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, OCTOBER 15 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15
It’s during this time of year that the mountains explode with color. Capture photos of the fall season and enter them into our “Find Your Color” Photo Contest. We’ll use the winning entries on our website and Facebook album, and you’ll win some fun prizes. Photos must be taken within the Chimney Rock section of the Park.
GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES
Winners will be notified and announced on Chimney Rock’s social media channels. F


Everyone is invited to downtown Black Mountain for our 23rd Annual Juried Art and Master Craft Show: Art by the Tracks, along Sutton Ave. near the Old Depot, in Black Mountain, NC on Saturday, October 24th, 2020. Sadly our June Show had to be canceled due to Covid-19. Over fifty artists will be selling their wares – meet the artist and buy their gorgeous work! Well behaved dogs are welcome as long as they are on leash. Free parking is available in every town lot. More information and artist applications are available online at www.olddepot.org.


2020 A YEAR OF COVID, TURMOIL, UNCERTAINTIES, HEROES & HOPE
The year 2020 for better or worse will go down in American history as a pivotal moment. It has been often said that history is written for and by the victors.
But nowadays in a world overwhelmed with 2-second tweets, forgettable social media, conspiracy theories and online rages; modern history seems to be written by the distracted, the delusional and the destructive.
Mountain Made, a local arts & crafts boutique in Grove Arcade, is taking a different approach. We are creating a public history journal of poetry, personal musing, thoughtful insights and yes, rants on “The Year 2020”. They could be funny or serious.
We have setup two interactive art stations inside the gallery:
* The first one is where you can quickly put down your thoughts on some blank paper (the original “i-pad”) and leave it with us.
* The other is a shared, public painting series where you can lay brush to canvas if you are more a visual person.

It is with great excitement that we announce our opening schedule for 2020. We have not been able to reopen since March, when the Covid -19 pandemic hit and North Carolina shut down. Now the State of North Carolina is transitioning into Phase 2.5 of Governor Cooper’s phased reopening plan. Phase 2.5 allows museums to open at 50% capacity. This means the Swannanoa Valley Museum will be open starting Labor Day weekend. We will allow 10 visitors in the museum per hour. Opening hours are Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. Visitors can sign up on our website for a self-guided tour time or sign up at the museum. We are looking forward to seeing our visitors once more! To book a self-guided tour time click on this link. SVM Self-Guided Tour Reservation
COVID-19 Visiting Policy
Masks are required when entering the museum. This is for the safety of our visitors and our docents. Exceptions will be made according to ADA instructions. Visitors must make a reservation to visit the museum. Self Guided tour reservations are available Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. To make a reservation you can call (828) 669- 9566, register at the front desk, or click here.
ACCESSIBILITY
The first floor houses our traveling exhibit gallery and our second floor houses “Our Pathways” exhibit. The first and second floor are accessible by ADA standards. A lift is available to take visitors to the second floor.
James D. & Judith S. Moore have been collecting studio glass from Western North Carolina for the past 40 years. In honor of our reopening, the Moores have generously donated or promised much of their stunning collection to the Museum. This inaugural exhibition in the Judith S. Moore Gallery highlights the beauty of their collection and illustrates the depth with which they have collected certain foundational artists in the Studio Glass Movement.
50 Years of Western North Carolina Glass is organized by the Asheville Art Museum. This exhibition is supported in part by the Judy Appleton Memorial Fund.

Beginning October 7, the three-hour documentary-styled art installation Question Bridge: Black Males will be on view at the Asheville Art Museum. This innovative transmedia project facilitates a dialogue between Black men from diverse and contending backgrounds, and creates a platform for them to represent and redefine Black male identity in America. The work will be on view during regular public hours from October 7, 2020 through March 15, 2021.
Question Bridge: Black Males is a project that explores critically challenging issues within the African American male community by instigating a transmedia conversation among Black men across geographic, economic, generational, educational, and social strata of American society. Question Bridge provides a safe setting for necessary, honest expression and healing dialogue on themes that divide, unite, and puzzle Black males today in the United States.

Adonna Khare, Pool Party, 2015, carbon pencil on paper, 6 × 20 feet. Collection of the Artist. © Adonna Khare, image Phil Hatten.
An exhibition highlighting the works of John James Audubon juxtaposed with the work of 21st-century artists who continue his tradition of animal allegories and metaphors is currently on view at the Asheville Art Museum. The exhibition features more than 40 works and will be on display in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall through November 30.

Best of all, Porch Portraits by Suzanne will donate $15 of every session to our great friends at Flat Rock Playhouse. My goal is to raise $15,000 for the Playhouse by the end of the year so any money over and above the price of $65 will go straight to them.
Perhaps most exciting, an extremely generous Playhouse donor has agreed to a MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN up to $36,000.18! This incredibly generous donation draws on the magic of Chai, the Jewish belief that multiples of 18 bring good luck. Meaning that every session booked will result in at least $30 for the wonderful folks at Flat Rock Playhouse.
For decades, Flat Rock Playhouse has been opening their collective hearts and sharing their fabulous talents to bring joy and entertainment to western North Carolina. This is an opportunity to show our gratitude at a time when they really need our support.
Together, let’s make magic happen! Help us kick off this campaign by contributing today.

Virtual Visits for Students
Groups of pre-K–12 students are invited to schedule an interactive Virtual Visit to the Museum! Led by volunteer docents with Museum staff, our inquiry-based, conversational Virtual Visits introduce the Museum’s galleries with a 3D tour and challenge students to hone their observation skills. All pre-K–12 Virtual Visits make connections to the NC Standard Course of Study.
Virtual Visits for pre-K–12 groups are $50 for 5–25 participants from one or multiple devices through Zoom or Google Meet. Virtual Visits are available Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, and last 30–45 minutes. At least two weeks’ advanced notice is required.
For more information about Virtual Visits for adults, college, and university students, click here. For Virtual Visits for family and friend groups with children, click here.



Registration deadline: October 16
This program takes place virtually via Zoom. Space is limited; to register, click here or call 828.253.3227 x122.
In this workshop, learn how to paint loose but representational portraits from your own photos. Through demonstrations, students discover how to identify and mark the promotions of the face, block in shapes of value to articulate the form of the head, and mix skin tones. While some painting experience is helpful, all levels are welcome. Students may use acrylics or oils.
Instructor Ben Hamburger is a painter, socially engaged artist, and educator born and raised outside of Washington, DC. Working within the convergence of visual art and social engagement, he creates artwork and facilitates artistic experiences with communities in the US and around the world. He holds an undergraduate degree in visual arts from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, and a graduate degree in fine/community arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. His work has been exhibited internationally in numerous group and solo exhibitions and is part of the permanent collection of the city of New Orleans, Tulane Medical School, and private collections around the world

This week, The Breath Project announced the lineup for the inaugural virtual festival on October 24 and 25. In partnership with Flat Rock Playhouse and 23 other theater companies across the country, the free festival will feature 24 world premiere works created by multidisciplinary theater artists of color that are all 8 minutes and 46 seconds in length
The Breath Project was formed in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black people. Learn more about The Breath Project.
October 24 at 2pm PDT (5pm EDT): Aldo Billingslea — “3 Story Walk Up” | Ananya Dance Theatre — “Just Breathe” | Angela G. King — “8:46” | Giovanny Camarena — “Don’t Be Afraid” | Harvey — “Breonna’s Prayer” | Henri Franklin — “Views of Color in 8:46” | Palo Alto Children’s Theatre – “Say Hello Stewart” | Yetta Gottesman — “Oh, Maria”
October 24 at 5pm PDT (8pm EDT): Alumni Theater Company — “Perspectives | ”Bil Wright — “Pulse” | Bruce Lemon, Jr. — “The Act of Ownership” | David Guster — “Nice to Meet You” | El Colectivo de Dramaturgos de Puerto Rico – “Inhala – Exhala” | Ilasiea Gray — “Acting While Black” | Josh Richardson — “Choosing Sides” | Tyharra Cozier — “Breath”

Each Festival, LEAF hosts a dynamic array of incredibly talented poets to share their creative talents. While we aren’t able to celebrate our 50th festival like we would like we will continue to make space for creative voices and storytelling.

Bucket List: Guide to Art Institutions in WNCWestern North Carolina is known as the artist’s enclave of the Southeast—but where should we layfolk go to enjoy the fruits of these labors? Here’s our guide to enjoying art—painted, sculpted, sketched, and otherwise crafted—across the region.

by Tom Risser of Waxhaw, North Carolina
The Caldwell Arts Council and the City of Lenoir, NC seek sculptors to participate in Tucker’s Gallery, an outdoor sculpture sales gallery with three-dimensional artwork mounted in 12 pedestal-planters in downtown Lenoir for up to one year. Artists receive stipends for delivery and retrieval of sculptural art, and sculptures may be sold with 30% commission to the Caldwell Arts Council.
Find application at website.
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Waltzing in Vienna
My mother has exclusively created these stunning wood panel paintings with exquisite detail and depth, perfect for any home! They come ready to hang with wire and have painted sides, along with standing ‘off the wall’ with a classic gallery depth of 2 inches. Please look at the detail of each photo to see how some of them are ‘raised’ a bit with her magical painting technique. For the amount of work these took, they are priced to sell! Uplift the energy in your home just in time for the holiday season.

Whitfield Lovell, One of These Days, 2006, charcoal and china on wood, 84 × 37 × 4 ½ inches. Museum purchase with funds provided by 2007 Collectors’ Circle with additional funds provided by Phillip Broughton & David Smith, 2007.33.01.29. © Whitfield Lovell

Staff Picks From Around the Web Brevard Music Center
The Met Museum:
The Met Collection
Browse the Metropolitan Museum of Arts’ virtual collection of masks, musical instruments, and more!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15
It’s during this time of year that the mountains explode with color. Capture photos of the fall season and enter them into our “Find Your Color” Photo Contest. We’ll use the winning entries on our website and Facebook album, and you’ll win some fun prizes. Photos must be taken within the Chimney Rock section of the Park.
GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES
Winners will be notified and announced on Chimney Rock’s social media channels. F

2020 A YEAR OF COVID, TURMOIL, UNCERTAINTIES, HEROES & HOPE
The year 2020 for better or worse will go down in American history as a pivotal moment. It has been often said that history is written for and by the victors.
But nowadays in a world overwhelmed with 2-second tweets, forgettable social media, conspiracy theories and online rages; modern history seems to be written by the distracted, the delusional and the destructive.
Mountain Made, a local arts & crafts boutique in Grove Arcade, is taking a different approach. We are creating a public history journal of poetry, personal musing, thoughtful insights and yes, rants on “The Year 2020”. They could be funny or serious.
We have setup two interactive art stations inside the gallery:
* The first one is where you can quickly put down your thoughts on some blank paper (the original “i-pad”) and leave it with us.
* The other is a shared, public painting series where you can lay brush to canvas if you are more a visual person.
James D. & Judith S. Moore have been collecting studio glass from Western North Carolina for the past 40 years. In honor of our reopening, the Moores have generously donated or promised much of their stunning collection to the Museum. This inaugural exhibition in the Judith S. Moore Gallery highlights the beauty of their collection and illustrates the depth with which they have collected certain foundational artists in the Studio Glass Movement.
50 Years of Western North Carolina Glass is organized by the Asheville Art Museum. This exhibition is supported in part by the Judy Appleton Memorial Fund.

Beginning October 7, the three-hour documentary-styled art installation Question Bridge: Black Males will be on view at the Asheville Art Museum. This innovative transmedia project facilitates a dialogue between Black men from diverse and contending backgrounds, and creates a platform for them to represent and redefine Black male identity in America. The work will be on view during regular public hours from October 7, 2020 through March 15, 2021.
Question Bridge: Black Males is a project that explores critically challenging issues within the African American male community by instigating a transmedia conversation among Black men across geographic, economic, generational, educational, and social strata of American society. Question Bridge provides a safe setting for necessary, honest expression and healing dialogue on themes that divide, unite, and puzzle Black males today in the United States.

Adonna Khare, Pool Party, 2015, carbon pencil on paper, 6 × 20 feet. Collection of the Artist. © Adonna Khare, image Phil Hatten.
An exhibition highlighting the works of John James Audubon juxtaposed with the work of 21st-century artists who continue his tradition of animal allegories and metaphors is currently on view at the Asheville Art Museum. The exhibition features more than 40 works and will be on display in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall through November 30.

Best of all, Porch Portraits by Suzanne will donate $15 of every session to our great friends at Flat Rock Playhouse. My goal is to raise $15,000 for the Playhouse by the end of the year so any money over and above the price of $65 will go straight to them.
Perhaps most exciting, an extremely generous Playhouse donor has agreed to a MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN up to $36,000.18! This incredibly generous donation draws on the magic of Chai, the Jewish belief that multiples of 18 bring good luck. Meaning that every session booked will result in at least $30 for the wonderful folks at Flat Rock Playhouse.
For decades, Flat Rock Playhouse has been opening their collective hearts and sharing their fabulous talents to bring joy and entertainment to western North Carolina. This is an opportunity to show our gratitude at a time when they really need our support.
Together, let’s make magic happen! Help us kick off this campaign by contributing today.

Virtual Visits for Students
Groups of pre-K–12 students are invited to schedule an interactive Virtual Visit to the Museum! Led by volunteer docents with Museum staff, our inquiry-based, conversational Virtual Visits introduce the Museum’s galleries with a 3D tour and challenge students to hone their observation skills. All pre-K–12 Virtual Visits make connections to the NC Standard Course of Study.
Virtual Visits for pre-K–12 groups are $50 for 5–25 participants from one or multiple devices through Zoom or Google Meet. Virtual Visits are available Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, and last 30–45 minutes. At least two weeks’ advanced notice is required.
For more information about Virtual Visits for adults, college, and university students, click here. For Virtual Visits for family and friend groups with children, click here.



