Time for Some Va Va Voom in Your Life?

The beautiful Va Va Voom boutique on Broadway is the stuff of which happiness is made. Yes, it carries a pretty assortment of woman- and couple-friendly lingerie that playfully encourages women to indulge their inner pin-up. It also carries leg wear ... read more

ZaPow Starts With a Bang!

Owned by Lauren and Matt Johnson, Asheville’s ZaPow bills itself as the Southeast's only gallery and workspace focusing on illustration and pop culture art. ZaPow, though, also promotes its artists and hosts an array of events, exhibits, and workshops ... read more

Steep Canyon Rangers Plays For Benefit

Friday the 13th will be a lucky day for Steep Canyon Rangers fans and supporters of Asheville's Evergreen Community Charter School. After a remarkable year of success in 2011, the Steep Canyon Rangers kick off 2012 with a fundraiser for that takes place ... read more

Keeping Asheville Weird for Ten Years

The Asheville Fringe Arts festival is the annual multi-day and multiple-venue performing extravaganza that asks artists of all types of genres and media to push their own boundaries and presents original and innovative performance art to a ... read more

A Dozen Ways to Start Your Day

Whether you're a visitor to Asheville or an area resident, breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, as they say. Perhaps you have an early business meeting or you just want to treat yourself to some great grub. Either way, these establishments are convenient to the businesses and accommodations in Asheville. While this list doesn't cover all breakfast ... read more

Kerry Bober Meets Her Match: Asheville

Kerry grew up in Rhode Island, where she got a youth scholarship to an art program at the Rhode Island School of Design. She had a passion for art early on but says she didn’t really know what graphic design was or that a degree could be obtained in it. She started pursuing a meteorology degree before receiving her BFA in graphic design from Plymouth State University ... read more

Renegade Seamstress Stina Anderson Leads ARTeries

When Stina Anderson took fibers classes at Savannah (Georgia) School of Art and Design as a part of her sculpture program, she had no idea her first garment would turn into her wedding dress, which she weaved on a large loom. Since then, the artist has funneled her passion for sculpture, performance, cloth, and community into ARTeries, a fashion sewing studio and boutique ... read more

Winterfest Returns to Blowing Rock

Winterfest returns for a 14th time to Blowing Rock January 26-29, mixing the heat of bonfires and toasted marshmallows with the frozen thrill of the Polar Plunge and ice carvings. Set in the walkable winter ambiance of quaint and charming Blowing Rock, Winterfest activities will satisfy day-trippers and overnight guests alike with family activities a major focus of ... read more

Cajun Cook-Off Gets Mardi Gras Enthusiasts Fired Up

Get your taste buds ready for a sampling of Asheville's finest Cajun cuisine at Asheville Mardi Gras' Fourth Annual Cajun Cook-Off and Art and Oddities Auction. This year's event takes place on January 21 at 2 p.m. This mouth-watering event is held at Tressa's Downtown Jazz and Blues on Broadway. The Cajun Cook-Off and Auction is open to the public and ... read more

AIR Gets Greener

As the calendar turns to 2012, Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) are reaching a milestone in completing an important stage in the green restaurant initiative. A significant number of AIR restaurants participating in the green restaurant certification, have either completed or are in midst of installations of solar panels for hot water usage ... read more

Kitty Love Brings Her Vision to Asheville Area Arts Council

Kitty Love, an Asheville resident for 16 years, has traveled a seemingly magical path of committed vision and passionate intention. On a blustery January morning, she sits at an intimate meeting table in the Asheville Area Arts Council artist's resource space, a small office area designated for artists to access free business resources such as meeting space and computers ... read more

Roots + Wings School of Art Flies High

Ginger Huebner’s dream of teaching art in Asheville has certainly taken flight. Roots + Wings School of Art, now about three years old, is based primarily at All Souls Episcopal Cathedral in Biltmore Village but also has roots at Ginger’s studio located in the Pink Dog Creative building at 344 Depot Street in Asheville’s River Arts District. As Roots + Wings School of Art continues ... read more

Alena Hennessey Comes Full Circle

Alena Hennessey believes that whatever you put your energy into, the universe responds. With a mom who’s an artist, Alena says she’s been drawing all her life. “I used to draw for hours,” she recalls. All of that artistic energy seems to be paying off for the Florida native who now has a studio in Asheville’s River Arts District. Alena says she loves what she does. Some may ... read more

Chocolate and Culture Benefit Local Organizations

Taste the finest local chocolate while enjoying multicultural musicians, dancers, poets, and visual artists at the Chocolate & Talent Festival on January 29. The event takes place at the Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway in Asheville, from 2-5 p.m. and benefits 4th Trimester Family Center and Doula Association of the Mountain Area (DAMA). Both organizations provide sliding scale ... read more

Newsworthy Drawing Club Offers Book And Show

The Newsworthy Drawing Club has debuted their fourth annual hand-bound and illustrated book, Newsworthy. These limited edition books are composed of drawings loosely based upon factual news reports gathered from various sources throughout the year of 2011. A show comprised of the original drawings as well as hardcover and paperback books is on display at ... read more

Existential Fun With Solstice

Black comedy isn’t for everyone, and Magnetic Theatre’s Solstice by John Crutchfield is a play that skews a little more dark than humorous. That said, it can also be heartwarming, absurd, and deeply honest.On the website johncrutchfield.com, John says he writes plays about things that bother him, admitting that “in general, these turn out to be existential problems ... read more

Fixing Racism

“Fix it.” This is what damali ayo (no, she doesn't use capital letters in her name) asks of us concerning racism in order improve our world. She delivered her ten-point presentation to a packed house at Lapinsky Auditorium at UNCA January 19 at 7 p.m. “Fix it.” This is what damali ayo (no, she doesn't use capital letters in her name) asks of us concerning racism in order improve ... read more

Brett Butler Brings a New Performance to Asheville

Many probably remember Brett Butler as the star of 1990s sitcom Grace Under Fire. Others may recall her stand-up comedy. While Brett is still an actress and comedian, she has added another pursuit to her resume: psychic and medium.The affable Southerner with roots in Alabama and Georgia has discovered in recent years that she is claircognizant, which means she has a gift of ... read more

Open Hearts Art Center Announces Satellite Gallery Exhibit

A collection of work created by more than 40 artists with developmental, mental, and emotional disabilities takes the spotlight at Asheville's Satellite Gallery February 4-March 3. After five consecutive shows at the Asheville Area Arts Council Front Gallery the artists of Open Hearts Art Center change venues for their sixth annual show. The exhibition kicks off with an opening reception on February 4 from 7-10 p.m ... read more

M.I.T. Professor to Give Guastavino Lecture

The Rafael Guastavino family—responsible for remarkable tile work at architectural landmarks in Asheville and across the nation—will be the subject of a lecture at UNC Asheville by John Ochsendorf of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). The lecture, “Guastavino Vaulting: From Barcelona to Black Mountain,” will take place at 6 p.m. February 1 in UNC Asheville’s Owen Hall, in the third floor conference room. This event is free and open to the public ... read more

East Henderson High Hosts Benefit at Playhouse Downtown

Terra Nova sweeps its audience away to the continent of Antarctica and tells the moving story of five Englishmen in their struggle to reach the South Pole in 1911. This award-winning play performed by the Drama Department of East Henderson High School will debut at Playhouse Downtown, on Thursday, January 19, at 7 p.m. The show will be a benefit to further the success of these high school drama students ... read more

Arts 2 People Offers Winter Fundraiser

You may know Sweet Tee for its portable mini-golf courses that can be taken to festivals and other gatherings. But through February Sweet Tee has found a home in Biltmore Square Mall next to Dillard's ... read more

Come Together and Create: A UNCA MLK Celebration

UNC Asheville will host “Come Together and Create,” a two-day showcase and celebration of local performing artists, Friday-Saturday, January 20-21. These performances, part of the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Week, will take place in the Carol Belk Theatre on the campus ... read more

Arts Council of Henderson County Doles Out Cash

The North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts Program is designed to provide program or operating support for nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to promote and develop diverse cultural arts programming. The grants panel evaluated 14 applications based on artistic quality, community impact, ability to plan and implement the project, and stability and fiscal responsibility of the organization ... read more

Flat Rock Playhouse: Musicians Wanted

Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina, is now accepting resumes for musicians interested in playing one or more shows during the 2012 season. Proficient musicians of all types will be needed as orchestra for musical productions at Playhouse Mainstage and Playhouse Downtown, as well as for the Music on the Rock Concert Series ... read more

Mountain Made Hosts Ribbon-Cutting for Reopening

Mountain BizWorks celebrates another woman-owned business on January 18 when Mountain Made, a retail shop located in Asheville’s Grove Arcade Public Market, hosts a ribbon-cutting for its reopening ... read more

New Exhibit by Russian Artist at UNCA

Vasily’s works have been shown throughout the former Soviet Union, many European nations, Israel and the United States, but his paintings from the pre-Glasnost era were once “underground,” since they did not meet the ideological approval of Soviet authorities. His work combines the fantastic with the realistic, and sometimes involves humor and caricature. He is a graduate of the Higher University of Art and Science in Leningrad ... read more

Bringing in the New Year with Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band will show you the way to the New Year with a rockin’ off-the-wall concert at Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Avenue, on December 31. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the show begins at 10 p.m ... read more

“The Sisters” Exhibit at F.W. Front Gallery

The artwork of Suzanne Snyder and Judi Goloff, will be on display at the F.W. Front Gallery at Woolworth Walk in an exhibit titled “The Sisters” through the month of January. There will be an opening reception from 4–6 p.m. on Friday, January 6 ... read more

Kimberly and Michelle Cann in Benefit Concert

Concert pianists Kimberly and Michelle Cann will perform in a house concert from 3–5 p.m. on January 22. Proceeds from concert ticket sales will benefit the Asheville Chamber Music Series’ piano fund. the event, in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Loomis, will feature works by Ravel, Poulenc, Milhaud, and Debussy ... read more

Evergreen Hosts Cyber Auction to Benefit Environmental Programs

Evergreen Community Charter School is going high tech to help fill the gap left by state education cutbacks. The school’s ninth annual CAFE (Caring Atists for Evergreen) online auction will run from 8 a.m. on January 10 until midnight January 22. The auction will feature a special art collection including works from such nationally- acclaimed local artists as Jimmy O’Neal, Dustin Spagnola, Richard Oversmith, and Melissa Terezza ... read more

AmiciMusic Plans Chamber Music Concerts Across Region

AmiciMusic, founded this past October by Daniel Weiser, a Peabody Conservatory-trained pianist, will be presenting chamber music concerts in a variety of venues across the region ... read more

Storyhill at Mountain Spirit Coffeehouse

Folk duo Storyhill will entertain the audience at Mountain Spirit Coffee house at 7 p.m. on January 15, with infectious melodies, smart story songs, and heartbreaking harmonies ... read more