Community Calendar

A Multi-Media Journey of Resilience, Fiber Art, and Painting by Julie Miles

Three summers ago, in a lightkeeper’s house-turned-museum off the coast of Maine, Julie Miles was asked a simple but piercing question: “Who are you outside of your family?”
“Made of This” is her answer.
After an eight-year hiatus from painting to support her family through her husband’s early-onset Parkinson’s diagnosis, Miles returns to her artistic practice with work rooted in resilience, devotion, and rediscovery. What began as an homage to her farming grandparents evolved into an immersive exploration of material, labor, and belonging.
For this body of work, Miles learned to process and spin raw wool, dye fibers with plants over an open fire, and weave twill cloth on a vintage four-shaft loom. She turned to pinhole photography to create self-portraits in the landscapes of her Michigan youth—beaches, open fields, and rural expanses that echo memory and identity.
Blending fiber, photography, and painting, “Made of This” honors both the harshness and tenderness of life. It invites viewers to dwell in the quiet space where grief and joy coexist, where materials “dictate” their own becoming, and where loving it all—labor, loss, beauty, play—leads to a life well lived.
Join us for the opening reception on April 3rd and experience a powerful return to art shaped by devotion, discovery, and the enduring act of making.

April 3 – 26
Monday – Friday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Reception: April 3, 5:00 – 6:30 PM
at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts

Join us for Songwriting Monday! On the First Monday of each month between February and October, join renowned instructor Lauren Hayworth for this class aimed at both beginner and intermediate level students at the Watauga Arts Council in Boone, NC.

Students will explore song structure and fundamentals, as well as learn basic music theory. Techniques for creating effective lyrics will also be explored with writing prompts. Some knowledge of music (especially on a chord-based instrument like guitar, piano, or ukulele) is helpful, but NOT required. Singing ability is useful but not required.

Students are encouraged to bring their own notebooks and instruments.

Indie folk-rock outfit Shake the Dust brings a rich musical kinship rooted in the Carolinas, with most members performing solo or in regional bands since the early ’90s. Frontman Phil Lomac’s three solo records have earned critical acclaim for blending alt-rock and roots music, with 2017’s Northern Cities, Southern Stars drawing comparisons to a post-punk take on Bare Trees-era Fleetwood Mac.
ndie folk-rock outfit Shake the Dust brings a rich musical kinship rooted in the Carolinas, with most members performing solo or in regional bands since the early ’90s. Frontman Phil Lomac’s three solo records have earned critical acclaim for blending alt-rock and roots music, with 2017’s Northern Cities, Southern Stars drawing comparisons to a post-punk take on Bare Trees-era Fleetwood Mac.

The band’s debut EP pays tribute to ’70s FM country rock while injecting a contemporary edge, but their pensive, handcrafted style defies easy categorization—drawing inspiration from ’80s new wave, Wilco’s alt-country rock, and the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter tradition of Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and Tom Petty.

Expect lush instrumentation and sharp lyrical prowess when Shake the Dust takes the stage, performing tracks from their debut EP Shake the Dust alongside new material from their brand-new full-length album, a collection that cements their signature sound while exploring fresh sonic territory.

Austin McNeill
Austin McNeill is an independent artist born and raised in Rowan County, NC. He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2018 and has been chasing music since first finding his passion in a small Southern Baptist church choir at the age of 5. He infuses country and rock with a contemporary, yet nostalgic flair.
Since releasing his debut Country EP “Carolina”, Austin has been on a fast track to success in the country music industry. Austin’s breakout single “Ridin’ Highways” was featured during the 2023 CMT awards. He was chosen to be a Tractor Supply Emerging Artist in 2023 and is actively mentored by Dustin Lynch.
Austin has since shared the stage with country superstars Lainey Wilson, Dustin Lynch, Lauren Alaina, Kip Moore, and Maddie & Tae, among others.
He performed at the Grand Ole Opry with Lainey Wilson in October of 2023. In 2024, Austin made his debut performances at Bridgestone Arena and AT&T Stadium.

Give your bike a spa day and show some love for DuPont Forest!

Join us for the Friends of DuPont Forest Bike Wash on Saturday, April 11th, 1-5pm at Trailside Brewing—a fun, family-friendly celebration of the trails we all love.

Bring your bike and let some of the area’s most talented bike mechanics treat it to a complimentary wash and lube while you relax, enjoy the atmosphere, and support the Forest.

Not a cyclist? No problem! Come out for the live music, great company, and community spirit while helping protect DuPont.

This event also serves as a membership drive for Friends of DuPont Forest, and every membership directly supports trail maintenance, volunteer programs, and the long-term stewardship of DuPont State Recreational Forest.

Join at the event and receive:

Individual Membership: 1 complimentary bike wash and lube

Family Membership: 2 complimentary bike wash and lubes

All services are generously provided by local bike mechanics who share a passion for DuPont.

Stick around for live music The Late Shifters, great brews, and a community that cares deeply about protecting DuPont Forest.

Come for the bikes. Stay for the music. Support the Forest.

Our American Story is part of the America 250 and America 250 NC events. The concert features American composers Leonard Bernstein, Nathaniel Dett, Carmen Dragon, George Gershwin, Louis Gottschalk, and Florence Price. The concert is presented by the Pinnacle String Ensemble, a collegiate-community chamber orchestra at Western Carolina University. The concert is free and open to the public.
For more information go to www.pinnaclestringensemble.org

The Randall Bramblett Band returns to Asheville, the first time since their performance at the 2024 AVL Festival! This is their first area performance since guitarist Nick Johnson has stepped up to playing with Widespread Panic, standing in for Jimmy Herring while he recovers from cancer treatment. It's a full two sets of music for the RBB, starting at 8pm.

Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure will offer an overview of the surveillance technologies currently being used in Asheville and Buncombe County.

Participants will learn about the proliferation of hardware, software, and data sharing infrastructure in our region and how we can fight back and resist the growing surveillance apparatus. Topics will include Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras (ALPRs), the Fusus "real-time intelligence platform," the use of drones to monitor protests and other activities, and the role of artificial intelligence.

Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure (SASSI) is a grassroots group committed to dismantling the insidious state and corporate surveillance systems and infrastructure around us. Their focus is not only police technologies but all technologies that perform a policing function. SASSI understands that while the technologies used to surveil may be new, who is surveilled and why is not. https://www.sassisouth.org

Dirty Logic works incredibly hard to create a show that both honors the exceptional music of Steely Dan and showcases the incredible skill and unique musical voice of each of the band's members. This 11-piece powerhouse delivers the experience that true Steely Dan fans recognize as authentic passion for the music, skillfully and joyfully recreated. The collective shares the idea that: "playing this music the way that it should be played" means bringing together musicians who are masterful in their craft, who also share a deep love and sense of reverence for the music and musicians of Steely Dan.

While fans can expect to hear accurate renditions of the studio recordings and solos they know and love, the band also incorporates some of the funkier, re-harmonized arrangements found in Steely Dan’s live performances. Their knack for authentically recreating the bands catalog, coupled with a healthy dose of high energy improvisation, ensures that each show is a refreshing musical experience. Their song book currently includes tracks from Aja, Gaucho, The Royal Scam, Pretzel Logic, Can’t Buy A Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy, Katy Lied and the FM soundtrack.

The Asheville Jazz Orchestra is WNC’s premiere BigBand. This 18 piece ensemble has been laying
down the groove in Asheville for 20 years! Expect a blend of classics and modern Bigband with hot
improvisation and the luscious vocals of Wendy Jones.

In a musical career that has spanned over 30 years, Joseph Hasty's extensive performing experience has carried him to stages in America, Australia and Europe - where he lived for seven years. A three-time recipient of the Regional Artist Grant awarded through the North Carolina Arts Council, Joseph is a gifted performer who displays talents as a composer and arranger. His band, Centerpiece Jazz, performs straight ahead classic jazz, swing tunes, show tunes, and other standards. Centerpiece Jazz plays all of your favorites. From Miles & Monk, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong & Ella to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Coltrane & Cole Porter.