Waynesville After Dark this Labor Day Weekend

September 4, 2015   Art After Dark   Downtown Waynesville galleries remain open for Art after Dark featuring demonstrations, artist receptions, and special music. Enjoy the Gallery Stroll from 6 PM - 9 PM with live music and great food. Free admission. Art After Dark happens the first Friday evening of each month from May until December.

Learn more about local mountain events on the Waynesville NC Visitor Guide.

Asheville Art Museum Special Events this Weekend

August 28, 2015 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM at the Asheville Art Museum, 2 South Pack Square in downtown Asheville NC:   Lunchtime Art Break. Photographer Ken Abbott will be leading this Lunchtime Art Brea.  Ken will discuss his work in Heritage and Home: Photographs of Hickory Nut Gap Farm.

Ken Abbott Photograph of Hickory Nut Gap Farm

The Museum presents Lunchtime Art Breaks, a series of gallery talks and presentations designed to inform and engage you in dialogue with members of our curatorial and education departments, docents and special guests.

August 29, 5:00 - 8:00 PM join the Museum for a Soiree at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. Take a tour of the historic Hickory Nut Gap home and enjoy food and music while you immerse yourself in the surroundings of this beautiful farm.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres catered by the Hickory Nut Gap Farm, as well as beer and wine will be served. This event is held in conjunction with Heritage and Home: Photographs of Hickory Nut Gap Farm, featuring the works of local photographer Ken Abbott.

$30 for members; $40 for non-members. Please call the Museum at 828.253.3227 for tickets.

Qualla Arts and Crafts Open Air Indian Art Market in Cherokee NC

August 29, 2015     Qualla Arts and Crafts Open Air Indian Art Market    " Where our family traditions become your family heirlooms".  The Open Air Indian Art Market showcases traditional, handmade Cherokee arts and crafts. 

Come to shop for authentic and unique gifts but stay for the music, food, storytelling, and craft demonstrations. This outdoor event is held in the Cultural District of Cherokee next to Oconaluftee Islands Park. A traditional Cherokee meal will be for available for purchase.

Learn more about local events and attractions on the Cherokee NC Visitor Guide. 

 

Ooh La La Curiosity Market this Saturday in Asheville

August 29, 2015    Ooh La La Curiosity Market   An outdoor market in Pritchard Park  featuring works by local painters, leather smiths, jewelry makers, potters ,up-cycled crafters, and other curious delights, all beneath the colored canopies of large market umbrellas. 

In addition to the artists, the market will also feature live local music with up three musical acts performing each Saturday and will include everything from a solo saxophonist to folk, blues, acoustic, and jazz acts. 

Head for downtown Asheville NC this Saturday for one of the area's most popular outdoor art Markets.

 

Highlands Hosts Village Square Art and Craft Show

August 29 - 30, 2015   Village Square Art and Craft Show   Sponsored by the Macon County Art Association, there are many works of art from which to choose. You will also find jewelry, pottery, weaving, metalwork, woodwork and other high quality crafts for the home and garden. 

70+ local and regional art vendors. The show is held in downtown Highlands NC at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park and neighboring Village Square, a block from Main Street.

Random Arts September Schedule

September 2015 at Random Arts, 481 Louisiana Avenue in Saluda NC: 

Gelli Plate Printing

9/1  - Zen Doodle from 10 AM - noon (no fee/no registration) 
9/4  - Paint your Pet Watercolor from 1 PM - 3:30 with Miriam Hughes. Fee $40 
9/5  -  Gelli Plate Printing from 1 PM - 3:30. Fee $30 
9/10 -  Gouache Resist from 10 AM - 12:30 PM. Fee $25. 
9/12 -  Transfers of all Kinds from 1 PM - 3:30 PM. Fee $30 
9/15 - Zen Doodle from 10 AM - noon (no fee/no registration) 
9/17 -  Torn Birds Collage from 10 AM - noon. Fee $30. 
9/19 -  Open Studio Play Day from 11 AM - 4 PM.  NO FEE 
9/25 -  Jodi Ohl - Grunge Ink 
9/26 -  Jodi Ohl - Skinny Mini Cities 
9/27 -  Jodi Ohl - Wild Flowers and Birds 

Call for Native Plant Artists at The Blowing Rock Art Museum

THE ART OF NATIVE PLANTS Competition at The Blowing Rock art and History Museum is calling for artists to compete in an exhibition sponsored by the NC Native Plant Society. The Exhibition will be held at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, April– July, 2016. Deadline for application is December 1, 2015. Get additional information HERE. 

William Wegman Exhibition at The Asheville Art Museum

August 23, 3:00 - 5:00 PM at The Asheville Art Museum, 2 South Pack Square in downtown Asheville NC - Opening Reception for Cubism and Other-isms by William Wegman. The exhibition is on view August 22, 2015 through January 24, 2016. 

William Wegman, one of the world's most renowned photographers, has been working on a project he calls Cubism and Other-isms, where with his trademark wry humor he mines art historical precedents to create images of startling beauty. Beginning in the early 1990s while making videos and films with his dogs standing in as human characters, the artist placed his subjects on elevated platforms in order to shoot them at eye level. Over the years, props in Wegman's photographs have taken many forms, but none so consistently as the cube. 

William Wegman "Lean"to" courtesy Asheville Art Museum

Upcoming Events at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

August 19, 2015 from 10 AM to 3 PM - Nature Journaling Workshopwith Sue McBean   The goal for this workshop is not to have a perfect end product, but to learn from and enjoy the journey. The workshop will begin inside with short, simple pen and paper exercises to spur creativity, and will then venture outdoors and experiment with different methods of opening the senses to hear and see what is presently around more clearly.

August 20, 2015 at 4:30 PM - (Third Thursdays)  Vollis Simpson,the Artist Who Rejuvenated a Town with Gerret Warner and Mimi Gredy    Vollis Simpson was a mechanic and house mover who built some ornamental wind mills in a field next to his workshop. They got attention from townspeople and visitors, and then from news organizations and museums worldwide. Mimi Gredy and Gerret Warner, documentary filmmakers from Chapel Hill, filmed Vollis and his work from 2010 until his death at 94 in 2013, and they continue to document the restoration and installation of his work in its new home. Their lecture and film tell the story of this original NC artist and his unique creations.

August 22, 2015 from 1 - 4:30 PM  - Duet Harmony Singing Workshop with Mark Weems and Julee Glaub Weems of Little Windows. Learn some of the specific techniques and nuances of duet singing and how to adapt harmonies to different songs and various genres such as Appalachian, Irish, gospel, and country.

Ongoing Events:

Every Tuesday -  3:30 - 4:30 PM  Afternoon Art Club    Ages 6-10
Every Thursday -  1-2pm and 3-4pm   Doodlebug Club    Ages 3-5
Every Thursday - 4 PM    Docent Tour     Free with a paid admission
Every Saturday -  2 PM    Docent Tour     Free with a paid admission

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) is located at  159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NC. 

Ashe County Farmers Market includes Handmade Local Crafts

August 21, 2015    Ashe County Farmers Market and Backstreet in West Jefferson    The best homegrown, homemade and handmade items in the High Country. Open every Saturday from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM October.  Rain locations: the Farmer's Market or the Ashe Arts Center.   Grayson Highlands Band featured.

Don't Miss the Dillsboro Arts and Crafts Market this Weekend

August 15, 2015     Dillsboro Arts and Crafts Market  The second of three Arts and Crafts Markets will line Front Street in charming downtown Dillsboro NC. This market will showcase demonstrating crafters located inside the shops of Dillsboro, as well as in the tents on Front Street. 

 Enjoy live music from 11 AM - 12 PM and 1 PM - 2 PM along with Little Jimmy's Ices and homemade baked goods. Craft demonstration in a variety of media, including heritage crafts, will take place throughout the day. 

 

NC Gallery Crawls: West Jefferson Gallery Crawl this weekend

August 14, 2015     West Jefferson Gallery Crawl   Stroll the streets of an historic mountain town, enjoy the cool mountain breeze while listening to the sounds of street musicians and "popping" in and out of West Jefferson's many galleries. 

Enjoy Open House in more than 15 art galleries and studios. The  Gallery Crawl is a free event and is sponsored by the Ashe County Arts Council in cooperation with the West Jefferson Business Association, the West Jefferson TDA and is funded, in part, through a Grassroots Arts Program Grant of the North Carolina Arts Council.

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts Hosts Annual Bascom in Bloom Garden Festival

August 13-16, 2015  Annual Bascom in Bloom Garden Festival   Over 1,000 garden and nature lovers from across the US come together to celebrate. The event features a tour of majestic mountain gardens in the Ravenel community, a flower show that includes flower arrangement, horticulture and photography divisions, an exclusive Benefactor tour of the Southern Highlands Reserve and the always elegant Benefactor Party. 

Proceeds support The Bascom, a nonprofit visual arts center. Friday-Saturday Flower Show, Garden Tours, and Luncheon. Sunday concludes with a special benefactor party at The Farm at Old Edwards Inn featuring the award winning cuisine of Chef Johannes Klapdohr and music by Liquid Pleasure. This fundraiser for The Bascom ensures that the unique education, exhibition and community outreach will continue for years to come. 

photo courtesy of The Bascom

The Bascom: a center for the visual arts  is an important cultural resource for the Western North Carolina region and its many residents and visitors. The Fine Art Center is a not-for-profit art center in Highlands NC. For over twenty years The Bascom  Visual Art Center has been the only non-profit visual art center in Highlands.  From humble beginnings in the Hudson Library as a room to display regional art, the Bascom has evolved into a dynamic visual art center with a six building six acre campus with diverse exhibitions, studio art instruction and cultural experiences. Exhibits and educational programs operate year around with season hours, Tuesday - Saturday. Check the website for exact times and dates.

The Bascom is located at 323 Franklin Road in Highlands NC

Annual Wood Day at the Folk Art Center in Asheville NC

August 8, 2015    Wood Day at the Folk Art Center  An annual celebration of wood crafts including  craft demonstrations and hands-on activities. The 14th Annual Carve Off Competition takes place between 1 - 3 PM. 

For the contest, participants have two hours to turn a simple block of wood into a work of art. Carvers must sign up by 12:30 to participate. Demonstrations include flute making, wood turning, broom making and furniture design and construction. FREE admission.

Asheville Downtown Galleries Art Walk this Weekend

August 7, 2015   Asheville Downtown Gallery Association Art Walk   Enjoy the fine art and craft of the Asheville Downtown Gallery Association and see one  of the reasons Asheville has been voted #1 small city in the country by the readers of American Style Magazine 2 years running. 20+ downtown venues participate with a complete  

A Downtown Gallery Guide and a map available at any participating downtown gallery, the Chamber of Commerce, or Pack Place.

Favorite Mountain Craft Show this Weekend in Burnsville NC

August 7 - 8, 2015    Mount Mitchell Craft Fair   Hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors will participate in the 59th Annual Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair. The event takes place on the Town Square and surrounding streets in historic downtown Burnsville NC. 

Handcrafters from all over the United States come to sell their wares including baskets, candles, kettle corn, pottery, stained glass, and more. Quilt squares appear not only on local barns and buildings but are for sale by some of the best quilters since Betsy Ross. 

Handmade clothes, purses, and vests, are just some of the items that adorn the beautifully decorated booths. There will also be homemade jams and jellies as well as Barbeque and Southern tea. 

The event is FREE to the public with bluegrass and cloggin entertainment throughout both days.

 

Art After Dark in Waynesville NC

August 7, 2015     Art After Dark   Downtown Waynesville galleries remain open for Art after Dark featuring demonstrations, artist receptions, and special music. Enjoy the Gallery Stroll from 6 PM - 9 PM with live music and great food. 

Admission is FREE. Art After Dark happens the first Friday evening of each month from May until December in historic downtown Waynesville NC.