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.
$1 off draft beers every Thursday!
Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?
Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.
Getting Back to the Basics/Project Lighten Up is a unique summer and afterschool educational opportunity for low-income and minority youth that supports students’ recreational and educational learning. We provide meaningful educational support and develop self-esteem in a positive environment through mentoring and enriching activities.
Project Lighten Up is seeking in-person volunteers to assist students attending the afterschool program during the school year with spelling and reading 1-2 times a week for 1 hour.
Time Commitment:
- Commitment to a 5-week session
- Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 1 shift per week
- Volunteers choose from one, 1-hour session per week OR two, 30-minute sessions per week
- Volunteer shifts are Tuesdays & Thursdays between 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- Please arrive 15 minutes prior to shift start for health screening and transition time
Requirements/Training:
- Respond above to the opportunity
- Answer all health/safety and opportunity related questions prior to submitting your response
- Phone interview with the program director
- Volunteer application
- Complete a background check
- Attend training by program staff
- Adheres to all CDC guidelines and safety protocols
Skillset:
- Enjoys working with youth in different grade levels
- Enjoys working in a learning environment
- Remains patient and calm with students experiencing technical or learning challenges
- Demonstrates a positive attitude and empathy for students and Lighten Up team
- Non-judgmental, fair, firm, and friendly
- Models excellent verbal and non-verbal communication
Health/Safety:
- Health and safety screening prior to every shift start:
- List of health and safety questions asked
- Temperatures taken
- We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face covering (masks available upon request)
- Fabric or disposable face mask
- Asking volunteers to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or more when possible
- Note: there are times when the volunteer task requires volunteers to engage with students closer than 6 feet. Please do not sign up if you feel uncomfortable.
- Volunteers will be asked to adhere to proper hand hygiene
Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere. To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.
Requirements:
- Background Check
- Brief orientation prior to service
- Ability to Multi-Task
- Friendly Demeanor
Health & Safety:
- We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
- Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance
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Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?
Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.
ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19. Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration. We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.
Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness. We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.
We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village.
Are you looking for a way to develop your Spanish language skills or a way to keep your skills fresh? Join this friendly and welcoming Spanish Language Practice Group organized by Pack Library. Newcomers are always welcome on the first Thursday of each month at 5 p.m. This group meets online and is focused on providing an intermediate level, immersive discussion experience. This event is free, but you do need to register. Please visit the library web page and use the link on the calendar for this program to sign up.
A compelling songwriter with a commanding voice, Clint Roberts combines the acoustic roots of Americana and folk music with the boldness of roots rock in his debut album, Rose Songs. The powerful and personal project introduces Roberts as one of the genre’s most promising new artists.
“In some senses, this record is the end, symbolically, of some things in my past, but it’s also very much the beginning,” he says. “I feel the relief of a lot of things being behind me and the optimism of what might be in store for me in the future.”
“The Drifter” is richly detailed and carefully crafted, allowing listeners to feel like they’re in the room. In contrast, “Nero’s Waltz” is a wry political commentary that came to life as Roberts saw the juxtaposition of rhyming “Hallelujah” with “What’s it to ya?” Not specifically inspired by a certain president, it’s more about the “have and have nots” in society – but in a twist, it’s sung from the smug perspective of the privileged. Then comes “Nothing Left To Say,” a commentary from someone who throws everything they have into one dream, not knowing if it will pan out.
Although he says that melodies come naturally, Roberts meticulously constructs his lyrics. For example, “Chrysalis” took five years to complete. That attention to authenticity is evident throughout Rose Songs.
Roberts recorded the album at Ocean Way in Nashville with producer Ben Fowler. By collaborating in the studio, the musicians captured a vibe that falls somewhere between roots rock and contemporary folk. Today, Roberts describes the sessions as “the most profound experience I’ve had in my career thus far.”
As a teenager growing up in Western N.C., Roberts found his calling on the stage. At 14, a senior in his drama class brought in a ukulele. Because Roberts had always wanted to learn a stringed instrument, he used the uke as a jumping-off point, and received encouragement for the songs he wrote on it. From there, he picked up the banjo and guitar.
As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Roberts has multiple paths to forge a connection with an audience – something he strives to do with every show.
Friends of Downtown Hendersonville welcomes the public to witness the unveiling of 20 new works of bear art! Each bear will be revealed individually along with a background story on the artist’s design and the nonprofit that will benefit from the bear’s sale at auction in October.
Following the reveal, the bears will take their places on the sidewalks of downtown through late October before being sold at auction.
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6:00pm – 8:00pm
Open mic comedy every Thursday from 6-8pm at Ginger’s Revenge Tasting Room.
Rotating hosts each week Clay Jones, James Burks and Katy Hudson
No cover
Signup starts at 5:30, and signup order will not necessarily be show order. Each comic gets 5 mins of stage time
This is a hybrid event, meaning there is an option to attend virtually and a limited number of seats available to attend the event in-store. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.
The in-person event will include a book signing. If you are not attending in person and would like a signed and personalized copy, pre-order prior to May 12 and use the order comments field to tell us to whom the book should be signed.
If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. You can purchase online below or in the store. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!
Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they have risen to the very top of a world of seemingly endless wealth–all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.
Hernan Diaz’s TRUST elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another–and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.
At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, TRUST engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts.
Hernan Diaz‘s first novel, In the Distance, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. He is also the author of a book of essays, and his fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Granta, Playboy, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. A recipient of a Whiting Award and the William Saroyan International Prize, he has been a fellow at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. His second novel, Trust, is being translated into more than twenty languages.
Currently living and working in his adopted hometown of Asheville, NC, violinist Alex Travers spends most of his time writing and recording in the studio, teaching at the Asheville Music Academy, or busking downtown. After receiving an undergraduate degree in violin performance from Appalachian State University, he spent several years performing as an orchestra and baroque musician before breaking outside the classical realm. Since 2015 he’s been heavily involved with a multitude of local and national projects as a collaborative artist and performer. His love of Bach, composition and improvisation is apparent in his use of guitar pedals and loop-stations, which he utilizes with the violin for live performances. More about his unique style can be found on his artist website.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
On select Thursdays, local musicians enliven our spaces with music to complement your visit. As you stroll the galleries, a variety of tunes adds new dimensions to your viewing experience.
Beginning in early 1942, Axis diplomats, consular staff, and families—particularly Japanese and Germans living in Central and Latin America, along with many individuals of Japanese descent living in Hawaii—were detained in several inns or resorts in southern Appalachia and WNC. Among these facilities, many were transported to the Grove Park Inn and the Assembly Inn at Montreat. This program specifically focuses on the predominantly Japanese-American individuals detained and housed at Montreat 1942-1943 as they awaited exchange or repatriation.
About the Speaker:
Ronald Vinson has served as Executive Director of the Presbyterian Heritage Center in Montreat since 2007. The Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization to educate (onsite and online) people about the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage, the church’s tradition of worldwide mission and the history of Montreat.
Ron has served as consultant to many museums and clients on historical projects, including:
- The Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution
- The National Center for the Study of History
- Discovery Place
- The Schiele Museum of Natural History
- Gaston County Museum of Art & History
- North Carolina Business Hall of Fame
- Centennial of Golf (Golf Magazine, PGA et al)
- Insurance Information Institute (Bicentennial of Insurance) Columbia Theological Seminary
- North Carolina Business Hall of Fame
Tickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise.
Viewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website.
(Image: Several Japanese women and girls at Montreat, courtesy Presbyterian Heritage Center)
For questions or more information, email Trevor Freeman at [email protected]
We are a group of women who love to sing a cappella harmony in a variety of styles. We are seeking Leads but welcome other parts too—Baritone, Bass, Tenor.
Because we care about quality, we require user -friendly auditions.
We meet weekly.
Check us out!
Spring 2022 Amphitheater Series
An eclectic mix of music in TFAC’s popular Peterson Amphitheater awaits you this spring! From energetic folk to blends of country and rock, TFAC’s lineup of 90-minute, outdoor concerts will fill the air with music and have you singing & dancing.
- Chuck Brodsky is a storyteller, songwriter, troubadour, and a modern day bard. With only his acoustic guitar and his voice he’ll draw you in with genuine, down-to-earth warmth and his quirky, finely crafted songs. Using wit and irony, set to haunting melodies, he tells the stories of oddball and underdog characters through his syncopated guitar strumming or sweet finger-picking. His songs celebrate the goodness in people—the eccentric, holy, profound, courageous, inspiring, and the beautiful. They poke fun at what needs to be poked, and sometimes they challenge. They’re sworn to tell the truth.
Having received worldwide acclaim for his previous albums, Chuck’s 11th release “Tell Tale Heart” was self-produced, recorded in Asheville, NC and was among the top ten most played CDs on fold radio for all of 2015. In March of 2018, Chuck released his latest self-produced album, “Them and Us” which also received tremendous radio airplay. The album’s title track was the 5th most played son on folk radio for all of 2018.
The concert begin at 6:30 PM. Food options and beverages will be available for purchase.
- Kenny George Band – May 19
- Brother Bluebird – May 26
Peace. Love. Baseball. Your Asheville Hippies are back and taking the field May 12!
Thirsty Thursday
Come enjoy $1 Beers and $1 Cokes every Thursday, thanks to Catawba Brewing Co.!
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Come join us for Ashley Heath and Her Heathens!
Ashley Heath and Her Heathens are an Americana Rock band hailing from Asheville, NC. With a voice often described as “velvet soul,” Asheville songwriter Ashley Heath has been winning over the hearts of Americana music lovers since she gave up her barista apron in the spring of 2015.
All Ages – under 12 requires venue approval
This show was originally scheduled for January 28, 2022. Previously purchased tickets will be honored at the rescheduled date. Refund request deadline is February 3, 2022.
Summer is around the corner and lifeguards are in high demand. Sign up to take our spring, Red Cross certified, lifeguard course today. Class is available to ages 15 and up. The class dates are May 11-15, with a Pre-test on May 11, 7-8 pm. The cost is $250 and includes your own Resuscitation mask.
Contact Kitty Schmidt, Director of Aquatics to register or call 828.254.7206 ext 115.
This comedy thriller is a classic gem with exciting twists and turns from beginning to end. Overflowing with hilarity, this Broadway whodunit will have you guessing and laughing from start to finish. An advertising man who has brought his bride to the boss’ mountain lodge for a honeymoon calls in the local police to investigate her sudden disappearance. Enter a pretty young girl who insists over his protests that she is the missing wife. A priest backs up her story. A funny little man who owns a delicatessen enters and before you know it there are two murders at the isolated lodge. Can Inspector Levine riddle out the truth? Can you? Join us for a night of mystery and amusement!
“The final 15 minutes will reward you as a murder mystery should.” The New York Times
*This is not the Frank Abagnale Jr. stor
Midori is a visionary artist, activist and educator who explores and builds connections between music and the human experience and breaks with traditional boundaries which makes her one of the most outstanding violinists of our time. As a leading concert violinist for over 35 years, Midori regularly transfixes audiences around the world, bringing together graceful precision and intimate expression. She has performed with orchestras across the globe and collaborated with such outstanding musicians as Claudio Abbado, Emanuel Ax, Leonard Bernstein, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Harding, Mariss Jansons, Yo-Yo Ma, Susanna Mälkki, Joana Mallwitz, Zubin Mehta, Donald Runnicles, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. In 2021 she was honored at the 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors by the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in recognition of lifetime artistic achievement.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Dvořák : Sonatina, Op. 100
Ravel : Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 2 in G major
INTERMISSION
Beethoven : Sonata in A Major for Violin & Piano, Op. 47, “Kreutzer”
Auditorium seating is reserved.
COVID-19 protocols have been implemented for all concerts at Parker Concert Hall.
Beginning September 1, 2021, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to performance will be required. Masks are required for all patrons and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Read more…
A determined young fact checker is about to stir up trouble.
His demanding editor has given him a big assignment: apply his skill to a groundbreaking piece by an unorthodox author. Together, they take on the high-stakes world of publishing in this new comedy of conflict. The ultimate showdown between fact and fiction is about to begin—with undeniably delicious consequences.
By purchasing tickets to The Lifespan of a Fact, you are agreeing to abide by the current COVID-19 Policies of NC Stage which include: everyone in your party over the age of 2 wearing an appropriate mask or respirator the entire time you are in the theatre, coming prepared to show proof of full COVID vaccination or a lab-conducted negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the performance FOR EVERYONE IN YOUR PARTY regardless of age, and showing a photo ID for those in your party over the age of 18.
Starbright is the story of Grace, an astrophysicist who lost her daughter Abby nearly a year ago. As Grace’s life spins out of control, Abby appears to her and begins making predictions about the cosmos. Grace must determine if her daughter’s appearance is a sign of her dwindling sanity, or proof that there’s more to the universe than even she understands.
When Grace’s visions from beyond the grave start seeping into her reality, husband Calvin and aunt Margaret must put aside their own struggles and come together to assess Grace’s stability and safety. In light of her family history of mental health issues, can Grace persuade them to trust in her conviction that Abby is speaking to her?
Starbright is Sean David Robinson’s first full-length play. It was selected by the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival in New York City and made its original debut Off-Broadway in 2018. Starbright was named the winner of the 2018 North Carolina New Play Project and the Centre Stage New Play Festival in Greenville, SC. It was also shortlisted as a semi-finalist for the inaugural New Works Festival at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA.
Directed by Ashleigh Goff, Starbright features Courtney DeGennaro Robinson as Grace, Scott Voloshin as Calvin, Ivy Voloshin as Abby, and Janet Oliver as Margaret. Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 4:00pm. For tickets and more information, visit https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=132323.
Praised by NPR for their “upbeat, poppy vibe; energetic, driving rhythms; and virtuosic solos,” Twisted Pine will release their sophomore full-length Right Now on August 14, 2020 (Signature Sounds). Exploring a sound they call Americana funk, Twisted Pine takes traditional music in exhilarating directions. Bassist Chris Sartori writes, “This album is easier to feel than describe. We’re rooted in bluegrass, continually inspired by explorers like Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and SierraHull.Right Now takes this heritage into a new dimension. Our bluegrass is jazzy, our indie folk is poppy, our grooves are funky.”Twisted Pine grooves with fearless improvisation and intricate arrangements. “They were once bluegrass,” wroteThe BostonGlobe, “but … this Boston band has become something else, a wider version of string band, boundary jumpers akin to outfits like PunchBrothers, Nickel Creek, and Crooked Still.”
“What may be the most innovative modern interpretation of vintage roots music.” –No Depression
“Bill and the Belles is committed to helping early country music remain appreciated – not just replicated.” –Rolling Stone
“They’re a joy to watch live, and we bet you can’t make it through their set without smiling.” –The Bluegrass Situation
“Bill and the Belles’ brand of Americana oftentimes feels like it’s turning back the hands of time with their charming vintage sound.” –Pop Matters
“Bill and the Belles blend a traditional stringband sound with ’60 pop“ –Wide Open Country
“It’s Americana as dark comedy.” –Tinnitist
Happy Again isn’t exactly happy. But the delightfully deadpan new album from roots mainstays Bill and the Belles is full of life, humor, and tongue-in-cheek explorations of love and loss. Out May 21, 2021 on Ditty Boom Records (distribution and promotion by Free Dirt Service Co.), Happy Again marks a new chapter for the group by featuring eleven all-original songs penned by founding member Kris Truelsen. There’s no dancing around it: this album is about his divorce. But the group has a knack for saying sad things with a bit of an ironic smirk, pairing painful topics with a sense of release and relief. Anyone who’s been to one of their shows can attest that you leave feeling lighter and refreshed. The band often jokes that their setlists appear mournful and angry, but if you don’t listen to the words, you wouldn’t know it. “One of the darkest times of my life turned out to be one of the most creative,” says Truelsen. “I realized, ‘My life is chaos. I need to write about this shit.’” This personal loss turned out to be a creative boon for the band. Many of the songs were cranked out in just a few months, two were even written the night before they were recorded. This raw songcraft, along with the deft production touch of Teddy Thompson, son of Linda and Richard Thompson, who encouraged using only first or second takes, gives Happy Again an emotional punch that deepens with each listen.
The core of Happy Again is the foundational Bill and the Belles quartet sound featuring Truelsen on guitar, fiddler Kalia Yeagle, bassist Andrew Small, and banjo/banjo-uke player Helena Hunt, recently replaced by Aidan VanSuetendael. The album is also gently supported by Nick Falk on electric guitar and percussion and Don Eanes on piano and B3 Hammond. Early fans of the band were hooked by their singing, and Happy Again continues to deliver stellar vocal trio arrangements, honed by Yeagle, that nod toward groups like the Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. The band began as a project to explore the sounds between rural and urban music, between vaudeville and down home roots, but they’ve arrived somewhere wholly their own. They revel in the in-between: deeply engaged with the stringband tradition and eager to stretch those influences to contemporary settings. Happy Again is the latest chapter of that ongoing story: what happens when a stringband from East Tennessee lays down a session at Motown. It’s a welcome evolution that feels familiar and timeless.
With all their tongue-in-cheek quips, you’d think Bill and the Belles avoids the tough stuff, however, that’s far from the truth. “Never Be Happy Again” is a laundry list of existential woes, and “People Gonna Talk” profiles some of the frustrations of small-town living. “Make It Look Easy” is both an anthem for apathy and a proper “buzz off” to those who’ve got something to say about your life choices. And of course there’s “Sobbin’ the Blues,” Truelsen’s homage to the ‘talking blues’ numbers of the past, neatly tied up with a moral-of-the-story twist. Tucked in amongst the grief and jubilation of Happy Again are some noteworthy oddballs, including two songs that began their lives as jingles on Farm and Fun Time (the band’s live variety radio show now syndicated on PBS, reaching over 20 million homes): “Bye Bye Bill” (a tale about a pale ale drinking whale) and the “The Corn Shuckin’ Song” (make of it what you will). The band presents these themes simply and playfully, inviting listeners to reframe their own burdens and look to the future. “This was one of the first times I felt like I was writing country songs like my heros that were actually from my own perspective,” says Truelsen. “I quickly realized it made sense for us to break the rules.” The group subverts expectations for a stringband, taking a page from some of the finest early country and rock songwriters that drifted happily between genres. Truelsen describes the band’s mission: “One of my ultimate goals is to write songs that are hard to classify in a certain time period. To transcend the now.”
For Amy Alvey and Mark Kilianski, the emergence of a brand new self-titled album also marks a rebirth of sorts for their band, Golden Shoals. Eight years ago, the duo was formed for a very unique performance project, called “The Massachusetts Walking Tour”, on which they hiked 6-12 miles per day with packs and instruments, and played shows each night for two weeks. The two semi-nomadic musicians, who have called Asheville, Boston, and various moving vehicles home for the past eight years, have grown individually and as a unit, yet continue to find musical fulfillment in their collaboration. They now call Nashville, Tennessee their home base.
Initially brought together by a mutual love of American folk music, their sound has expanded to include country, Americana, Indie and Experimental influences, allowing them to move more freely beyond genre boundaries with their songwriting while still emanating a deep understanding of Old-Time and Bluegrass music. Ever inspired by the enduring spirit of traditional Appalachian mountain music, their songwriting comes across as simple, honest, and fresh to the ears. The listener can expect the polished technique of conservatory training, in tandem with the grit, drive, and soul of musicians like Roscoe Holcomb or Ola Belle Reed.
Claire Simpson Jones and Donny Luke are the Asheville Gallery of Art’s featured artists for the month of May. Visitors to the gallery will have the entire month to view their outstanding paintings. Their exhibit will run from May 1st-31st.
“This exhibition is a celebration of our individual travels through life,” joyously depicted in the watercolors of Donny Luke and Claire Simpson Jones. Traveling has always played a big part in both Donny and Claire’s world, broadening their awareness and perspective, opening their minds to new experiences, and providing unlimited inspiration.
Both artists have a passion for travel as well as a passion for the challenging, but gratifying, watercolor medium, and this exhibition combines these passions. “There is no better way to immerse yourself into a particular scene than painting. Whether choosing plein-air or painting from travel sketches and references brought back to the studio, all of our senses come to life and that experience is pure joy!” Every painting is an adventure that seems to take on a life of its own, often diverging from the initial design as it develops. Staying open to ‘following’ that direction or literally “going with the flow” of watercolor provides a sense of discovery and adventure that makes the process exciting. Donny and Claire both have a long list of places and techniques they plan to explore in the near future, adding to their repertoire of inspiration and work.
Donny Luke’s travels throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico, have given him many opportunities to take reference photos of some of the most beautiful places and landscapes in North America. He works from these references to create dramatic watercolor paintings. His work also includes many paintings of the breathtaking scenery and architecture in Western North Carolina, especially waterfalls, streams, and old barns.
Donny retired from a thirty-two year career as a professional architect in Asheville, NC and began his watercolor career in 2016. He has studied under nationally known watercolor artists including Michael Reardon, Iain Stewart, Keiko Tenabe, and Antonio Masi. He is a signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina and has had paintings juried into the 2018, 2020, and 2021 WSNC Annual Juried Exhibitions with the 2020 painting ‘Santa Rosalina Relic’ receiving the WSNC Permanent Collection Purchase Award.
Claire Simpson Jones’ sensitive naturalist paintings draw from her many travels, here and abroad, and a lifetime of finding refuge and comfort in the raw beauty of our planet. In the past ten years, she has spent her summers in her favorite destinations’ England, Scotland, Australia, and our beautiful mountains of NC. Equipped with painting supplies, she roams the countryside, setting up to paint whenever inspiration comes her way. “Nature has always fed my soul for as long as I can remember. This connection has been, and continues to be, the primary inspiration for my paintings. I often begin with plein air studies and photos, taking them back to my studio to see where my next painting experience leads me. There is nothing to substitute for painting on location, with all of my senses alive, working quickly to capture the true essence of the scene before me.”
After working in graphic design, illustration, and a long career in teaching high school art, Claire has shifted her focus back to full time painting. She holds a BFA from Florida Atlantic University and has studied art at Ontario College of Art and California College of Art. She has also studied with nationally known watercolor artists including atelier workshops with the world renown watercolorist, Mary Whyte. Claire is a signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina, earning awards, the most recent 2020 Best of Region Award.
Visitors to the Asheville Gallery of Art will be able to view Claire and Donny’s show from May1st through May 31st. They will be present for a special “Meet the Artist” event on First Friday, May 6th, from 5pm-8pm in the gallery at 82 Patton Avenue.
- Bricks-And-Mortar
- Public Education
- Planning, Survey and Designation
Volunteer with Us
Volunteers are the heart of our organization and support every aspect of our work. In 2021, 955 volunteers contributed 37,053 hours of service, helping us to carry out our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Whether sorting donations in the ReStore, hammering nails on the construction site, or assisting in the administrative office, we hope you’ll find the volunteer opportunity that is right for you.
ince 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has helped raise funding for Downtown Hendersonville and a variety of local non-profits. In addition to raising funds, the bears offer a window into good work being done by community organizations in Henderson County.
The Bearfootin’ Bears arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each in a spectacular fashion, with creative themes ranging from Mona Lisa to Blue Ridge Mountain scenery. After the “Reveal” event in early May, the bears then take up residence in downtown Hendersonville for the duration of the summer and fall, up until auction. Participants bid during the auction to raise funds for local non-profits and Downtown Hendersonville. Winning bids up to $3,000 are split evenly between the downtown program and the nonprofit chosen by the sponsor, while bid amounts exceeding $3,000 are directed entirely to the non-profit. In 2021, the Bears raised more than $100,000, and in 2022 we hope to continue the tradition of giving.
Buncombe County Organizations Can Apply For Free Hotspots and Service As Part of $13 Million Dollar Pledge From UScellular
Access to reliable internet connectivity causes a divide between Asheville area youth who have access and those who do not. Millions of children nationwide and many right here in our area rely on public Wi-Fi to study when away from school. We are thrilled to announce that UScellular is providing $13 million dollars in free mobile hotspots and service to bridge this issue knows as the “homework gap”.
We encourage nonprofits working with youth in afterschool programs to apply and use this resource to enhance the important work they are already doing. Nonprofit organizations that meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
– Certified 501c3 nonprofit organizations
– Operate within UScellular’s service area
– Focused on kindergarten through 12th grade
– Not a school or government entity
To apply, click here.
If you’re not currently set up as an applicant on Grants Connect, you will need to set up an applicant profile first. Once you’ve set up your profile, click the above link or refresh your page to be taken to the After School Access Project landing page. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
Students across Western North Carolina deserve the tools and resources they need to succeed. Hotspots are stand-alone Wi-Fi networks that can connect several devices at once wirelessly and have proven to be a vital tool for youth to access the internet, study and complete homework. In 2021, UScellular donated 2,800 hotspots and service to 33 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, a $2.6 million investment. Clubs have used them to boost their connectivity on site and loaned the devices out to youth and their families to support reliable access at home. Now more organizations have the opportunity to apply.
Step Into the heart of Rwanda With Culture Keeper David Kwizera + the LEAF International Rwanda Jr. Troupe! This spring documentary is exactly what you need!
