Amanda and Jon Hency reflect on their difficult decision, standout moments and their next chapter.
Musician April Bennett gets creative in finding her ‘new normal’
Instead of a packed house, musician April Bennett and local hip-hop band Lyric played to a nearly empty space at the Orange Peel for the May 15 livestream of Downtown After 5. “It was definitely weird playing in one of the biggest rooms in the city with no people in it except for the staff who were recording it,” she remarks with a laugh. “But I was really glad for that [opportunity]. It was definitely a much-needed morale boost during these crazy, crazy times.”
Smart Bets: The Great Reset
The podcast series features interviews with a variety of local figures who seek a better, sustainable world post-COVID-19.
Local arts nonprofits continue toward their missions amid COVID-19 challenges
Leaders from the Asheville Area Arts Council, LEAF Global Arts and Open Hearts Art Center discuss their ongoing struggles to continue providing community services.
Spaceman Jones launches ‘Smoke Break’ video podcast from quarantine
“I’d been looking at how to expand what I do, because I’m always bugged by ideas,” says Davaion Bristol. Launching “Smoke Break” as a video podcast “gave me another outlet to express myself, to connect with people.”
Smart Bets: Guidance for Arts Professionals & Organizations
Asheville Area Arts Council is providing assistance in the form of an online resource.
Smart Bets: Asheville Mardi Gras
“Superstition” is the theme of the 13th City-sanctioned parade, which takes place Feb. 23.
LEAF Global Arts center opens on The Block
The LEAF Global Arts center will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, Feb. 14 with a series of events.
City proposes $100M makeover for Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
“Other than a new roof, the exterior shell and a few walls here and there, we’re looking at a brand-new facility,” said Chris Corl, general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville, as he displayed concepts for the auditorium developed by the Nashville-based Earl Swensson Associates. He described the plan as “not a renovation, but a transformation.”
Submit student art, writing this week for 2020 Kids Issues
Have you ever been on or dreamed of going on a big adventure? Show and tell us about it! Submit student art, essays and poems by this Friday, Jan. 31, to be considered for the 2020 Kids Issues.
Give!Local 2019 wraps up banner year for grassroots fundraising
A heartfelt thanks is in order, to the 414 individuals who donated to 2019’s Give!Local partner nonprofits, generating a total impact of $178,804. Every dollar goes directly to local nonprofits making a difference in the WNC community. Mountain Xpress’ fifth annual campaign to raise funds and awareness for local organizations benefiting the community has nearly […]
Clubland editor Lauren Andrews and Community Calendar editor Deborah Robertson reflect on 2019
From exhibits to fundraisers, Lauren Andrews and Deborah Robertson kept readers up-to-date on the latest happenings around town in 2019.
Alli Marshall reflects on the creative triumphs and tribulations of 2019
The year in local art could be summed up in hellos, goodbyes and triumphant returns.
Xpress seeks student art, writing for 2020 Kids Issues
Have you ever been on or dreamed of going on a big adventure? Then you’re in luck! For Xpress’ 2020 Kids Issues, the theme is “My Big Adventure.” Deadline is Friday, Jan. 31.
CURVE Studios & Garden commemorates 30 years
When Pattiy Torno (who moved to Asheville in the mid-’80s, attracted by creative culture and health consciousness) purchased the former Standard Oil distribution center, “this was out in the middle of nowhere,” she says.
Asheville Art Museum readies for its grand reopening
The Asheville Art Museum re-opens with two major exhibitions, Intersections in American Art and Appalachia Now!
Starving Artists
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
$125K grant expands Blue Ridge Craft Trails
Thanks to new grant funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, says BRNHA Executive Director Angie Chandler, counties in WNC’s High Country are next on the list for craft tourism development and its projected economic benefits.
Biz briefs: Business Inclusion Office announces new name, office hours
The diversity of Western North Carolina’s business community comes through in this week’s business roundup. From a new luxury campground to equitable business contracting opportunities, check out what’s new.
Adé PROJECT seeks creative solutions to issues of inequity
Another aim for adé PROJECT is to work with as many artists of color as possible, using a cooperative model. “We often are left out of decision-making processes or not invited to the table where decisions are being made,” Cortina Caldwell explains.
Is Asheville’s creative community getting priced out?
“Many artists, creatives, musicians and performers are leaving due to the rapidly increasing cost of living, putting Asheville’s culture at risk,” says Stephanie Moore of the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. Despite a flurry of concern and initiative, local leaders and developers are finding that providing affordable living and working space for the area’s working artists remains a difficult challenge as property values and rents continue to climb in the city.