The Montford Park Players proudly presents “The Book of Will” follows the journey of William Shakespeare’s friends and fellow playwrights as they struggle to preserve his legacy after his death. Amid betrayal, heartbreak, and ambition, they work to compile his works into the First Folio, ensuring his immortality in the world of theater.

The Book of Will follows the journey of William Shakespeare’s friends and fellow playwrights as they struggle to preserve his legacy after his death. Amid betrayal, heartbreak, and ambition, they work to compile his works into the First Folio, ensuring his immortality in the world of theater.

Shows are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 each night.

And always FREE!

No Sunday performances for the last weekend of each show.

Your continuous, generous donations help keep our ticket price as pay-what-you-can.

Gunter Theatre
Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 pm

PROGRAM

Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major
Henri Casadesus: Concerto in C minor in the Style of J.C. Bach for Viola and Strings
Camargo Guarnieri: Concerto para cordas e percussão
Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite

GUEST

Kathryn Dey, Principal Viola

Garden Jubilee, one of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina, will be held on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Memorial Day weekend. With nearly 200 plant and craft vendors lining Main Street, the Historic downtown will be transformed into a garden wonderland. 

Local and regional nurseries, orchards and crafters will offer a wide variety of plants and handmade delights and gardening experts will be on hand to share the latest gardening tips and techniques. 

Known for its unified support of visual arts, Asheville is once again welcoming back the Downtown Asheville Festival of the Arts this Memorial Day Weekend. Residents and visitors will see some of the finest locally made art alongside national artists’ works during this free, outdoor event. A scenic stroll amongst sparkling jewels, one of a kind paintings, exquisitely crafted glasswork, stunning sculpture and every medium of hand-made art, all in the artist’s mecca that is downtown Asheville, rounds out the perfect Memorial Day Weekend for art appreciators around the county. The show is set up on the streets of North Pack Square and South Pack Square around the Vance Memorial as well as Reuter Terrace.

Our latest exhibition, Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Age, focuses on a dynamic era in American history when industrialization and advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Showcasing Collection prints from 1905 to the 1940s, Iron and Ink explores connections between industrial labor, urbanization, and the growing middle class. The exhibition highlights works by Works Progress Administration artists from the 1930s whose powerful images of machinery, skyscrapers, and daily life—both at work and recreation—capture this transformational era in American society.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Robin Klaus, PhD, assistant curator.

The mirror has been a powerful symbol invoked in the arts across centuries and cultures. Mirrors double reality, question the veracity of your perception, open portals to other dimensions, and act as objects of magic and divination. In the series Black Mirror/Espejo Negro (2007, ongoing), Pedro Lasch employs the mirror as an emblem that interrogates the tension between presence and absence, colonial histories, and the politics of visibility. The selections from the series displayed in this installation conceptually bring together canonical works of art from early modern Europe and prominent pre-Columbian sculptural figures, whose superimposed images emerge specter-like through darkened glass. Each work includes an accompanying text the artist produced for that pairing.

For millennia, humans and flowers have enjoyed a rich and intertwined history spanning time and cultures. Fossilized flowers have been found at early human burial sites and flora is used in medicines and remedies. Flowers have also evolved into symbols of love, purity, and rebirth, alongside their enduring role as objects of beauty and ornamentation. Flora Symbolica: The Art of Flowers explores the meanings and messages of flowers in American art of the 20th and 21st centuries, highlighting the timeless connections among art, nature, and human experience.

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

The Asheville Art Museum presents Native America: In Translation, an
exhibition curated by Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star, on view from May 22 through November 3,
2025. Featuring work by seven Indigenous photographers and lens-based artists from across North
America, the exhibition explores urgent questions of identity, heritage, land rights, and the ongoing
impact of colonialism.

Building on Red Star’s role as guest editor of the Fall 2020 issue of Aperture magazine, Native
America: In Translation continues the conversation through personal and often experimental visual
storytelling. Using self-portraits, performance-based imagery, and multimedia assemblages, the
artists offer new perspectives on Native life and representation today.

The 16th annual ABSFest: Asheville Burlesque & Sideshow Festival Sunday at The Grey Eagle brings the brunch show – the Church of Decadence, hosted by pin-up priestess Phoebe Nyx. Come feel the holy spirit of burlesque moving through you. Dress for church – be that church hats, mumus, or pjs. Tickets at www.thegreyeagle.com 12-2pm

Head on out to the ballgame at McCormick Field. Asheville is taking on Greensboro. Game starts at 1:05pm.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Gunter Theatre
Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 pm

Program includes: Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major,
Henri Casadesus: Concerto in C minor in the Style of J.C. Bach for Viola and Strings,
Camargo Guarnieri: Concerto para cordas e percussão, Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite.

Guest, Kathryn Dey, Principal Viola

AN AFTERNOON OF STORYTELLING WITH DONALD DAVIS Sunday, May 25, 2025 | 4:00-6:00 PM

Join us On Sunday, May 25, as we welcome Donald Davis to Wells Events Center for an afternoon of storytelling. Donald Davis grew up in Waynesville and will bring much joy and laughter to your heart as you hear him tell of happenings back-in-the-day. You will recognize familiar family names and area locations as he brings his stories to life and adds warm-hearted feelings of days-gone-by in this small mountain town.

Doors open at 4:00 with light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, and storytelling begins at 5:00.

This Memorial Day Weekend, guests and locals can flock to The Silo Cookhouse at The Horse Shoe Farm on Sunday, May 25 for a festive cookout featuring live music, lawn games, and a backyard summer grill menu. Highlights include American classics like burgers, hot dogs, and BBQ chicken, plus grilled shrimp skewers, grilled squash, couscous salad, and even ice cream brownie bars and homemade popsicles to end the night on a sweet note. Tickets start at $80/adult and $50/kid.

The Montford Park Players proudly presents “The Book of Will” follows the journey of William Shakespeare’s friends and fellow playwrights as they struggle to preserve his legacy after his death. Amid betrayal, heartbreak, and ambition, they work to compile his works into the First Folio, ensuring his immortality in the world of theater.

The Book of Will follows the journey of William Shakespeare’s friends and fellow playwrights as they struggle to preserve his legacy after his death. Amid betrayal, heartbreak, and ambition, they work to compile his works into the First Folio, ensuring his immortality in the world of theater.

Shows are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 each night.

And always FREE!

No Sunday performances for the last weekend of each show.

Your continuous, generous donations help keep our ticket price as pay-what-you-can.

This annual run/walk timed event raises funds to support Open Arms Pregnancy Center. Open Arms supports women facing unplanned pregnancies by providing free, confidential ultrasounds and maternity supplies. Mothers receive monthly diapers, clothing and other items once their babies are born up to the child’s 18th month.
The 5k and Fun Run will be held at Bill Moore Community Park, 85 Howard Gap Road in Fletcher, NC at 8:30AM.
Runners should register now (by May 9) at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Fletcher/Run4for5k for early bird pricing and to be guaranteed a T-shirt.
Businesses/Individuals interested in being a race sponsor can contact us via email at [email protected] or by phone at 828.676.4510.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

viewshed illuminates the enduring impact of Black Mountain College as a crucible of artistic experimentation and exchange, tracing the transmission of ideas across generations and exploring how BMC’s radical pedagogical approaches continue to shape contemporary artistic practice. The exhibition stages a dynamic dialogue between past and present, featuring contemporary artists Richard Garet, Jennie MaryTai Liu, Deanna Sirlin, and Susie Taylor alongside seminal BMC figures such as Dorothea Rockburne, Sewell (Si) Sillman, and Jacob Lawrence. By engaging with transparency, structure, color, collaboration, and expanded forms, viewshed brings into focus the porous boundaries between disciplines, unfolding as a sensorial and conceptual investigation into the shifting terrain of artistic influence. The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. At its core, viewshed underscores the ways in which BMC’s experimental ethos continues to inspire artists to challenge, reinterpret, and expand the possibilities of creative expression.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Let’s dive deep into lavender!  Participants will learn about the history of this plant, discover how it’s used to promote relaxation and wellness, and make their own DIY lavender products to take home.  We will make bath salts, pillow sprays, and tea blends to bring relaxation home!

Tuesday May 27, 2025, 2:00-4:00. $25.00/$21 for Friends of Bullington Gardens.

Boost your athletic edge with this reformer-based Pilates class designed specifically for runners, cyclists, and multi-disciplined athletes. This targeted workout focuses on core strength, alignment, mobility, and recovery—key elements to prevent injury and enhance endurance. Whether you’re logging miles, climbing hills, or cross-training, adding Pilates for Performance to your routine will help you move better, recover faster, and perform at your peak.

Our latest exhibition, Iron and Ink: Prints from America’s Machine Age, focuses on a dynamic era in American history when industrialization and advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Showcasing Collection prints from 1905 to the 1940s, Iron and Ink explores connections between industrial labor, urbanization, and the growing middle class. The exhibition highlights works by Works Progress Administration artists from the 1930s whose powerful images of machinery, skyscrapers, and daily life—both at work and recreation—capture this transformational era in American society.

This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Robin Klaus, PhD, assistant curator.