Blowing Rock NC Hosts 8th Annual Art and Antiques Show this Weekend

July 29 - 31, 2016   8th Annual Art & Antiques Show  at The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum   This sale and show offers heirloom-quality antique silver, furniture, pottery, jewelry, clocks, crystal and more. Vendors from across the East Coast bring a variety of items.  

The Preview Party will be held on 7/31 from 6:30 PM - 8 PM. Admittance is $40 per person (including wine and hors d'oeurves). Tickets are $10 and good for the entire show. 

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

CCCD Celebrates 20th Anniversary

On August 11 from 7-10 PM, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design (CCCD) celebrates 20 years of service to emerging artists, researchers, scholars, and the public.

For the 20th Anniversary Celebration and Benefit,  "the CCCD is planning a one-of-a-kind event in celebration of the history of CCCD while embracing the cultural community and artists who make Asheville and Western North Carolina the location that it is known for today," says Stephanie Moore, Executive Director.

Gather with artists, collectors, friends, and sponsors of the arts for a memorable evening of interactive installations, great food, drinks, and live music. All 20th Anniversary ticket and patron gifts support the CCCD's 2016 activities.

The Celebration will take place at the CCCD located at 67 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville NC.

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands This Week in Asheville NC

July 21 - 24, 2016     Semi-annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands   One of the most popular art and crafts events in the mountains, the Fair includes over 150 exhibitors, craft demonstrations, and live regional music and entertainment bringing Asheville's Civic Center (US Cellular Center) alive with fine traditional and contemporary crafts. 

Both levels of the Center offer artisans exhibiting and selling works of clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, mixed media, natural materials, paper, wood and jewelry.  The Fair  showcases the work of members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild with members living in the mountain counties of nine states from Maryland to Alabama. 

Now in its 69th year, The Fair offers a variety of craft  ranging from contemporary to traditional in works of clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media, and jewelry. After a curation process of two juries, over 150 makers from the Southern Highland Craft Guild will carry on the legacy of the Fair.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is a non-profit, educational organization established in 1930 with headquarters at the Folk Art Center

on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC. The Guild region covers the mountain counties of nine southeastern states from Maryland to Alabama, representing over 900 craftspeople. The Craft Fairs are one of the ways in which the Guild fulfills its mission which is to bring together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation. To learn more about Guild programs, visit www.craftguild.org.

The Big Crafty this Sunday in Asheville's Pack Square

July 17, 2016    The Big Crafty returns to Pack Square. The event celebrates and showcases the fine wares of over 100 independent indie crafters, artists and makers. The complete line up of participating artists is available online. This is a free, family-friendly event.

This Week at the Asheville Art Museum

Last Chance to Register for An Afternoon at Highwater Clays.  This exciting behind-the-scenes tour is next week. Wednesday, July 20, 1:30 - 3:30 PM. Museum Members: $20,  Non-members: $30.  Meet at Highwater Clays (600 Riverside Drive, Asheville 28801).  For over 30 years, Highwater Clays has been mixing fine clays for artists’ use. Raw materials convene on Highwater from around the country, and are screened, mixed, refined and bagged using state-of-the-art technology. Join artists, collectors and Highwater founders Brian and Gail McCarthy for a private tour of Highwater’s production facility and warehouse, as well as their personal collection of fine-art ceramics. Light refreshments are provided. Space is limited; pre-registration is required. To register, click here or call 828.253.3227, ext. 122.


July 15, 2016 at 12:00 PM - Art Break.  More Than a Moment in Time: Selected Photographs from the Museum’s Collection with Taylor Heasley, Education Intern. Drop in to this informal lunchtime Art Break that focuses on works in our Permanent Collection! Our Art Breaks are designed to both inform and engage you in dialogue with our curatorial and education staff, docents or special guests. Free with membership or Museum admission.


July 19, 2016 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM - Tot Time. Come discover the art of play in the interactive Art PLAYce! This monthly program for pre-school aged children accompanied by an adult occurs on the third Tuesday of each month, and features a fun activity designed especially for our young visitors plus time to explore the Museum galleries. For more information, email Sharon McRorie or call 828.253.3227, ext. 124. Free with membership or Museum admission (children under 5 always free)

Museum Shop Centerpiece Sale Ends Friday - A limited selection of beautiful works of art featured at the recent benefit NEXT are available for purchase in the Museum Shop...but sales end Friday, July 15.  For more information or to purchase, click here.

Currently on view in the Asheville Art Museum Galleries:

• Vault Visible: Photographs
• Vault Visible: Behind the Scenes at the Asheville Art Museum
• Selections from the Permanent Collection: 140 Years of American Art
• Appalachian Innovators: Women Makers in the Southern Highland Craft Guild, 1930-2000
• Community: Sharon Louden
• Sol LeWitt: Creating Place

Boardwalk Arts and Crafts Show at Lake Lure 4th of July Celebration

July 3 -  4, 2016   4th of July Celebration at Lake Lure  July 3 offers a Beach Bonfire and Marshmallow Roast. Then on the 4th enjoy a day and evening of family fun and activities from 8 Am until 10 PM. 

The Boardwalk Arts and Crafts Sale includes the works of local artists and crafters displaying along the Lake Lure boardwalk near the members' marina.  

photos courtesy www.aroundlakelure.com

There will also be a Kids Zone at the Beach, Fire truck rides and temporary tattoos, Bingo at the Pavilion and a golf cart parade. The Beach Cookout, Tiki Bar at the Cabana and Ice Cream at the Cabana all open at 11 AM.   

Take a fireworks cruise or stay on land and watch the Color Guard and Fireworks display. The remarkable display over Lake Lure is considered one of the most spectacular anywhere in the mountains.