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Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Fine Arts Theater Hosts Special Showing of Herb and Dorthy on Thursday1:58 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum invites you to a special film screening of Herb and Dorothy at 7:00 p.m. the Fine Arts Theatre in downtown Asheville on Thursday, October, 29, 2009.
With the tagline: "You don't have to be a Rockefeller to collect art, "this film tells the extraordinary collecting career of New Yorkers Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a postal clerk and librarian respectively, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history — now mainly housed at the National Gallery of Art (NGA). The Vogel Collection at the NGA was the main lender to the Asheville Art Museum's recent exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Projects. At one point over 2,000 pieces of art filled every square inch of their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. This gem of a film has received numerous awards since it debuted last year; the Museum is pleased to premiere the film in Asheville. Purchase your tickets in advance with cash, check or credit card by calling 828.253.3227 or get tickets at the Fine Arts Theatre beginning 30 minutes prior to the film with cash only. Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 Museum Members, students and seniors. After the film, if you find you need your own Christo and Jeanne-Claude work in your home, come by the Museum Shop or visit us online! The Shop has high-quality framed posters signed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude available for purchase! (The artists derive no profit from the sale of these works. The works were donated to raise funds for the Museum's fine programming to serve the community.) Labels: art, asheville, events, movies, museums Friday, October 23, 2009 Maura Michelle Garcia Comes to Diana Wortham Theatre11:09 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to present a performance of The Little People by MIXED BLOOD WOMAN at Diana Wortham Theatre at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, 2009
MIXED BLOOD WOMAN is a contemporary dance theater company founded by Maura Michelle Garcia. Garcia performs her original multi-media piece that explores the world of the ancient Cherokee fairies, the Yvwi Tsvsdi or “little people,” and the having, loosing and reclaiming of traditional Cherokee beliefs and a conscious Native identity. "We’re thrilled to host Maura Michelle Garcia in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibition of contemporary Cherokee carvers. Maura is a contemporary dancer and choreographer of Cherokee descent and this is a wonderful opportunity to connect two different art forms that both relate to the past and continue the dialogue of what it means to be Cherokee today," says Nancy Sokolove, Asheville Art Museum Adult Programs Manager. Garcia has recently been awarded a studio residency through the Charolotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project in Kansas City, MO. Tickets are available at the Diana Wortham Theatre Box Office, by calling 828.257.4530 Labels: art, asheville, events, performing arts Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Biltmore Park Town Square Welcomes New Tenants11:53 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - As fall brings crisp weather and beautiful scenery to Asheville, Biltmore Park Town Square is bringing new retail offerings, and whether it's your closet or your home that needs updating, these new tenants are sure to meet your shopping needs. Fall is already full with wonderful events that include Music in the Park every Saturday, the Fall Fest on the 17th, and even more highly-anticipated restaurants, so now is a better time than ever to explore the happenings in Town Square.
This month, Bon Bébé, Dwellings, and Moda will join the growing number of retailers in Biltmore Park. Bon Bébé specializes in children's playwear and interior design; Dwellings will offer one-of-a-kind French Industrial decor and furniture; and Moda will feature contemporary and chic apparel and accessories for women. In addition, Hickory Tavern Grill and Raw Bar will be opening this month to satisfy all of your comfort food cravings--from hamburgers and wings to shrimp and oysters. All of these new businesses will be located along Town Square Boulevard, making for a convenient and hassle free opportunity to peruse national and local retailers without having to jump in the car and drive to several different destinations. Pick up your next read at Barnes & Noble, and then head across the street to admire the talent of the Echo Gallery artists. Then treat yourself and stop by one of the three new stores, or try a new restaurant, and stock up on all of your fall must-haves Labels: art, asheville, planned community, real estate, restaurants Monday, September 28, 2009 WNC Nature Center to Celebrate 'Hey Day'10:36 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Come to Hey Day, on Saturday, October 10th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Road in East Asheville. We’ve made the event a little greener with the addition of demonstrations on solar energy, chicken tractors, sustainable agriculture and water catchment. While being educated, families can still enjoy our special visiting animals and the following local entertainers:
- Jay Brown (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.) Founding member of the old time, swing band Lazybirds, Jay has toured throughout the southeast and as far as Alaska and has performed at festivals such as Merle Fest, Bele Chere and the Rhythm & Roots Reunion. He has shared the stage with artists including Doc Watson, Ritchie Havens, Gillian Welch and Sam Bush. - Mountain Thunder Cloggers (11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) dance to many types of music - from Bluegrass & Country to 80s/Pop/Hip-Hop. A family-oriented team, they encourage the families watching them to join in! - Haw Creek String Band (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) Whoop it up to the music of the Haw Creek String Band, featuring banjoist Brad Searson and ole time fiddler Bob Hill - Forge Mountain Cloggers (12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) LOVE to clog and they bring smiles and energy to their audiences. John Bowers and David Ray (guitar/mandolin) (1:30 – 2 p.m.) play a mellow alternative country genre and play weekends only.
Sherry Lynn and the Mountain Friends Band (2 - 3 p.m.) play acoustic country and contemporary bluegrass. This is a strong team that combines fine musicianship and pure joy, giving audiences a highly entertaining show. Mark DeVerges (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.) is a true balloon artist. He will create a massive custom object/animal/creature right before the audience with the help of many volunteers in a way that incorporates science, education, and visual art! Following the show, Mark will amaze the kids with his award winning balloon twisting! Admission is $9 for adults, $5 for children, and FREE to Members of Friends of the Nature Center. Scrumptious food will be available at the Classroom Café onsite, so families can spend the whole day! This year’s generous Hey Day Gold level sponsors include Animal Hospital of Reems Creek, Harrington Electric Company and Dr. Ryan Haldeman, Orthodontist. Silver level sponsors include ABC Pediatrics, Allergy Partners of Asheville, Steven Cahan, Eye M.D., Greenworks Healing Center, Doug Sherry with Preferred Properties and the Toy Box. Media sponsors include Advantage Printing, Mountain Xpress and WOXL-FM. Hey Day will be filled with fun for the whole family. Events include pony rides (extra $), weaving and spinning demonstrations, soapmaking, crafts, face painting($), a clown show, The Rainbow and You – a special storyboard performance, watercolor painting, pumpkin painting (extra $) and the always popular cake walk (extra $). Visiting animals include rescue Llamas, Fjord Horses and Miniature Ponies. Enjoy educational exhibits from the Asheville Fire Department, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Ashevillage, a chicken tractor expert, Doubletree Farm, Rainbow Recycling (inventors of the Recycling Stomp!), Riverlink, Greenworks, Higher Ground Gutter Cleaners and Sundance Power Systems.All proceeds benefit the Friends of the WNC Nature Center’s College Summer Internship program. The Friends’ mission is to support the programs, facilities and the residents of the Western North Carolina Nature Center, which showcases the fauna and flora of the southern Appalachian region. The Nature Center’s mission is to educate the public about the flora and fauna of Western North Carolina and foster an interest in the conservation of native plants and animals. . The Center is operated by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department of the City of Asheville. For more information on the Friends or Hey Day, contact Sarah Oram, Director, at (828) 298-5600 ext. 308 Labels: art, asheville, children, events, nature, outdoors Monday, September 21, 2009 Newly Founded Echo Gallery Opens in Biltmore Town Square5:07 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - It's undeniable that Asheville is inundated with talent, and the arts are the heart and soul of the city. From Appalachian crafts that have been carried down through generations to contemporary and novel creations, the galleries in the area host world-class offerings with a unique hometown twist. Biltmore Park Town Square is now adding to the mix as host of the newly-founded cooperative Echo Gallery, which opens on Friday, September 18th.
Founded by seven artists whose studios are currently headquartered in the River Arts District, Echo Gallery is a welcome expansion into South Asheville. While each artist is different in medium and style, each piece complements the other by showcasing skill, perspective, and method. Whether eager to observe a sample of what makes Western North Carolina such an appealing destination or shopping for your home, the quality of the paintings, ceramics, sculptures, textiles, and photography are sure to inspire. The artists are excited about gaining more visibility in their new location, and Town Square couldn't be more excited about their contributions to the area. Asheville is one of the Southeast's most popular arts destinations, and Biltmore Park is glad to feature local culture and talent among its unique mix of national and local tenants. The founding artists of the Echo Gallery include Anna Kolosieke, Barbara Fisher, Susan Web Lee, Laurie McCarrier, Lori Therault, and Heather Tinnaro. Echo Gallery is located in Suite 160 at Eight Town Square Boulevard across from the newly opened Barnes & Noble. The hours are Thursday-Saturday from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., making it a wonderful destination for restaurant and movie-goers in Biltmore Park. Learn more at www.echoasheville.com Labels: art, asheville, galleries, photography, retail Friday, September 18, 2009 NC Arboretum Gets Small During During the 14th Carolina Bonsai Expo11:37 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The city of Asheville, NC, transforms into the bonsai capital of the Southeast the second weekend every October when The NC Arboretum hosts the Carolina Bonsai Expo. Visitors to the show will find an abundance of miniature trees and landscapes, creatively displayed at the Arboretum’s Education Center.
This two-day horticultural extravaganza on October 10 and 11, situated in the midst of the colorful mountains during fall foliage season, features a juried display of bonsai by clubs from across a six-state region, a renowned bonsai marketplace, workshops, free demonstrations, and a popular Ikebana exhibit. The expo is also a perfect occasion to explore the Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden, which offers a world-class display that innovatively establishes bonsai in the context of the Southern Appalachians. Now in its 14th successful year, the Carolina Bonsai Expo includes an expanded bonsai and ikebana exhibit and a live auction of bonsai plants and related materials. The two-day event features juried exhibits by bonsai enthusiasts from throughout the southeast including Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. In addition, workshops are available for those interested in learning bonsai and ikebana techniques from master artists. "Bonsai are amazing, and there’s more to it than most folks know," said Arthur Joura, The NC Arboretum’s Bonsai Curator. "The Carolina Bonsai Expo is the largest and finest bonsai show in the Southeast. Whether you know something about bonsai or not, it’s a fun and fascinating world to lose yourself in for awhile, and the Expo offers the best opportunity to do just that." People often ask Joura where they can purchase a bonsai, and he highly recommends the marketplace at the Expo, adding, "There are only two days each year to find such a diverse selection, and we are proud to host such a rare offering." Joura, a nationally recognized expert who is dedicated to making the art form of bonsai accessible to all audiences, has developed one of the finest public bonsai collections in the country since the Arboretum received its first bonsai donation in 1992. The collection is particularly distinctive because it artfully blends traditional bonsai with plants native to the Southern Appalachians such as American hornbeam, red maple and eastern white pine. There is no charge for visitors to attend the Carolina Bonsai Expo although usual parking fees apply. Visitors can purchase lunch items from the Arboretum’s Savory Thyme Café, open during Expo hours. To register or for more information about the auction, workshops and presentations, call 828-665-2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org Labels: art, asheville, events, nc arboretum
Film Series Art:21 Premieres at the Asheville Art Museum this October!11:29 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to once again be the official Asheville site for the premiere of Season 5 of the exciting bi-annual film series, ART:21 — Art in the Twenty-First Century, screening Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. each day. These screenings are free with Museum Membership or admission.
Compassion, Fantasy, Transformation and Systems are the four themes explored this year. Each one-hour episode profiles contemporary artists loosely organized around each theme. Fascinating and intimate footage allows the viewer to observe the artists at work, watch their processes as they transform inspiration into art and hear their thoughts as they grapple with the physical and visual challenges of achieving their artistic visions. Episode 1: Compassion will be screened on Saturday; Episode 4: Systems on Sunday. Compassion features artists including William Kentridge, Doris Salcedo and Carrie Mae Weems. Systems features John Baldessari, Kimsooja, Allan McCollum and Julie Mehretu. For a sneak peek of Season 5, visit www.art21.org and watch the trailer. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums Sunday, September 6, 2009 Art Nouveaux Celebrates Local Photographer10:07 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum group Art Nouveaux invites you to join in on a visit to photographer Tim Barnwell’s studio Monday, September 21, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Art Nouveaux is a special group of Museum Members interested in learning about
collecting art.
The group meets several times a year for social and educational programs exploring fine art collecting and connoisseurship. The group supports the Museum’s permanent collection through the annual purchase of works of art with their yearly dues of $250 per member. Try the group for only $15 for this session! At this meeting of Art Nouveaux, the group will visit photographer Tim Barnwell’s downtown studio for an intimate evening with the artist, exploring his portraits and landscapes of Appalachia. In documenting this area for more than 25 years, Barnwell has captured the essence, beauty and rugged character of a quickly disappearing rural landscape. For more information or to join, please contact Rebecca Lynch-Maass, Membership Manager, at rlynchmaass@ashevilleart.org or 828.253.3227, ext. 114. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums Wednesday, September 2, 2009 Biltmore Estate: a One-Stop Destination for Fall Color Immersion6:00 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - For travelers short on time, but big on taking in all that fall has to offer, Biltmore is a one-stop shop for everything autumn.
With one of the most extensive fall garden displays in the Southeast (where “Mum” is the word), world-class activities, a winery, culinary temptations, the Inn on Biltmore Estate and the stunning 250-room Biltmore House, Biltmore offers an expansive – yet efficient – way to experience a full fall immersion. Cloaked in rich hues of harvest gold and burgundy, deep plums and amber, Biltmore’s 8,000 acres await exploration. Enjoy gardens bursting with thousands of colorful mums, pastoral and mountain views, vibrant colored forests and rolling countryside. At Biltmore’s Outdoor Center, activities include carriage rides, horseback riding, guided Segway tours, fly fishing and sessions at the Land Rover Experience Driving School. River Bend Farm welcomes curiosities with demonstrations of what it was like to live and work on the estate in the 1890s, including a barnyard full of farm animals to visit. Panoramic views star on guided rooftop tours of Biltmore House. Particularly dramatic during the fall, with crisp air and clear vistas all the way to Mount Pisgah, this birds-eye view of the estate is one of Biltmore’s most popular tours. Biltmore House offers an array of indoor beauty, complete with the Vanderbilt family’s original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. Four, never-before-seen rooms opened earlier this year after an extensive restoration. Known as the Louis XV Suite, these rooms are the most grand bedrooms in the house, and served as birthplace of two generations of Vanderbilts. Savor festive menus at one of the estate’s five restaurants, which celebrate a legacy of sustainable agriculture, serving fresh produce grown in the gardens right on the estate. Barbecue and Bluegrass Saturdays take place at the Winery through October, and Deerpark will feature an Appalachian Harvest Buffet. Biltmore’s award-winning winery offers tastings, tours, culinary demonstrations and seminars. And, for those looking to capture the romance of fall overnight, the Inn on Biltmore Estate offers year-round packages. There’s something for every leaf peeper at Biltmore. Visit www.biltmore.com for more information. Labels: art, asheville, Biltmore Estate, events, restaurants
Savor a Great Night at the Asheville Art Museum’s A Taste of Art + Wine6:00 AM ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum invites you to its popular, annual event A Taste of Art + Wine held in Pack Place on Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.For one night, enjoy all that Asheville is known for while supporting the Asheville Art Museum. Good company, fine wines, craft beers and delicious food from local restaurants will take over Pack Place. The Celebrate 60! Raffle drawing will be held at the end of the evening — so get tickets soon! Visit www.ashevilleart.org to view raffle packages and to purchase tickets. The leader in arts programming and education for Western North Carolina, the Asheville Art Museum survives through community support. All proceeds from this event will go toward films, artists’ talks, musical concerts and other outstanding public programs the Museum regularly presents. The evening will also include a silent auction, in which a limited number of unique, high-end items will be up for bid. With so much offered, a “taste” may not be enough! Ticket prices are $30 per person; $55 per couple for Museum Members and $35 per person; $65 per couple for non-Members. All tickets sold at the door are $40 per person. A Taste of Art + Wine is usually a sell out event, so reserve your tickets early by calling 828.253.3227. What a delicious idea! Labels: art, asheville, events, museums, wine Tuesday, September 1, 2009 Asheville Affiliates to Host “Fur Ball” Fundraiser for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue9:16 AM ASHEVILLE, NC - Non-profit fundraising organization The Asheville Affiliates will be hosting a benefit for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue on September 10th, 2009 at Decades Bar and Grill, from 6:30-9:30 PM. Cover price to include heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and entertainment by Firecracker Jazz Band.Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door, with all proceeds to benefit Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. Raffle and silent auction will be held, with prizes including vacation rentals, spa treatments, local art, and sports and hotel packages at The Grove Park Inn. Join us for an afterparty by Decades - cash bar available. HomeTrust Bank will be providing free parking across the street. Please leave pets at home – this is a party FOR pets, not with them! This event, along with all Affiliates events, is open to the public.,/p> RSVP on Facebook, or for more information e-mail janinebitz@yahoo.com or call 828-458-7778. Labels: art, asheville, events, pets, spa Monday, August 31, 2009 The Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival Scheduled for Spetember 6th11:50 AM ASHEVILLE, NC - Arts 2 People is excited to bring you the 8th annual FREE, Lexington Ave Arts and Fun Festival. Three blocks of N. Lexington Ave will be lined with all local art, food, beer and street performers on Sunday, September 6th from 11am – 10pm between College Street and the I 240 overpass. The street will be brimming with a celebration Asheville's diverse and unique culture.Three stages and two courtyards of music and performance include rock and roll, indie pop, funk, folk, ragtime, reggae, world beats, singer songwriters, bluegrass, old time, drummers, clowns, magicians, contortionists, belly dancers, modern dancers, vaudeville actors, fire dancers, break dancers, and hula hoopers. The complete lineup will be available within the next couple of weeks; stay tuned to our emails find out more details of the day's events. LAAFF is great for the whole family. Kids will love making art, dancing, and having fun all day long. Many kids' performance acts include kids' hip hop, break dancing, modern dance, jump roping, jazz and more. The big "kids" will enjoy the ever popular bicycle jousting, local brews, an eclectic culinary and artistic experience, as well as a selection of Big People Games. Each year the festival grows larger and gets even better. We are now considered by the City to be Asheville's largest independent festival! We grew by 30% last year, and expect a similar increase this year. This is truly the festival that showcases all of Asheville's creative juices. With an attendance of about 12,000 people, LAAFF relies on community support to ensure our success each year. LAAFF is a volunteer driven event put on by and for the community. If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or as a sponsor please contact Festival Director, Frank Bloom at thunderdrums77@gmail.com.Your contribution of joining us and experiencing a fun day of creative expression will support local non-profit Arts 2 People and our many projects. Arts 2 People is devoted to promoting the role of the arts as an integral part of our culture by serving the entire community through arts outreach, bringing the arts to those in need, supporting the careers of artists, and through community cultural development. Arts 2 People's many projects include The Pritchard Park Cultural Arts Program, The REACH Educational series, The Asheville Mural Project, Moving Women, The Faces of Asheville and more. To find out more, visit www.arts2people.org. Labels: art, asheville, events, festivals, food, music Friday, August 28, 2009 Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Announces Artist Program11:03 AM ASHEVILLE, NC - The states of Virginia and North Carolina share many beautiful things – mountains and forests, farmland and coast, rich heritage and friendly towns. They also share the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway and an appreciation for the many talented artists who live along its route.Two of the most gifted artists from Virginia and North Carolina – P. Buckley Moss and Teresa Pennington, respectively – have created special works of art to commemorate the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary. Moss will unveil a new work commemorating the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th Anniversary at events September 11 and 12 at The Framer’s Daughter, 121 N. Main Street in Galax, VA. The artist will be at the gallery from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. September 11 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. September 12. Representatives from the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th committee will join her at the September 11 appearance. For further information, contact Kay Weddle at 276.236.4920 or by e-mail. The painting will be released as both a limited edition offset lithograph as well as a poster. Its unveiling coincides with the Parkway’s celebration of its 75th year September 11, 2010. The print and poster will be available after the unveiling on the P. Buckley Moss Web site www.pbuckleymoss.com and at authorized Moss dealers. In addition to Moss’s commercial success as an artist, she has worked to raise over $4 million for charitable organizations and has established the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education, promoting the use of art in school curriculums as a learning instrument for students with learning differences. Teresa Pennington has created four drawings in her series of limited edition giclees and lithographs. Pennington’s work will be unveiled the evening of October 9 at T. Pennington Gallery in Waynesville, NC. Pennington has also created four series of drawings for Biltmore Estate over the past 17 years. Her work has also been commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service and the Western North Carolina Diocese of the Episcopal Church Proceeds from the sale of the commemorative prints by both artists will benefit the Parkway’s 75th anniversary. Labels: art, asheville, Biltmore Estate, events, parkway Friday, August 21, 2009 Scenic Savings: Fall Color Ablaze at The NC Arboretum10:47 AMASHEVILLE, NC - Natural beauty comes in a kaleidoscope of colors each fall at The North Carolina Arboretum - a beautiful bargain at only $6 per vehicle. Vibrant colors amid trees, shrubs, and perennials delight the senses at the Arboretum. Director of Horticulture Alison Arnold notes that many colors brighten the landscape, including brilliant reds from dogwood and maple trees, blazing oranges from black gum and persimmon trees, and glittering gold from a variety of shrubs and perennials. Surrounded by the Southern Appalachian mountains and adjacent to the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, the Arboretum is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America. Within its 434 acres, the Arboretum offers 65 acres of cultivated gardens, 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, a state-of-the-art production greenhouse, and one of the finest bonsai collections in the Southeastern United States. Engaging exhibits about science, art, and culture are featured year-round in the Baker Exhibit Center. Visitors during fall also have an opportunity to attend the Carolina Bonsai Expo, held at The North Carolina Arboretum every second weekend in October. This two-day horticultural extravaganza, situated in the midst of the colorful mountains during fall foliage season, features a juried display of bonsai by clubs from across a six-state region, a renowned bonsai marketplace, workshops, free demonstrations, and a popular Ikebana exhibit. For information, call (828) 665-2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org. Labels: art, asheville, events, nc arboretum, parkway Friday, August 14, 2009 UNC Asheville Welcomes Freshmen11:14 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - UNC Asheville is preparing to welcome some 645 new Bulldogs to its ranks this Friday as freshmen move onto campus. Fall semester classes begin Monday, Aug. 17. "The Class of 2013 is one of the larger classes," noted Barkley Barton, senior assistant director of Admissions. "And the overall academic profile of this class is very strong – among their ranks are several valedictorians and many truly outstanding students with high grade point averages and great college entrance test scores." This new freshmen class will check into residence halls from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. Some 80 UNC Asheville faculty, staff, alumni, upperclassmen and College for Seniors members will be on hand to help freshmen and their parents with the move. Returning students will move in on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16. A highlight of the freshmen's first day on campus will be a formal convocation ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, on UNC Asheville's Quad. Initiated in 1985 at UNC Asheville, convocation is rooted in ancient academic tradition. The ceremony will include the presentation of the Class of 2013 pin to each freshman, as well as the class dogwood tree, which will be planted on campus. Sam Kaplan, associate professor of mathematics and 2009 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors' Excellence in Teaching Award, will give the keynote address. New this fall, students will have the option of choosing Religious Studies as their major field of study. The new program, under the direction of Rodger Payne, offers students classes in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Greek and Roman religions and a number of other courses that compliment UNC Asheville's liberal arts mission, said Payne. "Religious studies considers one of our oldest collective human experiences from a variety of academic disciplines," Payne said. "From music to mathematics, from art and politics, and beyond, each can be examined through the lens of religion. It's nearly the perfect way to encounter the liberal arts." Payne plans to continue building the program around classes that provide comparative examinations of faith traditions from around the world. Students in the sciences will find themselves in new, state-of-art laboratories in the recently opened in the Zeis Science & Multimedia Building. While a few classes were held in the $24 million building last spring, this fall will be the first semester that all science and multimedia classes and labs will be held in the new facility, located adjacent to Ramsey Library on the Quad. The University can now fully capitalize on "the collaborative learning style that showcases how we approach teaching the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)," said Keith Krumpe, dean of Natural Sciences. "The labs are designed like labs in industry; they are all project-based so students can work in teams." A $9 million renovation to Rhoades Hall, including spaces that were previously occupied by the Chemistry and Biology departments, should be completed in 2011, giving UNC Asheville some of the best undergraduate science facilities in the Southeast, Krumpe said. When not in class, freshmen – as well as upperclassmen – will be able to enjoy free events in the Weeks of Welcome series, designed to introduce students to campus life. Events this fall include a cookout, a block party, a performance by comedian Eddie Ifft, a rock climbing trip and a leadership conference. Labels: art, asheville, education, events, music, schools, UNCA Tuesday, August 11, 2009 Save the Date - Asheville Art Museum Presents Ruth Asawa: Drawing in Space8:56 AM ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum, celebrating its 60th anniversary, proudly presents Ruth Asawa: Drawing in Space from Saturday, September 19, 2009 to Sunday, February 7, 2010. The public is invited to an Opening Reception Friday, September 25, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.This exhibition celebrates the unique career of Ruth Asawa (1926 - ), an artist whose loopedwire sculptures and richly detailed drawings defy traditional conventions. This is Asawa’s first solo exhibition in North Carolina and features the gift of an important work of Asawa’s to the Asheville Art Museum from artist Lorna Blaine Halper. Ruth Asawa: Drawing in Space begins with the her earliest sculptures, drawings and paintings created while at Black Mountain College and highlights several signature sculptures that formed her later visual vocabulary of looped and tied forms. This exhibition considers Asawa’s connection to Western North Carolina and Black Mountain College as it places her work within a larger national context of artists who "viewed art as a way of thinking and acting." Asawa was born in 1926 in Norwalk, California, the fourth of seven children born to Japanese immigrant farmers. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, her family was interned in New Mexico and Arkansas. She attended Milwaukee State Teachers College from 1943 to 1946. In 1946, she enrolled at Black Mountain College. There she studied with Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller and Ilya Bolotowsky. Asawa’s philosophy that "there is no separation between studying, performing the daily chores of living and creating one’s own work" permeates a life and a career that has combined success as an artist, a mother of six and a community advocate for arts education in elementary schools. Asawa’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, and the Oakland Museum of California, where one of her tied-wire sculptures adorns the entrance. She has received numerous awards, and has served on the San Francisco Arts Commission, the California Arts Council, the John D. Rockefeller Foundation’s Council for Museum Education in the Visual Arts and the board of the Buckminster Fuller Institute. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums Thursday, August 6, 2009 Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival This September 26th and 27th10:03 AM
BAKERSVILLE, NC - The annual Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival - a juried, fine arts show - is hosted each September by the town of Bakersville, North Carolina to promote the arts and craft of the mountains.
This year’s show offers over 40 exhibitors of glass, jewelry, pottery, paintings, furniture, fiber, woodcraft and sculpture. The Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival has become known for showcasing some of the finest arts and crafts to be found in the Southeast. The Festival takes place along the banks of Cane Creek, which winds through the center of this beautiful and historic small town. Bakersville is just over an hour away from either Asheville, Boone or Johnson City, Tennessee. Penland School of Crafts, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Spruce Pine and Burnsville are all within 20 minutes of Bakersville and provide plenty of activities to see or do during the weekend. This year’s festival takes place on Saturday, September 26, from 10 AM - 5 PM and on Sunday, September 27, Noon - 5 PM. Come experience our local music, food, atmosphere and more. The festival is open to the public, free of charge and free parking is available nearby. The Creek Walk Arts Festival started in 2005 to celebrate and utilize Bakersville's new, half-mile, paved footpath. With generous support from organizations such as the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Bakersville and the Bakersville Improvement Group, the Creek Walk Arts Festival has become a local favorite with artists and visitors alike; many returning year after year. Proceeds from past festivals have addressed local needs such as stocking food banks, providing heating subsidies for the elderly and town beautification projects. In addition, the Arts Festival bestows over $3000 in cash prizes. Artists compete for the following awards: Best of Show, First Place, Second Place, Third Place, Three Honorable Mentions, Best Booth, People's Choice, Middleton Emerging Artist Award and Crimson Laurel Gallery's Award for Excellence in Ceramics. Start with the downtown businesses, add the support from town and county, mix in the large number of volunteers and top it off with loyal artisans and one can see that the Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival is truly a community event to be experienced and appreciated. If you haven't been to Bakersville lately, you have missed the best kept secret in western North Carolina. Come discover our mountain paradise. For more information about the Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival, please contact Anita Connelly at (828) 688-1717. Labels: art, asheville, events, festivals Thursday, July 30, 2009 Asheville Antiques Fair Comes to Civic Center This Weekend10:36 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The sixty-third Asheville Antiques Fair, one of the oldest Antiques Fairs in the Southeast, has been held every year with the exception of 1947, when it was cancelled due to a polio epidemic in Asheville. This year the fair will be held from July 31 - August 2, 2009 at the Civic Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The event proceeds benefit area historic and cultural landmarks. Monies go toward restoration, conservation and preservation of projects supporting the architectural gems of Asheville. The proceeds from the very first Antiques Fair in 1945 to present day, represents over $170,000 donated to numerous community charities as well as more than $325,000 awarded to local restoration, preservation projects. The Asheville Antiques Fair is a non-profit organization and is hosted under the auspices of The Vetust Study Club of Asheville, North Carolina, Inc. The name Vetust comes from the Latin root word meaning “of the ancient”. The object of the club is the study of antiques and subjects on historical interest and to aid the community's charitable, civic and cultural advancements. The Vetust Study Club is a volunteer organization of 24 women dedicating their time toward the support of the Asheville Antiques Fair. The Vetust Study Club meets monthly to present individual research papers dealing with antiques. The Fair will feature nearly 55 Exhibitors from many States, offering a wide range of period furnishings and decorative arts, vintage jewelry, porcelains, ceramics, silver, architectural elements, oriental rugs, rare books, heirloom linens and lace and garden accouterments. All items will be available for purchase. The Fair itself will be accompanied by a variety of special events designed to appeal to both new and seasoned collectors of antiquities including; Expert Lectures, an Heirloom Road Show offering verbal evaluations by three certified appraisers and a gourmet Summer Garden Café catered by the Every Day Gourmet. Labels: antiques, art, asheville, events Wednesday, July 29, 2009 'Doors of Asheville' Scheduled for November 19th10:11 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - HomeTrust Bank has stepped forward again this year as the platinum sponsor to present the Doors of Asheville, an annual fundraising art auction whose proceeds benefit the services of Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO)
The 2009 event will take place November 19 at The Orange Peel and will feature a live and silent auction of over 30 works of art with doors and housing as the central theme. Live entertainment will be provided by Ol’Hoopty. Dana Stonestreet, President and COO, HomeTrust Bank commented, "HomeTrust Bank and Mountain Housing Opportunities share a common goal; to help families realize their dreams of owning a home. We are pleased to sponsor the Doors of Asheville event again this year and applaud Mountain Housing Opportunities in all that they do to help so many deserving family members in our community." The 2009 Doors of Asheville marks the fifth year that HomeTrust Bank has provided crucial sponsorship of the event. The funds raised will help benefit the 500 families and individuals served each year by MHO’s programs of emergency home repair, rural home rehabilitation, and affordable rental and homeownership development. "'We’ll make it home together,' is what we tell the community," said MHO Executive Director Scott Dedman. "No where is this concept more evident than in the coalition of businesses, artists, volunteers and friends who come together year after year to support the Doors of Asheville and demonstrate their commitment to affordable housing in our community." Artists from around the region are supporting MHO by creating themed work for the event. Labels: art, asheville, events, non-profit
Asheville Art Museum to Showcase Permanent Collection8:39 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum will highlight 60 works drawn from its permanent collection on Saturday, September 12, 2009 - Sunday, February 14, 2010. The exhibition will provide an overview of the collection which focuses on American art of the 20th and 21st centuries with an interest in art of the Southeast and Western North Carolina.
Looking Forward: New Works and New Directions for the Permanent Collection will bring to light the significant growth that has occurred in recent years. It will also showcase some of the areas in which the Museum has collected in depth, including work by Black Mountain College artists, Cherokee artists and Western North Carolina crafts. This exhibition will feature works in a variety media such as painting, sculpture, ceramics and drawing. Included in the exhibition will be photography by Larry Clark and paintings by Thornton Dial, Kenneth Noland and John Urbain. In 2008, Museum staff, board and volunteers examined the Museum's collection focus and works in the collection to create a collection growth plan. The growth plan was developed to identify the strengths of the permanent collection and areas where the collection needs further advancement. Looking Forward: New Works and New Directions for the Permanent Collection will note the significance of the Asheville Art Museum's permanent collection as it exists today and look forward its continued growth in the coming years. For more information please visit, www.ashevilleart.org Labels: art, asheville, events, museums
Annual Village Art & Craft Fair Comes to Biltmore Village This Weekend8:13 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - On August 1st and 2nd New Morning Gallery and Bellagio sponsors the Village Art and Craft Fair on the grounds of the Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore Village. In its 37th year, the VACF continues a long tradition of bringing high-quality crafts to Biltmore Village.
The fair will host 125 artists from 17 states, representing the full spectrum of craft media - jewelry, ceramic, wood, fiber, metals, two-dimensional art and more. The craft fair is a great opportunity to encounter new artists (15 are first-time exhibitors) and to talk with crafters one-on-one. Most exhibitors are not represented at New Morning Gallery, so visitors are sure to find new treasures along with a few old favorites. Over the years, the fair has gained a reputation as one of the finest craft fairs in the area has spread (along with the ubiquitous cat posters and T-shirts , colors are White, Black, Stone Blue, Serene Green, and Cinnamon; sizes sm-2xl). Thousands of shoppers from all over the southeast arrive to stroll through the fair, discovering unique gifts for friends, family and themselves! For more information visit, www.newmorninggallerync.com.Labels: art, asheville, events
The Cliffs Residents Raise $50,000 for Local North Carolina Charities8:04 AM ARDEN,NC - The Cliffs Communities residents at Walnut Cove in Arden, N.C., raised more than $50,000 for local charities through an auction and a charity golf event last month. "It tells you something about the people we have here at Walnut Cove that we tripled the $16,000 we raised last year," said Koni Findlay, co-chair of the event. The monies are channeled through the Eblen Charities Foundation.Individual charities will be selected by a joint associations committee, with a focus to help specific projects in need, including support for the arts and children's initiatives. Charities supported in the past two years include Asheville Performing Arts Center, Eliada Homes for Children, First Responders, MANNA Food Bank, Riverlink, WCCJ Women at Risk and the Western North Carolina Rescue Mission. "We are pleased to be able to raise this kind of money to help those in need in our community, especially in these economic times. My concern now is, what can we do to top this next year?" For more information on the Walnut Cove Members Charitable Association, contact Bill Murdock at (828) 255-3066, ext. 29, or write to bmurduck@eblencharities.org. Labels: art, asheville, non-profit Monday, July 27, 2009 NC Mountain State Fair Encourages Residents to Check Deadlines for Competitions11:02 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Typically summers are reserved for vacations and a little "R and R", but the folks from the Mountain State Fair want to remind you that the fair is less than two months away and time is running out to get your competitive entries ready and submitted for this year’s fair. Deadlines come as early as July 31 for the Mountain Music Competition, or as late as August 31 for categories such as arts, crafts, gardening, and baking; the key is knowing the entry deadline for your specific competition. There are many different categories of competition from livestock to photography. The easiest way to get more information is to go online and view the premium book through the fair's website, www.mountainfair.org. From there you can download or view a copy of the premium book and you can even submit your entries electronically. Premium books are also available in print at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher and at the WNC Farmers Market on Brevard Road in Asheville. "We try real hard to have the premium books available before school ends in the spring so that we can get them in the hands of the kids before the summer, but there is a lull in between that time and the start of the fair in September," says Tamara Crain, Entries Coordinator for the NC Mountain State Fair. "The good thing is that competitions and competitive exhibits at the fair make for an excellent summer project for most children," Crain adds. "We realize how busy everyone’s summer can be; we just want to remind everyone not to let the dates sneak up on them." The NC Mountain State Fair will be held this year from September 11 through 20 at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. In addition to all the arts, crafts, and competitive exhibits, the fair will have lots of games, rides, and food. Drew Expositions is returning to the NC Mountain State Fair this year to provide the carnival and they will be bringing back their popular attraction, the chairlift, which will stretch from one end of the fairway to the other. The fair will also host musical acts such as Jake Owen, Randy Houser, 33 Miles, and The Travelin McCoury's in McGough Arena. Discounted advance tickets are on sale now at the WNC Ag Center and at the WNC Farmers Market. Ingles supermarket stores will have discounted tickets available in stores beginning on August 1. They can also be bought online starting August 1. To learn more about the NC Mountain State Fair, visit www.mountainfair.org or call 828-687-1414. Labels: art, asheville, events, food, music Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Nature’s Art on Display at The North Carolina Arboretum2:42 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC – Nature’s art comes to life at the North Carolina Arboretum during a special exhibit featuring works by members of the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association, opening August 14 at the Education Center’s second-floor gallery.
The exhibit, which runs through November 15, promotes an appreciation of our natural gifts and treasures. The Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association (CNPA) has an ongoing effort to preserve the environment of the Carolinas through photography. The association sponsors and is involved in many projects that promote protection and understanding of the environment. Members learn and share their skills through networking, workshops, field outings and meetings. For more information about CNPA, visit our websites, www.cnpa.org and www.cnpa-asheville.org Labels: art, asheville, events, nature, nc arboretum
Come Party with The Media Arts Project (MAP) - July 23rd8:20 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC- After 2 years of planning and design, The MAP is launching it's new online Directory and GetWork Network!! Funded by the Asheville HUB, the new directory will foster the development of Western North Carolina’s creative economy by promoting the region’s diverse and accomplished talent base and providing a resource for WNC media arts professionals to collaborate and connect, both with one another and with opportunities for work. The July 23 event will showcase the site and its capabilities to the region’s artistic and professional communities.
In the new directory, MAP members will upload their portfolios to profile pages that specifically list their skills, experience and availability. Artists can communicate through blog posts and forums, and promote events through the site’s calendar. The site also includes functionality for demand-side members, businesses in search of media talent for specific objectives. A demand-side member might be a filmmaker on location in WNC who needs a boom operator, a growing company in need of a designer to build a corporate identity, or a journalist who wants to create podcasts of her work and add them to her website. Through the MAP directory, demand-side members anywhere in the world can access the dynamic community of accomplished media arts professionals in WNC. “I see the new site as a virtual media arts center, a place where people connect, share work, inspire one another and showcase their work to potential clients” said Gillian Coats, Media Arts Project Board Chairman. “The new map.org creates a platform for growth for media artists in the creative community and the creative economy of the region as a whole.” The directory was created by BugLogic, an Asheville-based web technology company that specializes in designing and managing community web solutions. BugLogic’s projects include Drawger.com, an online community for illustrators that has become the network hub for illustration, with an average of 10,000 visitors per day – a number that spikes to over 100,000 when the site is featured in influential media like the New York Times, Juxtapoz, and BoingBoing.net. Another BugLogic community is illoz.com, a portfolio site that connects illustrators with art buyers in much the same way the new MAP website will function. Art buyers have viewed over 3,000,000 images on the site in its two years of operation. “What I've learned with these projects are all applied to the new MAP member site,” said BugLogic founder Robert Zimmerman, an accomplished illustrator and founding member of the Media Arts Project. “Drawger and illoz both operate as social networks for the membership and they love this aspect of it, but the real goal and the realised end result was a better business for everyone involved.” The launch event takes place at the Flood Gallery in the Phil Mechanic Studios, at 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. The event begins at 5:30pm, and Zimmerman will present the site at 6:15, followed by a performance by local VJ Megan McKissack. After Zimmerman’s presentation, attendees can register for the site and artists can build their own profiles by uploading media that they bring on portable drives, using computers donated by Charlotte Street Computers. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be provided by The Wine Guy and 28806 Catering. Peak Definition will film the event. For details on the event and further information on the site, contact the Media Arts Project at info@themap.org. Labels: art, asheville, events Monday, July 20, 2009 Asheville's Energy Loop to be Rededicated on Friday9:20 AMThe Rededication will take place Friday, July 24 at 12 noon in the plaza area adjacent to the Buncombe County Health Services Parking Deck on College Street. The Energy Loop, a corrugated metal sculpture, was created by Swannanoa artist Dirck Cruser. Labels: art, asheville, bele chere, events
Bele Chere Inroduces Arts Park8:54 AM.jpg)
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Bele Chere festival has always been known for presenting great entertainment, but recently it has raised the priority and quality of the arts and crafts exhibitors. Hence the creation of Arts Park where the best, most high quality crafts will be located.
Arts Park features the best artists of Bele Chere. These 60 artists are selected by area art professionals. Arts Park Artists display the highest quality work including jewelry, photography, pottery, wood-working, painting and metalwork. New to Arts Park is Artist Demonstrations! A variety of local artists will be demonstrating their work in a special area located near the back of Arts Park. The schedule of artists and their mediums will be listed on the Bele Chere website (www.belechere.com) as soon as they're confirmed! Hours for Arts Park: Friday, noon-9pm, Saturday, 10am-9pm- Sunday noon-6pm. Arts park is located in the Drhumor parking lot and Asheville Savings Bank lots on Patton Avenue between Church Street and Lexington. Labels: art, asheville, bele chere, events Thursday, July 16, 2009 UNC Asheville Joins City of Asheville to Offer Classes at YMI Cultural Center11:25 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The University of North Carolina at Asheville, in collaboration with the City of Asheville and the YMI Cultural Center, will offer three upper-level, for-credit courses to the public beginning August 18. Classes will meet from 4:30-7 p.m. through December 8 at the YMI Cultural Center, located on the corner of Eagle and Market streets in downtown Asheville.
"Black Arts and the Harlem Renaissance" will examine how Harlem and its artists emerged from the social and political turmoil following World War I. Texts will include David Levering Lewis' "When Harlem Was in Vogue" and works by well-known authors, artists and musicians of the time. In-state tuition for this master's of liberal arts class is $452.82 and out-of-state tuition is $2,153.43, plus a one-time non-refundable $50 application fee. The registration deadline is August 12. "Cultures of Childrearing," an undergraduate anthropology class, will present the cultural practices surrounding parenting. Using ethnographies, case studies and fieldwork, this course will focus on the different ways that various communities approach raising children. "Community Approaches to Achieving Racial and Ethnic Health Equity" is an undergraduate health and wellness promotion course. Students in the course will learn about the history and causes of health disparities and inequalities in the United States. The class will also examine practical solutions to eliminate health disparities, with a goal of applying the lessons in the students' communities.,/p> In-state tuition for these classes is $267.30 and out-of-state tuition is $1,445.76, plus a one-time non-refundable $20 application fee. Registration deadline is August 12.Free parking for enrolled students will be available in the City parking lot adjacent to the YMI Cultural Center. For questions about parking, contact Harry Brown, City of Asheville parking services manager, at 828/259-5792 orhbrown@ashevillenc.gov. For more information or details on registrations, call UNC Asheville’s Extension and Distance Education Office at 828/232-5122 or visit www.unca.edu/distedu/. Labels: art, asheville, children, education, events, government, UNCA Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Asheville Places 2nd in National Magazine for Top Art Destinations1:54 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Revealed in AmericanStyle’s June 2009 issue, Asheville placed second in the magazine’s list of Top 25 art destinations in the nation (in the small city category).
Cities across the nation vied for top-ranking in the 12th annual poll, which is voted on by AmericanStyle readers. In the article, Asheville is noted as a “perennial favorite” with everything … “gourmet restaurants, award-winning accommodations and an arts scene that dates to the turn of the century.” To read the article in its entirety, please refer to the following link: AmericanStyle Article Readers described the city as “the Paris of the South” and “bursting at the seams with artists.” Labels: art, asheville, restaurants
Hot Events at the Asheville Art Museum this August1:00 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC — Below are the Asheville Art Museum’s calendar event listings for the month of August 2009.
Current Exhibitions Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpiece of Southern Craft & Traditional Art - May 22 – August 23, 2009 Appleby Foundation Gallery Response and Memory: The Art of Beverly Buchanan - May 8 – September 13, 2009 - Gallery 6 Looking Back: Celebrating 60 Years of Collecting at the Asheville Art Museum - July 3 – Ongoing Second Floor Galleries Cherokee Carvers: Tradition Renewed - July 10 – December 6, 2009 - Holden Community Gallery August 2009 Events Film Screening: Beverly Buchanan - Saturday, August 1, Showings at 2:00, 3:00 + 4:00 p.m.
- Free with Museum Membership or Admission - This half-hour long profile offers great insight into Beverly Buchanan’s working process as we watch her create a drawing from beginning to end. Along the way we learn how her life as an artist began and the stories behind her work. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Response and Memory: The Art of Beverly Buchanan. Art Break Cherokee Carvers: Tradition Renewed with Curator Frank Thomson - Friday, August 14, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. - Free with Museum Membership or Admission A Day of Tradition + Innovation - Sunday, August 16, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Free with Museum Membership or Admission - An informal artists’ talk featuring: Alice Ballard, Elizabeth Brim, Cynthia Bringle, Clay Burnette, Kristy Higby, Mark Peiser, Richard Ritter, Billie Ruth Suddeth and Julia Woodman. There will be time for Q&A afterward. This is sure to be an inspiring and enlightening afternoon!
- Held in conjunction with the exhibition Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft & Traditional Art. Last Day to View Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern - Sunday, August 23, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
- Craft & Traditional Art - Free with Museum Membership or Admission - Take advantage of the last chance to view this exhibition! The combination of contemporary craft and traditional art in this exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to explore the “threads” between two different approaches to creating artwork, and also to compare the approaches of traditional and contemporary artists. Art Break Response and Memory: The Art of Beverly Buchanan Docent-Led Tour - Friday, August 28, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. - Free with Museum Membership or Admission - Join an Asheville Art Museum Docent on a guided, conversational tour of Response and Memory: The Art of Beverly Buchanan featuring the bold,colorful and expressive drawings and sculpture of Beverly Buchanan. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums Friday, July 10, 2009 WCU Art Museum Marks New Season with Three Exhibits3:40 PM
CULLOWHEE. NC - The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University launches its 2009-10 season with three exhibits that, while grounded in Western North Carolina, demonstrate a wide scope. The exhibits will run from Saturday, Aug. 1, through Friday, Sept. 18. The museum, in WCU's Fine and Performing Arts Center, will host a reception for the new exhibits from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 1. The exhibits are as follows:
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed Sunday and Monday and during university holidays and breaks. For more information, contact the Fine Art Museum at (828) 227-3591 or visit online at http://www.wcu.edu/fapac/Galleries/index.html. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums, photos, western carolina
LEAF Festival Announces Theme and Music Lineup11:24 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The 29th LEAF festival announces a special theme of "Expresiones Latinas" (Latin Expressions) which is supported in part by LEAF's first National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. "Expresiones Latinas" kicks off Mexico's Bi-Centennial celebration in 2010 and helps LEAF to enrich the community by presenting a unique blend of many different Latin cultures both at the festival and in the LEAF in Schools & Streets programs. LEAF in Schools & Streets will be working with local schools and community centers. In addition, LEAF International will be hosting teaching artists and children from our LEAF International Panama programs which have been working with hundreds of Ngobe Indian children over the past two years with 4-5 weekly music lessons as well as a music summer camps. LEAF's fall lineup is red hot with exceptional headliners to create the LEAF weekend soundtrack for dancing and listening! Drum roll... - Arrested Development - Zap Mama - Cowboy Junkies - Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra (Mexico)- The Squirrel Nut Zippers - Los Amigos Invisibles - Los De Abajo (Mexico)- Battlefield Band - Wild Asparagus & Notorious (contra) - Sones de México Ensemble (Mexico) - Forro In The Dark (Brazil) - Mamadou Diabate - The Horse Flies - Red Stick Ramblers - Billy Jonas - River Gueguerian Project - Gordon Brown & The Bug Band (Panama) - JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound - Ol Hoopty - Jeff Oster - Soul Feather - Skinny Legs & All - Special Kids' Village Performers including Red Herring Puppets (special Latin-themed puppet show) - Jam Tent - Poetry SLAM - Yoga & Healing Arts LEAF in Schools & Streets: Empowering Youth through Festive Arts. LSS is making residencies, workshops and performances available to area schools and community centers. In addition, LSS is hosting a special family-friendly performance and school field trip opportunity:
For More Information: theleaf.org/lss/about_events.php Labels: art, asheville, children, events, music
Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel Breaks Ground on Luxury Tower11:11 AMCHEROKEE, NC - Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel today broke ground on its new 532-room luxury Tower, part of a $633 million expansion to position the property as the premier gaming destination in the Southeast and world-class entertainment and tourism destination. The Master Plan for the property is currently the largest hospitality expansion project underway in the Southeast and one of the largest in the U.S., offering the greatest number of hotel accommodations in the state. Upon completion in 2012, the 37-acre property will have added a third tower incorporating luxury accommodations and high-end suites, a 3,000-seat events center, entertainment and VIP lounges, 16,000-square-foot spa, new state-of-the-art digital poker room, Asian gaming room, restaurant and retail outlets, and hotel and casino parking garages. Harrah's Cherokee is also renovating current casino facilities and doubling the size of its casino floor to 150,000 square feet while increasing video and table game capacity. The facilities will incorporate the Eastern Band of Cherokee's extensive and important collection of Native American art. Significant investment is being made in technology and group services, from business and conference support to elaborate catering services. Today's groundbreaking ceremonies included Harrah's management and executives, Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal leaders, government officials and local VIPs, construction and design representatives and members of the media. The project has significant economic impact for the region, significantly increasing hospitality-related and construction jobs available in the region. Speaking at the event were Principal Chief Michell Hicks, Eastern Band of Cherokees; Norma Moss, Chair of Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise; Lynn Minges, Assistant Secretary/Tourism, Marketing and Global Branding, North Carolina; Darold Londo, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Harrah's Cherokee; John Payne, Central Division President, Harrah's Entertainment; Ken Leach, Executive Vice President, Turner Construction. Principal Chief Hicks said that the Tribe -- along with Harrah's Entertainment -- is proud of the massive expansion effort that will grow and transform the property into "a world-class entertainment and tourism destination." Chief Hicks noted: "Despite the economy, the expansion will position the property in perfect position -- ahead of the competition -- when the economy rebounds and we can welcome new customers anxious for world-class entertainment, accommodations and service." Visitors to Harrah's Cherokee enjoy nearby recreational, athletic and cultural attractions within the Great Smoky Mountains, and visits to Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual Gallery and "Unto These Hills" Mountainside Theater. Opening in September 2009 is nearby Sequoia National Golf Club designed by world-renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones II. Labels: art, casino, cherokee, events, restaurants Thursday, July 9, 2009 Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands Scheduled for July 16-1910:02 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - It's the 62nd season of the bi-annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, July 16-19 and October 15-18, 2009. The Craft Fair is an event where connoisseurs and novices alike come to craft a collection, connect with tradition, and invest in regional culture. The Craft Fair takes place in beautiful downtown Asheville at the Civic Center, 10am-6pm Thursday through Saturday, and 10am -5pm Sunday. Over two hundred craftspeople fill two floors with fine handcrafted items, while local musicians play live on the arena stage, and craft educators share their knowledge with children in hands-on projects. Additional information about this event is available at 828-298-7928 The Fairs take place at the Asheville Civic Center, 87 Haywood Street, in downtown Asheville, NC. Hours are Thursday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Admission is $7 with children under 12 free with an adult. Group discounts are available. The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands has been a much anticipated event in the mountains since 1948. Over the course of six decades this event has become an established destination and a revered tradition. Produced by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Craft Fair is much more than a marketplace for fine craft. It is a cornerstone to the mission of the Guild, bringing together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands. More than two hundred craftspeople fill two floors of the Civic Center with fine handcrafted items. Local musicians play live on the arena stage; craft educators share their knowledge with adults and children alike through demonstrations and hands-on projects. Eleven thousand visitors from all over the country participate in festivities during the four days of the show. Over the course of the event, nearly a million dollars are invested in the purchase of craft and in the future of Appalachian regional culture. Labels: art, asheville, crafts, events Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Telluride Mountain Film Festival comes to WNC12:21 PM
CASHIERS, NC - Telluride Mountain Film Festival comes to Western North Carolina for the first time Friday July 10th and Saturday July 11th, 2009. The two evenings will feature delicious food from local restaurants and live music under the stars at Cashiers Village Hillside Park, up the hill behind Tommy's. The festival will open Friday July 10th with a special presentation of The Village Heritage Award by Cashiers Historical Society. This will be followed by the flamenco/jazz/world music of Asheville-based Cabo Verde. Dinner will then be served, courtesy of Cyprus International Cuisine of Highlands. There will be a Q & A with director Matt Morris after the screening of his film "History Making Farming Author on the Move." The evening features a selection of outdoor, adventure, human interest and environmental films from Telluride Mountain Film Festival. Saturday July 11th will be a casual evening enjoying the music of The Trainwreks, voted Western North Carolina's number one Alternative-Country band by Mountain Xpress. Dinner will be the delicious appetizers, sandwiches, and pastas of Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company. Special guests from Drexel, NC featured in the film Pickin' & Trimmin' will play their down home bluegrass music before intermission. The evening features a selection of outdoor, adventure, human interest and environmental films from Telluride Mountain Film Festival (films are different Friday night and Saturday). Both nights, guests will have two free drinks (that are included with ticket) and can be treated to the fine North Carolina wines of Westbend Vineyards and have the opportunity to meet the owner and wine maker. We are pleased to offer the refreshing micro-brewed beers of Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company as well. Gates open at 6pm both nights. Arrive early to find good parking, and enjoy all the evening has to offer. Two drinks (wine, beer or soda) are included with ticket and more can be purchased. Music starts around 6pm and dinner (included with ticket) is served at 7pm. The Telluride Film Festival begins at dusk both nights (around 9pm) and will conclude about 11pm. A different selection of films will be shown each night. Sorry, no pets or outside food and drink are permitted. Tickets are $45 for one night, $80 for a two night pass. Admission price includes two beverages, films, live music, dinner, and a lanyard with your Film Pass, a flashlight and coupons to local businesses! The gates open at 8pm for film-only ticket holders. WNC magazine will be offering prizes and giveaways. Proceeds will benefit Summit Charter School of Cashiers. The event is hosted by Cashiers Village, located near where Highways 64 and 107 meet, home to Zeke & Earl's hot dog stand and the legendary Tommy’s Coffee Shop. Cashiers Village has plans for a pedestrian friendly residential and retail community at the Cashiers Crossroads which will begin development in earnest as the economy rights itself. Their vision is to create a thriving and culturally enriching town center. Labels: art, asheville, events, movies Tuesday, June 30, 2009 City of Asheville Seeks Oversight and Strategy for River Arts District3:04 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The City of Asheville, NC is seeking statements of qualifications and proposals to produce environmental documentation, analyze project alternatives, develop preliminary designs, and develop a strategy for project implementation for roadway improvements and greenway improvements in the River Arts District in Asheville. This project implements a portion of the Wilma Dykeman Riverway Master Plan. The environmental analysis and design process is intended to move the project closer to implementation. The selected firm will also be responsible for coordinating a stakeholder's group, and involving environmental agencies and the public in the project development process. The consultant or consultant team must demonstrate that they have experience managing successful studies with a scope and focus similar to what is desired for the Riverway. Consultants should demonstrate expertise in all aspects of traffic engineering, as well as understanding of transportation-land use relationships, bicycle/pedestrian planning, context-sensitive roadway design and urban design. The successful teams must have experience with environmental analysis and documentation that meet the requirements of the federal government and the State of North Carolina. Inquiries and questions about this proposal should be submitted via email to Dan Baechtold at dbaechtold@ashevillenc.gov. Labels: art, asheville, government Friday, June 26, 2009 Celebrate the Art & Science of Birds at The NC Arboretum12:11 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The North Carolina Arboretum celebrates the art and science of birds with "H. Douglas Pratt and John C. Sill's BIRDS: The Science of Illustration," a new exhibit currently open at The Baker Exhibit Center. In conjunction with the Arboretum's celebration as an official part of the NC Birding Trail Guide, the exhibit explores how art and science work together in Pratt and Sill's artistic illustrations of birds. Pratt is an ornithologist, artist, and photographer as well as Research Curator of Birds at the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. As a widely respected zoological illustrator, author and illustrator, Pratt has contributed to publications such as National Geographic Society's Field Guide to the Birds of North America and the multi-volume Handbook of Birds of the World. Sill has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator since 1971 and has been exhibited in highly acclaimed shows and appeared in a number of books and magazines. He has been the illustrator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Bird Identification Calendar since the project began in 1980 and he is an instructor for the Institute for Field Ornithology sponsored by the American Birding Association. Additional exhibit features include:
"H. Douglas Pratt and John C. Sill's BIRDS: The Science of Illustration" runs through November 1 and is free for members or with parking admission ($6 per personal vehicle). For more information, call 665-2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org. Labels: art, asheville, events, nc arboretum Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Asheville Art Museum Celebrates 60 Years of Art12:54 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - As part of the Asheville Art Museum’s 60th Anniversary Celebration, Museum staff are currently working on a new installation of the permanent collection. This exhibition will examine a variety of ways to consider art and the relationship between art and viewer. Looking Back will explore the Museum’s collection of American art of the 20th and 21st centuries with an interest in the art of the Southeast and Western North Carolina and will celebrate the generosity of collectors and community supporters who have helped build this extraordinary resource over the last six decades. This exhibition will feature artworks by Janet Fish, Maud Gatewood, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Robert Moskowitz, Nathan Oliveira, William Lester Stevens and others. The new installation will open July 3, so makes plans to come by and see some old favorites that have not been on view in a while as well as some new and exciting surprises. This exhibition will be coupled with Looking Forward: Celebrating New Art and New Directions for the Permanent Collection opening this September in the Appleby Foundation Gallery. Labels: art, asheville, events Thursday, May 7, 2009 Asheville Ranked Top Arts Destination10:29 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Exciting, reliable, budget-friendly locales captured readers' hearts and votes as cities nationwide vied for top ranking in AmericanStyle magazine's 12th annual Top 25 Arts Destinations poll. For the second year, Asheville, with a storied crafts legacy dating to the turn of the century, held the No. 2 spot among small cities. Once again, the winners' list features a mix of traditional destinations and emerging arts scenes where galleries contribute to community revitalization. "Remember the vital roles played by artists during the last recession," said Wendy Rosen, publisher of AmericanStyle. "They moved in to dying Main Streets, shuttered factories and warehouse districts, and converted them into galleries and art scenes. Their murals, outdoor sculpture and other public art enchanted tourists and helped spark new investment. Artists led the way then, and they are leading the way now: Just look at what young artists have done to bring tourism to Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, and how artists have made Asheville, a must-visit destination off the beaten path." "Tough economic times also make consumers conscious of where their products come from," Ms. Rosen added. "Art lovers know they can make a positive impact by buying from local galleries and local artists, so their dollars recycle in the community and support homegrown talent. We all know that art and handcraft galleries are among the few remaining places where you can find authentic, made-in-America gifts and art products." AmericanStyle magazine is a national lifestyle magazine for art enthusiasts, collectors and travelers. The annual Top 25 Arts Destinations readers' poll has earned the magazine national recognition as the premier arts travel resource. Wednesday, May 6, 2009 Fundraiser for Green Opportunities Scheduled for May 28th - 'Arts 2 Go!'3:46 PMASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Affiliates will host "Arts to Go" May 28th from 6:30pm-930pm at the Phil Mechanic Building in Asheville's River Arts District. The event is billed as a fundraiser for Green Opportunities, a paid job training and placement program designed to prepare unemployed, out-of-school young adults in and around Asheville for living wage jobs in the rapidly expanding green economy. With tons of great food and drink, art exhibits, raffle/silent auction items, and live musical performances, "Arts to GO" promises to be an exciting evening of entertainment! Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door, with all proceeds to benefit Green Opportunities. Bring extra cash for the raffle and silent auction items! Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Opening bids on silent auction items vary. The event will also serve to celebrate the first graduating class of Asheville Green Opportunities members. For more information or to RSVP, contact 828-258-1856 or info@greenopportunities.org or greenopportunities.org. The green economy is growing fast, creating thousands of green-collar jobs that pay a living wage, offer advancement opportunities, and serve the community and the planet. These jobs represent important "pathways out of poverty" for members of our communities who have traditionally struggled under the "gray," pollution-based economy. Asheville GO is designed to empower individuals with barriers to employment through a combination of service-learning projects, on-the-job training and one-on-one support. Labels: art, asheville, events, green Thursday, April 23, 2009 Asheville City Council Looking for Board Members8:10 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - WANTED: Citizens who are willing to become local leaders. That’s the goal of the City Boards and Commissions. Asheville City Council is looking for some citizens who want to get involved and make a difference by serving on a city board or commission. The boards listed below currently have vacancies and are looking for dedicated citizens to lead the community. The deadline for receiving applications for these opening is Thursday, May 7 at 5 p.m. CIVIC CENTER COMMISSION – Some duties of the Commission include (1) reviewing and making recommendations on programming goals and objectives for each venue in the Civic Center; (2) establishing a method for handling of customer service complaints; (3) developing and making recommendations regarding long range plans for the Civic Center; (4) reviewing and making recommendations on proposals for changes in the fees and charges for use of Civic Center facilities; (5) encouraging promotion of sports, recreation, entertainment and cultural events and activities, and to facilitate the use of the services and facilities of the Civic Center; and (6) performing other such tasks and functions as the City Council may direct. CIVIL SERVICE BOARD - The Board works with the Human Resources Department to resolve employee grievances on an as-needed basis, as well as meets periodically to discuss personnel administration issues. PUBLIC ART BOARD - The Board was established to promote and maintain public art. The Board's purpose and responsibilities include: (1) provide public art in public buildings and public spaces; promote Asheville as an "arts destination" city and use public art as a major attraction for cultural tourism and economic development; educate the citizens of Asheville and visitors about local culture and history through art; encourage the use of volunteers on public art projects to include maintenance of public art when appropriate; be responsible for raising public donations of money to match City of Asheville appropriations for public art; be responsible for approving the subject matter of public art after the City Council has made appropriations for public art at specific sites; be responsible for developing a procedure for the selection of art and/or artists which will include public input, as well as appropriate staff review; recommend accepting gifts of money and art to the City Council; be responsible for acknowledging the gift to the donor and making recommendations to City Council for appropriate recognition; and inventory public art semi-annually to ensure that the conditions and standards of public art are being met and report their condition to the Parks & Recreation Director, including recommendations for maintenance, repair or deaccessioning when appropriate. Labels: art, asheville, government Tuesday, April 14, 2009 John Koch Painting Featured at Brunk's May 9-10 Sale8:00 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Brunk Auctions will be offering more than 1,000 lots Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10, at their galleries in Asheville, North Carolina. The sale will feature a John Koch painting titled The Plasterers, which is an oil on canvas measuring 40 inches by 49 7/8 inches. The lot also includes six preparatory sketches for the painting.
John Koch was a New York artist (1909-1978) who painted The Plasterers in 1967. described in the New York Historical Society's 2001 exhibition catalogue as a "tour de force of (the artist's) ability to bring the outside into an interior through reflection of light playing off surfaces," The Plasterers stands among John Koch's most important paintings. It will be offered on Saturday, May 9. The auction will also include a wide range of American and British furniture, paintings, Oriental rugs, jewelry, silver, porcelain, folk art, and firearms, as well as other antiques and decorative accessories. The two-day sale begins each day at 9 a.m. Eastern time, with a preview starting at 8 a.m. Eastern Time and continuing through the auction. There is also a public preview from 1-8 p.m. on Friday, May 8. Real-time Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. To view the fully illustrated catalog and to sign up to bid either absentee or live via the Internet during the auction, log on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Labels: art, asheville, events Friday, April 3, 2009 Report: Crafts Generate $206M for Western N.C. Economy4:18 PM ASHVEVILLE, NC - The head of the state Department of Cultural Resources said Friday that the craft industry generates more than $206 million a year for the economy of western North Carolina.Secretary Linda Carlisle made the announcement at the headquarters of HandMade in America in Asheville. She was joined by representatives of the six groups that commissioned the study to update figures from 1995. Fourteen years ago, the crafts industry had a $122 million impact on the region. The study details the economic contributions of crafts by sector, including artists, retail galleries, schools and consumers. “Craft feeds the heart and families throughout western North Carolina,” Carlisle said in a statement. “This new research study highlights the leadership, entrepreneurship and educational resources of this nimble industry, and provides in-depth information about the financial support it brings to the region.” The findings concluded that the region is well-established as a leading U.S. center for craft production and education and, as such, is both a significant growth industry and a draw for tourists, one of our region’s main sources of revenue. Labels: art, asheville, government
Asheville Art Museum to Display the Art of Beverly Buchanan8:44 AM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The contemporary artist Beverly Buchanan creates works that speak to the integrity, resilience and resolution of humankind. Her drawings and sculpture will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s solo exhibition Response and Memory: The Art of Beverly Buchanan opening Friday, May 8, 2009 with a reception with artist Beverly Buchanan from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. that evening.
Buchanan (1940-) was born in Fuquay, North Carolina and raised in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She was a medical technologist for the Veterans Administration in the Bronx and then a health educator for the East Orange NY Health Department. In 1971 she attended art classes at the Art Students League leading to her first solo exhibition at the Cinque Gallery in New York in 1972. She moved to Georgia in 1977 to devote her full attention to art. Buchanan’s early sculpture demonstrates an innate interest in the architecture of poverty. Made of cast concrete, clay, pigment and other materials, these primeval, block-like forms convey a sense of archaeological ruin and mystery. Buchanan’s art gradually evolved from abstract, organic forms into the expressionistic, representational works she executes today. Her sculptures are based, in part, on the sharecropper shacks that can be found along the back roads of the rural South. Buchanan’s sculpture and drawings challenge the icons of hopelessness; they are elegies that salute the integrity, resilience and resolution of humankind. She says, “My work is about, I think, responses. My response to what I’m calling ‘groundings.’ A process of creating objects that relate to but are not reproductions of structures, houses mainly lived in now or abandoned that served as home or an emotional grounding. What’s important for me is the total look of the piece. Each section must relate to the whole structure. There are new groundings, but old ones help me ask questions and see possible stories as answers. Groundings are everywhere. I’m trying to make houses and other objects that show what some of them might look like now and in the past.” Response and Memory: The Art of Beverly Buchanan will feature the bold, colorful and expressive drawings and sculpture of Buchanan. In 1980, Buchanan was awarded fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work is in the collections of Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Carnegie Museum of Art, PA; Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC; High Museum of Art, GA; Asheville Art Museum, NC; and the Tubman African American Museum, GA. This exhibition was organized and curated by the Asheville Art Museum. It will travel to the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, GA. The Museum is grateful to Ted and Ann Oliver and Oliver’s Southern Folk Art for their generous support in organizing this exhibition and lending artworks. This exhibition is sponsored in part by Ray Griffin and Thom Robinson. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums Monday, March 30, 2009 Asheville's River Arts District: Galleries and Restaurants Abound6:00 AMBut appearances are deceiving. The ramshackle warehouses and factories comprise Asheville's up-and-coming River Arts District, and the 'cue shack is the famous 12 Bones Smokehouse that earned top honors in “Good Morning America's” “Best Bites” competition a while back. It's not that the arts are a new thing in this mountain city. Since early railroad days, Asheville has drawn people with wealth, talent and style. In the 1890s, George Vanderbilt purchased 125,000 acres and built his palatial Biltmore Estate here. In the 1900s, the great art deco architects created an extraordinary collection of flashy buildings. In the 1930s, F. Scott Fitzgerald used the clubby Grove Park Inn as his base. For decades, the area has been known for its crafts; the Southern Highland Craft Guild's Folk Art Center is just outside of town, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. But the hard times that hit much of America after the 1929 stock market crash lingered here, and it's only in the past 10 to 15 years that the downtown has filled with antique shops, funky boutiques, gourmet restaurants and a dozen galleries showcasing contemporary painting, glass, pottery, quilts and jewelry. Along the French Broad Still, Asheville isn't “too” cute – at least not yet – and the burgeoning River Arts District helps keeps things that way. From downtown Asheville, it's about a five-minute drive, or 11/2 miles, due west. Just take Patton Avenue west to Clingman Avenue, turn left and you're there. It's a warehouse area up against the French Broad River and serviced by six or seven streets tied one way or another to the Norfolk & Southern tracks. We're talking banged-up curbing, weed patches and an abundance of corrugated metal and institutional brick. As downtown Asheville gentrified over the past 15 years, upper floors in buildings on Broadway and other central city streets went to lofts and condos. Artists with studios there faced higher rents, and increasingly restrictive zoning made it harder for artisans to pursue their crafts. Some pushed out to nearby places such as Weaverville and Black Mountain, establishing artistic satellite communities. And many just shifted west to the warehouses to create the River Arts District. A 2008 directory lists people working in 10 venues, in fields ranging from pottery, ceramics and paint to photography, fabric, wood, metal, stone and more. Leonard Lopatin builds flutes. John Murphy makes stuffed toys and monsters. Eileen Black, a potter who moved here from Greensboro, is president of the area's association. In her five years in town, the district has grown from 30 artists to about 115 – people such as Genie Maples, who moved here from Atlanta with her teens 21/2 years ago, and Laurie McCarriar, a photographer who moved here two years ago from Northern Virginia. Says Black, “You get the young hippies and the old hippies.” Her husband, Marty, a former electronics engineer sporting a “Need a little pot?” T-shirt, has joined her in the pottery business. “It's hard to find us; that's one of our biggest challenges,” she says. That's the downside of a district that's physically off to the side The group sponsors two annual Studio Strolls, in June and November. Most studios are open to the public on weekends, and even on a Monday, you'll find a few busily working at their craft or packing up orders for shipment. Many of the buildings are artist-owned, says Black – meaning they won't be chased out by high rents as the district becomes more popular Helping raise the profile is artist Jonas Gerard, whose bright paintings and tiles appear in collections including the Bass Museum in Miami Beach. Gerard moved here from Florida about a year ago, taking over 5,000 square feet of a furniture factory-turned-storage warehouse-turned-clay-making shop. “It was time for me to move on, to make a fresh start,” Gerard said. “We drove in and saw the art galleries, the cafes, the hippies, the drumming circle on Friday night. I didn't see any Victoria's Secret or McDonald's. It was a nice homey feeling. Everyone seemed to be grooving.” New restaurants In recent years, the district has spruced up and two restaurants have opened. The Clingman Cafe – which serves gourmet coffee, biscuits and sandwiches – serves breakfast and lunch six days a week. On the other side of the tracks, in a former diner, 12 Bones dishes up chicken, sliced brisket, pulled pork and its signature slow-smoked ribs – full or half rack – that patrons smother in sauces flavored with blueberry chipotle, horseradish, strawberry and rhubarb, chili and ginger, mango and jalapeno, or mocha, stout beer and cherries. Be warned: It's only open weekdays at lunch. And despite its humble appearance, the line is always out the door. Thirsty? The district also has a micro-brewery, The Wedge. By Jane Wooldridge McClatchy NewspapersLabels: art, asheville, galleries, restaurants Thursday, March 19, 2009 The Asheville Art Museum to Screen Documentary Film, "Throwing Curves - Eva Zeisel"3:48 PM
ASHVEILLE, NC – The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to screen the documentary film
Throwing Curves ~ Eva Zeisel on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at 2:00
p.m. each day.
In this engaging film, documentary filmmaker Jyll Johnstone explores the amazing life of the centenarian industrial designer Eva Zeisel. The film follows Zeisel’s life from her birth in Hungary in 1906 through her career as she moved from Berlin to the Soviet Union (where she was imprisoned for a time) to New York City in the 1950s. This film is a look into Zeisel’s design work, fascinating life history and creative personality. Film critic, Sam Ball calls Zeisel’s personality “as daring and persuasive as her designs.” Throwing Curves ~ Eva Zeisel (2002) is a must-see for anyone interested in design, ceramics and the delicate balance of motherhood and having a career in the arts. Free with Museum Membership or admission. This film is held in conjunction with the exhibition Eva Zeisel: The Shape of Life on view through May 10, 2009 and is free with Museum Membership or admission. For additional images and information, please contact Communications Manager Kim Zdanowicz at 828.253.3227, ext. 116 or at kzdanowicz@ashevilleart.org. Labels: art, asheville, performing arts Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Asheville Art Museum Hosts 60th Anniversary "pARTy" with RiverLink1:00 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - Come celebrate at the spring Family Art pARTy! The Asheville Art Museum collaborates with RiverLink to offer an innovative environmental hands-on art experiences all afternoon in celebration of Earth Day 2009. The afternoon will include free family art activities, including the creation of Fundred Dollar Bills, in the Pack Place Lobby and the opening reception of RiverLink’s Earth Art Contest, a student art and writing competition, and the Fundred Dollar Bill Display in the Pack Place Community Gallery. The Museum will be incorporating the Fundred Dollar Bill Project into the Spring Family Art pARTy. The Fundred Dollar Bill Project is raising local and national awareness of the hidden problem of lead pollution and lead poisoning through the production of "Fundred Dollar Bills." The goal of the project is the creation and collection of three million of these artworks by students across the United States that will be delivered to Washington D.C. to raise awareness and funding to heal the environmental impact of years of pollution compromising environmental health in New Orleans and ultimately other cities. For more information on the Fundred Dollar Bill Project, visit www.fundred.com. The Asheville Art Museum would love to feature the creative contributions of local students in this public show! Fundreds should be completed by March 25 to be included. Contact Sharon McRorie at (828) 253-3227 ext. 122 or e-mail smcrorie@ashevilleart.org for information and drop-off instructions. This is an Asheville Art Museum 60th Anniversary event. As a thank you to the community for 60 years of support, the Asheville Art Museum will be presenting events throughout the year for visitors of all ages. You will find these events designated on Museum Web site calendar pages. We hope you enjoy these events and thank you for your continued support. Check www.ashevilleart.org and sign up for Asheville Art Museum e-newsletters for more exciting information about the Asheville Art Museum's 60th Anniversary and events. Labels: art, asheville, events, museums Friday, February 27, 2009 Asheville Art Museum Announces Summer 2009 Internship Opportunities11:43 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Art Museum announces its Summer 2009 Internship opportunities and will be accepting applications through April 24, 2009. The Internship Program at the Asheville Art Museum offers participants "hands-on" training in the museum profession and a comprehensive overview of Museum operations. Interns participate in the day-to-day activities of Museum departments, in addition to working on specific projects. The Summer 2008 interns were a smart, dedicated group of students who made a great impact at the Museum. The interns were in various departments of the Museum: Curatorial, Education, Communications & PR and a legal intern to assist in review of Museum policies. The Museum Staff is highly appreciative of their hard work. The interns were given projects and responsibilities relative to departments and subjects of their interests as well as within the overall operations of the Museum. Summer 2008 intern, Crystal Sanchez, says, "My work as an intern at the Asheville Art Museum allowed me to completely understand the responsibilities that a modern museum faces in order to remain efficient in its operations, creative in its educational impact, and active as an instrumental part of the community. The Museum's unique organizational culture and enthusiastic staff created a unique environment from which I was able to work with each area of the Museum, gaining knowledge of a museum’s separate departments and responsibilities, while also focusing on a few major projects within my own field. My understanding of the role of a museum, in both the day to day workings and in living out its general mission, has been strengthened through my internship experience at the Asheville Art Museum." The Asheville Art Museum Staff looks forward to welcoming the new Summer 2009 Interns. When making arrangements, please keep in mind that internships are unpaid. We are happy to work with universities that offer credit for internships. Interns must be able to work a minimum of two days per week. The exact schedule will be determined with the department supervisor. Application Process: Please submit a 1-2 page letter of interest that states related educational experience and skills and contact information for two references. Please specify which department you would be most interested in interning with, as we hope to match all interns with their first choices. We have a limited number of internships available each summer and we regret that we cannot always accommodate everyone as these internships are competitive. Prospective interns will be interviewed by at least one staff member. Labels: art, asheville, education Previous Posts
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