You can begin restoring the urban canopy in Buncombe County from your own back yard by picking up a native tree from our county-wide Fall Tree Adoption on October 29.

The 2023 Fall Tree Adoption registration is now live online. Please review the FAQs, species information, and tree care and planting instructions prior to your registration.

Each tree we give away costs ~ $300 to grow to the point in which you adopt it. Your contribution goes directly towards supporting our urban forestry efforts in Asheville & Buncombe County. We request a minimum donation of $10; if you are able to contribute more, you will support the planting of trees in lower-wealth neighborhoods where disproportionate tree removal exacerbates the effects of extreme heat and other impacts of climate change.

A $10 contribution covers your tree adoption.

A $50 contribution gives FIVE people the opportunity to receive a tree.

A $100 contribution gives TEN people the opportunity to receive a tree.

A $300 contribution covers the full cost of raising your tree to the point when you get to take it home to enjoy!

No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

REMINDER: One tree per Buncombe County residence

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

• • • • Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
      • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm

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)

Throughout the history of painting from the mid-19th century forward, artists have used an endless variety of approaches to record their world. Beyond the Lens: Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing, and Painting continues this thread, offering an opportunity to explore a singular and still forceful aspect of American art. Photorealism shares many of the approaches of historical and modernist realism, with a twist. The use of the camera as a basic tool for organizing visual information in advance of painterly expression is now quite common, but Photorealists embraced the camera as the focal point in their creative process. Beyond the Lens presents key works from the collection of Louis K. and Susan Pear Meisel, bringing together paintings and works on paper dating from the 1970s to the present to focus on this profoundly influential art movement. The exhibition includes work by highly acclaimed formative artists of the movement such as Charles Bell, Robert Bechtle, Tom Blackwell, Richard Estes, Audrey Flack, and Ralph Goings as well as paintings by the successive generations of Photorealist artists Anthony Brunelli, Davis Cone, Bertrand Meniel, Rod Penner, and Raphaella Spence. Featured artworks in the exhibition include diverse subject matters, but the primary focus is on the common and every day: urban scenes, “portraits” of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, still life compositions using toys, food, candy wrappers, and salt and pepper shakers. All provide opportunities for virtuoso studies in how light, reflection, and the camera as intermediary shapes our perception of the material world. This multigenerational survey demonstrates how the 35-mm camera, and later technological advances in digital image-making, informed and impacted the painterly gesture. Taken together, the paintings and works on paper in Beyond the Lens show how simply spellbinding these virtuosic works of art can be. “Beyond the Lens offers a fascinating look into the Photorealism movement and delves into the profound connection between the artists’ observation and creative process,” says Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of Asheville Art Museum. “We are delighted to present this curated collection of artworks encapsulating the creative vision and technical precision that defines this artistic genre.” Photorealism found its roots in the late 1960s in California and New York, coexisting with an explosion of new ideas in art-making that included Conceptual, Pop, Minimalism, Land and Performance Art. At first, representational realism coexisted with the thematic and conceptual explosion but was eventually relegated to the margins regarding critical and curatorial attention. Often misunderstood and sometimes negatively criticized or lampooned as a betrayal of modernism’s commitment to abstraction, the artists involved in Photorealism remained committed explorers of the trail they had blazed. In the decades of the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, realistic and symbolic painting experienced a renaissance, as contemporary artists are increasingly drawn to narrative and storytelling. Concurrently, using a camera as a preparatory tool equally legitimate and valuable as pencils and pens has made the rubric of Photorealism increasingly relevant. This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and guest curated by Terrie Sultan. This exhibition is sponsored in part by Jim and Julia Calkins Peterson.

Romare Bearden (Charlotte, NC 1911–1988 New York, NY), African American writer and artist, is renowned for his collages. He constantly experimented with various techniques to achieve his artistic goals throughout his career. This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores his most frequently used mediums, including screen-printing, lithography, hand-colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage.

Bearden’s work reflects his improvisational approach to his practice. He considered his process akin to that of jazz and blues composers. Starting with an open mind, he would let an idea evolve spontaneously.

“Romare Bearden: Ways of Working highlights Bearden’s unique artistic practice and masterful storytelling through art,” says Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of the Asheville Art Museum. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Jerald Melberg Gallery to present these extraordinary works on paper in conversation with Bearden’s collage Sunset Express, 1984 in the Museum Collection (on view in the Museum’s SECU Collection Hall). This exhibition will also provide a glimpse into the cultural histories and personal interests that influenced his art-making practice, and we hope it encourages introspection and dialogue with our visitors.”

Jerald Melberg states, “Romare Bearden’s groundbreaking artistic practice continues to captivate audiences worldwide. With an unparalleled legacy of creativity and innovation, Bearden’s contributions to art remain deeply influential years beyond his life.” We have enjoyed organizing this exhibition with the Asheville Art Museum to showcase his artistic genius and inspire visitors from the Western North Carolina region and beyond.”

This exhibition is made possible in part by the Judy Appleton Fund. Many thanks to the Jerald Melberg Gallery for the loan of these important artworks and to Mary and Jerald Melberg for their long-standing support of the arts, artists, and the Asheville Art Museum.

Sandburg Home Tours – Thursday to Sunday at 11am, 1pm, 2pm.

*As of April 2022, tours are free until further notice. See rates below if they change before your visit. Online reservations are available at recreation.gov.

The Sandburg Home is a great place to start your visit! The ground floor of the home contains visitor information, exhibits, tour ticket sales, the park store, and you can watch the park video. The main and top level of the home are furnished with the Sandburg family belongings. Visitors may only access the furnished ares of the home on a guided tour.

• Tour Reservations: Reserving in advance lets you pick your preferred house tour time. Tours fill up quickly. Last-minute, in-person tickets may not be available on the day you visit. Plan ahead and reserve house tour tickets at recreation.gov.

• Passes: The park does not currently sell the America the Beautiful– National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes.
  *These passes do not waive the house tour fee, but do provide a discount.
  *You can purchase a pass online at America the Beautiful – National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass | USGS Store.
• 30-minute house tours are offered year-round, schedule varies by season. Visit recreation.gov for the current schedule.
• Visitors may only tour the Sandburg Home on a guided tour.
• Tours are limited to 6 persons.
• Strollers are not permitted on the house tour, but there is a place to leave them for storage. Infants and small children should be carried through the house while on tour.

  Sandburg Home Guided Tour Fee
  *Tours are free until further notice, this chart is the rate when fees resume.
  (credit card only)
  $10.00 for Adults 16 and older
  $6.00 for Adults age 62 and older and all interagency pass holders
  Free for Children age 15 and under

The Art of Food features works from important postwar artists, like Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, John Baldessari, Wayne Thiebaud, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and Jasper Johns, alongside the work of contemporary artists, like Alison Saar, Lorna Simpson, Enrique Chagoya, Rachel Whiteread, and Jenny Holzer, among others. The Art of Food features more than 100 works in mediums that include drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, and ceramics by 37 artists. Each artist has a unique means of depicting food in their work that, when seen alongside others, creates a nuanced representation of the complex place food holds in everyday life. Cross-historical resonances between artists in the exhibition spark novel meditations on food and its discontents, while speaking to a broad range of audiences.

Included with admission

Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:

• An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
• A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
• Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels

Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.

Making connections is key to meeting business goals and building brand awareness. Mega Networking lets you do just that. In a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, you’ll meet business contacts from a variety of industries, gain exposure for your company and learn about other local businesses.

Held just twice a year, Mega Networking’s structured, “round robin” approach allows you to make valuable connections in a small group. Each person has a chance to share about their business, and a table leader moderates to put you at ease and keep the group on track. As you rotate from table to table, you’ll interact with most of the attendees, allowing you to make numerous connections in just one morning.

You’ll leave with great leads, great ideas and positive energy to keep your business moving forward.

Helpful tips:

• *     Practice your “elevator speech” ahead of time so you can share your most important information in one minute.
• *     Bring a little something to help others remember you and your business (something visual yet simple, AND your business card).
• *     Stay “portable” — you’ll be moving from table to table throughout the morning.
• *     If you’re a newcomer to this event, arrive a little early so you can settle in comfortably at your first table and learn the flow of the event without being rushed.
• *     Schedule time now on your calendar to follow up soon with those you meet.

Cost is $45 per Chamber member, $75 for other attendees.
Limited to 1 attendee per organization and five attendees per business category.

Table Host Sponsorship – serve as moderators for each table during the connection rounds rather than rotating as other attendees do. Previous experience at Mega Networking is preferred and extremely valuable for serving in the Table Host role. Table Hosts are encouraged to decorate their table in a fun and festive manner representative of their business. 

If you’re considering Chamber membership and would like to attend this event we welcome you to come and check us out! Please contact Jessica Kanupp, our Membership Development Specialist, at [email protected]

The Results Are In! Join us Thursday, October 12 at 2 PM  for the national release of Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), hosted by legendary multi-award-winning actress, singer, dancer, and civil rights activist Rita Moreno. During this LIVE virtual event, Americans for the Arts will debut the latest economic and social impact findings gathered in partnership with 373 regions from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico— including data from Buncombe County and the City of Asheville thanks to support from Buncombe County Government, City of Asheville, and ArtsAVL.

Our Black Box series continues as we welcome to the stage the magnificent work of William Shakespeare. Surrender to a haunting story of ambition and its dark consequences, as a military hero and his wife conspire to seize political power. A terrifyingly prophetic tale of revenge, murder, and madness, Macbeth lays bare the fallout when the darkest side of humanity cheats its way into a position of power.  One of Shakespeare’s bloodiest, scariest, and yet, most popular tragedies.

Students will receive a solid foundation in beginner Ukulele skills for vocalists. Chords, Rhythm patterns, and basic theory will be introduced through songs with an uplifting message. Students will also learn to play the song that the Songwriting Class will be writing and get to record it in the One Mic Studio.

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

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

Krafthouse 2023: Forest of the New Trees

an immersive art installation made by Asheville

creative direction by Jeannie Regan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Queer Music Exploration – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music.

What do you want to see? Help develop a community-powered comprehensive plan to guide Asheville Parks & Recreation’s decisions for the next 10-15 years to connect, fix, build, and preserve recreation programs and parkland. Collaborating on the Recreate Asheville plan to guide programs, sports and leisure spaces, and parks for future generations is an important opportunity for Ashevillians to create a long-term vision and help inform how projects are prioritized to meet the modern needs of our city – from major improvements to existing parks to strategies that use recreation programs to build stronger neighborhoods.

Recreate Asheville Drop-in Community Workshops
Asheville residents can share ideas at a number of stations during drop-in format events. Activities for school age children provided at workshops by APR recreation specialists. Complimentary transit vouchers are available to attend a workshop via ART buses (please contact [email protected] or 828-259-5800 to request one). Spanish language interpretation and translation services available on October 5, 6, and 12.

// October 5, 5-7 p.m., at WNC Nature Center on 75 Gashes Creek Road
// October 6, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., at Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center on 285 Livingston Street
// October 9, 2-6 p.m., at Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center on 121 Shiloh Road
// October 12, 5-7 p.m., at Carrier Park on 220 Amboy Road

Community members who cannot attend one of these workshops are welcome to share input through the citywide survey on RecreateAsheville.com, by email to [email protected], or at any APR community center or recreation program.

What do you want to see? Help develop a community-powered comprehensive plan to guide Asheville Parks & Recreation’s decisions for the next 10-15 years to connect, fix, build, and preserve recreation programs and parkland. Collaborating on the Recreate Asheville plan to guide programs, sports and leisure spaces, and parks for future generations is an important opportunity for Ashevillians to create a long-term vision and help inform how projects are prioritized to meet the modern needs of our city – from major improvements to existing parks to strategies that use recreation programs to build stronger neighborhoods.

Recreate Asheville Drop-in Community Workshops
Asheville residents can share ideas at a number of stations during drop-in format events. Activities for school age children provided at workshops by APR recreation specialists. Complimentary transit vouchers are available to attend a workshop via ART buses (please contact [email protected] or 828-259-5800 to request one). Spanish language interpretation and translation services available on October 5, 6, and 12.

// October 5, 5-7 p.m., at WNC Nature Center on 75 Gashes Creek Road
// October 6, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., at Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center on 285 Livingston Street
// October 9, 2-6 p.m., at Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center on 121 Shiloh Road
// October 12, 5-7 p.m., at Carrier Park on 220 Amboy Road

Community members who cannot attend one of these workshops are welcome to share input through the citywide survey on RecreateAsheville.com, by email to [email protected], or at any APR community center or recreation program.

The ballad singing tradition has its roots in English and Scottish immigrants who brought them to the Southern Appalachian borderlands over 400 years ago. In this session, Ian Kirkpatrick will share discoveries from the 20th century collections of regional Songcatchers such as Cecil Sharp, Artus Moser, and Tilman Cadle. He will also discuss the efforts of local ballad singers to preserve the tradition into the 21st century and the virtual era. REGISTER HERE

The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County will host candidates for Woodfin Mayor and Town Council, and candidates for Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer Trustee for a Candidate Meet & Greet at 6PM on October 12, 2023. All candidates have agreed to attend. Following a welcome statement from the League, each candidate will be allowed two minutes for an opening statement. Each candidate will also have a table to display campaign material and talk with voters. Please come and meet your candidates! This non-partisan event is free and open to the public.

Prepare to be mesmerized as classical music and hip-hop collide. For more than two decades, this charismatic, two-time Grammy-nominated duo has reconceptualized how a violin concert looks and sounds, boldly merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals to create a world where Mozart, Marvin Gaye and Kendrick Lamar harmoniously coexist on one stage.

Joining Black Violin on the road this fall is Son Little.

Praised by American Songwriter as “one of the best songwriters working today,” Son Little conceived his latest album, Like Neptune, in a cabin overlooking the Delaware River in upstate New York. Trading in the existential dread permeating his previous work for unbridled joy and self-acceptance, Son Little transmutes the chronic pain of self-doubt into a beautiful and freeing opus about overcoming generational trauma. Hailed by Afropunk as “a stunning statement of purpose,” Like Neptune decorates the altar of the primordial blues and elevates the labor of healing to high art. “I’ve always felt as though I was making music because I had to, something inside compelled me. Fueled me,” Little shared. “This the first time in a long time I’m making music for the pure joy of creating.”

Son Little and his band — Little on vocals/guitar, Steve McKie on drums, and DeShawn Alexander on keys/bass — will tour North America for the first time in support of Like Neptune through November and December.

The Black Violin V.I.P. Soundcheck Experience

This private pre-show experience includes access to view a portion of soundcheck, a moderated Q&A, photo opportunity with Kev and Wil, V.I.P. access to the merchandise booth and a 20% discount on any available item, a commemorative V.I.P laminate, and early entry to the venue.

Please note: The Black Violin V.I.P Experience upgrade does NOT include a ticket to the show. You must purchase a ticket separately in order to attend the V.I.P. experience and show.

Comprised of an all-star line-up of some of Asheville North Carolina’s best musicians, Dirty Logic works hard to create a show that both honors the exceptional music of Steely Dan and showcases the incredible skill and unique musical voice of each of the band’s members. This 11-piece powerhouse delivers the experience that true Steely Dan fans recognize as authentic passion for the music, skillfully and joyfully recreated. The collective shares the idea that: “playing this music the way that it should be played” means bringing together musicians who are masterful in their craft, who also share a deep love and sense of reverence for the music and musicians of Steely Dan.

Join us as some of Asheville’s finest and most celebrated musicians perform on the Outdoor Stage at Salvage Station on Thursday, October 12th! Doors open at 6:00PM and the music starts at 7:00PM. This is a General Admission, ALL-AGES show! Children under 7 are admitted for free; tickets otherwise required.

Root Down will be serving their delicious twist on Southern Soul food PLUS we will have additional food trucks on-site for the duration of the show.  And, of course, we will have MULTIPLE full bars open for you to enjoy!

Jelly Roll: Backroad Baptism Tour

With special guests Chase Rice, Struggle Jennings, & Josh Adam Meyers