An Artful Journey:
A morning of art, conversation, and gourmet treats
Exploring the Best Art Exhibitions of 2024 with Art Historian Julianna Caro
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Wednesdays 10:30am-12pm
September 25 (Paris—Impressionism)
October 16 (New York—The Harlem Renaissance
November 13 (London—Sargent and Fashion)
December 11 (Venice—The 2024 Biennale)
$25 per lecture, refreshments included
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We prefer cash or check to avoid costly credit card fees.
You may also pay via the button below or by debit/credit card in our main office.
Join us for an artful journey to the world’s most exciting art centers: Paris, New York, London, and Venice to virtually tour this year’s best museum exhibitions. Each artful journey will begin with a delightful morning drink and pastry followed by an inspiring lecture and discussion with art historian and curator Julianna Caro. Together we will enjoy time to visit and connect and to learn about the birth of Impressionism, the African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance, John Singer Sargent’s use of fashion in his portraiture, and the oldest and most important contemporary art exhibition, the Venice Biennale.
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Julianna Caro is an art historian and curator based in Asheville. Formerly professor of Art History and chair of the Art department at Warren Wilson College, she has curated exhibitions for the Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Center for Craft. Recently, Caro started The Artisan Tour by Julianna, which offers art, culture, and food tours in downtown Black Mountain and Asheville and week-long cultural and restorative experiences in Italy.
Dance For All​
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Sunday, November 17th • 5 - 6 pm
Free, Donations Accepted
Join us for "Dance For All," a vibrant and inclusive dance performance designed for audiences of all ages! This event, taking place at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, is a wonderful opportunity to support your friends and BMCA Dance. The Dance Troupe performance will start at 5:00 with doors opening at 4:50 PM.
After the show, kids aged 3-12 are invited to participate in a fun and interactive dance/play class, where they can unleash their creativity on the dance floor! This class is donation-based, so feel free to give what you can to support an amazing cause. All proceeds will go directly to BMCA's Dance Troupe, helping to foster the joy of dance in our community.
Don't miss this chance to enjoy a fantastic evening of performance and participation! We look forward to seeing you there!
Christmas Corner​
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November & December
in the BMCA Lobby
Get your holiday shopping done and support our local artists at the same time! Visit BMCA during the months of November and December to check out the "Christmas Corner" in our lobby. This area will feature holiday themed ceramics made by the potters and students in the BMCA Clay Studio!
Handmade Ornament Sale​
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November & December
in the BMCA Lobby
What better to adorn your tree with than an ornament made right here in your community? BMCA will have a beautiful tree set up in our lobby through December 22nd featuring handmade ornaments made by local artists. Grab one for you and a friend, and support local this holiday season!
Handmade Holidays!​
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Local Pottery & Art Market
December 2-9
in the BMCA Theater
Look no further for that perfect one-of-a-kind gift. BMCA’s Handmade Holidays has everything you need, and some things you just want for the holidays. Come by 225 W. State Street any weekday from 10:00-5:00 December 2nd through 9th to buy these incredible locally-made items. Or stop by during Black Mountain’s Holly Jolly celebration on December 6th until 7:30pm for some extra sweet treats. The BMCA Ceramic Student & Instructor Exhibit will also open in our gallery on the 6th, so come by for the market and stay for the reception!
Buncombe Turnpike​
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RESCHEDULED for November 16th
Tickets $15
Buncombe Turnpike is a long time staple in the Asheville bluegrass scene. Their sets are made up of primarily hand crafted original songs, but the band also plays a variety of other heartfelt tunes ranging from traditional and contemporary bluegrass. With their crowd pleasing demeanor, seasoned musicianship, and powerful vocals the band has made a name for themselves among traditional and contemporary listeners alike. Band members are, Tom Godleski, lead vocals and upright bass, Korey Warren guitar , mandolin, lead and backing vocals. David Hyatt, guitar and mandolin and lead and backing vocals, George Buckner, banjo, Don Lewis, fiddle. mandolin. lead and backing vocals.
Mosaic Mushrooms
led by Michelle Bettencourt
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November 23rd • 10am-2pm
November 24th • 10am-12pm
Registration $95 (supplies included)
$5 discount for BMCA Members
Ages 12+
Whether you have dabbled in mosaics before or are completely new, this class will introduce you to the ancient art form of mosaics through the creation of your own, unique mosaic mushroom with a hand cut wooden stake. In the first session, you will learn the basics of mosaic design, select and cut/break your ceramic pieces and adhere them to your concrete mushroom. In the second session, you will learn how to grout your piece and will have a number of colors of grout to choose from. After just two sessions you will leave with a beautiful mosaic mushroom for outdoor use and the knowledge to make mosaics on a number of substrates. See Michelle’s general guidelines and links for mosaics here.
We prefer cash or check to avoid costly credit card fees.
You may also pay via the button below or by debit/credit card in our main office.
Hustle Souls
in Concert
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November 23rd • 7pm
Tickets $20​
Hustle Souls, based in Asheville, NC, masterfully blend Retro-Soul, New Orleans Brass, and Americana into a unique and captivating sound. Lauded by American Blues Scene as a "generation-jumping mashup of new school second line funk with old school vintage soul," and described by Bluestown Music as “intimate soul...with a Curtis Mayfield like warmth,” the band has earned a spot as one of Music Connection Magazine’s “Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists & Bands.”
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Overflowing with energy and spontaneity, Hustle Souls features roaring B3 organ and jubilant brass, balanced with three-part vocal harmonies and a passion for songwriting. Their music has been praised by Aldora Britian Records as “worthy of being included in that brilliant soul music canon, a heritage that features some of the greatest performers and writers that have ever graced this earth.”
Cancelled
Kellin Watson
and Friends
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December 14th • 7pm
Tickets $20​
Kellin Watson is an internationally-touring singer-songwriter, whose award-winning sound blends elements of blues, pop, folk, and soul. Hailing from Black Mountain, NC, Kellin draws on her Appalachian roots to bring both power and rawness to her music. She has worked with/opened for a wide range of notable artists such as: Amos Lee, Little Feat, Susan Tedeschi, The Duhks, Crash Test Dummies, The Wood Brothers, Seth Walker, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Walter Wolfman Washington, Gordie Sampson, members of Band of Horses, and several others. Kellin's songs have been featured on film, tv and commercials such as, CBS’s The Good Wife, Degrassi: The Next Generation, GMC’s Trinity Goodheart, several independent films, in addition to sync commercial work, globally. In 2017, Kellin began to take a step back from touring and making records to focus on having children. She is slowly making her way back into live performances again, and is excited to have one of her first full live shows back out, at BMCA!
December Gathering of
Harp and Story
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December 15th • 2pm
Tickets $15​
Sit back and get ready for an afternoon of Classy and Sassy as Martha Geouge Hill, Celtic harper, and Cynthia Geouge Davis, author and storyteller, combine their sisterly stylings of music making and humor in a holiday performance!​
Martha Geouge Hill is an award-winning Celtic harper, composer, and arranger who has performed regionally, nationally and internationally. She is a founding member of the Celtic trio Stone’s Throw as well as a founding member of Banrigh, a Celtic harp ensemble. Her musical selections will include both traditional and original Celtic compositions, all beautifully arranged and performed by this gifted artist.
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Cynthia Geouge Davis, author of Catfish Corner, a collection of humorous Southern short stories, revisits Catfish Corner for the holidays. Christmas in Catfish Corner will share the secrets of how Vera’s veneers got into the fruitcake batter, and don’t forget those Three Wise Men who learned the hazards of not wearing long pants underneath their bathrobes when they placed their gifts at the manger. And, speaking of the manger, who stole Da Baby Jesus out of the Baptist’s nativity scene?
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So, come! Join The Sisters for a delightful December afternoon of music and merry. Their blend of sisterly love, award-winning musical talent, and Southern humor will leave you wishing you hung on their family tree.
Reasonably Priced Babies
Improv Comedy
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December 20th • 7pm
Tickets $20​
RPB is a formidable improv comedy group consisting of Tom Chalmers, Mondy Carter, Karen Stobbe, Kim Richardson and Josh Batenhorst.
This is how it works: RPBs will ask the audience for suggestions and then they make that come to technicolor life. Get ready to be a part of the experience because this show will push the envelope of ridiculous fun.
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
December 21st @ 7pm
December 22nd @ 2pm
Tickets $22, youth (up to 17) $15
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A special holiday addition to our 24/25 season! You may think you know Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by heart. But we promise you’ve never seen anything quite like Mark Cabus’ acclaimed solo performance of this beloved holiday classic.
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In his ingenious adaptation of the 1843 novella, Cabus takes on more than 18 characters, engaging audiences with his quick wit and capturing the true spirit of the season. An accomplished actor, writer, director and producer, Cabus has performed this particular show for an estimated 22,000 people throughout the Southeast.
A Slice of Life:​
An evening of stories
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March 29th • 7pm
Tickets $18 in advance/$22 at the door
Join nationally celebrated storyteller Connie Regan-Blake as she welcomes her storytelling workshop participants to the stage for “A Slice of Life: An Evening of Stories.” This year's tellers are TBA.
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Connie is emceeing this evening of unique voices. The last several “Slice of Life” shows have been sell-outs – so get your tickets early!
A Turnpike Sunset
by Tom Godleski
January 31-February 2
Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun 2pm
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Tom Godleski has written local legends into songs and turned family stories into scripts. Turnpike Sunset is about a group of 19th century drovers who are sitting around a campfire, telling stories, singing, and talking about trials and tribulation of life on the drover’s road. The road itself was called The Buncombe Turnpike, and was crucial to the economy of Asheville and surrounding areas of Western North Carolina. The show is filled with funny anecdotes, history, and music. The music in
the show is performed by members of the Asheville bluegrass group, Buncombe Turnpike. The show is set in 1861, so Godleski was sure that the musical instruments used in the show are authentic to the time period. “My grandfather meant for these stories to be shared and I am happy to share them,” explains Tom.
I Hate Hamlet
by Paul Rudnick
February 21-March 2
Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun 2pm
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I Hate Hamlet is a dramatic comedy written in 1991 by Paul Rudnick. Set in John Barrymore's old apartment in New York City - at the time, the author's real-life home - the play follows successful television actor Andrew Rally as he struggles with taking on the dream role of Hamlet, dealing with a girlfriend who is keeping a firm grip on her chastity, and playing host to the ghost of John Barrymore, who, clothed as Hamlet, has come back to earth for the sole purpose of convincing Rally to play the part. Andrew must then face the ultimate question: whether to be or not to be.
Red
by John LOgan
May 9-18
Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun 2pm
Set in New York City in 1959, RED is an explosive exploration of the creative process. The play takes place during a crucial moment in the career of renowned Abstract-Expressionist artist Mark Rothko as he prepares for his greatest commission, a series of murals in New York’s prestigious Four Seasons restaurant. A two-person show, RED reveals Rothko and his assistant Ken as Rothko struggles to fulfill his vision of creating a sacred space for his deeply emotional paintings in the temple of “status and conspicuous consumption” that is the Four Seasons. What follows is a series of clashes between the fiery and domineering Rothko and his young, impressionable assistant. As the explosive interaction between the two escalates, the audience learns of the famous painter’s artistic vision as well as his battle with the New York art world and his own inner demons. Seemingly a blank slate, assistant and budding artist Ken reveals a devastating secret in his life, as he pushes back against Rothko’s controlling nature.
Written by John Logan, RED is the winner of six Tony awards, including Best Play in 2010.