Upcoming Events

Yancey County Arts in Education Showcase February 6 - March 6 Kindergarten through 12th grade students from public and private schools in Yancey County participate annually in this event that celebrates the creative achievements of our students. This showcase is not just a celebration of students, but also a testament to the hard work each art educator dedicates to the job of nurturing creativity and artistic growth. In lieu of a reception, Toe River Arts will host free workshops every…

Essential Work March 20 - April 24 When the world shut down a year ago, many of us put our lives on pause. People were ordered to stay home, and only work deemed essential carried on. Artists make work for different reasons, but often the artist’s job is to help themselves and others work through difficult thoughts or emotions, or to interpret and digest pivotal social and cultural events. They make work in hard times because they have to. For…

Jean McLaughlin will exhibit in the Community 2D Gallery in Burnsville April 3 - May 1, 2021. "My reconnection with printmaking began in the Penland studios after a very long hiatus. The complexity and immediacy snagged me as it had in the past, and I began to explore monotypes, monoprints, woodcuts, and lithography anew. These works were printed from woodcuts carved during the month of January 2021 while I worked in the Penland studio." - Jean McLaughlin The Burnsville gallery…

What a Relief! A Collection of Relief Woodblock Prints by Local Artists May 8 - June 5, 2021 What a Relief! is an exhibition of the large-scale woodblock prints made by the 18 participants in our October 2020 workshop with BIG INK. After countless hours of carving, participants printed their blocks on BIG INK’s traveling press. The smallest of these large-scale prints is two by three feet, with the largest being four by eight feet. BIG INK, founded in 2012…

Pressing Forward May 8 - June 5, 2021 Owen Gallery Toe River Arts has invited Asheville Printmakers to exhibit in the Owen Gallery in Spruce Pine. Asheville Printmakers is an independent alliance of artists who express themselves through the medium of the print. Their membership encompasses both experienced and emerging artists, as well as those new to printmaking. Learn more about Asheville Printmakers at ashevilleprintmakers.org. Featured image: A print by Georgia Deal. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Kristan Five will exhibit in the Community 2D Gallery in Burnsville May 15 – June 19, 2021. "In theory, my work is inspired by our earth's landscape. Globally, much of nature shares the intrinsic beauty of organic lines, textures and color with the human contribution of synthetic elements. This visual union creates complements of color, shape and texture that offer tremendous inspiration for my work. This work is an expression of my belief that landscape is a moment rather than…

Two Generations | Ken and Galen Sedberry June 19 - July 24 Visitors will explore the creations of father and son, Ken and Galen Sedberry. Explore works produced from their shared studio, kiln, booth space, and aesthetic space where ideas are translated into pots. These shared spaces deliver work that is both parallel and divergent. Featured images, left to right: Ken Sedberry, Galen Sedberry Photos courtesy of the artist.

Kat Turczyn will exhibit in the Community 2D Gallery in Burnsville July 3 - 31, 2021. "After almost 40 years of experience in the field of public health statistics, I began painting in oils and have taken numerous workshops from acclaimed painters around the U.S. to perfect my broad-ranged style, which continues to evolve. My art has won recognition through features in magazines, a blue ribbon, and public commissions and showings, and hangs in many private homes around the country…

Fresh Produce | New Work by Penland School of Craft Studio Coordinators Owen Gallery July 10 - August 14 This exhibition will highlight current work made by the studio coordinator team from the Penland School of Craft. This group of ten individual artists approaches the field of contemporary craft from the broad perspectives of functional objects, sculptures, and two-dimensional works, representing a material range of paper, photography, printmaking, metal, textile, ceramic, wood, and glass. Unique to Fresh Produce | New…

Orbits and Fields | Artists Connected to Appalachian State University and the Penland School of Craft August 6 - September 11 The artists in this show move in a wide variety of orbits around and through both Appalachian State University and the Penland School of Craft. Their paths cross one another as fellow students and teachers, as co-workers, co-residents, and fellow community members. They have not all met, but they know one another, in the way that they share common…

Simona Rosasco will exhibit in the Community 2D Gallery in Burnsville August 14 - September 11, 2021. "I gain my creativity from the beauty and diversity of the four season here in WNC, something I never really experienced while living in Florida." - Simona Rosasco The Burnsville gallery is open Thursday - Saturday, 10:30AM - 5PM. Photos courtesy of the artist.