Locally sourced theater and music reviews and more.

Celebration Local Makers

The Center for Craft in Asheville awarded $600,000 to 40 craft artists impacted by Hurricane Helene through its Craft Futures Fund, showcasing their works in an exhibition titled WNC Craft Futures: From Here, while also receiving national recognition with the One-of-a-Kind Award from the James Renwick Alliance for Craft.

Philip and Tina DeAngelo will open Asheville Art Supply in the Cheap Joe’s space following its closure.

The city ranked high for education, amenities and more.

In December, Drew Ball was voted in as the newest member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Despite newfound responsibilities, Ball still plays in three bands in addition to his full-time job with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Citizen Vinyl announced it will close its bar, cafe, event space and record and art store on April 30.

BMCA offers everything from art exhibitions and live performances to educational programming and local artist engagement.

Works from local artists in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene offer outlets for personal and collective processing of the disaster.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter, and I have no doubt that the RAD will emerge more resilient and vibrant than ever,” says Jeffrey Burroughs, president of the River Arts District Association (RADA).

Join Deborah Holt Noel to shake off the cabin fever and welcome spring with these fun activities and destinations.

A longtime recording studio in Asheville that has produced Grammy-winning content will close its doors at the end of the year.

AVL Fest announced the cancellation of its 2025 event on March 28.

AVL Fest announced the cancellation of its 2025 event on March 28.

City staff are moving closer to presenting their disaster recovery plan to City Council after wrapping up their third and final listening session this week.

Displaced artists in the River Arts District are racing to find studio space as Asheville welcomes back visitors after Hurricane Helene.

“GMA” is live in Asheville, North Carolina, with a local arts organization and an artist honoring the community as it recovers from Hurricane Helene.

Asheville’s longtime summer staple Downtown After 5 is making a return but at a new location.

Xpress checks in with ArtsAVL, the Center for Craft and the Asheville Theater Alliance.

The closure comes as a result of economic strain in the industry, the business said.

One Asheville hotel made Time’s worldwide list of suggestions for not only its offerings, but the role it played in the aftermath of Helene.

For local artist Jody Medford, landing a job at Dollywood in 1986 after graduating high school was a dream come true.

The North Carolina Glass Center’s Black Mountain location gallery is open and classes are set to start March 20.

“The goal,” says Laura Williams, the choir’s founder, “is to connect with other singers, make friends within the community and support local businesses.” And in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, she adds, the mission feels more important than ever.

Asheville’s Public Art Program finds a new place in the city’s history supporting arts and culture.

More than 500 people came to Warren Wilson College on Sunday, March 9, to receive gifts of music in the form of donated instruments.

Resurrection Studios Collective is a new space for artists and the community to gather.

Katherine Cutshall, the Buncombe County Special Collections manager, said the concept was conceived soon after Helene but staff held off asking for submissions until earlier this year.

Support local makers and artists all month long while they teach you their craft during this special series from the Merchants of Downtown Asheville.

The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA) approved a total investment of $75,000 for local cultural events and festivals at a time central to the region’s recovery. The authority’s financial support aims to bolster community recovery and revitalization by reviving legacy events and launching new experiences that inspire visitation and spark local pride in 2025.

Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers: Question: Billy Strings, the bluegrass musician, just finished two weekends of sold-out concerts here in Asheville at our old but comfortable Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville (the Civic Center to us oldies). Downtown felt like the special weird Asheville that has been missing for a while. […]

Resurrection Studios Collective, located at 160 Broadway Ave. in the former Moog building in Asheville, will celebrate its opening on March 7.

In an affidavit filed in Buncombe County Superior Court on Jan. 17, Asheville Brewing Company co-owner Mike Rangel refutes accusations in the Jan. 3 lawsuit from The Orange Peel.

How to support artists, buy art and participate in art classes downtown and in the River Arts District in Asheville.

“Endless amounts of work was lost,” the owner of Art Garden AVL said.

Tie dye and bluegrass are filling the streets this weekend.

Tropical Storm Helene is attributed to the closure of a popular, long-operating downtown business in Asheville.

Comedies, musicals and plays rooted in history are on area stages this month.

Man, this is not what Asheville needs right now. That was my first thought when I read about the legal battle between Orange Peel Events/Public Interest Projects and Asheville Pizza & Brewing (which now goes by Ninja Brewing). If you haven’t been following, Ninja Brewing announced Jan. 8 via social media it was rebranding the […]

Kira Bursky, 28, was featured in exhibitions at the West Asheville Library and Transylvania Arts Council for her Tropical Storm Helene collection.

“WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour” host Michael Johnathon is hosting an instrument giveaway March 9 at Warren Wilson College.

Nearly four months after the hurricane, business owners from across the region shared their at-times tearful stories of loss, resilience and determination.

The Orange Peel and Public Interest Projects are seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages in an amount to be determined by a jury and are asking the judge to keep in place the existing management agreement.

The satellite gallery space donated by The Radical serves to educate folks that the upper RAD is open and offers ways to support displaced artists.

Marquee founder optimistic about reopening River Arts District gallery more than three months after Tropical Storm Helene.

The Asheville-based author continues Stephen Robbins’ saga in “The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape,” which was published on Oct. 1.

Asheville artist Cleaster Cotton was there when the French Broad River rose up and threatened to wash away her home. Now, an exhibit at Sawtooth shows Cotton’s grieving process through it all.

The new youth hip-hop writing program incorporates playfulness, performance and the classic rite-of-passage journey with a focus on healing.

A veteran's path to healing trauma through glass amid Asheville's rebuilt after Helene.

The Asheville Art Museum is set to unveil a new exhibition that highlights artists from Helene-impacted areas in the region.

Asheville musicians and artists team up to elevate creative community at a new concert hall and digital art gallery.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is hosting an art exhibition called A Natural Influence at the Folk Art Center starting Saturday, February 8.

Film, fashion, and drawing are all mediums local multidisciplinary artist, Kira Bursky, uses for expression.

What to know about the latest changes at Asheville’s outdoor live music venue, Rabbit Rabbit.

Asheville Mardi Gras revelers are revving up for a wild ride through the streets of downtown as the 2025 carnival season kicks off.

What to know about Biltmore Estate’s “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures” exhibition and opening.