Asheville Downtown Gallery Walk this Friday

Dec 3   Asheville Downtown Gallery Association Art Walks   The Asheville Downtown Gallery Association has Twenty-two downtown galleries for you to visit that are listed on the Downtown Gallery Guide with a map to help you along the way at any participating downtown gallery, the Chamber of Commerce, or Pack Place.

Holiday Art and Craft gifts:Blue Ridge Artisans Show and Sale

Dec 1 - 24  Send Santa to the  Blue Ridge Artisans Show and Sale  for special gifts from special people. The Show and Sale features crafts from local artisans, including woodwork, paintings, photography, and various Christmas ornaments.  The McDowell Arts Council Association is located at 50 S. Main Street in historic downtown Marion, NC

Sew, Paint & Gesso Collage Workshop - $20

Friday, Dec. 3rd - 1-3:30. Random Arts, Saluda NC. Sometimes you just want to play and not worry about making mistakes, doing it wrong or starting over. That's what this workshop is about. . . doing it your way! With some gentle guidance and a few simple techniques you will create this remarkable work of art that is uniquely yours and yours alone. We'll start with some fashion magazine pages, bring in some gesso and double stick tape, (ah yes, the sewing machine too) paint, markers and last but not least, your fun loving imagination will round it all out for one absolutely crazy afternoon of creative bliss.
Join Jane for this fun workshop and let it all out! Only $20.
Limit 8 students. Please email to register.

Happy Thanksgiving

Update from Cottage Craftman

As the holidays quickly arrive in the mountains of North Carolina new products are also arriving  each week at The Cottage Craftsman. From pottery - Stunning and highly functional stoneware by Palm Tree Pottery - to scrumptious new jewelry - Copper Wire Tree of Life Pendants by Raquel Moore -  to food - back by popular demand a favorite holiday treat -White Chocolate Peppermint Crunch.

On Tuesday December 7th, The Cottage Craftsman and Choo Choo Coffee Company are hosting an evening open house with food and music.  Everyone is welcome!

Christmas Wines are now in stock! 'Tis the season for festive beverages and good times with family and friends.Celebrate over a meal, or give a special gift of these unique seasonal wines:

• Hinnant Holiday Wine
• Biltmore Christmas Wine
• Duplin Naughty and Nice
• Duplin Christmas Eve
• Chateau Morrisette
• Our Dog Blue Christmas
• Childress Holiday White
• Childress Holiday Red

The Cottage Craftsman is located at 44 Fry St, Bryson City NC

http://thecottagecraftsman.com/

Presents of Art in Tryon

Nov 21 - Dec 24  in Tryon NC  Presents of Art Holiday Shopping Extravaganza at Upstairs Artspace   is a holiday shopping extravaganza of fine craft by southeastern artists featuring jewelry, ceramics, fiber, glass and metal, to name a few. Gift wrap is available at no charge.

Upstairs [Artspace] is a nonprofit contemporary art gallery in downtown Tryon, North Carolina exhibiting two and three-dimensional art and craft by leading artists of the Southeast, particularly the Carolinas.

Featured Gallery: Ariel Craft Gallery in Asheville

Ariel Craft Gallery In a city full of fine craft galleries and a region brimming with artisans, Ariel Gallery is a standout. Owned and operated by the exhibiting artists themselves, this unique gallery is a showcase for original works of handmade jewelry, sculpture, glass, fiber, clay, mixed media, and woodwork. Since 2002, Ariel Gallery has represented some of Western North Carolina's finest artisans and given the public an opportunity to buy directly from local makers. 46 Haywood Avenue, Asheville NC.

"Homemade" Holiday Gifts in West Jefferson

November 20, 26, 27 head for the HOLIDAY FARMERS MARKET on the Backstreet in West Jefferson NC. Get your handmade, homegrown holiday gifts starting this weekend at the Ashe County Farmers' Holiday Market. Open from 10am-2pm. 

Pincu Pottery offers pottery classes for the young and old!

Locals and visitors alike can enjoy "playing in the mud". Pincu Pottery offers pottery classes for all ages!  Families are welcome to come and play with clay for two hours. Forget the mall this Christmas and give a handmade gift.  Make a reservation at least 2 hours ahead and create memories that will last a lifetime! What a nice way to warm up a rainy day or spend some time with the kids while in Bryson City for the Polar Express.  Pincu Pottery is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 am - 4 pm.  Call 828.488.0480 to register!  

Quilters Quarters Has Moved!

The Quilters Quarters has completed its move to1510 Dellwood Road, just 1/2 mi north of the previous location....3/8 mi from the stoplight of Highway 276 and 19 heading into Maggie on the right hand side of the road.

Hard work last week, from building shelves to organizing, has allowed the shop to be open for business again! Come seethe brightly lit space with the addition of over 100 new fabrics including 300+ bolts of fabric for $5.95 and other regular specials.

The classroom space still has a few boxes to unload so it will take a little time to get the new schedule out for classes.

River District Artists Studio Stroll this weekend

Nov 13 - 14   ASHEVILLE NC   River District Artists Studio Stroll   During the Studio Stroll, artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the old factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Read The Artist's Blog  for news, events, classes and more in Asheville's River Arts District.
Beat the crowds and visit the River arts District Friday evening for some preview parties! Get a list and more info...

Holiday Shopping Extravaganza! at the Asheville Art Museum

November 16- 21, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day Pack Place Community Galleryat the Asheville Art Museum. The Museum hosts the annual Holiday Market and this year we plan to have a variety of local artists with handmade arts and crafts, along with lots of Museum Shop goodies. Find art by local artists, including: Dawn Dalto, Andrew Montrie, Joy Tanner, Gabriela Baumgardner, Irene Redmond, Chris Savely, Sumner Smith, Kate Stockman, Erin Hinckley, Vaughan Anderson, Jim Caskowski, Sonja Voss, Suzie Millions, David Wilson and Loretta Forde. This is a wonderful opportunity to support the local artists, the Museum and the arts community in Asheville.

Art for Penland Auction on Ebay

Art for Penland is a web-based art sales program designed to support Penland's classes, programs, studios, and scholarships through the sale of art contributed by artists and other donors.

Glass Bottle and Stopper by Shane Fero

This month Art for Penland is having an auction in the nonprofit section of eBay. Thirty-six works contributed by instructors and students will be auctioned beginning now and running through November 16. The auction includes work in clay, glass, iron, jewelry, painting, photography, and textiles.

Contributing artists are as follows: Katie Bernstein, Devin Burgess, Gordon Chandler, Julie Anne Denton, Arless Day, Robert Ebendorf and Mickey Johston, Mary Farmer, Shane Fero, David Goldhagen, Marguerite Jay Gignoux, David Hering, Nicholas Joerling, Claire Kelly and Anthony Schafermeyer, Michael Kline, John Littleton and Kate Vogel, Richard Margolis, Joseph Miller, Bea Nettles, Ben Owen III, Jason Pollen, Fawn Potash, Paul Shore, Jerry Spagnoli, James Tanner, and Tim Tate.

Click here to see the auction.

Highlands Bascom Art Center features Quilt Exhibit

November 12 - Dec 18    A Stitch in Time Quilts  Exhibit at the Bascom art center in Highlands NC provides an opportunity to examine quilts on loan from local collectors and appreciate functional objects as works of art. As with most traditional crafts what began as a day to day necessity of life has evolved into a high art form with both functional and aesthetic use.

Meet the Maker Series: Ceramicist Arnie Zimmerman

Nov 16, 7 PM UNC Asheville's Owen Hall, room 302 Special Talk by acclaimed ceramicist ARNIE ZIMMERMAN. The event is free and open to the public. New York-based sculptor Arnie Zimmerman is considered one of the most significant contemporary artists working in ceramics today. Zimmerman was known early in his career for architecture-scale carved vessels, and is now well-known for his intricate and vast figurative ceramic installations. Zimmerman's "Inner City" installation, most recently on view at the Rhode Island School of Design, is made up of more than 150 figurative and architectural elements. The installation, which sprawled across a 4,000-square-foot space, illustrates both the glorious and the mundane aspects of everyday life. He is also known for his "Parables of Folly" exhibition, which included a collection of smaller pieces showing figures engaged in a variety of activities, from fishing with family to frolicking at the entrance of Hell's gate.

Downton Boone NC Friday Art Crawl Tomorrow

Nov 5  Boone's Friday Art Crawl  features local and regional artists of all genres ranging from traditional crafts, pottery, paintings, metalwork, jewelry and glasswork to music and live entertainment.  Several of the participating artists will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate their skills.  Galleries and shops are open until 8 p.m.  Restaurants and bars are open until 10 p.m. or 2 a.m.  Two underground galleries are open from 7 p.m. to midnight—only on Art Crawl nights. Located in Downtown Boone NC.    Blue Ridge Parkway 75 event, milepost 285

Fall Art Safari in Weaverville

Nov 6-7  Visit studios and galleries at the Fall Art  Safari  in the town of Weaverville NC and the surrounding rural areas. The tours are free and open to the public, and some artists' studios are open year-round by appointment.

The self-guided studio tours are held the last full weekend in April and the first full weekend in November, coinciding with the beautiful spring and fall seasons in the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. So, come join us and take home a trophy from North Carolina's creative frontier!

Concerts at The Asheville Art Museum

Sunday, November 7, 3:00 PM, Gallery 6, Dr. Teresa Sumpter performs at the Pianoforte Concert series. A recent transplant to the area, Dr. Sumpter is an Assistant Professor at Mars Hill College and a board member of the Asheville Area Piano Forum. She will be performing works by Bernstein, Beethoven, Montsalvatge, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. The Pianoforte Concerts fill up fast, so please reserve your seats early by contacting Nancy Sokolove, Adult Programs Manager for reservations at 828.253.3227, ext. 120 or nsokolove@ashevilleart.org. $6 Members; $8 + Museum Admission Non-Members

November 9, 7:00PM, Gallery 6 Flutist Kate Steinbeck directs Elegy, Keowee Chamber Music's Holocaust Remembrance Concert. Elegy is performed at different venues in Western North Carolina, and we are pleased to be able to participate in what has become an annual event for the Keowee Chamber, this year featuring the music of Bernstein, Kaprálová and Shostakovich with pianist Daniel Weiser, cellist Elizabeth Gergel and flutist Steinbeck. "I don't know how anybody could have come out of Elegy without being deeply and forever changed," wrote a listener in 2009.

Reserve your seats early by contacting Nancy Sokolove, Adult Programs Manager at 828.253.3227, ext. 120 or nsokolove@ashevilleart.org. $6 Museum Members; $8 + Museum Admission for Non-Members

Gallery Minerva Fall Hours

Gallery Minerva will be hosting extended hours on Friday and Saturday nights during the 2010 holiday season. Stop in and see us 5 days a week, Tuesday through Thursday from 10am to 6pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 7pm and by private appointment.

Don't forget to check out the new photographs from Matthew Turlington while you visit.

Currently featured are the paintings of Mississipi delta artist, Cathy Hegman are currently showing at Gallery Minerva. Through more than 25 years of study, the artist has developed a vibrant, expressive style exploring topics such as the canine-human connection explored in this series.

Art Quilts: Creative Imagery Workshop

Nov 6, 10 AM - 5 PM Cloth Fiber Workshop offers Art Quilts: Creative Imagery with Norma Bradley. "Drawing "with scissors, you'll carve into colored fabrics to create form. Simple and intricate shapes will emerge allowing for personal authenticity and abstract ideas to develop. In this workshop you'll work on a series of small quilt/pieces that can be inspired by a personal photograph, poem or by improvising. Techniques for easy applique, carving with your scissors and integrating surface-design as an element of the design, will be emphasized. 
Level: all levels, fee: $85 + materials. Cloth Fiber Workshop is located at 122 Riverside Drive, Studio D  in Asheville NC.
Norma Bradley is a multi-media quilt artist and the Director of Art Education for HandMade In America. She creates fiber quilts and quilt-inspired gardens and has been a visiting and teaching artist for over 25 years, integrating the “art quilt” into school curriculum. Her goal is “always to inspire personal creativity while keeping the spirit of the quilt.” Norma is the creator of the internationally recognized Earth Quilt Project featured on HGTV's “Simply Quilts.” Her vibrant fiber quilts, informed by a background in painting, sculpture and art history, have been exhibited in galleries and museums and are in personal collections. Norma's Web site: Norma Bradley Earth Quilts