In celebration of Small Business Week, join the Chamber for an inspiring program featuring three area entrepreneurs. Hear about how and why they decided to take the risk and grow an idea into successful business. Learn about the challenges, opportunities, set backs and community involvement that have propelled them to their current successes. Featuring: Bill McKibbin Henderson Oil Company Caroline Long St. Gerard House Randy Dunn Zen Hen Cafe

register by Friday, May 21st

Convenient hourly childcare. No babysitter needed.

Our trained Empowerment Childcare staff are here to take care of children so busy moms and dads can take care of errands, doctor’s appointments, meetings – or take care of themselves with an afternoon or night out!

Pay-by-the-Hour Childcare

• Short-term care for children ages 6 weeks – 6 years
• Ask about availability for older children
• Up to 4 hours per visit
• All fees help support providing free or reduced-cost childcare for women and families in transition, working towards stability and economic security. Learn more about YWCA’s Empowerment Childcare.

Hours

• Monday – Friday: 8 am – 8 pm
  • Session 1: 8 am-Noon
  • Session 2: 1 pm-5 pm
  • Session 3: 4 pm – 8 pm

Make a Reservation

• Call: (828) 254-7206 x113
• Email:  [email protected]

The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.

The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.

The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.

With the convenience of being open year-round, 7 days a week, the WNC Farmers Market offers a selection of farm-fresh produce at the lowest prices in Western N.C. Our popular retail buildings, providing a selection of non-perishables, fruits, vegetables, crafts and more, are open daily.

Take your business to the next level.

A comprehensive business innovation program designed to assist for profit, not-for-profit and family owned businesses to take them to the next level of success and sustainability.

August 25 – December 15, 2021

Registration for the 2021 Program now open.
Registration accepted through August 23, 2021.

Blue Ridge Community College and the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce have partnered once again to offer the Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator, a five-month, ten-course program.

August 25, 2021
Business Best Practices and KPI (Key Performance Indicators) Checklist by Department Identifying Opportunities for Acceleration

September 8, 2021
Management and Leadership

September 15, 2021
Human Resources, Legal and Insurance

September 29, 2021
Capital and Purchasing

October 13, 2021
Competition and Competitive Advantage

October 27, 2021
Branding, Marketing and Sales

November 10, 2021
Customer Service and Information Technology

November 17, 2021
Business Logistics: Best ways to meet customer needs

December 1, 2021
Accounting and Finance

December 15, 2021
Business Acceleration Plan Presentation and Graduation

Sessions run Wednesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. except 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on August 25 and December 15, 2021.

Included with admission

Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.

In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.

Included with admission

A unique-to-Biltmore, large-scale outdoor sculpture will be crafted and installed in Antler Hill Village this spring by Patrick Dougherty. Over the last three decades, this internationally-acclaimed artist has combined his carpentry skills and love of nature to build over 300 of these wondrous works, captivating the hearts and imaginations of viewers worldwide.

Image: Close Ties (2006) Scottish Basketmakers Circle, Dingwall, Scotland. Photo: Fin Macrae
NOTE: This is an example of Patrick Dougherty’s work; the artist will create Biltmore’s unique structure in Antler Hill Village this spring.

CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment.

Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter – HarrahsCherokeeCenter – to schedule an appointment.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Come to give in May for your chance to win a travel trailer camper, powered by Suburban Propane! Terms apply, see: rcblood.org/life

Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment.

The Asheville Mast General Store has selected Greenworks as the beneficiary for their May Round Up campaign. For the month of May, they’ll ask every guest at the Asheville Mast Store to round up their purchase. At the end of the month, all proceeds will be donated to Greenworks. Thank you Mast General Store!

Wednesday – September 29 Use code “FUTURE” Code valid 5/26 10am – 10pm

Featuring more than 40 paintings and works on paper, Beauford Delaney’s Metamorphosis into Freedom examines the career evolution of modern painter Beauford Delaney (Knoxville, TN 1901–1979 Paris, France) within the context of his 38-year friendship with writer James Baldwin. The works in this exhibition bring into special focus Delaney’s intensified experiments with abstraction sparked by the artist’s 1955 move to the Paris suburb of Clamart, as well as the ways that the artist and Baldwin’s ongoing intellectual exchange shaped one another’s creative output and worldview from their first meeting in 1940 until Delaney’s death in 1979. This exhibition also calls attention to Baldwin’s role as “witness” to the painter’s evolution, which he deemed “one of the most extraordinary personal and artistic journeys of our time.”

The Asheville Art Museum announces Meeting the Moon, an exhibition featuring prints, photographs, ceramics, sculptures, and more from the Museum’s Collection. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s McClinton Gallery February 3 through July 26, 2021.

2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Apollo space program at NASA, but its inception was hardly the beginning of humankind’s fascination with Earth’s only moon. Before space travel existed, the moon—its shape, its mystery, and the face we see in it—inspired countless artists. Once astronauts landed on the moon and we saw our world from a new perspective, a surge of creativity flooded the American art scene, in paintings, prints, sculpture, music, crafts, film, and poetry.

This exhibition, whose title is taken from a 1913 Robert Frost poem, examines artwork in the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection of artists who were inspired by the unknown, then increasingly familiar moon. Meeting the Moon includes works by nationally renowned artists Newcomb Pottery, James Rosenquist, Maltby Sykes, Paul Soldner, John Lewis, Richard Ritter (Bakersville, NC), and Mark Peiser (Penland, NC). Western North Carolina artists include Jane Peiser (Penland, NC), Jak Brewer (Zionville, NC), Dirck Cruser (Asheville, NC), George Peterson (Lake Toxaway, NC), John B. Neff (NC), and Maud Gatewood (Yanceyville, NC).

“Meeting the Moon offers the opportunity to combine science and popular culture with works of art in the Museum’s Collection,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “I think all visitors will find something that draws them into this exhibition, whether it’s the artwork, poetry, music, or science of space travel. It’s such an affirmation of humanity to find these mysteries, like the moon, which enchant us all.”

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Visit ashevilleart.org for more information about this and other exhibitions.

Desire Paths looks at makers within the discourse of craft and those existing on the periphery of the craftscape who focus on the movement of the body towards something desirable. These desires of the body are in relationship to nature, technology, self, and society. Using architectural theory and queer curatorial strategies, Desire Paths examines the possibilities and futures of bodies, revealing connections between the corporeal and craft.

“Desire paths,” a term taken from urban planning, are lines trodden in the landscape when constructed walkways do not provide a direct or desired route. Through action, repetition, and intentionality, desire paths are crafted modifications to the landscape that allow for a body to move towards a horizon. The format of the works include traditional craft media, performance, video, and interactive web-based work. Through this variety of media and performative tactics the makers in Desire Paths consider how we view, value, and ascribe meaning to a body/the body/the others body. They show us the power and agency held in body and present us with crafted visions of the body that confront and expand expectations

The works in this exhibition reclaim the concept of craft from its historical associations with the decorative, frivolous, feminine, indigenous, and the other. The makers use the medium of craft, and the action of crafting, to produce powerful representations and counter narratives to dominant culture.

Two Ways to View

Virtual Tour

Online visitors can register to attend a virtual tour of this exhibition. This is a free event. A $5-10 donation at time of registration is recommended.

In-Person

The Center is offering free, unguided visits and affordable tours of its exhibitions to the public. Guests can reserve a 30-minute visit to explore the current exhibitions, learn more about the Center’s national impact in their Craft Research Fund Study Collection, and enjoy interactive activities. The Center is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 11 am -5 pm. Hours of operation may be subject to change.

Center for Craft is monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the community and following the instruction of federal, state, and local health departments. Our top priority is always the health and safety of our staff, coworkers, and visitors. At this time, the Center can only allow a maximum of five guests in its public space at once and will require the use of masks or face coverings by all visitors, including children. The Center reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor that will not comply.

11am–6pm. Late-night Thursdays until 9pm; closed Tuesdays.

Public Domain: Photography and the Preservation of Public Lands presents works drawn from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection by artists looking both regionally and nationally at lands that are either state or federally managed or have become so. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery May 19 through August 30, 2021. 

“The Asheville Art Museum’s growing collection of photography features a variety of artworks that consider humankind’s impact on our environment and world,” said Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. “The imagery featured in Public Domain reminds us of the critical role that artists play in environmental activism and preservation, affecting change at a range of levels”. 

Through images capturing the beauty, changes, and even devastation to the American landscape, photographers have played a vital role in advocating for the preservation of nature via the establishment and maintenance of state parks, national parks and monuments, and other federally protected lands. From George Masa and Timothy McCoy’s photographs of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to a selection of works from Robert Glenn Ketchum’s Overlooked in America: The Success and Failure of Federal Land Management series, these artworks provoke contemplation of both nature’s beauty and a calling to protect it. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Bureau of Land Management whose mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. 

Photographers include Robert Glenn Ketchum, George Masa, Timothy McCoy, Benjamin Porter, Sally Gall, and more. 

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. 

This insider excursion provides you with tips and local secrets about the best way to do Asheville on a budget! You will have a better understanding of how Asheville became the unique, quirky city you see now and learn everything we are doing to “Keep Asheville Weird.” This is the only walking tour provided that allows you to choose how much you think a walking tour is worth and pay whatever you like. We will follow the urban trail, stop along the way for some free honey tastings and finish the tour with some special beer tastings at one of the best local breweries in South Slope! At the brewery, you will also be able to participate in a free raffle where you receive gifts donated from local businesses like free salsa classes, local theatre performances, books and more! I want you to know and love my city as much as I do and I am excited to share this experience with you!

Pay what you want at the end!

Free; registration required Virtual program Connections is an arts-based program serving community-dwelling adults with mild to moderate memory loss and their care partners. Join Doris Potash, master docent, for an interactive conversation about artworks in our Collection. Generous support for this program is provided by TD Charitable Foundation. More info and register at ashevilleart.org/events.

We welcome a major cable TV network all about food (hint hint) as they film an episode called the Asheville Food Truck Showdown right here at Rabbit Rabbit! Three of Asheville’s best known and most loved food trucks will compete against a surprise celebrity chef using one common secret ingredient.  It will be filmed and aired on national TV soon! It is free to the public, and spots are filling up so email [email protected] to RSVP and hope to snag one of the last spots! Food and beverages are available at normal menu prices during the event and it goes from 2-5pm at Rabbit Rabbit.

Greetings Geeks!

It has been a very, very long year but we are going to try and jump-start our network events. We’re heading to Zillicoah Beer Company for first foray! We’re going to follow their mask and social distancing rules and to keep it super safe, we are not providing any finger food. Just not sure how comfortable folks would be about sharing platters and all.

We’ve been there before and their outdoor and covered seating is brilliant for the first run back at this. As always, last Wednesday of the odd months. Please RSVP so we can get an idea ahead of time what attendance will look like. We want to hold tables together and setup properly to promote networking and conversations.

Join us EVERY Wednesday night for Kid’s Night! Children receive a free four-count kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult meal. See you on Wednesdays!