Name: Ascension at Asheville Art Museum
Start: 2026-11-21T13:00:00.000-05:00
End: 2026-11-21T15:00:00.000-05:00
Location: Asheville Art Museum

Asheville band Ascension brings original music built on traditional Arabic and African dance rhythms to the Perspective Café at Asheville Art Museum. The compositions leave room for each musician to improvise.

The performance is Saturday, November 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. at 2 South Pack Square in downtown Asheville. Music is free for Museum members or included with general admission.

Reserve your Museum admission online or get a walk-in ticket, then head to the Perspective Café for the afternoon set.

The Asheville Art Museum sits at 2 South Pack Square in downtown Asheville and has welcomed visitors since 1948. It collects and shows American art of the 20th and 21st centuries, with a focus on Western North Carolina, including Studio Craft, Black Mountain College and Cherokee artists. Current exhibitions include West Coast Glass, Warp, Weft, and the Grid, On the Lathe and The Art of Paper. The museum also has a hands-on Wells Fargo ArtPLAYce for kids, Perspective Cafe and a museum store, and it's open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Asheville locals bring visiting family here on rainy days, and members come back for each new exhibition and the art-making space for kids.

Asheville Art Museum

The easiest way to learn Asheville is to let a local show you around. [LaZoom Comedy Tours](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1366-lazoom-comedy-tours) runs comedy bus tours on its purple bus from Biltmore Avenue, [Gray Line Trolley Tours](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1465-gray-line-trolley-tours) makes hop-on hop-off stops from the Visitor Center, and [Asheville Food Tours](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1027-asheville-food-tours) has led downtown tasting walks since 2009. Downtown, the [Moogseum](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2393-moogseum) lets you play theremins and synthesizers on Broadway, and the [Asheville Art Museum](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2071-asheville-art-museum) on Pack Square has welcomed visitors since 1948. For a night out, catch a play at [Asheville Community Theatre](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/997-asheville-community-theatre) or [North Carolina Stage Company](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/780-north-carolina-stage-company), or a show at the [Wortham Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1402-wortham-center-for-performing-arts). In West Asheville, [Asheville Retrocade](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1217-asheville-retrocade) has restored 80s and 90s arcade games and a full bar. Out east, the [WNC Nature Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1066-wnc-nature-center) has black bears, wolves and red pandas, and [Hickory Nut Gap](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/743-hickory-nut-gap-farms) in Fairview has been a family farm since 1916. In Black Mountain, [Black Mountain Escape](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2003-black-mountain-escape) has three themed escape rooms, the [Swannanoa Valley Museum](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/904-swannanoa-valley-museum) sits in a 1921 firehouse and [Oak and Grist](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1301-oak-and-grist-distilling-company) pours its own whiskey. [Two Trees Distilling](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2530-two-trees-distilling) has tastings in Fletcher, and [Urban Escape Vehicles](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1940-urban-escape-vehicles) rents campervans for a road trip. Every spot below has hours, photos and directions.

Tours in Asheville, NC: Food, Trolley, Walking and Pub Tours

Asheville's art scene runs from Pack Square museums to River Arts District studios. Downtown, the [Asheville Art Museum](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2071-asheville-art-museum) focuses on American art with deep Western North Carolina roots, [Blue Spiral 1](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1479-blue-spiral-1) fills three floors on Biltmore Avenue with work from more than 100 artists, and [Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/5185-black-mountain-college-museum-arts-center) on College Street is free. In the River Arts District, [Pink Dog Creative](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1054-pink-dog-creative) has about 35 artist studios in a former textile building on Depot Street. The [Southern Highland Craft Guild](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/656-southern-highland-craft-guild) has shown Appalachian handcraft since 1930, at its Tunnel Road shop and the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. To make something yourself, [Claying Around](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1106-claying-around) in South Asheville has drop-in pottery painting for all ages. For the stage, [Asheville Community Theatre](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/997-asheville-community-theatre) has put on shows since 1946, [North Carolina Stage Company](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/780-north-carolina-stage-company) does professional theatre on Stage Lane, and the [Wortham Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1402-wortham-center-for-performing-arts) hosts dance, theatre and music. The [Blue Ridge Orchestra](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/603-blue-ridge-orchestra) is the city's all-volunteer community orchestra, [AyurPrana Listening Room](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4533-ayurprana-listening-room) books acoustic and world music in a West Asheville church, and [IamAVL](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/924-independent-arts-and-music-of-asheville-iamavl) records and streams local bands. Every spot below has hours, photos and directions.

Asheville Art Scene: Galleries, Museums, Theater and Craft

Looking for things to do with kids in Asheville? Find wildlife, hands-on museums, farm days, arcades, bowling and outdoor theater. In East Asheville, the [WNC Nature Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1066-wnc-nature-center) has black bears, red wolves, river otters and red pandas on Gashes Creek Road. Near downtown, the [Asheville Tourists](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1418-asheville-tourists-baseball) play minor league baseball at HomeTrust Park, long known as McCormick Field. Downtown, the [Asheville Art Museum](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2071-asheville-art-museum) on Pack Square has a makerspace where kids and grown-ups make art together, and [Asheville Community Theatre](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/997-asheville-community-theatre) on Walnut Street stages youth productions. In West Asheville, [Sky Lanes](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1044-sky-lanes-bar-grill-bowling) has been bowling on Patton Avenue since 1963, with bumpers and an arcade, and [Asheville Retrocade](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1217-asheville-retrocade) on Haywood Road is packed with vintage arcade games and pinball. South of town, [Claying Around](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1106-claying-around) on Hendersonville Road is a paint-your-own pottery studio, and [Sweeten Creek Brewing](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1329-sweeten-creek-brewing) has a big creekside lawn with cornhole and barbecue. Out in Fairview, [Hickory Nut Gap Farms](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/743-hickory-nut-gap-farms) runs hay rides and pony rides on fall weekends. Each summer, [Montford Park Players](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2252-montford-park-players) stage free outdoor Shakespeare in Montford. [Asheville Parks & Recreation](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/3370-asheville-parks-recreation) runs more than 50 parks with playgrounds, swimming, trails and community centers.

Ascension at Asheville Art Museum

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