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.
The Biltmore Estate has been planning the largest exhibition in its historic gardens for almost a decade. And finally, last week, Chihuly at Biltmore opened with a mega installation of glass sculptures from the famous artist Dale Chihuly. Tens of thousands of glass pieces from all around the world reside in 14 locations around the Estate (which is the very first large-scale N.C. Chihuly installation).
The exhibition is up from now until Oct. 7th, free admission with a Biltmore day pass (and free for annual pass holders). Chihuly at Nightis a special, ongoing event where the glass sculptures are lit up, plus live music in the gardens + a wine bar. Tickets are $37.50 for kids + range from $65 – 75 for adults ($10 discount for pass holders).
Three new works were blown just for Biltmore, and 6 new compositions were put together.
Interconnected – mutually joined or related : having internal connections between the parts or elements
We are all interconnected. Intrinsically interwoven with each other, with nature, with the animals, with our biosphere, the rest of the entire universe, and Spirit, God, or divinity, we cannot be excluded from the fabric of creation.
When we live in a way that honors this connection, we are healthy and in balance with the world and within ourselves. The golden rule is to ‘do unto others, as you would have them do unto you’, because what we do to others, we do to ourselves. Whether it be harmful, or helpful, the effects of our deeds are felt throughout the fabric of reality, and always ripple back to their source.
One of the many challenges we face in current civilization is widespread depression. Depression is a symptom of isolation, loneliness, and a feeling of not belonging. Our current dominant social model is one of ‘each one for himself’, and extreme independence. The notions of ‘us vs them’ that stem from isolation, can lead to xenophobia, racism, hatred, and other diseases of the spirit.
Re-membering our inherent interconnection is a powerful anecdote for the malaise of isolation.
Interconnection is one of the strongest recurring themes within the Visionary Art movement. This genre of art attempts to bring healing to the schisms of society, and remind humanity that we are not separate, nor alone. Some people call it “medicine art” or “spiritual art”. Visionary artists share a common longing to open hearts and minds with their art, and help people remember how connected and integrated we all are.
Visionary art is only recently emerging from the underground, and has morphed over the past decade from loosely meaning “self-taught” or “psychedelic”, into a multi-cultural exploration, uplifting and showcasing the spirit, while revealing the interconnections between humanity and the entirety of creation.
The artists exhibited here express interconnection in differing ways, from the basic geometric template that the world is formed around, the plant & animal kingdoms, the realms of spirits, fae, and devas, to the outer reaches of the cosmos.
Participating artists: Andy Reed, Annie Bennett, Ashley Spero, Chris Sheehan, CJ Randall, Dillon Endico, Ka Amorastreya, Marina Jessica, Mark Hanf, Ryan O’Sullivan
The opening reception for Interconnected will be Friday, June 1, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the Thom Robinson and Ray Griffin Exhibition Space. An artist talk will start at 6:30 pm.
The AAAC is excited to welcome the kindergartners of Ira B. Jones Elementary into the Hall Gallery. The kindergarten classes are working on a new social studies unit called Our Community. In this unit they will be exploring questions like: Why do people work? How we can help our community? What are our community’s needs and wants? The students will be learning about different kinds of neighborhoods like rural, city, suburban, and why they are important.
In art class the students will apply their understanding of these topics by creating a paper collage of their neighborhood. They will use various paper shapes to create a collage of a neighborhood. The neighborhoods will “link” together with a road that “unites” us all as one community.
The creations inspired by this lessons will be on display Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm from May 4 – June 29, 2018.
Process is a collaborative exhibit by Erica Stankwytch Bailey, Asheville Makers, The Bright Angle with special guest artist Emily Rogstad.
This exhibition offers insight into the working worlds of creative collaborations and independent makers. Artifacts demonstrating inception of idea, design and making will be shown alongside finished pieces to illustrate the inherent value of the creative process.
“The creative process is not just iterative; it’s also recursive. It plays out “in the large” and “in the small”—in defining the broadest goals and concepts and refining the smallest details. It branches like a tree, and each choice has ramifications, which may not be known in advance.” -Dubberly Design Office
Erica Stankwytch Bailey is a Metalsmith and small business owner who designs and makes handmade artisan jewelry. Many of her pieces are inspired by an intense fascination with the building blocks of our world, most specifically molecular and crystalline structures.
The Bright Angle is a modern design company focused on showcasing the process and story behind the makers and products. At The Bright Angle we emphasize practical utility and technology to offer handmade lifestyle goods through carefully curated designer-maker collaborations.
Emily Rogstad graduated in 2013 with a BFA in Metalsmithing + Jewelry from Maine College of Art. After some traveling she moved to Penland School of Crafts for two years for the Core Fellowship. Now a resident of Asheville, North Carolina she spends her time maintaining an inquisitive studio practice, and enjoying the mountains. She is currently the new Design Resident with The Bright Angle.
Asheville Makers is a makerspace in the Asheville area. They are a community of tinkerers, makers, engineers, educators, scientists, artists, hackers, geeks, etc. Anyone who is, aspires to be, or just wants to hang around with local smart, creative, friendly mad scientist folk is welcome!
Process will be open in the Front Gallery of the Refinery Creator Space from June 1 – July 27, 2018 with an opening reception on Friday, June 1 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
The Asheville Art Museum is excited to present Red Hot in the Blue Ridge, an exhibition being held in conjunction with Western North Carolina’s community-wide Summer of Glass celebration. On view at the Asheville Art Museum On the Slope at 175 Biltmore Avenue May 19 – September 30, 2018, Red Hot in the Blue Ridge celebrates Western North Carolina’s unique place in the history of American Studio Glass. Many other organizations and galleries across WNC are also hosting glass-focused events, programs and exhibitions during the region’s Summer of Glass celebration, which coincides with a new exhibition at Biltmore of multi-media artist Dale Chihuly’s monumental glass sculptures. Visit www.ashevilleart.org for details.
2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. As the last exhibition to be held in our 56 Broadway gallery before we move to 120 College Street on Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, Shared History highlights not just the museum’s origins, collection, programs, and exhibitions but also the many ways that this organization has created a space for connection and experimentation. This fulfills our early promise to BMC alumni to be not merely a museum memorializing the past, but a center geared towards building community and fostering forward-thinking creativity in the present. An Opening Reception will be held on June 1st from 5:30PM – 8PM, with a Gallery Talk by Exhibition Curator, Erin Dickey, at 6:30PM. We welcome all who have been a part of our history, and hope that new audiences will gain insight into the scope of BMCM+AC’s reach, both locally and around the globe. This event is FREE and Open to the Public
Please join The North Carolina Arboretum for a fabulous and festive celebration of our newest exhibit, Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance. This special ticketed event will include:
-Live music
-“Sense Stations”
-Heavy hors d’oeuvres
-Beverages, including an aromatic cocktail
-Silent auction
Tickets are $100 for Arboretum Society members and $125 for non-members.You can purchase tickets online at https://www.ncarboretum.org/joingive/membership/events/ All proceeds from the event will benefit Youth Education at The North Carolina Arboretum.
The Biltmore Estate has been planning the largest exhibition in its historic gardens for almost a decade. And finally, last week, Chihuly at Biltmore opened with a mega installation of glass sculptures from the famous artist Dale Chihuly. Tens of thousands of glass pieces from all around the world reside in 14 locations around the Estate (which is the very first large-scale N.C. Chihuly installation).
The exhibition is up from now until Oct. 7th, free admission with a Biltmore day pass (and free for annual pass holders). Chihuly at Nightis a special, ongoing event where the glass sculptures are lit up, plus live music in the gardens + a wine bar. Tickets are $37.50 for kids + range from $65 – 75 for adults ($10 discount for pass holders).
Three new works were blown just for Biltmore, and 6 new compositions were put together.
Interconnected – mutually joined or related : having internal connections between the parts or elements
We are all interconnected. Intrinsically interwoven with each other, with nature, with the animals, with our biosphere, the rest of the entire universe, and Spirit, God, or divinity, we cannot be excluded from the fabric of creation.
When we live in a way that honors this connection, we are healthy and in balance with the world and within ourselves. The golden rule is to ‘do unto others, as you would have them do unto you’, because what we do to others, we do to ourselves. Whether it be harmful, or helpful, the effects of our deeds are felt throughout the fabric of reality, and always ripple back to their source.
One of the many challenges we face in current civilization is widespread depression. Depression is a symptom of isolation, loneliness, and a feeling of not belonging. Our current dominant social model is one of ‘each one for himself’, and extreme independence. The notions of ‘us vs them’ that stem from isolation, can lead to xenophobia, racism, hatred, and other diseases of the spirit.
Re-membering our inherent interconnection is a powerful anecdote for the malaise of isolation.
Interconnection is one of the strongest recurring themes within the Visionary Art movement. This genre of art attempts to bring healing to the schisms of society, and remind humanity that we are not separate, nor alone. Some people call it “medicine art” or “spiritual art”. Visionary artists share a common longing to open hearts and minds with their art, and help people remember how connected and integrated we all are.
Visionary art is only recently emerging from the underground, and has morphed over the past decade from loosely meaning “self-taught” or “psychedelic”, into a multi-cultural exploration, uplifting and showcasing the spirit, while revealing the interconnections between humanity and the entirety of creation.
The artists exhibited here express interconnection in differing ways, from the basic geometric template that the world is formed around, the plant & animal kingdoms, the realms of spirits, fae, and devas, to the outer reaches of the cosmos.
Participating artists: Andy Reed, Annie Bennett, Ashley Spero, Chris Sheehan, CJ Randall, Dillon Endico, Ka Amorastreya, Marina Jessica, Mark Hanf, Ryan O’Sullivan
The opening reception for Interconnected will be Friday, June 1, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the Thom Robinson and Ray Griffin Exhibition Space. An artist talk will start at 6:30 pm.
The AAAC is excited to welcome the kindergartners of Ira B. Jones Elementary into the Hall Gallery. The kindergarten classes are working on a new social studies unit called Our Community. In this unit they will be exploring questions like: Why do people work? How we can help our community? What are our community’s needs and wants? The students will be learning about different kinds of neighborhoods like rural, city, suburban, and why they are important.
In art class the students will apply their understanding of these topics by creating a paper collage of their neighborhood. They will use various paper shapes to create a collage of a neighborhood. The neighborhoods will “link” together with a road that “unites” us all as one community.
The creations inspired by this lessons will be on display Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm from May 4 – June 29, 2018.
Process is a collaborative exhibit by Erica Stankwytch Bailey, Asheville Makers, The Bright Angle with special guest artist Emily Rogstad.
This exhibition offers insight into the working worlds of creative collaborations and independent makers. Artifacts demonstrating inception of idea, design and making will be shown alongside finished pieces to illustrate the inherent value of the creative process.
“The creative process is not just iterative; it’s also recursive. It plays out “in the large” and “in the small”—in defining the broadest goals and concepts and refining the smallest details. It branches like a tree, and each choice has ramifications, which may not be known in advance.” -Dubberly Design Office
Erica Stankwytch Bailey is a Metalsmith and small business owner who designs and makes handmade artisan jewelry. Many of her pieces are inspired by an intense fascination with the building blocks of our world, most specifically molecular and crystalline structures.
The Bright Angle is a modern design company focused on showcasing the process and story behind the makers and products. At The Bright Angle we emphasize practical utility and technology to offer handmade lifestyle goods through carefully curated designer-maker collaborations.
Emily Rogstad graduated in 2013 with a BFA in Metalsmithing + Jewelry from Maine College of Art. After some traveling she moved to Penland School of Crafts for two years for the Core Fellowship. Now a resident of Asheville, North Carolina she spends her time maintaining an inquisitive studio practice, and enjoying the mountains. She is currently the new Design Resident with The Bright Angle.
Asheville Makers is a makerspace in the Asheville area. They are a community of tinkerers, makers, engineers, educators, scientists, artists, hackers, geeks, etc. Anyone who is, aspires to be, or just wants to hang around with local smart, creative, friendly mad scientist folk is welcome!
Process will be open in the Front Gallery of the Refinery Creator Space from June 1 – July 27, 2018 with an opening reception on Friday, June 1 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
The Asheville Art Museum is excited to present Red Hot in the Blue Ridge, an exhibition being held in conjunction with Western North Carolina’s community-wide Summer of Glass celebration. On view at the Asheville Art Museum On the Slope at 175 Biltmore Avenue May 19 – September 30, 2018, Red Hot in the Blue Ridge celebrates Western North Carolina’s unique place in the history of American Studio Glass. Many other organizations and galleries across WNC are also hosting glass-focused events, programs and exhibitions during the region’s Summer of Glass celebration, which coincides with a new exhibition at Biltmore of multi-media artist Dale Chihuly’s monumental glass sculptures. Visit www.ashevilleart.org for details.
2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. As the last exhibition to be held in our 56 Broadway gallery before we move to 120 College Street on Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, Shared History highlights not just the museum’s origins, collection, programs, and exhibitions but also the many ways that this organization has created a space for connection and experimentation. This fulfills our early promise to BMC alumni to be not merely a museum memorializing the past, but a center geared towards building community and fostering forward-thinking creativity in the present. An Opening Reception will be held on June 1st from 5:30PM – 8PM, with a Gallery Talk by Exhibition Curator, Erin Dickey, at 6:30PM. We welcome all who have been a part of our history, and hope that new audiences will gain insight into the scope of BMCM+AC’s reach, both locally and around the globe. This event is FREE and Open to the Public
Please join Momentum Gallery to welcome sculptor, Michael Enn Sirvet, for an artist talk and reception Friday June 8th, from 4-7pm (Artist Talk begins at 6pm). This event is held in conjunction with the current three-person exhibition with Michael Barringer, Jeannine Marchand, and Michael Enn Sirvet, which continues through Saturday, June 23rd. Light refreshments will be provided.
Michael Enn Sirvet’s sculptures can be found in major collections throughout the world. Many of his works feature organic and complex patterns formed from subtractive methods which balance negative and positive space. The artist hopes, “the simple intricacies of my abstracted, purified forms and assemblages will invoke recognition and impart the wonder I feel for nature.” Michael’s previous career as a structural engineer is evident in his multi-faceted architectural metal, stone, and wood sculptures.
For more than a decade, Michael has been producing sculptural artworks using metals, hardwoods and plastics. He continues to travel to the remote and fascinating places of the earth to immerse himself in the wonders of nature and upon his return combines them in his studio with the science and mathematics which influences and shapes the artwork he creates.
This event is free and open to the public.
The Opal String Quartet presents Beethoven’s monumental Quartet in C# minor, opus 131, at the Masonic Temple in downtown Asheville on Friday, June 8 at 8 pm.
Beethoven’s opus 131 quartet, one of his last and most experimental works, is performed in seven continuous movements without pause. The piece (featured in the film The Late Quartet starring Philip Seymour Hoffmann and Christopher Walken) begins with a brooding fugue and blooms into soaring melodies, an expansive theme and variations movement, a quirky, satirical scherzo, and ferocious finale.
The Opal String Quartet, comprised of four of WNC’s finest professional string players, is the only local ensemble of its kind, performing masterpieces of the string quartet literature with a fiery intensity and voluptuous tonal palette. This rare performance by the Opal String Quartet (well loved by local classical music fans) is the culmination of studying Beethoven’s opus 131 for the better part of a year.
OSQ is dedicated to bringing the art of chamber music to diverse audiences by performing in a wide variety of venues, from schools, bars, and art galleries to street corners and concert halls. They have performed throughout WNC, appearing on several chamber music series and making frequent collaborations with local chamber ensembles Pan Harmonia and AmiciMusic. Quartet members include Mariya Potapova and Karen Pommerich on violin, Kara Poorbaugh on viola, and Franklin Keel on cello, all of whom perform extensively throughout the region, most often with the Asheville, Greenville, and Charlotte Symphonies. The quartet has been featured numerous times on WCQS, and recently recorded an album with the world music trio Free Planet Radio. Opal serves as Artists-in-Residence for the educational outreach programs of the Asheville Chamber Music Series, the Asheville Symphony Guild, and the Brevard Philharmonic. For booking inquiries, fan mail, or existential musings, please contact [email protected].
https://www.facebook.com/opalstringquartet/
The Biltmore Estate has been planning the largest exhibition in its historic gardens for almost a decade. And finally, last week, Chihuly at Biltmore opened with a mega installation of glass sculptures from the famous artist Dale Chihuly. Tens of thousands of glass pieces from all around the world reside in 14 locations around the Estate (which is the very first large-scale N.C. Chihuly installation).
The exhibition is up from now until Oct. 7th, free admission with a Biltmore day pass (and free for annual pass holders). Chihuly at Nightis a special, ongoing event where the glass sculptures are lit up, plus live music in the gardens + a wine bar. Tickets are $37.50 for kids + range from $65 – 75 for adults ($10 discount for pass holders).
Three new works were blown just for Biltmore, and 6 new compositions were put together.
Interconnected – mutually joined or related : having internal connections between the parts or elements
We are all interconnected. Intrinsically interwoven with each other, with nature, with the animals, with our biosphere, the rest of the entire universe, and Spirit, God, or divinity, we cannot be excluded from the fabric of creation.
When we live in a way that honors this connection, we are healthy and in balance with the world and within ourselves. The golden rule is to ‘do unto others, as you would have them do unto you’, because what we do to others, we do to ourselves. Whether it be harmful, or helpful, the effects of our deeds are felt throughout the fabric of reality, and always ripple back to their source.
One of the many challenges we face in current civilization is widespread depression. Depression is a symptom of isolation, loneliness, and a feeling of not belonging. Our current dominant social model is one of ‘each one for himself’, and extreme independence. The notions of ‘us vs them’ that stem from isolation, can lead to xenophobia, racism, hatred, and other diseases of the spirit.
Re-membering our inherent interconnection is a powerful anecdote for the malaise of isolation.
Interconnection is one of the strongest recurring themes within the Visionary Art movement. This genre of art attempts to bring healing to the schisms of society, and remind humanity that we are not separate, nor alone. Some people call it “medicine art” or “spiritual art”. Visionary artists share a common longing to open hearts and minds with their art, and help people remember how connected and integrated we all are.
Visionary art is only recently emerging from the underground, and has morphed over the past decade from loosely meaning “self-taught” or “psychedelic”, into a multi-cultural exploration, uplifting and showcasing the spirit, while revealing the interconnections between humanity and the entirety of creation.
The artists exhibited here express interconnection in differing ways, from the basic geometric template that the world is formed around, the plant & animal kingdoms, the realms of spirits, fae, and devas, to the outer reaches of the cosmos.
Participating artists: Andy Reed, Annie Bennett, Ashley Spero, Chris Sheehan, CJ Randall, Dillon Endico, Ka Amorastreya, Marina Jessica, Mark Hanf, Ryan O’Sullivan
The opening reception for Interconnected will be Friday, June 1, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the Thom Robinson and Ray Griffin Exhibition Space. An artist talk will start at 6:30 pm.
The AAAC is excited to welcome the kindergartners of Ira B. Jones Elementary into the Hall Gallery. The kindergarten classes are working on a new social studies unit called Our Community. In this unit they will be exploring questions like: Why do people work? How we can help our community? What are our community’s needs and wants? The students will be learning about different kinds of neighborhoods like rural, city, suburban, and why they are important.
In art class the students will apply their understanding of these topics by creating a paper collage of their neighborhood. They will use various paper shapes to create a collage of a neighborhood. The neighborhoods will “link” together with a road that “unites” us all as one community.
The creations inspired by this lessons will be on display Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm from May 4 – June 29, 2018.
Process is a collaborative exhibit by Erica Stankwytch Bailey, Asheville Makers, The Bright Angle with special guest artist Emily Rogstad.
This exhibition offers insight into the working worlds of creative collaborations and independent makers. Artifacts demonstrating inception of idea, design and making will be shown alongside finished pieces to illustrate the inherent value of the creative process.
“The creative process is not just iterative; it’s also recursive. It plays out “in the large” and “in the small”—in defining the broadest goals and concepts and refining the smallest details. It branches like a tree, and each choice has ramifications, which may not be known in advance.” -Dubberly Design Office
Erica Stankwytch Bailey is a Metalsmith and small business owner who designs and makes handmade artisan jewelry. Many of her pieces are inspired by an intense fascination with the building blocks of our world, most specifically molecular and crystalline structures.
The Bright Angle is a modern design company focused on showcasing the process and story behind the makers and products. At The Bright Angle we emphasize practical utility and technology to offer handmade lifestyle goods through carefully curated designer-maker collaborations.
Emily Rogstad graduated in 2013 with a BFA in Metalsmithing + Jewelry from Maine College of Art. After some traveling she moved to Penland School of Crafts for two years for the Core Fellowship. Now a resident of Asheville, North Carolina she spends her time maintaining an inquisitive studio practice, and enjoying the mountains. She is currently the new Design Resident with The Bright Angle.
Asheville Makers is a makerspace in the Asheville area. They are a community of tinkerers, makers, engineers, educators, scientists, artists, hackers, geeks, etc. Anyone who is, aspires to be, or just wants to hang around with local smart, creative, friendly mad scientist folk is welcome!
Process will be open in the Front Gallery of the Refinery Creator Space from June 1 – July 27, 2018 with an opening reception on Friday, June 1 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
The Asheville Art Museum is excited to present Red Hot in the Blue Ridge, an exhibition being held in conjunction with Western North Carolina’s community-wide Summer of Glass celebration. On view at the Asheville Art Museum On the Slope at 175 Biltmore Avenue May 19 – September 30, 2018, Red Hot in the Blue Ridge celebrates Western North Carolina’s unique place in the history of American Studio Glass. Many other organizations and galleries across WNC are also hosting glass-focused events, programs and exhibitions during the region’s Summer of Glass celebration, which coincides with a new exhibition at Biltmore of multi-media artist Dale Chihuly’s monumental glass sculptures. Visit www.ashevilleart.org for details.
2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. As the last exhibition to be held in our 56 Broadway gallery before we move to 120 College Street on Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, Shared History highlights not just the museum’s origins, collection, programs, and exhibitions but also the many ways that this organization has created a space for connection and experimentation. This fulfills our early promise to BMC alumni to be not merely a museum memorializing the past, but a center geared towards building community and fostering forward-thinking creativity in the present. An Opening Reception will be held on June 1st from 5:30PM – 8PM, with a Gallery Talk by Exhibition Curator, Erin Dickey, at 6:30PM. We welcome all who have been a part of our history, and hope that new audiences will gain insight into the scope of BMCM+AC’s reach, both locally and around the globe. This event is FREE and Open to the Public
Falling, a solo exhibition of contemporary paintings by Michael
Francis Reagan, opens at Grovewood Gallery in Asheville on Saturday, June 9, with an artist’s reception
from 2-5pm (free and open to the public). This show will feature acrylic paintings on canvas from
Reagan’s popular Falling Series, inspired by a haunting memory of a childhood encounter with a
mourning dove that had fallen from the sky. This exhibition will remain on view through Sunday, July 15,
2018.
The Biltmore Estate has been planning the largest exhibition in its historic gardens for almost a decade. And finally, last week, Chihuly at Biltmore opened with a mega installation of glass sculptures from the famous artist Dale Chihuly. Tens of thousands of glass pieces from all around the world reside in 14 locations around the Estate (which is the very first large-scale N.C. Chihuly installation).
The exhibition is up from now until Oct. 7th, free admission with a Biltmore day pass (and free for annual pass holders). Chihuly at Nightis a special, ongoing event where the glass sculptures are lit up, plus live music in the gardens + a wine bar. Tickets are $37.50 for kids + range from $65 – 75 for adults ($10 discount for pass holders).
Three new works were blown just for Biltmore, and 6 new compositions were put together.
Interconnected – mutually joined or related : having internal connections between the parts or elements
We are all interconnected. Intrinsically interwoven with each other, with nature, with the animals, with our biosphere, the rest of the entire universe, and Spirit, God, or divinity, we cannot be excluded from the fabric of creation.
When we live in a way that honors this connection, we are healthy and in balance with the world and within ourselves. The golden rule is to ‘do unto others, as you would have them do unto you’, because what we do to others, we do to ourselves. Whether it be harmful, or helpful, the effects of our deeds are felt throughout the fabric of reality, and always ripple back to their source.
One of the many challenges we face in current civilization is widespread depression. Depression is a symptom of isolation, loneliness, and a feeling of not belonging. Our current dominant social model is one of ‘each one for himself’, and extreme independence. The notions of ‘us vs them’ that stem from isolation, can lead to xenophobia, racism, hatred, and other diseases of the spirit.
Re-membering our inherent interconnection is a powerful anecdote for the malaise of isolation.
Interconnection is one of the strongest recurring themes within the Visionary Art movement. This genre of art attempts to bring healing to the schisms of society, and remind humanity that we are not separate, nor alone. Some people call it “medicine art” or “spiritual art”. Visionary artists share a common longing to open hearts and minds with their art, and help people remember how connected and integrated we all are.
Visionary art is only recently emerging from the underground, and has morphed over the past decade from loosely meaning “self-taught” or “psychedelic”, into a multi-cultural exploration, uplifting and showcasing the spirit, while revealing the interconnections between humanity and the entirety of creation.
The artists exhibited here express interconnection in differing ways, from the basic geometric template that the world is formed around, the plant & animal kingdoms, the realms of spirits, fae, and devas, to the outer reaches of the cosmos.
Participating artists: Andy Reed, Annie Bennett, Ashley Spero, Chris Sheehan, CJ Randall, Dillon Endico, Ka Amorastreya, Marina Jessica, Mark Hanf, Ryan O’Sullivan
The opening reception for Interconnected will be Friday, June 1, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the Thom Robinson and Ray Griffin Exhibition Space. An artist talk will start at 6:30 pm.
The AAAC is excited to welcome the kindergartners of Ira B. Jones Elementary into the Hall Gallery. The kindergarten classes are working on a new social studies unit called Our Community. In this unit they will be exploring questions like: Why do people work? How we can help our community? What are our community’s needs and wants? The students will be learning about different kinds of neighborhoods like rural, city, suburban, and why they are important.
In art class the students will apply their understanding of these topics by creating a paper collage of their neighborhood. They will use various paper shapes to create a collage of a neighborhood. The neighborhoods will “link” together with a road that “unites” us all as one community.
The creations inspired by this lessons will be on display Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm from May 4 – June 29, 2018.
Process is a collaborative exhibit by Erica Stankwytch Bailey, Asheville Makers, The Bright Angle with special guest artist Emily Rogstad.
This exhibition offers insight into the working worlds of creative collaborations and independent makers. Artifacts demonstrating inception of idea, design and making will be shown alongside finished pieces to illustrate the inherent value of the creative process.
“The creative process is not just iterative; it’s also recursive. It plays out “in the large” and “in the small”—in defining the broadest goals and concepts and refining the smallest details. It branches like a tree, and each choice has ramifications, which may not be known in advance.” -Dubberly Design Office
Erica Stankwytch Bailey is a Metalsmith and small business owner who designs and makes handmade artisan jewelry. Many of her pieces are inspired by an intense fascination with the building blocks of our world, most specifically molecular and crystalline structures.
The Bright Angle is a modern design company focused on showcasing the process and story behind the makers and products. At The Bright Angle we emphasize practical utility and technology to offer handmade lifestyle goods through carefully curated designer-maker collaborations.
Emily Rogstad graduated in 2013 with a BFA in Metalsmithing + Jewelry from Maine College of Art. After some traveling she moved to Penland School of Crafts for two years for the Core Fellowship. Now a resident of Asheville, North Carolina she spends her time maintaining an inquisitive studio practice, and enjoying the mountains. She is currently the new Design Resident with The Bright Angle.
Asheville Makers is a makerspace in the Asheville area. They are a community of tinkerers, makers, engineers, educators, scientists, artists, hackers, geeks, etc. Anyone who is, aspires to be, or just wants to hang around with local smart, creative, friendly mad scientist folk is welcome!
Process will be open in the Front Gallery of the Refinery Creator Space from June 1 – July 27, 2018 with an opening reception on Friday, June 1 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
The Asheville Art Museum is excited to present Red Hot in the Blue Ridge, an exhibition being held in conjunction with Western North Carolina’s community-wide Summer of Glass celebration. On view at the Asheville Art Museum On the Slope at 175 Biltmore Avenue May 19 – September 30, 2018, Red Hot in the Blue Ridge celebrates Western North Carolina’s unique place in the history of American Studio Glass. Many other organizations and galleries across WNC are also hosting glass-focused events, programs and exhibitions during the region’s Summer of Glass celebration, which coincides with a new exhibition at Biltmore of multi-media artist Dale Chihuly’s monumental glass sculptures. Visit www.ashevilleart.org for details.
2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. As the last exhibition to be held in our 56 Broadway gallery before we move to 120 College Street on Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, Shared History highlights not just the museum’s origins, collection, programs, and exhibitions but also the many ways that this organization has created a space for connection and experimentation. This fulfills our early promise to BMC alumni to be not merely a museum memorializing the past, but a center geared towards building community and fostering forward-thinking creativity in the present. An Opening Reception will be held on June 1st from 5:30PM – 8PM, with a Gallery Talk by Exhibition Curator, Erin Dickey, at 6:30PM. We welcome all who have been a part of our history, and hope that new audiences will gain insight into the scope of BMCM+AC’s reach, both locally and around the globe. This event is FREE and Open to the Public
Falling, a solo exhibition of contemporary paintings by Michael
Francis Reagan, opens at Grovewood Gallery in Asheville on Saturday, June 9, with an artist’s reception
from 2-5pm (free and open to the public). This show will feature acrylic paintings on canvas from
Reagan’s popular Falling Series, inspired by a haunting memory of a childhood encounter with a
mourning dove that had fallen from the sky. This exhibition will remain on view through Sunday, July 15,
2018.
The Biltmore Estate has been planning the largest exhibition in its historic gardens for almost a decade. And finally, last week, Chihuly at Biltmore opened with a mega installation of glass sculptures from the famous artist Dale Chihuly. Tens of thousands of glass pieces from all around the world reside in 14 locations around the Estate (which is the very first large-scale N.C. Chihuly installation).
The exhibition is up from now until Oct. 7th, free admission with a Biltmore day pass (and free for annual pass holders). Chihuly at Nightis a special, ongoing event where the glass sculptures are lit up, plus live music in the gardens + a wine bar. Tickets are $37.50 for kids + range from $65 – 75 for adults ($10 discount for pass holders).
Three new works were blown just for Biltmore, and 6 new compositions were put together.