Banishing blank walls

Blue Spiral 1 started off the 2012 exhibition calendar with the annual reprise of New x Three. This year’s show features new works by five southeastern artists that are themselves…

Murals may be the quintessence of public art work, a realm that includes much more than publicly funded community projects. Public art, let’s say, is art in public, which, for…

The violence may have settled down in Ivory Coast, but Adama Dembele doesn’t want to go back. He has friends in Asheville, and a home here. He has a thriving…

While, as the saying goes, nothing is certain but death and taxes, there are some constants in this crazy world. Such as that Jack of the Wood (being based on…

According to Malaysian-born, New York-based singer-songwriter Zee Avi, the ukulele is the new electric guitar. "The ukulele is becoming my main instrument," she says. Partly because the diminutive stringed instrument…

Their dance styles, personalities and body types are extremely different, but in the studio and on stage, something simply clicks. “She’s a little powerhouse of energy,” says Lindsey Kelley, describing…

"If I lived in Brazil, would you come visit me?" asks Morgan Christopher Geer of Drunken Prayer on "Brazil," the opening track from his new album, Into the Missionfield. First…

"We are a blues/rock explosion in the vein of The Cramps, The White Stripes, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, etc.," writes Austin, Texas band The Ghost Wolves. Even more compelling, the…

The last time Philadelphia-based hip-hop dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement was in Asheville was 2005. Seven years is a long wait for the return of virtuosic urban dance. But the…

Sara Benincasa, the author of the hilarious (and sometime squeamish-making) Agorafabulous! Dispatches From My Bedroom tells, in unflinching detail, the story of her struggle with anxiety disorder and debilitating agoraphobia.…

Open Hearts Arts Center offers art training to adults with emotional and intellectual disabilities, and is the only program in Asheville that does so — employing professional artists as teachers…

Sip coffee and chow down on bake goods at Java for Justice, a fundraiser for Pisgah Legal Services. Local restaurants including City Bakery, Mosaic Café and West End Bakery will…

The National Truffle Fest draws an incredible pool of talented regional chefs and other truffle experts: Shannon M. Berch is a research scientist for the BC Ministry of Environment, has…

Wine-and-truffle pairing dinners, hosted by executive chefs and winemakers, will take place in several area restaurants at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 24 as part of the National Truffle Fest.…

It's difficult to pinpoint what makes truffles so sought after. No description does them justice. They can best be described as having a deliciously pungent and musky flavor, but beyond…

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, your choice of dining venue can help save the lives of area dogs and cats. Many Asheville-area restaurants have chosen to participate in the Animal Compassion…

The Vanuatu Kava Bar has moved to a new location at 15 Eagle St. and now offers a very affordable lunch. The alcohol-free bar serves kava, a root-based drink that’s…

In celebration of Curaté tapas bar's first anniversary (has it been that long already?) the restaurant will host a showing of the movie El Bulli: Cooking in Progress at the…

Feb. 17, morning… A red-tailed hawk circles high above Asheville City Hall, basking in the rising sun. Still in the shadow of the mountain, the Occupy Asheville encampment is stirring.…

Canned corn, green beans and big jars of pickles are stacked to the ceiling at MANNA FoodBank’s distribution center on Swannanoa River Road, yet even this well-stocked warehouse isn’t enough…

No funeral bells rang out during a Feb. 13 forum on the future of the Asheville water system hosted by the local League of Women Voters. But a hand-bell choir…

Asheville City Council Feb. 14, 2012 meeting Resolution opposing corporate personhood approved • Council Council firm on retaining water system After months of wrangling, false starts, temporary arrangements and failed…

What: Break out your neon snow pants and radical leg warmers for the Town of Beech Mountain’s Totally ‘80s Ski Weekend. Swish down the slopes just like the guys from…

• Local woman emerges from blackout horrified to learn she opened Asheville’s first craft distillery for boutique moonshine in large production space with excellent marketing, distribution • 17 candidates to…

I commend Felicia Dickson on her thoughtful, well-chosen words about one of the violent actions in our community [“Just Say No,” Feb. 15 Xpress]. Her first illustration and her experience/confession…

It has come to my attention that the McKibben Group is interested in purchasing several city-owned pieces of property around the Basilica of St. Lawrence in order to construct a…

In response to the article suggesting forcing everyone in the county to pay for garbage pickup, I want to speak out [“Retreat and Advance,” Feb. 8 Xpress]. Because of my…

In the President’s State of the Union speech, he masterfully called America to rally to the vision of inclusiveness and fairness he has sought to implement through his presidency. Despite…

Drew Reisinger, our Buncombe County Register of Deeds, is my dear friend. He is also a former Obama organizer, statesman, outdoorsman, hiker, rafter, runner, gardener, compost maker, equality ally, labor…