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.

This exhibition features archival objects from the Theodore Dreier Sr. Document Collection presented alongside artworks from the Museum’s Black Mountain College Collection to explore the connections between artworks and ephemera. This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by lydia see, fall 2020 curatorial fellow, with support from a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant through the Council on Library and Information Resources.
|
|
The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.
North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.
March is Red Cross Month, and for more than 130 years, heroic American Red Cross volunteers have provided hope and urgent relief to families in communities across the country.
This March the community is invited to join in the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and be
someone’s hero by rolling up a sleeve to give blood.
According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds to respond to
patient emergencies. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients,
and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood.
All blood types are needed.
Be a hero in your community by rolling up a sleeve….
To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor
App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood
Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass® online health history
questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the
instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card
or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who
are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High
school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height
and weight requirements.

The Blood Connection’s (TBC) local blood supply is low because the wintry weather has caused consecutive days of low donor turnout. In order to best serve local hospital patients who rely on blood donors, TBC needs a stable blood supply.
In addition, winter weather is wreaking havoc in many communities across the country. Thousands of people are being impacted in states like Texas and Louisiana where some blood centers have had to completely shut down, creating a critical need for blood donations. Despite the winter weather, patients in those impacted hospitals are still in great need of blood products, and blood donors in this community can become a lifeline for them.
The Blood Connection has received several pleas for help from blood centers in Texas, who are struggling to meet their local hospitals’ needs because of the continued winter weather. TBC wants to be in a position to help if more donations start to come in.

Spend your afternoons creating in the bright and spacious studio at the Museum! Explore a range of artistic processes using artwork on view from the Museum’s Collection and special exhibitions for inspiration. Space is limited to small groups of up to eight students; face coverings and social distancing are required. Generous support for this program is provided by Walnut Cove Member Association. More info and register by March 1 at

This six-part class follows the path of Impressionism through watercolor. Examine works by French and American Impressionists, both historical and contemporary, and explore watercolor techniques to interpret light and atmosphere in the iconic Impressionist style. Presented in conjunction with Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism Through the French Lens. This program takes place via Zoom; space is limited. Generous support for exhibition programming provided by Art Bridges. More info and register at ashevilleart.org/events.

“Guggisberg and Baldwin have laid a new avenue. By joining Italian coldworking to the Swedish overlay, they have embarked upon an innovative sequence of experimentation and research not only on surfaces, but also on color and the interplay of color and texture through surface treatment. These explorations have increasingly drawn them to probe the expressive fields of textural elements. Initially soft and tactile, with the new strong angles, facets and deep cuts, the surface itself takes on a kind of fourth dimension, something sculptural that moves beyond the limits set by height, width, and volume.”
A quote from Louise Berndt, writing in “Battuto 2002: Philip Baldwin and Monica Guggisberg”

Plein Air Painting Tips
Don Osterberg has illustrated some of his advice on plein air painting with step-by-step stages of his pastel “Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah Forest.”
The watermedia and mixed media paintings, drawings, and monotype prints of Costanza Knight, also known as Connie Knight, are contemporary expressions that explore and celebrate the human form and the landscape. Poetry and narratives are often her creative touchstone, but she also takes inspiration from the landscapes she loves. Her diverse interests are evident in her varied styles.
Diane Dean talks about the process of painting a commission painting
Acrylic Painter, Diane Dean teaches her technique for creating heavily textured acrylic paintings using heavy gesso for surface texture, fluid and heavy body acrylics, brushes and palette knives.

Mary Alice Braukman presented “Free Up: Collage Surprise,” a workshop that was videotaped for viewing on the League’s YouTube channel. Students: Lisa Casperson, JoAnn Jenson and Sharon Richmond participated. Lynn Padgett and Diane Dean video recorded this event for publication on the Art League website for all members to view.
Braukman was the Director of the Kanuga Watercolor Workshops for 17 years, held at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. She teaches workshops throughout the United States, in experimental water media painting and collage for intermediate and advanced painters, consults on workshops, lectures, serves as juror in national, state and regional water media exhibitions.
Pat has been teaching workshops for over 20 years and has received several local and regional awards and has had solo shows as well as Kindred Spirit exhibits with her friend and colleague Janet Campbell. She is a signature member of the North East Watercolor Society, Audubon Artists, Inc. and a former elected member of the New Jersey Water Color Society and the Salmagundi Club in NYC.
Diane Dean demonstrates using a palette knife to complete a dogwood painting.
Acrylic Painter, Diane Dean teaches her technique for creating heavily textured acrylic paintings using heavy gesso for surface texture, fluid and heavy body acrylics, brushes and palette knives.
|
|
We know you love Buncombe County parks! We get tagged in lots of pics on Facebook and Instagram. Why not get a sweet reward for your photo skills?
Each month, we’ll announce a theme. Post your favorite photos to Instagram or Facebook showing the theme in one of our parks. Make sure to tag @BuncombeRecreation and use the hashtag #IHeartBCParks. Be sure your photo is set to “public” and use the hashtag or we won’t be able to find it. (Full rules below.)
Our theme for April is… (drumroll, please) Game On! You play soccer, disc golf, volleyball, kickball, gaga, horse shoes, fishing, bocce, lacrosse, softball, baseball, and more in Buncombe County parks. Post your best pics by Apr. 30; you can submit an unlimited number of photos. Be creative and think outside the box.
The winning photo will receive:
- Cool I Heart Parks swag: rope bag cross body sling, water bottle, compass, first aid kit, pen, and stickers
- Picture set as the cover photo for Buncombe County Recreation Service’s Facebook page for a month
- Bragging rights
Want to get a jump on the competition? Future themes include kids, pets, autumn views, and Leave No Trace.
#IHeartBCParks Photo Contest Rules and Guidelines
- Photos MUST be taken at a Buncombe County park. Tag or identify your location in your post.
- You do not need to be a Buncombe County resident to enter. Everyone is eligible to submit an entry*.
- Photos must be posted on Facebook or Instagram.
- Entry participants must be a follower of Buncombe County Recreation Services on Facebook or Instagram. Non-followers are not eligible.
- To enter, post your photo on Facebook or Instagram tagging @BuncombeRecreation on Facebook or Instagram. Use the hashtag #IHeartBCParks. (If you do not use this hashtag we won’t be able to find your photo.)
- Make sure your photo is set to “public” so we can see it.
- By submitting your photo, you warrant that your entry is an original work of authorship. You understand and agree that Buncombe County Recreation Services can re-post your photo and credit your name/username in any future promotions hereafter.
- All photos must be posted within the time frame to be eligible.
- Individuals may submit an unlimited number of photos.
- Prizes cannot be substituted, transferred, or returned for cash. No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase does not increase the chances of winning.
- This contest is not sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook or Instagram.
- Be creative and think outside the box. Get out and enjoy your Buncombe County parks, pools, and open spaces!
*Entries must be submitted by individuals ages 18 or older. Employees of Buncombe County, the contest’s participating sponsors, and members of the immediate family of any such persons are not eligible to participate and win. The term “immediate family” includes spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren, whether it is “in-laws,” or by current or past marriage(s), remarriage(s), adoption, co-habitation or other family extension, and any other persons residing at the same household whether or not related.
To receive the I Heart Parks monthly newsletter, sign up online.

Each spring, hundreds of locals 50+ years-old enjoy participating in the Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts. This year’s program will be held at locations throughout Buncombe County from the week of Apr. 19 through May 19 (tentative). There is no registration fee this year.
To register, fill out a registration form (see documents below) or register online at ncseniorgames.org.
Sports include bowling, croquet, football throw, softball throw, golf, putt-putt, cycling, track and field, archery, cheerleading, swimming, billiards, badminton, cornhole, horseshoes, pickleball, racquetball, shuffleboard, tennis, and table tennis. Age categories start at 50 and increase at five year intervals.
Silver Arts categories are classified as Heritage (quilting, woodwork, crochet, basket weaving, jewelry, needlework, tole painting, weaving, knitting, pottery, stained glass, woodcarving, and woodturning), Visual (solo, small group, and large group), Performing, Literary (poem, short story, essay, and life experience), and Contemporary. Art pieces will be displayed online.
The Asheville Art Museum is the only museum in North Carolina to be selected as a finalist for this award. Chapel Hill Public Library is the only library to be selected in North Carolina.
The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. For more than 25 years, the award has honored institutions that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities.
To celebrate this honor, IMLS is encouraging the Asheville Art Museum’s community members to share stories, memories, pictures, and videos on social media as part of the Share Your Story Campaign, using the #IMLSmedals hashtag, and engage with IMLS on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please visit the IMLS website. The Asheville Art Museum will be featured on IMLS’s social media accounts on Tuesday, March 30, and we invite all to also share the content with the community.
National Medal winners will be announced in late spring. Representatives from winning institutions will be honored for their extraordinary contributions during a virtual National Medal Ceremony this summer.
To see the full list of finalists and learn more about the National Medal, visit the IMLS website.
![]() |
| TIME AND DATES VARY Nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, UNC Asheville has a new role to play in combating COVID-19, expanding the campus’ commitment of care and compassion beyond the classrooms and into the community, as the Reuter Center has been transformed into a COVID-19 immunization site in partnership with the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). “MAHEC and UNCA are eager to urgently vaccinate as many people as possible every week until COVID is no longer present in Western North Carolina,” commented MAHEC’s CEO Jeff Heck. “UNCA is a great partner and together we will work to bring the vaccine to as many residents as possible.” The site continues to call individuals as vaccine shipments arrive. Schedule updates and frequently asked questions will be posted at https://coronavirus.unca.edu/faq/covid-19-vaccine/, and individuals will be contacted directly with their appointment details. |
Show Us What the River Means to You!

Every spring we host our Voices of the River: Art & Poetry Contest. We ask kids to use the river as a source of inspiration to showcase their creativity. Each year we are so amazed by the talent of these young artists, poets, and performers. Submissions can include 2D and 3D works in various mediums, poems and creative writings, and video compositions of songs, dances, or skits. Winners are selected by a council of judges made up of local artists, writers, and community leaders. Many generous businesses also donate prizes for winners from each age group and category.
This year we want you to show us “How has the river helped you during this time of isolation?”
All entries are due by Thursday April 22nd

|
Membership is not limited to Henderson County. Artists and art lovers from elsewhere are welcome to join.
|

March 23 AM – Virtual Visits & Facebook Live
| 8:00 – 12:00 | Virtual Advocacy Visits – Contact your County Captain to be included in your county group. |
| 8:00 | Advocacy 101 / 2021 Agenda – an introduction to the nuts, bolts, process, and landscape of arts advocacy in North Carolina Nate McGaha, Executive Director, Arts North Carolina |
| 9:00 | Legisative Kickoff Event – Wayne Martin, Laurelyn Dossett, Sec. of Natural and Cultural Resources & more TBA |
March is Red Cross Month, and for more than 130 years, heroic American Red Cross volunteers have provided hope and urgent relief to families in communities across the country.
This March the community is invited to join in the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and be
someone’s hero by rolling up a sleeve to give blood.
According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds to respond to
patient emergencies. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients,
and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood.
All blood types are needed.
Be a hero in your community by rolling up a sleeve….
To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor
App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood
Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass® online health history
questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the
instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card
or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who
are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High
school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height
and weight requirements.


Blue Ridge Honor Flight has teamed up with AdventHealth Hendersonville to administer vaccinations to veterans who have not yet received a shot.
We will not be doing a drive-thru event. They will be greeted in the parking lot/front portico and directed through the process to receive the shots inside the clinic.
|
|
|
Medicare Advantage
Open Enrollment Period
ends March 31.
Each year, if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan or switch to Original Medicare (and join a separate Medicare drug plan) once during this time.
Our Medicare counselors are available to work with you individually to provide unbiased information about your Medicare insurance options.
|
People have a new opportunity to enroll in health insurance for 2021 on HealthCare.gov, but only for a limited time. This new COVID-19 Special Enrollment period starts on February 15, 2021 and ends on May 15, 2021. Pisgah Legal Services (PLS), and its enrollment partners of WNC, are once again offering free assistance helping people in the 18-county mountain region review their options and sign up for ACA health insurance.
With job losses continuing to mount amid the COVID-19 resurgence, and millions of people having lost their job-based health insurance since the start of this public health and economic crisis, the Biden Administration has opened up HealthCare.gov to give people who need health insurance a new opportunity to get covered, but they must act quickly. For free help locally, with trained assisters, make an appointment at pisgahlegal.org/aca or call (828) 210-3404.
“More than 535,000 North Carolinians enrolled in a health insurance plan during the last Open Enrollment period,” said Shannon Cornelius, Pisgah Legal’s Health Justice Program Director. “This is a new chance for people to sign up, and anyone who needs health insurance should visit HealthCare.gov today, or contact Pisgah Legal Services if you need assistance. Don’t delay.”
Health insurance is more affordable than many people think. In North Carolina, 83 percent of current marketplace consumers had plans available for 2021 that cost less than $50 per month, after financial help. Nine out of 10 marketplace enrollees in North Carolina received financial help that lowered their monthly health insurance premiums last year. In addition, 57 percent of enrollees also qualified for lower out-of-pocket costs for health care services.
“With this new Special Enrollment Period, both new and existing marketplace consumers can shop for marketplace pans, compare options, costs and even make changes. It opens up the ability to get health insurance outside of Open Enrollment. Our certified application counselors can help answer questions and get you enrolled in the plan that works best for you and your family,” said Cornelius.
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage, with no pre-existing condition exclusions or markups. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care. In addition, consumers receive free preventive care services, such as immunizations and health screenings. Testing and treatment of COVID-19 are considered essential health benefits and are covered by all HealthCare.gov plans.
Consumers should avoid insurance plans offered outside of HealthCare.gov that seem too good to be true. “Junk insurance” products and short-term limited duration plans pose huge financial risks to consumers. These products can refuse to pay for care for pre-existing conditions, charge consumers more based on their gender, and impose annual coverage limits.
“HealthCare.gov is the only website where North Carolina consumers are guaranteed to get comprehensive coverage,” said Cornelius.
Make a Free Appointment Today
The health insurance landscape can be confusing, but free, local help is available. Appointments can be made online at www.pisgahlegal.org/aca or by calling (828) 210-3404. For the safety of consumers, staff and volunteers, all Pisgah Legal Services appointments are currently being conducted by phone, some community partners may offer in person assistance.
March is Red Cross Month, and for more than 130 years, heroic American Red Cross volunteers have provided hope and urgent relief to families in communities across the country.
This March the community is invited to join in the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and be
someone’s hero by rolling up a sleeve to give blood.
According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds to respond to
patient emergencies. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients,
and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood.
All blood types are needed.
Be a hero in your community by rolling up a sleeve….
To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor
App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood
Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass® online health history
questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the
instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card
or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who
are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High
school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height
and weight requirements.
Ikebana International of Asheville is continuing its creative program of friendship through flowers. We invite you to join us for a ZOOM presentation of “Using Baskets in Ikebana.” This demonstration is from the 18th North and Central American Regional Conference as presented by NCAR Advocate Committee in 2019 in collaboration with Ikebana Iwaya Fund. Valerie Eccleston of the Ichiyo School is the presenter. In this demonstration she will convey the beauty of Ichiyo Ikebana and her personal connection with nature and the materials she chooses.
Valerie Eccleston was introduced to Ikebana in 1975 while living in Yokohama, Japan with her husband and children. After receiving her Ichiyo School Instructor’s certificate she returned to her native England then moved to the United States in 1984. She received her Master’s Certificate in 1992, and in 2006 was appointed President of the Washington DC Chapter of the Ichiyo School by the late Iemoto (Headmaster) Akihiro Kasuya. In 2009 she was appointed to the rank of Executive Master, which is the Ichiyo School’s highest rank held outside of Japan.
Guests who are interested in learning more about ikebana can join us on the ZOOM presentation. Please contact Lynn Forbes at the number or email above to obtain the necessary information.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Ikebana provides a well-matched creative expression for modern Asheville as it combines nature, reflection, and art. The Asheville Chapter of Ikebana International presents a program on ikebana flower design and/or Japanese culture on the fourth Tuesday of every month, February through October.






