, and table tennis. Miniature golf, rowing, and team softball and basketball are new this year. Age categories start at 50 and increase at five year intervals.
Silver Arts categories are classified as Heritage (quilting, woodwork, crochet, basket weaving, jewelry, needlework, tole painting, weaving, knitting, pottery, stained glass, woodcarving, and woodturning), Visual (solo, small group, and large group), Performing, Literary (poem, short story, essay, and life experience), and Contemporary. Art pieces will be displayed at Buncombe County Libraries in April and May.
A full schedule can be accessed below as a PDF.
Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram.
| File Name | Size | Type | Date & Time Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | 209 KB | 02/04/2020 7:52 AM | |
| Schedule | 45 KB | 02/04/2020 7:52 AM |
Flat Rock Playhouse and The Supporting Players are excited to announce they are welcoming volunteers who will participate in various programs that take you behind-the-scenes at the State Theatre of North Carolina.
“The Supporting Players of Flat Rock Playhouse is a great way to meet and work with people that are like-minded and have a desire to come alongside the staff to help secure the future of performing arts in western North Carolina, “ remarks Karolyn Killian, President of Supporting Players. “It is a pleasure and a joy to volunteer my time and talent for such a wonderful group of people that are dedicated to excellence in live theatre and our community!”
The Supporting Players are a unique way to get an inside look into life on the Rock while making an impact on our community. If you are interested in joining this passionate collective of volunteers and becoming part of the Flat Rock Playhouse family, make sure to tune into WTZQ on March 10th at 8:00 am to hear from some of the Supporting Players. Additionally, you can visit flatrockplayhouse.org/volunteer or email [email protected] to learn more!
The Rock and Roll Playhouse is excited to bring the Music of the Grateful Dead for Kids to the Grey Eagle on 2/23/2020.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse is a children’s concert series that allows kids to “move, play and sing while listening to works from the classic-rock canon” (NY Times). The Playhouse offers its core audience of children aged 10 and under games, movement, stories, and an opportunity to rock out in a sensory-friendly environment while playing songs from musical icons such as Grateful Dead, David Bowie, The Beatles, and more. Founded in 2013 in New York City, the Playhouse has now expanded to over thirty venues and cities across the United States.
Doors at 12:00 PM // Show from 12:30 – 1:30PM

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.

View all works acquired from the Appalachia Now! exhibition here.
The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to share that seven artists from the opening exhibition Appalachia Now! An Interdisciplinary Survey of Contemporary Art in Southern Appalachia have entered the Museum’s Collection of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Appalachia Now! was the inaugural exhibition of the newly renovated Museum that celebrated contemporary artists living and working in Southern Appalachia.
Considering available funds, the Museum’s curatorial team selected a range of works that reflect the diversity of Appalachia Now! These works were then presented to the Collectors’ Circle who voted to acquire them.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Asheville Art Museum’s expansion into new media,” says Lei Han, who is an associate professor and director of new media at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. “My collaborators and I are grateful for this recognition and we look forward to future collaborations with the Museum.”
“The Museum looks forward to following the careers of all the Appalachia Now! artists,” says Asheville Art Museum Executive Director Pamela Myers. “We are also very thankful for the Collectors’ Circle—for their generosity and ongoing support of the Museum, and their dedication to building the Museum’s important Collection for the enjoyment of all of our visitors.”

Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.
Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Grab a glass and get hands-on at the Arboretum’s new “Crafty Hour” social series. Led by Melissa Thomas of Flora living boutique, each workshop features a new project design that enables participants to craft their own personalized botanical masterpiece while enjoying an afternoon at the Arboretum with friends.
Dried Wreaths Workshop
Make a beautiful dried wreath to keep your spirits up while we wait for those spring blooms! Event includes a complimentary beverage, light food, personalized instructions and supplies, and full day parking access to the Arboretum.
Location: Education Center
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.
Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk



The 13th annual Asheville Mardi Gras parade will take place on February 23 in South Slope and we’re looking for parade day volunteers. The Asheville Mardi Gras parade is an all-inclusive, family friendly, full-color spectacle that is fun, entertaining, full of music, floats, dancing and celebrating. Spectators receive beads and candy and the photo opportunities are always amazing.


