Local Arts News

Locally sourced theater and music reviews and more.

Local musicians, actors, arts organization leaders and even wrestlers share insights on the year that was.

See theater, music, dance, comedy, and more in this artistic hub of North Carolina.

For two years, Stuart Smolkin, curator of the Asheville Radio Museum, has been restoring a 1946 Rock-ola 1422 jukebox. Now the machine is on display inside A-B Tech’s Elm building.

Poet laureate Glenis Redmond reveals the city’s best spots for dancing—and shares her tips on how to enjoy the city’s thriving literary and performing arts scenes.

mitú has teamed up with Explore Asheville to unveil the vibrant tapestry of Latino creativity flourishing in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Together, we celebrate the diverse talents that make Asheville a true haven for artistic expression. Latino artists have dazzled the world for decade

Winter wonderland - Top things to do in WNC this week – Dec. 8

“How do we bring literature to the spaces where people already are?” asks Jacqui Castle, an author and Lit Local Mini Bookshops.

‘Elf: The Musical’ returns to the Asheville Community Theatre for a second consecutive year. Also returning is actor Carson Fox in the lead role of Buddy.

The choreographer talks new projects and the city’s dance scene.

An Asheville arts collective launches a virtual gallery. Plus, a rock-and-roll exhibition returns for round two; UNCA’s art sale; and more.

Whether you want to pack food for folks in need or foster pets, here are 40+ ways to lend a helping hand in your community.

When Frank Dosier was 16 and attending Asheville High, he had no intention of becoming a pillar of the local music scene. He was thinking engineering, or maybe law, would make a nice career. But he was young and simply needed a job, and his only experience was cutting grass in the summers. He couldn’t […]

Story about the struggle of young girl provides narrative for Asheville singer/songwriter.

“What I’m doing is preserving this important piece of Western North Carolina regional history,” says Whitney Ponder, who purchased a property previously owned by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. “This man did so much for traditional Appalachian music here and throughout the whole region.”

A list of some of Asheville’s food and beverage companies offering the ideal gifts for the 2023 holiday season.

This Sunday, you’ve got another chance to see an Asheville landmark on screen and revel in some lighthearted holiday cheer.

According to the dark depths of a fantasy fandom wiki, dragons are “physically enormous,” with a wingspan averaging 115 to 138 feet and a mass of 16 tons. Though, “some have been recorded at twice this.”

The 22nd annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition will feature eight finalists from around the country. Co-founder of NewSong Gar Ragland, moved it from the New York City to Asheville in 2019. Reece Sullivan and Jimmie Griffith have local ties here in Western North Carolina.

We go deep with longtime Asheville musician David Wilcox about his songcraft, his vein of inspiration through the pandemic and the range of emotion he mined for his newest record, “My Good Friends.”

Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers: Question: What is up with that scream-singing guy on Pack Square? My answer: I’ve got to say, this is the kind of hard-hitting, deep-dive journalism I live for. Real answer: I’ve got to admit I’ve been kind of curious about this guy myself. I […]

“Both collaborations with the Vance Birthplace and the Mountain History and Culture Group have been the purest representations of the work we want to do, existing in the intersection of art and activism,” says Aaron Snook, co-founder and curator of America Myth Center

The nonprofit’s writing, craft and visual arts groups forge a strong sense of belonging among participants.

Award winning storyteller Ray Christian’s new season of his “What’s Ray Saying” podcast is airing on BPR, a show that uses history and story to explore the Black American experience from his unique perspective. Christian stopped by the BPR studios to talk with morning host Helen Chickering about his podcast and how how his military service helped shape him as a storyteller.

From fiction and nature guides to young adults and memoir, these are the books you have to read — or weep.

Abstractionists and realists relate like oil and water. Many realist painters scoff at abstract art as lacking technical mastery — and many abstractionists dismiss realism as stilted and unimaginative. Then there’s self-taught Asheville artist Meryl Lefkovich, who speaks in both visual languages with enviable fluency, striking an elegantly reconciled aesthetic balance.

Patience is a virtue. It’s also a smart business tactic. Asher Holman knows this first hand.

RALEIGH, N.C. The North Carolina Arts Council today announced that North Carolina’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $2.23 billion in economic activity in 2022. According to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study conducted by American…