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.
Thursday, June
15, 2023
Unlock Your Imagination at Hendersonville Theatre’s Summer Camps
Wild West Adventure Trips w/ Nantahala Outdoor Center
Wilderness Medicine + Survival Skills at Nantahala Outdoor Center
Work out for free at Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
Work out for free at Stephens-Lee Community Center
Food Scraps Drop Off: Stephens-Lee Recreation Center
Food Scraps Drop Off: Buncombe County Landfill
PIEDMONT PASO FINO HORSE SHOW
WNC Farmers Market
Biltmore Estate: Ciao! From Italy Sculptural Postcard Display
WILD Excursions: Appalachian Highland Science Learning Center: middle and high school students
Park + Rec CORE program Big Ivy Community Center
Pollinator Exploration Kit (Available for Loan)
Well Walkers
36th annual Operation Blood Drive Waynesville
77th Season at Asheville Community Theatre
Adult Field Course: Exploring the Sky Island of the Southern Appalachians – The Spruce-Fir Forest
Eidolon art exhibition
Exhibition: NEO MINERALIA
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Exhibition: Something earned, Something left behind
Exhibition: Crafting Denim
Food Scraps Drop Off: West Asheville Library
Gardening in the Mountain Presents: Encouraging Good Garden Bugs
Italian Renaissance Alive
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Online Seminar: Encouraging Good Garden Bugs
Rootabaga Express! Summer Plays
Carolina Shine Moonshine Experience
Nantahala Gorge Excursion
Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX): Exhibition
Enrollment is now open for Hendersonville Theatre (HT)’s summer performing arts camps. These one-week camps are designed for middle and high school students and will be taught by theatre professionals.
Performers Playground – Acting Class runs June 26-30 from 12 pm-3 pm. Tuition is $180. The camp is designed for rising 6th to 9th graders or 10 to 14-year-olds. During this week of laughter and creativity, campers will discover the exciting world of improvisation and learn how to think on their feet. The class will include playing theater games, learning how to create scenes from scratch and using body and voice to create dynamic and memorable characters. At the completion of the camp, campers will present a showcase performance for family and friends.
Performers Playground – Acting Class is designed for all experience levels and is taught by Rugby Middle School theatre teacher Heather Denton. Denton has over 24 years of experience teaching drama to middle school students. She has directed over 30 plays and musicals, and is known for her boundless energy and ability to work with a variety of grades and ability levels.
Acting Camp for High Schoolers runs July 10-14 from 12 pm-3 pm. Tuition is $180. The camp is intended for rising 10th to 12th graders or 14 to 17-year-olds. This camp is designed for budding actors who are looking for a starting place to learn about acting. In this camp, campers will be introduced to many forms of acting including improvisation, character development and cold readings.
Beginner Dance for Musical Theatre runs July 17-21 from 12 pm-3 pm. Tuition is $180. The camp is designed for rising 7th to 12th graders or 11 to 17-year- olds. This introductory dance course is for actors new to dance and looking to develop some musical theatre dance skills. In this camp, inspiring actors will learn how to survive a musical theatre dance call, focusing on musical theatre history, basic movement steps, and tips and tricks for picking up movement quickly.
Intermediate Dance for Musical Theatre runs July 24-28 from 12 pm-3 pm. Tuition is $180. The camp is designed for rising 10th to 12th graders or 14 to 17-years olds. Designed for dancers who want to branch into musical theatre, the camp is created for students with an intermediate level of dance training. During this week, campers will cover an introduction to musical theatre history, popular Broadway dance numbers, and tips and tricks for picking up movement quickly in order to prepare for musical theatre auditions.
Acting Camp for High Schoolers, Beginner Dance for Musical Theatre and Intermediate Dance for Musical Theatre is taught by Sage Albert, a recent graduate of Elon University with a degree in theatre, music and dance. Her most recent credits include Sherrie in Rock of Ages (upcoming) and Cathy in The Last Five Years.
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LEARN MORE THIS YEAR |
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Brush up on your wilderness medicine or learn new survival skills! SOLO Southeast & NOC are offering over 200 courses in 2023 and classes in locations across the southeast.
Find your next course with SOLO Southeast and be prepared for the unexpected! |
Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) recently renovated fitness centers at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers – and community members can enjoy use of cardio equipment, exercise machines, free weights, open gym time, and more through June 30, 2023. During this time, APR will waive membership and daily pass fees so more people can access the necessities for a regular fitness routine. Locals can sign up online or at either community center to receive a fitness center key fob that can be scanned at either location.
“Our team is committed to creating spaces in which everyone feels welcome,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “We are in the community building business. The gyms and fitness rooms at these two locations are filled with everything you’d expect from other top-notch fitness facilities and dedicated to body positivity and accessible wellness. By waiving the cost to use them for the first six months of the year, we hope more friends and neighbors will be able to connect with each other and maintain healthy lifestyles.”
Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) recently renovated fitness centers at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers – and community members can enjoy use of cardio equipment, exercise machines, free weights, open gym time, and more through June 30, 2023. During this time, APR will waive membership and daily pass fees so more people can access the necessities for a regular fitness routine. Locals can sign up online or at either community center to receive a fitness center key fob that can be scanned at either location.
“Our team is committed to creating spaces in which everyone feels welcome,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “We are in the community building business. The gyms and fitness rooms at these two locations are filled with everything you’d expect from other top-notch fitness facilities and dedicated to body positivity and accessible wellness. By waiving the cost to use them for the first six months of the year, we hope more friends and neighbors will be able to connect with each other and maintain healthy lifestyles.”
Food Scraps Drop Off
The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in
two locations for all Buncombe County residents. This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Register for Food Scraps Drop Off
Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin? Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.
Locations
Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot
30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville
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- Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.
Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot
749 Fairview Road, Asheville
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- Dawn – Dusk
West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building
942 Haywood Road, Asheville
-
- Library open hours
- Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander
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- Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm
-
Food Scraps Drop Off
The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in two locations for all Buncombe County residents. This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Register for Food Scraps Drop Off
Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin? Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.
Locations Holidays call for hours
Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center
85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander
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- Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm
Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot
749 Fairview Road, Asheville
-
- Dawn – Dusk
Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot
30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville
-
- Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.
West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building
942 Haywood Road, Asheville
-
- Library open hours
Shows begin every morning at 8:00 am and continue until approximately 9:00pm.
FREE ADMISSION!
A four day competition showcasing Paso Fino horses from across the country. Tack, clothing, jewelry, and latin food vendors on-site throughout the event.
The WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers & food producers to household & wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food & heritage.
House of Operation:
WNC Farmers Market: 24/7, 361 days a year market access for farmers
Office: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm
Market Shops: 7 days a week, 8 am-5 pm
Wholesale and Truck Sheds: 7 days a week
Included with admission
Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.
Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.
Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!
Come be a community scientist for a day at Purchase Knob! National Park Service educators will take us through several ongoing research projects including a salamander survey and macroinvertebrate sampling. This outdoor education experience for middle and high school students is FREE!
Meet: Buncombe County Agricultural and Land Resources Office, 49 Mount Carmel Rd. Asheville, NC 28806
Bring: water and lunch, sunscreen/bug spray, closed-toe shoes
Cost: FREE!
Contact Rose Wall and Jen Knight for more details: [email protected]
What is better than hanging out at a park, pool, or community center? Doing so while participating in fun games! This summer, the Buncombe County Recreation Services will be visiting county pools, parks, and community centers to provide free entertaining activities for anyone in the community.
This includes yard games, pool activities, balls, and other activities for enjoyment. While the games can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age–with something available for anyone–the programming is aimed at those 5 to 15 years of age.
This is part of the CORE program (Community Outreach and Recreation Experiences) which seeks to provide fun to everyone in the community.
“We were interested in expanding recreational opportunities to communities that may or may not have parks and facilities,” says Mac Stanley, program coordinator with the County’s Recreation Services. “Also, an opportunity to expand and collaborate with county community centers such as Big Ivy, Sandy Mush, and Bent Creek Community Park. Core programming is designed to diversify our programming opportunities and outreach into the community.”
From June through August, Recreation Services will be out and about in its CORE van, a green, Ford Transit van outfitted with County logos and a big sasquatch on the back.
Presented by Bee City USA- Hendersonville and Bullington Gardens
For educators: teachers, camp counselors, home-school parents, childcare professionals, summer program leaders, and more, the Pollinator Exploration Kit provides excellent tools. Bee City USA – Hendersonville is eager to help you share the wonder of pollinators with children you teach. The kit includes sets of 12 sturdy child-size insect nets, special bug capture bubbles, bug boxes with magnifying lids, and magnifying glasses. Two pop-up insect habitats and two sets of laminated fold-out field guides (NC Trees & Wildflowers, NC Butterflies & Moths, Bees & Other Pollinators) are also included. The kit can be loaned for up to a week (as available) and may be picked up and returned weekdays 9am-4pm.
Pick-up location:
Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville.
Cost: no charge
Reservation needed: contact [email protected] to check availability and reserve the dates to borrow the Pollinator Exploration Kit.
Join us in the temperature-controlled Arena to walk on most Tuesdays and Thursdays!
Each lap around the concourse is 1/4 mile and strollers are welcome. Representatives from St. Francis Sports Medicine will be on hand for each event and other health professionals- like dietitians- are frequently scheduled to attend. Free parking is available in the VIP lot off of Church Street.
The American Red Cross, WLOS News 13, and iHeart Radio urge donors of all blood types to come out to the 36th annual Operation Blood Drive
Right now, there is a great need for donations to address a recent drop in appointments that could lead to fewer transfusions for patients in the weeks ahead. Type O blood donors are especially needed to ensure a strong blood supply. Individuals of all blood types are urged to schedule an appointment now to give blood. Appointments can be made by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org and using ‘OBD2023’ sponsor code, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
Join John Caveny, Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation’s own Director of Conservation and Education, as we explore, examine and discuss one of the most endangered forest types in the United States, the Spruce-Fir Forest. During this field course, participants will explore off the beaten path to find some of the largest Red Spruce trees on the park property. Participants will learn about the forest ecology and wildlife and assist John in gathering scientific data to benefit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation’s Natural Resource Management Program. Participants need to be prepared to hike through the woods where there is no trail.
John Caveny has worked with the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation for 10 years and has served in several capacities in the park. In his current role, he oversees the Department of Conservation and Education and has been very active in developing, implementing, and expanding the natural resource management projects that occur on the property.
Program Itinerary
10:00 a.m.: Meet at the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery and Introductions
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Field time
12:00-12:30 p.m.: Lunch at Wilson Center
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.: Spruce-fir lecture
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Field time
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.: Wrap up/Q&A/Evaluations
Registration
This Adult Field Course costs $60 for general admission and $51 for members of Grandfather Mountain’s Bridge Club, plus tax. Attendance is limited to 20 participants. Registration opens below on April 20 at 9 a.m.
Your program cost includes admission into the park, field instruction, and transportation during your program (you may drive your own vehicle to visit sites on the mountain if you would prefer). It does not include meals or lodging. Bringing a bagged lunch is recommended for most field courses, although Mildred’s Grill will be open to attendees. Tips are not accepted for field courses. However, donations to the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation are accepted if you would like to recognize a program.
General Clothing List
Much of your time will be spent outdoors and all programs are held rain, snow or shine. You should be prepared for a variety of mountain weather conditions and temperatures. Appropriate clothing, equipment, and footwear are very important.
Equipment
- Daypack with enough room to carry extra clothing, water, lunch, camera, etc.
- Water Bottle
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Hiking boots
- Binoculars
Equipment Specific to this Course
- Note pad and writing utensil
- Long pants and preferably long sleeved shirts are strongly encouraged as we will be walking through the woods.
- Sturdy hiking boots or closed-toed shoes are required
- Data gathering instruments will be provided
Exhibition dates: June 9 – July 23
Hours: Tuesday-Saturdays from 10-5 pm, Sundays 11-4 pm
Eidolon is an ancient term from Greek -oeidēs “form”. Early meanings included “mental image”, “appearance”, and “reflection” (as in a mirror or pool), and later, “apparition” or “imaginary entity”, among other things. Expanding beyond the definition pointing to a phantasm or specter, eidolon also sounds like some kind of astral or idyllic place in a novel or poem about an imaginary world. Eidolon features the work of Jacqueline Shatz and Margaret Thompson.
Jacqueline Shatz’s small sculptures of ambiguous and hybridized figures float, entwine, swim, commune with animals and collapse into abstract arabesques and gestures, hinting at mythology, in-between states, and the permeable nature of existence. Margaret Thompson’s paintings are inspired by elements of the symbolist movement and magical realism; she channels dreams and the associative powers of the imagination into her practice, painting subjects that live between our physical realm and spaces beyond the categories of known experience: they are unrestrained, undefined, and free.
Photo credit:
Sae Honda. Courtesy of the Artist.
NEO MINERALIA suggests that recent rock formations no longer fit within the traditional groups: Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary. Instead, the Anthropocene, the era of human influence on the climate and environment, has introduced two post-natural rocks: Synthetic and Digital.
NEO MINERALIA presents a selection of new geological specimens crafted by ten international artists exploring rocks as reflections of our effects on human and nonhuman ecologies. By embedding synthetic materials (plastics, e-waste) and layers of data points (critical, financial, social) into the craftsmanship of these artifacts, the artists transgress the definition of rocks, turning them from passive aggregates of minerals into metaphorical aggregates of data. Within their apparent “rockness” we can decode hopes, warnings, and speculative future scenarios.
The featured works stemming from places as varied as Mexico, Japan, Poland, and Australia (including a curated artists’ books library), collectively signal a new era of planetary and geological consciousness where we are asked to read, feel, and listen to rocks in new ways.
Photo credit:
J Diamond, “Pony II,” 2022. Courtesy of the Artist
Something earned, Something left behind is an exhibition of objecthood; a critical analysis of the transactional and political languages of everyday and culturally significant objects. This exhibition challenges a history of exclusion and inclusion of People of Color (POC) and their narratives from the canon of craft based on subject matter. It dissects this history’s origins and precedent as an economic transaction to gain access to white spaces.
Racial and ethnic identity influences the way individuals perceive themselves, the way others perceive them, and the way they choose to behave. For this reason, People of Color are expected to perform certain roles in order to fit into hegemonic institutions. These roles can be an active shrinking of themselves and the racialized part of them, or a personal exploitation of their racialized selves. This exhibition addresses and redresses the ways narrowed populations have been included, and the ways in which they have been asked to participate.
Together, this work creates space for and legitimizes POC narratives with depth and care. The exhibiting artists’ practices work against institutionalized expectations of POC work, expanding discourse and inserting new subjectivity into the canon of craft art. It engages with a community hungry for the revitalization and resuscitation of non-Western voices within art spaces. This exhibition challenges the expectations of art from artists of marginalized backgrounds and embraces a new subjectivity of interrogating one’s inherited experiences.
Photo credit:
Photograph by Bowery Blue Makers
Jeans – with their standardized pockets, rivets, and denim – are so much a part of everyday wardrobes that they are easy to overlook. Yet, in workshops across the nation, independent makers are reevaluating the garment and creating jeans by hand, using antiquated equipment and denim woven on midcentury looms. Crafting Denim explores how and why jeans have come to exist at the intersections of industry and craft, modernity, and tradition.
A product of industrial factory production for over a century, jeans are being recast by a new cohort of small-scale makers including craftspeople like Ryan Martin of W.H. Ranch Dungarees, Takayuki Echigoya of Bowery Blue Makers, and Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko of Raleigh Denim, who favor choice materials and small-batch fabrication. The jeans they make merge craft traditions with industry and extend the conversation between hand and machine.
Each maker creates a distinctive product but shares a deep appreciation for materials, tools, history, and denim. These jeans are in dialogue with the past and in line with contemporary interests in sustainability. The small workshops featured here are sites of innovation and preservation, and visitors are invited to take a close look at an everyday item and imagine alternative contexts for making and living in our own clothes.
Food Scraps Drop Off
The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in
two locations for all Buncombe County residents. This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Register for Food Scraps Drop Off
Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin? Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.
Locations
West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building
942 Haywood Road, Asheville
Library open hours
Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot
30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville
-
- Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.
Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot
749 Fairview Road, Asheville
-
- Dawn – Dusk
Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander
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-
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- Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm
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Join entomologist Matt Bertone, NC State Director, Plant Disease and Insect Clinic as he shares his expertise and teaches us how to encourage the many beneficial organisms in our gardens and landscapes. Some of these lesser-known organisms have vital roles in healthy garden ecosystems, providing organic waste reduction and natural pest control services.
Explore Biltmore House with an Audio Guide that introduces you to the Vanderbilt family and their magnificent home’s history, architecture, and collections of fine art and furnishings.
PLUS: Immersive, multi-sensory Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition created by Grande Experiences
PLUS: FREE next-day access to Biltmore’s Gardens and Grounds
This visit includes access to:
- Italian Renaissance Alive at Amherst at Deerpark®
- 8,000 Acres of Gardens and Grounds for two consecutive days
- Antler Hill Village & Winery
- Complimentary Wine Tastings at the Winery
- Tastings require a Day-of-Visit Reservation, which can be made by:
- Scanning the QR Code found in your Estate Guide
- Visiting any Guest Services location
- Complimentary parking
Art Exhibition: Italian Renaissance Alive
This fascinating experience takes you on a spellbinding tour of Italy, fully immersing you in the beauty and brilliance of iconic masterworks from the greatest artistic period in history
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Presenter: Matt Bertone, NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic Director and Entomologist
Our gardens and landscapes are home to many beneficial organisms besides the pollinators we know and love. Some of these lesser-known organisms have vital roles in healthy garden ecosystems, providing organic waste reduction and natural pest control services. Join Matt Bertone, director and entomologist for the NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, as he shares his expertise and teaches us how to encourage these important helpers in our gardens.
Matt Bertone is an entomologist with expertise in arthropod and other animal identification. He is also a biodiversity expert and avid photographer.
Carl Sandburg created his own version of American fairy tales when he published Rootabaga Stories (1922) and Rootabaga Pigeons (1923). He replaced the European fairy tale cast of princes, princesses, castles and kingdoms with icons American children would recognize — taxi-drivers, movie actors, skyscrapers, prairies and automobiles. Rootabaga Express! brings the stories of the Five Rusty Rats, Bimbo the Snip and more to life.You’ll meet new characters and journey farther into the Village of Liver and Onions and Sandburg’s imagination than ever before.
The 30-minute shows are appropriate for all ages and held rain or shine.These shows are supported by the Flat Rock Playhouse and the Park Store, operated by America’s National Parks.
For young visitors who attend the plays, there is a Rootabaga Junior Ranger program available. Activity sheets will be available at the amphitheater after the play and can be turned in at the Sandburg Home for a limited edition “Rootabaga Ranger” badge.
Apprentice actors from the Flat Rock Playhouse have performed adaptations of Sandburg’s works for park visitors since 1974. Using Sandburg’s own words from his collections of children’s stories, poetry, collected music, biography of Abraham Lincoln and his own autobiography, the performances provide visitors with a sense of the scope of his work and imagination. Sandburg was an expert storyteller, and easily wove important messages of fairness, empathy and social justice into his writings. Whatever play you are able to attend you will walk away with a smile on your face and a better understanding of the legacy of Carl Sandburg.
“Shine and Dine” on the railway! We cordially invite you to hop on board The Carolina Shine, GSMR’s All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car! We will be proudly serving hand crafted, triple-distilled, craft moonshine. Some of the smoothest tasting moonshine in the Carolinas! Offered on the Nantahala Gorge excursion, this shine and dine experience begins in a renovated First Class train fleet car, The Carolina Shine. The interior features copper lined walls filled with the history of moonshining in North Carolina. Learn about the proud tradition that the Appalachians established when bootlegging was an acceptable way of life and local home brews were the best in town. Read about Swain County’s very own Major Redmond, the most famous mountain moonshine outlaw of the 19th century. Once your appetite for knowledge is satisfied, enjoy sample tastings of flavors like Apple Pie, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, and Strawberry moonshine. If the samples are not enough, there will be plenty of Moonshine infused cocktails like Copper Cola or Moonshiner’s Mimosa available for purchase. GSMR is excited to feature multiple craft NC based distilleries to serve our guests only the best! Each jar is handcrafted and authentically infused with real fruit, the way moonshine was meant to be made. Passengers will also enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride with an attendant and our popular Cajun seasoned Pulled Pork BBQ with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce cooked in our special spices and slow roasted to perfection! During the month of October, 9am departures will feature the option of a delicious Cheesy Shrimp & Grits or Cheesy Ham Hash Brown Casserole while 2pm departures will be served the popular BBQ meal.
Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX): Exhibition, Publication, and Public Programming
Black Mountain College (1933–1957), a small but remarkably influential liberal arts school in rural North Carolina, had important links to Mexico that until now have been little investigated. A crucible of twentieth-century creativity, BMC galvanized and inspired artists and intellectuals from around the world, while Mexico’s innovations and age-old traditions—in fine and applied arts, architecture, poetry, music, performance, and more—dovetailed with, and indeed drove, global impulses toward modernism and beyond. Among the many key BMC figures whose lives were importantly touched by experiences in Mexico were Anni and Josef Albers, Ruth Asawa, John Cage, Jean Charlot, Elaine de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Carlos Mérida, Robert Motherwell, Charles Olson, Clara Porset, M.C. Richards, and Aaron Siskind. In turn, engagements with BMC and its legacy have played a significant role in shaping contemporary approaches to art in Mexico, evident in the works of Jorge Méndez Blake, Iñaki Bonillas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Jose Dávila, Gerda Gruber, Lake Verea, Gabriel Orozco, and Damián Ortega, among others.
The exhibition BMC/MX features works by these and other prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside a selection of historic works by BMC artists, highlighting the ways in which ideas and modalities are translated across materials, space, and time.
Related programming, planned in collaboration with Mexican artists, features a series of public events, including a performance by artist (and BMC/MX co-curator) David Miranda to take place at Different Wrld; an exhibition visit (in Spanish and English) with BMC/MX Project Director Eric Baden; and a series of experiential art events in the BMCM+AC library.
The exhibition is accompanied by the book Black Mountain College and Mexico (forthcoming late summer 2023), which investigates the people, ideas, and practices linking BMC and Mexico during the life of the school, as well as resonances between BMC and the work of contemporary Mexican artists. With contributions by BMC/MX’s curators, as well as by artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, design scholar Ana Elena Mallet, and author and activist Margaret Randall, this fully illustrated volume brings new light to this complex and underexplored subject.
BMC/MX is an investigation into modes of communication—the arenas in which new ideas and alliances may come to be—between Black Mountain College and Mexico, between past and present, between form and idea.
About the Curators
BMC/MX’s Project Director Eric Baden is a photographer and from 1994 to 2022 was professor of photography at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He is the founding director of photo+, a multidisciplinary arts event held in Asheville, North Carolina.
Artist and educator David Miranda is curator at the Museo Experimental El Eco (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM), and teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City.
Diana Stoll is an editor, writer and curator who works with institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has served as an editor at Aperture and Artforum magazines, and contributes writings to prominent arts publications.