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Applications open: 2024 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival
Aug 4 all-day
online w/ Asheville Fringe Arts
APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW!
Do you have a boundary-pushing, innovative performance piece, short film or installation that you’re ready to share?
We will open applications for the film portion of the festival in fall 2023. Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway. Our application fee for films is $5.
NOW CONSIDERING WORKS OF ALL KINDS
We accept live performances from 5 to 60 minutes in length, plus installations and films. We’re open to other types of performance as well – let’s talk! Depending on its length, your piece may be grouped with another show, or scheduled as a Random Act of Fringe. RAFs are free and open to the public, and artists receive a stipend for their performance, rather than relying on door sales.
Typically each artist with a ticketed show gets 2 performances. But in 2024, we’re exploring the option of giving a few shows 3 performances, at select venues only. Our venues range from 20-80 person capacity.
1. FRINGE SHOT
A piece that is
5-15 minutes long
May be paired with another performance, or be selected as a free Random Act of Fringe.
2. SHORT FORM
A piece that is 20-40 minutes long
May be paired with another show.
3. FULL-LENGTH
A piece that is 45-60 minutes long
Ticketed theater-style show.
4. INSTALLATION
A piece that is Site-specific (any length)
May be in an unusual location, or repeated many times. May be seen by as few as one person at a time.
5. FILM
A piece that is Designed specifically for film.
May be of any genre & length. Could be combined with other films for a showcase or film night.
Submit on Film Freeway Fall 2023
3. THE ASHEVILLE FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL IS A JURIED FESTIVAL.
We carefully review each and every submission. You’ll know by late October if your piece is selected. Should your piece get selected, there is a $35 participation fee.
Asheville Performing Arts Academy Programs 2023-2024 Season
Aug 4 all-day
Asheville Performing Arts Academy
2023-2024 Season
The Asheville Performing Arts Academy facilitates a life-long appreciation and advocacy of the arts by providing a loving community where students discover the tools needed to navigate life on and off the stage.
Mission
The Asheville Performing Arts Academy is a school based on unlimited opportunities for students to explore their interests in music, dance, and drama. We foster a love and appreciation for the arts through student-teacher relationships, which encourage and help you to excel at your dream. We offer high quality instruction and educational experiences because we are committed to the art of teaching and the teaching of the arts. It is our hope to build art and awareness in the community and provide a home for families to pursue their dreams.
With classes for students of all ages, the Asheville Performing Arts Academy is your place to discover the love of music, drama, and dance in your life.
Asheville Performing Arts Academy… where the arts come alive!
Grovewood Gallery will present Inqwiry, an outdoor exhibition of wire animal sculptures by Bakersville, NC, artist Josh Coté. This event is open to the public and free to attend. Inqwiry will remain on view through August 13, 2023.
Applications open: 2024 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival
Aug 5 all-day
online w/ Asheville Fringe Arts
APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW!
Do you have a boundary-pushing, innovative performance piece, short film or installation that you’re ready to share?
We will open applications for the film portion of the festival in fall 2023. Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway. Our application fee for films is $5.
NOW CONSIDERING WORKS OF ALL KINDS
We accept live performances from 5 to 60 minutes in length, plus installations and films. We’re open to other types of performance as well – let’s talk! Depending on its length, your piece may be grouped with another show, or scheduled as a Random Act of Fringe. RAFs are free and open to the public, and artists receive a stipend for their performance, rather than relying on door sales.
Typically each artist with a ticketed show gets 2 performances. But in 2024, we’re exploring the option of giving a few shows 3 performances, at select venues only. Our venues range from 20-80 person capacity.
1. FRINGE SHOT
A piece that is
5-15 minutes long
May be paired with another performance, or be selected as a free Random Act of Fringe.
2. SHORT FORM
A piece that is 20-40 minutes long
May be paired with another show.
3. FULL-LENGTH
A piece that is 45-60 minutes long
Ticketed theater-style show.
4. INSTALLATION
A piece that is Site-specific (any length)
May be in an unusual location, or repeated many times. May be seen by as few as one person at a time.
5. FILM
A piece that is Designed specifically for film.
May be of any genre & length. Could be combined with other films for a showcase or film night.
Submit on Film Freeway Fall 2023
3. THE ASHEVILLE FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL IS A JURIED FESTIVAL.
We carefully review each and every submission. You’ll know by late October if your piece is selected. Should your piece get selected, there is a $35 participation fee.
Inqwiry: Outdoor Wire Sculptures by Josh Coté
Aug 5 all-day
Grovewood Village
Grovewood Gallery will present Inqwiry, an outdoor exhibition of wire animal sculptures by Bakersville, NC, artist Josh Coté. This event is open to the public and free to attend. Inqwiry will remain on view through August 13, 2023.
Toddler Water Days
Aug 5 all-day
Tempie Avery Montford Community Center
Join for a free opportunity for little ones to enjoy cooling water activities on hot summer days. We’ll have fun options such as kiddie pools, water blasters, sprinklers, and much more to keep everyone excited and active.
Space is limited, so advance registration is recommended at AVLREC.com. Walk-ups are only allowed if spaces aren’t reserved.
Staff will be on site to supervise, play, and ensure that everyone has a safe fun time, but parents must remain at the community center (and play in the water if they want, too).
Biltmore Estate: Ciao! From Italy Sculptural Postcard Display
Aug 5 @ 8:30 am
Biltmore Estate
Included with admission
Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.
Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.
Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!
Mount Mitchell Arts and Crafts Fair
Aug 5 @ 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Burnsville’s Town Square
, Burnsville’s Town Square. About 250 artists, music, clogging on Friday, Parkway Playhouse children’s performance at noon Friday. Visit www.yanceychamber.com/crafts-fair
Mt. Mitchell Arts + Crafts Fair
Aug 5 @ 9:00 am
Burnsville Downtown
Considered the granddaddy of art shows in Western North Carolina, this juried event focuses on quality, handmade wares from local artists in the Toe River Valley and regional artisans across the southern Appalachians.
The fair, which began in 1956, retains its traditional Friday-Saturday format, with one small change. Friday will feature an extra hour, beginning and 9 a.m. and running through 6 p.m. Saturday’s hours remain 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A variety of bluegrass, country and gospel bands will perform on the main stage each day. Those acts include Asheville Junction Band, featuring an Americana/bluegrass sound; Tall Boys, a country/blues band from Asheville; Americana folk duo Admiral Radio of Columbia, S.C.; and the well-known gospel sounds of The Edwards Family of Burnsville.
Appalachian Performing Arts of Burnsville will provide a clogging demonstration Friday.
Returning for a second year is a children’s performance by the Parkway Playhouse at noon Friday on the main stage: “The Tale of the Pig.” It’s part of the Playhouse’s Reading is Alive program and all children present receive a free craft item from the Penland School of Craft.
Adult Field Course: Appalachian Woodcraft
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Grandfather Mountain
The hardy settlers who made these mountains home were resourceful and made what they needed from what was at hand, and what was at hand was wood. We will examine the types of things Appalachian people have made for themselves from the forests around them, and well as the tools they used to make them. Chairs, bowls, spoons, tool handles, etc. After taking a walk through the forest which was the pioneer’s lumber yard, where we will identify trees and some of their uses, we will focus on a hands on project. After some basic safety training and practice, each participant will make an example of that ubiquitous piece of pioneer woodcraft, the hook. Made from a small forked tree branch, often of rhododendron, these hooks were found in homes, barns and outbuildings to hang cloths, tools, horse harness and more on the wall in an organized fashion.
Jason Lonon is a craftsman and teacher living and working in the same valley his ancestors have called home since the 1840s. Concurrent to serving an apprenticeship in traditional woodworking, Jason began blacksmithing as a teenager in the late 1990’s. Today, Jason and a team of highly skilled craftsmen produce a line of specialty carving tools for traditional woodworkers. Over the years, Jason has taught welding, blacksmithing, woodcarving and other skills in a wide variety of settings from the community college system to wilderness camps.
Program Itinerary 10:00 am: Meet at the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery for introductions, look at examples of woodwork, tools and techniques
11:30 am: Tree identification hike and lunch
1:00 pm: Hands on project
4:00 pm: Conclusion
What’s included? Your program cost includes admission into the park, field instruction, and transportation during your program (you may drive your own vehicle to visit sites on the mountain if you would prefer). It does not include meals or lodging. Bringing a bagged lunch is recommended for most field courses, although Mildred’s Grill will be open to attendees.
Registration This Adult Field Course costs $60 for general admission and $51 for members of Grandfather Mountain’s Bridge Club, plus tax. Attendance is limited to 8 participants. Registration opens on this page on June 5 at 9 a.m.
Your program cost includes admission into the park, field instruction, and transportation during your program (you may drive your own vehicle to visit sites on the mountain if you would prefer). It does not include meals or lodging. Bringing a bagged lunch is recommended for most field courses, although Mildred’s Grill will be open to attendees. Tips are not accepted for field courses. However, donations to the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation are accepted if you would like to recognize a program.
General Clothing List Much of your time will be spent outdoors and all programs are held rain, snow or shine. You should be prepared for a variety of mountain weather conditions and temperatures. Appropriate clothing, equipment, and footwear are very important.
Equipment
Daypack with enough room to carry extra clothing, water, lunch, camera, etc.
Water Bottle
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Hiking boots
Binoculars
Equipment Specific to this Course
Sketch Pad – work as large or small as you like, but keep in mind that we will be moving around a bit. I’ll be working on an 11”x14” Strathmore Drawing Pad. I would recommend that you work in a small enough size that you can support in your lap without the aid of an easel, and no loose sheets. Sketch Pads or Sketch Books work best, as they’re sturdy and provide support as you work.
Graphite or Colored Pencils – please no messy media and no paint
Erasers
Spray Fixative – optional. This will help your finished work from smearing in transit home
Refunds/Cancellations Adult Field Courses generally sell out and have a waiting list associated with the event. If you cannot attend the field course that you are registered for, a full refund will be granted within a 5-day notice of the day of the field course. This allows time for individuals on the waiting list to make accommodations to attend the event. We ask that individuals who are sick with any illness to stay home to ensure the health and safety of other participants, our staff, and the field course instructors – refunds will be granted to these individuals.
More about Field Courses
We at Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation are excited to share the unique wonders of the mountain with you. Since 2008, GMSF has aimed at creating educational programming that deepens understanding through in-depth study and field research. Our goal is to provide you with a rich experience in a particular field of study, and to also provide a safe and memorable trip to Grandfather Mountain. Read more about Field Courses.
Art on the Greene
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Historic Banner Elk School, downtown Banner Elk
. Local and regional artists, food trucks
Exhibition: NEO MINERALIA
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
Photo credit:
Sae Honda. Courtesy of the Artist.
NEO MINERALIA suggests that recent rock formations no longer fit within the traditional groups: Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary. Instead, the Anthropocene, the era of human influence on the climate and environment, has introduced two post-natural rocks: Synthetic and Digital.
NEO MINERALIA presents a selection of new geological specimens crafted by ten international artists exploring rocks as reflections of our effects on human and nonhuman ecologies. By embedding synthetic materials (plastics, e-waste) and layers of data points (critical, financial, social) into the craftsmanship of these artifacts, the artists transgress the definition of rocks, turning them from passive aggregates of minerals into metaphorical aggregates of data. Within their apparent “rockness” we can decode hopes, warnings, and speculative future scenarios.
The featured works stemming from places as varied as Mexico, Japan, Poland, and Australia (including a curated artists’ books library), collectively signal a new era of planetary and geological consciousness where we are asked to read, feel, and listen to rocks in new ways.
Exhibition: Something earned, Something left behind
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
Photo credit:
J Diamond, “Pony II,” 2022. Courtesy of the Artist
Something earned, Something left behind is an exhibition of objecthood; a critical analysis of the transactional and political languages of everyday and culturally significant objects. This exhibition challenges a history of exclusion and inclusion of People of Color (POC) and their narratives from the canon of craft based on subject matter. It dissects this history’s origins and precedent as an economic transaction to gain access to white spaces.
Racial and ethnic identity influences the way individuals perceive themselves, the way others perceive them, and the way they choose to behave. For this reason, People of Color are expected to perform certain roles in order to fit into hegemonic institutions. These roles can be an active shrinking of themselves and the racialized part of them, or a personal exploitation of their racialized selves. This exhibition addresses and redresses the ways narrowed populations have been included, and the ways in which they have been asked to participate.
Together, this work creates space for and legitimizes POC narratives with depth and care. The exhibiting artists’ practices work against institutionalized expectations of POC work, expanding discourse and inserting new subjectivity into the canon of craft art. It engages with a community hungry for the revitalization and resuscitation of non-Western voices within art spaces. This exhibition challenges the expectations of art from artists of marginalized backgrounds and embraces a new subjectivity of interrogating one’s inherited experiences.
Exhibition: Crafting Denim
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft
Photo credit:
Photograph by Bowery Blue Makers
Jeans – with their standardized pockets, rivets, and denim – are so much a part of everyday wardrobes that they are easy to overlook. Yet, in workshops across the nation, independent makers are reevaluating the garment and creating jeans by hand, using antiquated equipment and denim woven on midcentury looms. Crafting Denim explores how and why jeans have come to exist at the intersections of industry and craft, modernity, and tradition.
A product of industrial factory production for over a century, jeans are being recast by a new cohort of small-scale makers including craftspeople like Ryan Martin of W.H. Ranch Dungarees, Takayuki Echigoya of Bowery Blue Makers, and Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko of Raleigh Denim, who favor choice materials and small-batch fabrication. The jeans they make merge craft traditions with industry and extend the conversation between hand and machine.
Each maker creates a distinctive product but shares a deep appreciation for materials, tools, history, and denim. These jeans are in dialogue with the past and in line with contemporary interests in sustainability. The small workshops featured here are sites of innovation and preservation, and visitors are invited to take a close look at an everyday item and imagine alternative contexts for making and living in our own clothes.
JudeFrances Jewelry Trunk Show at Acorns
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Acorns
Acorns’ Annual season of trunk shows highlights the talented creators of fine art, designer jewelry, and home goods.
Combining classic elegance with on trend shapes and styles, JudeFrances Jewelry offers something for women of all ages. The endless combinations of the JudeFrances categories including the signature earring hoop and charm concept, stackable gold bangles, layering chains and pendants, stylish cocktail rings and simple gold stackers, allow the JudeFrances collector to create a style distinct to her.
LEGO Club
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Oakley/South Asheville Library
Join us on the first Saturday of each month! Build unique LEGO architecture and display your own LEGO creations at the library. *Please leave your personal LEGOs at home, we have plenty!
TFAC Theater Summer Camp Performance
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am
Tryon Fine Arts Center
Free Performance on the Veh Stage
The Photographs of Anne Noggle
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center
On Exhibit
TFAC’s JP Gallery
June 22 – August 18
Anne Noggle’s work consistently challenged the stereotypes and standard mythologies of women. She herself began her artistic career at age forty-three, to complement her already-established
profession as a pilot.
The exhibit is a joint presentation between TFAC, and the Tryon Arts & Crafts School and both locations are curated by Martha Strawn, president of the
Anne Noggle Foundation and art historian Lili Corbus.
Rootabaga Express! Summer Plays
Aug 5 @ 10:15 am
Carl Sandburg Home
Carl Sandburg created his own version of American fairy tales when he published Rootabaga Stories (1922) and Rootabaga Pigeons (1923). He replaced the European fairy tale cast of princes, princesses, castles and kingdoms with icons American children would recognize — taxi-drivers, movie actors, skyscrapers, prairies and automobiles. Rootabaga Express! brings the stories of the Five Rusty Rats, Bimbo the Snip and more to life.You’ll meet new characters and journey farther into the Village of Liver and Onions and Sandburg’s imagination than ever before.
The 30-minute shows are appropriate for all ages and held rain or shine.These shows are supported by the Flat Rock Playhouse and the Park Store, operated by America’s National Parks.
For young visitors who attend the plays, there is a Rootabaga Junior Ranger program available. Activity sheets will be available at the amphitheater after the play and can be turned in at the Sandburg Home for a limited edition “Rootabaga Ranger” badge.
Apprentice actors from the Flat Rock Playhouse have performed adaptations of Sandburg’s works for park visitors since 1974. Using Sandburg’s own words from his collections of children’s stories, poetry, collected music, biography of Abraham Lincoln and his own autobiography, the performances provide visitors with a sense of the scope of his work and imagination. Sandburg was an expert storyteller, and easily wove important messages of fairness, empathy and social justice into his writings. Whatever play you are able to attend you will walk away with a smile on your face and a better understanding of the legacy of Carl Sandburg.
Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
Aug 5 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center
TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.
Nantahala Gorge Excursion
Aug 5 @ 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
TAKE A TRAIN RIDE ALONG SIDE THE BEAUTIFUL NANTAHALA RIVER ON OUR NANTAHALA GORGE EXCURSION! DEPARTING FROM BRYSON CITY, THIS 4½ HOUR ROUNDTRIP EXCURSION CARRIES YOU 44 MILES TO THE NANTAHALA GORGE AND BACK AGAIN ARRIVING AT OUR BRYSON CITY DEPOT.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains while traveling along the Tennessee and Nantahala (nan-tuh-HAY-luh) River. The historic trellis bridge Fontana Trestle takes you across Fontana Lake and into the beautiful Nantahala Gorge. Onboard dining is available in First Class Seating and selecting from our First Class Dinning menu options OR you can pre-purchase a box lunch option to make this an amazing unique moving dining experience. Arrive at our layover destination in the heart of the Nantahala Gorge for a one-hour layover where you can relax by the river or enjoy sightseeing!
Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX): Exhibition
Aug 5 @ 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX): Exhibition, Publication, and Public Programming
Black Mountain College (1933–1957), a small but remarkably influential liberal arts school in rural North Carolina, had important links to Mexico that until now have been little investigated. A crucible of twentieth-century creativity, BMC galvanized and inspired artists and intellectuals from around the world, while Mexico’s innovations and age-old traditions—in fine and applied arts, architecture, poetry, music, performance, and more—dovetailed with, and indeed drove, global impulses toward modernism and beyond. Among the many key BMC figures whose lives were importantly touched by experiences in Mexico were Anni and Josef Albers, Ruth Asawa, John Cage, Jean Charlot, Elaine de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Carlos Mérida, Robert Motherwell, Charles Olson, Clara Porset, M.C. Richards, and Aaron Siskind. In turn, engagements with BMC and its legacy have played a significant role in shaping contemporary approaches to art in Mexico, evident in the works of Jorge Méndez Blake, Iñaki Bonillas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Jose Dávila, Gerda Gruber, Lake Verea, Gabriel Orozco, and Damián Ortega, among others.
The exhibition BMC/MX features works by these and other prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside a selection of historic works by BMC artists, highlighting the ways in which ideas and modalities are translated across materials, space, and time.
Related programming, planned in collaboration with Mexican artists, features a series of public events, including a performance by artist (and BMC/MX co-curator) David Miranda to take place at Different Wrld; an exhibition visit (in Spanish and English) with BMC/MX Project Director Eric Baden; and a series of experiential art events in the BMCM+AC library.
The exhibition is accompanied by the book Black Mountain College and Mexico (forthcoming late summer 2023), which investigates the people, ideas, and practices linking BMC and Mexico during the life of the school, as well as resonances between BMC and the work of contemporary Mexican artists. With contributions by BMC/MX’s curators, as well as by artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, design scholar Ana Elena Mallet, and author and activist Margaret Randall, this fully illustrated volume brings new light to this complex and underexplored subject.
BMC/MX is an investigation into modes of communication—the arenas in which new ideas and alliances may come to be—between Black Mountain College and Mexico, between past and present, between form and idea.
About the Curators
BMC/MX’s Project Director Eric Baden is a photographer and from 1994 to 2022 was professor of photography at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He is the founding director of photo+, a multidisciplinary arts event held in Asheville, North Carolina.
Artist and educator David Miranda is curator at the Museo Experimental El Eco (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM), and teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City.
Diana Stoll is an editor, writer and curator who works with institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has served as an editor at Aperture and Artforum magazines, and contributes writings to prominent arts publications.
LAZOOM Tours: Kids’ Comedy Tour
Aug 5 @ 11:00 am
LaZoom Room
Kids’ Comedy Tour: Wildly funny, this educational and entertaining tour features the perfect blend of Asheville’s history and kid-centric comedy. Geared specifically toward the 5–12 year old crowd, you’ll explore the town with our famously outlandish tour guides leading the way.
Perfect for birthday parties
Makes for memorable school field trips
Tickets are $27 per person
Beverages available for purchase at the LaZoom Room
Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Aug 5 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
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.
Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection
Aug 5 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. Begun in 1962 in Wisconsin, it was a student of Littleton’s that first came to the area in 1965 and set up a glass studio at the Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina. By 1967, Mark Peiser was the first glass artist resident at the school and taught many notable artists, like Jak Brewer in 1968 and Richard Ritter who came to study in 1971. By 1977, Littleton retired from teaching and moved to nearby Spruce Pine, North Carolina and set up a glass studio at his home.
Since that time, glass artists like Ken Carder, Rick and Valerie Beck, Shane Fero, and Yaffa Sikorsky and Jeff Todd—to name only a few—have flocked to the area to reside, collaborate, and teach, making it a significant place for experimentation and education in glass. The next generation of artists like Hayden Wilson and Alex Bernstein continue to create here. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. Exhibitions, including Intersections of American Art, explore glass art in the context of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum’s Collection.
Outdoor County Pools Open
Aug 5 @ 11:30 am – 6:00 pm
Various Buncombe County Outdoor Pools
Gather bathing suits and sunscreen, Buncombe County’s outdoor pools are getting ready to open. The County’s five outdoor pools will open for the 2023 season on May 27. This includes the pools at Cane Creek, Erwin, Hominy Valley, North Buncombe, and Owen.
Outdoor pools will be open on weekends only until area schools are out for the summer. Starting on June 10, Pools will be open seven days a week.
Pool hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Cost for pool entry is $3 per person.
Private lessons at the outdoor pools are available for different age groups from 3-year-olds and up. For more information on lessons or to register for a class, click here.
The pools can also be booked for private parties 14 days in advance and must have a minimum of 50 patrons. Pool bookings are available Monday through Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Click here for more information on booking pools.
Buncombe County Pool Locations:
Cane Creek Pool – 590 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher
Erwin Pool – 58 Lees Creek Road, Asheville
Hominy Valley Pool – 25 Twin Lakes Road, Candler
North Buncombe Pool – 734 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville
Owen Pool – 117 Stone Drive, Swannanoa
In addition, lap swimming is available year-round at the Buncombe County Schools Aquatics Center, a 10-lane pool managed by the YMCA of Western North Carolina and Buncombe County Schools.
For more information on outdoor pools, visit the County’s pool website or call (828) 348-4770.
Tweetsie Railroad Welcomes Back Legendary Riders In The Sky
Aug 5 @ 12:00 pm
Tweetsie Railroad
Grammy Award-winning Riders In The Sky will be serenading and joking with guests at Tweetsie Railroad again this summer. America’s Favorite Cowboys will perform their unique blend of Western music and comedy performances on Saturday and Sunday, August 5 and 6, with performances at Noon and 3 p.m.
The group includes Ranger Doug, an incredibly talented guitarist and yodeler; Too Slim, the bass player and star comedian; Woody Paul, the King of Cowboy Fiddlers; and master accordionist Joey, “the CowPolka King.” Riders In The Sky came together as an unlikely group of friends working in physics, wildlife, and Polka dancing before becoming America’s Favorite Cowboys.
Riders In The Sky have been sharing the “Cowboy Way” with audiences of all ages for more than 40 years. The group has performed in all 50 states and 10 countries with special appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Riders In The Sky are the first and only exclusively Western group to win a Grammy and the only Western group to join the Grand Ole Opry. In 2002, the band released the CD “Ridin’ the Tweetsie Railroad”, which featured classic railroad songs as well as several original compositions honoring the theme park.
Hayrides at The Orchard
Aug 5 @ 12:30 pm
The Orchard at Altapass
Take a ride through the Orchard fields and its history every weekend. “Heyrides” last approximately 45 minutes. All ages are welcome (kids under 4 free); $7 per person; wheelchair accessible; well-behaved dogs by consensus. Reservations are not required but sign up as soon as you arrive.
Asheville Outlets Summerfest Carnival
Aug 5 @ 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Asheville Outlets
From Friday, July 21 through Sunday, August 6, 2023, D & J Amusements is bringing the Summerfest Carnival to Asheville Outlets! Enjoy carnival rides and games for all ages along with favorite fair foods including funnel cakes, fried Oreos, turkey legs and more. Operating hours are Monday through Thursday from 5pm to 10pm; Fridays from 5pm to 10pm; Saturdays from 1pm to 10pm and Sundays from 1pm to 10pm. Tickets are $20 Monday-Thursday, and $25 Friday-Sunday. For more information, visit AshevilleOutlets.com.
Immerse in a Two Day Adult Studio of Book Binding with Alyssa Sacora
Aug 5 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Are you curious about how paper is made? Wondering what you would do with a stack of handmade paper after you create the sheets? Register for this two-day workshop and learn how to make paper and make your own book. The workshop includes a tour of the exhibition Pulp Potential to discuss creative concepts and be inspired by the works on view. Participants will take home handmade paper and books, a reference hand-out, and the skills to continue on with the craft.
About the Instructor
Alyssa Sacora (she/her) is a crafts person exploring paper making, book arts, basketry, and natural dyes with locally available plants. She encourages reciprocal relationships between people and plants through teaching hands-on workshops at her studio, The Patchwork Underground, in Fairview, North Carolina. Guided by tradition and curiosity, Alyssa is finding ways to create a sustainable art practice that takes care of the soil, minimizes resource use, and inspires others to do the same in their own way.
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