We love eARTh Bags!

eARTh Bags are all the rage at the Asheville Art Museum! These eco-friendly bags are made from recycled past exhibition banners from popular exhibitions such as, Under the Skin: Tattoos and Contemporary Culture, Black Mountain College: Its Time and Place and more.

Our dedicated docent and seamstress extraordinaire, Nancy Ferguson handmade the one-of-a-kind eARTh Bags--thanks, Nancy!

The back of each bag is embroidered with the Asheville Art Museum logo. At a $22.00 price point, eARTh Bags are not only eco-friendly, but wallet-friendly as well. These bags are going fast, so come by the Asheville Art Museum Shop and claim your piece of the Museum to take home today!

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru No Haka) Screens Sunday!

This Sunday, September 28th, we are screening the unique film Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru No Haka). This is a much anticipated film screening at the Asheville Art Museum. Some of our staff members have pre-screened it and say Grave of the Fireflies is a must-see film. Released in 1988, this film explores the tragedies of war through the lives of two orphans struggling to survive in Japan during WWII. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka and told in the style of Japanese anime, Grave of the Fireflies argues that compassion and comfort in times of grief are as important to survival as food and shelter. This film screening is held in conjunction with the Art Spiegelman smArt speak programs. Take advantage of this opportunity to check out Grave of the Fireflies this coming Sunday. See you there!


Grave of the Fireflies DVD Cover

The Eight Opened with a Bang on Saturday!

This Saturday, September 13th, we all enjoyed the opening reception of the exhibition Life's Rich Pageant: A Centennial Celebration of The Eight. There was fine art, good food and great company--including Stephen and Mina Weiner, the collectors who have generously loaned the Museum works from the collection of works by The Eight. A good time was had by all as we viewed the stunning works from the collection of Stephen and Mina Weiner and the Asheville Art Museum permanent collection.

Photos from the opening reception of Life's Rich Pageant: A Centennial Celebration of The Eight:














Pam Myers, Museum Director talks with the Weiners















Stephen and Mina Weiner















The crowd enjoys the company















We enjoy the work of The Eight
















We enjoy the delicious food

Spiegelman rocked!!

Last night's talk by Art Spiegelman, History of Comix 101, captivated the crowd and gave us a whole new perspective on comics and the graphic novel! Spiegelman described comics in new ways discussing the link to architecture and showing the progression of comics over the years. What a powerful medium comics are! And Spiegelman even gave a shout out to The Eight, the group of artists of which Asheville Art Museum is opening an exhibition with a reception on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. He is a fan of this groundbreaking group.

An audience member, Carol Lawrence, said: "What a pleasure it was to hear Art Spiegelman and think about comics in new, intriguing ways."

Thank you, Art Spiegelman, for a great night of comics!!

Photos from Art Spiegelman: History of Comix 101:

Art Spiegelman is TODAY!!!

We are all very excited about Art Spiegelman's talk tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Spiegelman will give his talk History of Comix 101 and then answer questions during a 20-minute Q&A. There are also books for sale at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and 100 will be signed by Speigelman! First come, first serve, so show up early to get a signed Spiegelman book and your tickets. See you there!


Below are photos from last week's, September 4th, crowd-pleaser A Taste of Art + Wine:

Photos from Last Week's Events and Exciting Events to Anticipate

Gallery Talk with Sigmund Abeles on August 27, 2008

















How to 'Doo Wop' with Richard Stokes, Stokes Architecture on August 29, 2008









Above are photos from last week's great events. Big crowds enjoyed both Sigmund Abeles' Gallery Talk on Wednesday and Richard Stokes' talk on How to 'Doo Wop' on Friday.

This week brings A Taste of Art + Wine: Wine Tasting and Silent Auction on Thursday from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. It'll be a great time with over 100 wines, beers and this year, bourbon! There is also awesome local food and a silent auction with over 100 items. Call 828.253.3227 for tickets.

We'll also enjoy a Friday Art Break featuring smArt speak with Nancy Sokolove from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. This will be an exciting talk and your chance to join the discussion on arts in the community!

Speaking of smArt speak, don't forget to get your tickets for upcoming events! Next week Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novelist, Art Spiegelman, will be here for a very exciting Thursday evening. Tickets for Faith Ringgold and Christo and Jeanne-Claude are also on sale. Visit www.smartspeak.org for more program and ticket info!