Calendar of Events

Since 2010, the Asheville Area Arts Council, in partnership with the City of Asheville, has convened the Creative Sector Summit– the region’s only creative industry-specific annual conference.

This year’s conference will kick-off on Thursday, April 30th with a Dinner in the Foundry Hotel’s Savoy Ballroom. Guests will be presented with the results of this year’s Creative Sector Survey, hear from the city and county about how they support the arts, and learn from the director of the North Carolina Arts Council about the current state of the arts in NC.

The Summit will take place on May 1st and 2nd at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. Friday will focus more heavily on Creative Placemaking, with a keynote presentation by the leading consulting group in this field Forecast Public Art. On Saturday we will shift to Arts Education with a keynote presentation from Ingenuity, a nonprofit working to increase arts access for all students in Chicago Public Schools. Both themes will be addressed through the lens of Equity and Inclusion. The full conference line-up will be posted in mid-March.

Tickets are on sale now. Member discounts are available.

More details: ashevillearts.com/events/creative-sector-series

One day online class on Adobe Illustrator. Cost is $59. Register online at abtech.edu/coned-registration

See where the cougars and otters sleep overnight, meet black bears that are not commonly on display, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to care for the animals year-round, observe a training session and find out why the animals call Grandfather Mountain home.

Offered on weekends, April – October.

The exhibit is on loan from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and has been supplemented with artifacts from the Smith-McDowell House collection. Entrance to the exhibit is included with Smith-McDowell House admission – and is always free for members – and runs through May 16, 2020.

The exhibit seeks to put the local men and women who served in context with the larger events happening in North Carolina, the United States, and the world. In the exhibit, visitors will find displays and interactive elements telling the stories of just a few of our hometown heroes.

This four-part class led by Learning & Engagement Assistant Paige Taylor explores natural and artificial lighting approaches using digital photography. Through a series of weekly assignments, hone your observation skills, and capture landscapes, portraits, and more in a variety of lighting situations. Use images from the Museum’s Collection and other sources for inspiration. Class time includes instruction, group shares, and discussions; individual preparation between classes includes responding to weekly photo prompts, short readings, and journaling. This virtual class is designed with beginners, hobbyists, and those with some photography experience in mind. MAY 6, 13, 20, & 27—Wednesdays, 6–8pm Registration deadline: May 5

See where the cougars and otters sleep overnight, meet black bears that are not commonly on display, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to care for the animals year-round, observe a training session and find out why the animals call Grandfather Mountain home.

Offered on weekends, April – October.

This four-part class led by Learning & Engagement Assistant Paige Taylor explores natural and artificial lighting approaches using digital photography. Through a series of weekly assignments, hone your observation skills, and capture landscapes, portraits, and more in a variety of lighting situations. Use images from the Museum’s Collection and other sources for inspiration. Class time includes instruction, group shares, and discussions; individual preparation between classes includes responding to weekly photo prompts, short readings, and journaling. This virtual class is designed with beginners, hobbyists, and those with some photography experience in mind. MAY 6, 13, 20, & 27—Wednesdays, 6–8pm Registration deadline: May 5

Need Book Recommendations? Ask a Librarian.

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.

Hosted by Joe Standaert, local historian and member of the Western Carolina Botanical Club. Our virtual wildflower event will begin with a discussion on wildflowers and the plant communities found in the Swannanoa Valley of western North Carolina. We will focus on the ecology and structures of these communities with emphasis on their characteristics and their associated native wildflowers. We will do a short “Botany 101” overview of flower parts and then look at wildflower photos for each environment type. Next, we’ll do an overview of the various basic, intermediate, and advanced field guides available for use in wildflower identification and how to use them. Finally we will do a “virtual” wildflower tour of a hike here in our valley, with flower identification and some items of natural history, cultural uses and interesting “factoids” about some of the plants.
About Joe Standaert: Joe holds a BS in Biology from Rutgers, a Masters from the Yale School of Forestry, and is Vice President of the Western Carolina Botanical Club.

Need Book Recommendations? Ask a Librarian.

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.

This four-part class led by Learning & Engagement Assistant Paige Taylor explores natural and artificial lighting approaches using digital photography. Through a series of weekly assignments, hone your observation skills, and capture landscapes, portraits, and more in a variety of lighting situations. Use images from the Museum’s Collection and other sources for inspiration. Class time includes instruction, group shares, and discussions; individual preparation between classes includes responding to weekly photo prompts, short readings, and journaling. This virtual class is designed with beginners, hobbyists, and those with some photography experience in mind. MAY 6, 13, 20, & 27—Wednesdays, 6–8pm Registration deadline: May 5

Free event and parking. More Info: HistoryComesAlive.org or 864-244-1499

Join an audience that loves talking back to history to discuss Ben Franklin– with Larry Bounds, Chautauqua Artistic advisor, retired English teacher and magician.

Besides his experiments in electricity and inventions of bifocals, swim fins, the Franklin stove and the glass armonica, perhaps Ben Franklin should be best known for helping create a government with the flexibility to reinvent itself.

This event is a discussion NOT a costumed performance. In the Chautauqua History Comes Alive Festival June 12 – 21, Larry Bounds will perform as Ben Franklin.