Juried market features handmade goods from local and independent artists.

2022 Market Season: Every Friday April – October

Join us on a walking tour of the Foundy in the River Arts District where we learn about the only existing Street Art Gallery in Asheville and all the artists who have created graffiti and mural installations that have made our town an urban art destination.

Center for Craft’s immersive installation asks: What will Appalachia be in a post-major event future? – The Center for Craft is thrilled to announce Krafthouse, a new immersive art installation, made for and by the community, that will evolve and change each year in their historic building at 67 Broadway in downtown Asheville. Local artist Jeannie Regan leads the inaugural year as Creative Director with the vision for Krafthouse 2023: Forest of the New Trees. Between September 28 and October 13, the curious will be rewarded with a ticketed installation that changes nightly, as artist and audience participation weave a story of radical collaboration in Appalachia in the aftermath of a mysterious, world-changing event. In the spirit of immersive performances, events, and installations like Meow Wolf, Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, and Burning Man, Krafthouse 2023: Forest of the New Trees invites self-guided exploration of a strange, new landscape and its imagined ecologies and societies, including cultures, customs, and micro currencies. Return visits will reward guests with new perspectives and illuminate new paths through the experience. Selected local artists working with Center staff and Regan will each interpret the theme in their own way. The end result will be the creation of a small, self-sustaining community that has made itself anew. A night market atmosphere will welcome visitors, who will be able to make, gift, and trade goods with the artists and each other, with the opportunity to take home keepsakes – as well as leave their own imprint on the space. The installation asks visitors to participate and collaborate to the extent they wish. Guests are invited to come in costume to share their own interpretation of the post-major event, and to bring any of their own offerings for the space. Costumes and materials will also be available onsite for people who would like to step into this new reality more fully when they arrive. In her exploration of the theme, Regan researched the centuries-old craft traditions of Appalachia, including their relationship to Indigenous wisdom, hillfolks’ lore, and the ancient wildness of the Blue Ridge Mountains. An undercurrent of the installation is the generational resilience of local peoples facing their own “post-major events” and collaborating radically to survive – and thrive – in their aftermath. The varied lived experiences of people during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when a multitude of realities existed simultaneously, also informed the theme. “There was no united experience in that major event that happened, because we all experienced it very differently,” Regan shares. But it was also a world where, she notes, “multiple realities intersected and radical community collaboration was the only way to survive.” She continues, “Craft plays into all of that, because what we make says so much about us as individuals. What we make says something about what we want the future to be.”

Krafthouse 2023: Forest of the New Trees

an immersive art installation made by Asheville

creative direction by Jeannie Regan

Visit the Center for Craft at 67 Broadway in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, to discover an imagined post-major event Appalachia. You will descend into the basement to enter a world imagined by artists where craft is the only way to survive and thrive.

‍Guests will abide by the rules of the forest – to learn to trade without currency – and see, hear, touch, and wear what artists have crafted as a way to ensure our collective future. Each experience is unrepeatable, creating an impulse to return to explore the world anew.

Special thanks to Jeannie Regan, Creative Director and Futures Bright, Graphic Design.

General admission tickets are $15 and provide guests with a self-guided tour of the immersive installation that runs for approximately 3 weeks between September 28 – October 13 on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 – 8 pm, and on Saturdays from 2 – 4 pm and 6 – 9 pm.

Ticketed tours depart every 10 minutes, and the experience takes approximately 30 minutes. After the experience, guests will be invited to mingle and grab a beverage or snack.

Reservation Start Time indicates the time your group will be escorted from the main level down to the Krafthouse installation experience.

Please plan to arrive at the Center for Craft main entrance at 67 Broadway Street at least 15 minutes prior to your reservation start time.

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

Round up the gals and take a ride down to The Draftsman’s wild and Western ladies night! Get your boots tappin’ to the Bluegrass beats of Fox Crossing String Band, or shop bolo ties and Western wear from The Bolo Babe and Soft Cowboy Trading Co. We’ll have drink specials flowing all night, so you can let your hair down and show us those moves. We know this ain’t your first rodeo.

The Taco Boy food truck will be stationed along Walterstone Rd. adjacent to The Hickory Tavern and will be serving up delicious tacos from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., ensuring your appetites are well taken care of. Enjoy a tantalizing preview of what’s coming soon to our neighborhood. So, round up your loved ones, bring a chair or blanket, and claim your spot on the green in front of The Hickory Tavern. Let’s bid farewell to summer with an evening of live music and dancing. Best of all, these events are free and family-friendly.

In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation but also with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire.

Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime. Online ticket sales end 1 hour prior to showtime. There may still be tickets available in the BMCA office if online sales have ended. Call 828.669.0930 or visit the office to find out more.

Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country!

Dauood Naimyar recently taped a Comedy Central stand-up set in February and can next be seen in Comedy Central’s TALES FROM THE TRIP. Last year, Dauood was just a New Face at Just For Laughs 2022. Dauood’s comedic perspective is shaped by the duality of his constant need to fit in, and his relentless desire to be different. His search for being relatable, yet controversial has brought audiences joy for nine years- and will probably continue until he finally figures out who he is. We hope he doesn’t, ‘cause bills need to be paid. Dauood also has over 150K followers on TikTok and keeps building a large audience.

featuring TBA

ages 18+

doors at 6:30, show at 7pm

Tickets $15 advance, $18 day of

Launch of the First Story Shepherds Retreat Gathering on September 29 at 7 at White Horse–everybody is welcome!

The long-term vision for Story Shepherds is to know one another, to be friends with one another, to rise to the expectations of dignity and respect for one another, the ability to not absolutely agree or even like each other, but the agreement that we will not kill one another. The vision is to know that we can hold very different beliefs and still build a connection based on similarities, all with the understanding that both and all of us have a right to exist and to be heard, for past wrongs to be addressed and atoned for so our world can move forward without the collective wound of our ancestors.

From the director, Laura Hope Gill:

It’s all special guests, as you can see. I will play the piano to Brian Turner‘s reading of his newly minted THREE books of poetry, including The Wild Delight of Wild Things.

I will share some poems that I’ve written for Story Shepherds. David LaMotte, my friend of 40 years, will sing, and The Belfast Boys may join him and vice versa. AND Lavinia Jackson who has been shepherding story all along will say her Poetry, of which I am a great and loving fan.

The evening will begin with a healing Hoop Dance by the World Champion Hoop Dancer, Director, Historian, Storyteller, Eddie Swimmer of the Eastern Band Cherokee Indians.

www.storyshepherds.org

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“Laura, this is absolutely incredible!!!! What you are doing, the healing you are offering and bringing just by your words and putting it out into the world–whether folks can come in person or not, this is contributing to the healing. I’m going to share this with lots of folks.” –Connie Regan-Blake, Storyteller who forged the path for the Storytelling Revival

“This is an amazing offering.” –Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina Poet Laureate

The Story Shepherd Project invites you to recollect a part of yourself that you probably left behind some time ago: your story. Your vulnerability. Your awe. Not as a performance. Not as a homework assignment. Your sweet, difficult, challenging, frightening, loving, human story.

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The Tempest, September 1st to 30th
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Dwight Chiles
Magic, monsters and mayhem fill this favorite from The Bard. This one isn’t done with great regularity, so now’sa good time to catch it!

All shows will be at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater in the Montford District of Asheville, and all will be presented absolutely FREE of charge!

All shows will run Fridays through Sundays and all will be presented at 7:30pm and prime seats can be reserved.

Montford Park Players has been bringing some of theater’s greatest works to Western North Carolina for over 50 years. Montford Park Players continues its mission of bring free theater to the community. The summer season allows everyone to come spend an evening under the stars, seeing some of the best live performances presented in Asheville.

Step into a world of magic, mystery, and self-discovery with the Tony Award-winning musical, Pippin. This Broadway classic, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson, tells the captivating story of a young prince on a daring quest for the ultimate meaning of life and fulfillment. From spectacular circus-inspired performances to stirring, emotionally-charged songs, “Pippin” unfolds as an exploration of the highs and lows of glory, love, and ambition. It’s a compelling narrative that continually asks one poignant question: is it more rewarding to live a simple life or to persist in relentlessly pursuing extraordinary feats? With its rich, allegorical storyline and memorable melodies, Pippin promises to enchant audiences, leaving them musing long after the final curtain call.

A talkback with the cast & crew of Pippin will be held following the performances on September 17th & 24th.

Honky Tonk Angels 

Written by Ted Swindley.
Director Dan Harvey
Music Director Pam McNeil

Theme Park Transforms from Wild West by Day to Ghost Train at Night

The spooktacular season of Tweetsie’s Ghost Train^® Halloween Celebration, a popular fall family tradition, begins Friday, September 22, and continues every Friday and Saturday night through October 28.

Daytime guests can still enjoy all of Tweetsie’s Wild West adventures, rides and attractions. . . but when the sun goes down, the park gets a full makeover complete with costumed characters, decorations, music and Halloween-themed attractions.

Younger children will love the dance parties, trick-or-treat stations, themed photo opportunities, and the Palace Spooktacular Show.

Braver kids and adults will appreciate the scary night-time journey on the Ghost Train, walking through the hallowed halls of the Haunted House and exploring the murky Freaky Forest.

And, everyone will love the park’s most popular amusement rides after dark in the Creepy Carnival.

The park opens at 7:30 pm with the first train scheduled for 8:00 p.m. On October Saturday nights starting on the 14, 21, and 28, the park opens at 7:15 p.m. with the first train scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $60 for adults, $40 for children (ages 3-12) and free for children age 2 and under. They are sold in advance for a designated night with a scheduled train ride departure time. A limited number of guests will be admitted each evening, so visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets well beforehand to avoid missing out on all of the spooky fun.