Amy Pryor

Ashleigh Shanti, owner of Good Hot Fish, is adding cookbook author to her list of accomplishments—among them being recognized as a James Beard Award finalist for Rising Star Chef and also a finalist on the show Top Chef.

NewSong Music, an independent artist development organization and record label, presents the final installment of the Music Performance & Songwriting Competition on Saturday, January 11, at 7 p.m. at Citizen Vinyl.

Working Wheels, a non-profit that provides affordable, reliable transportation for local families in need, has raised nearly $400,000 to purchase 30 replacement cars for survivors of Hurricane Helene who lost their cars in the flood. The first seven cars are on track to be matched with local families by the end of December.

On Tuesday, December 31, at 8 p.m., the Asheville Symphony presents New Year’s Eve: Music of ABBA with Direct from Sweden at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville.

In November, Black Mountain Center for the Arts was going to present Visions Unveiled, a solo exhibition of alcohol ink works by Michelle Hamilton. Hamilton had set aside several works for the show on a high shelf in her River Arts District studio at Modern Muse.

Two Asheville-based brands—sports nutrition company Fuel Goods and apparel maker Pressio—have partnered to launch the Together We Rise (TWR) campaign, a relief initiative designed to help Western North Carolina’s outdoor and endurance businesses rebuild.

The Center for Craft has redirected its resources and energy toward building and distributing funds from the Craft Futures Fund, which it established during the pandemic. These grants are intended to provide emergency relief and recovery for WNC artists impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Within hours of Hurricane Helene, it became clear that the community of Swannanoa faced unprecedented damage: roads were washed out, bridges collapsed and—perhaps worst of all—no one could communicate with one another.

The creative nature inherent in artists, along with a lot of determination and optimism, are fueling plans to rebuild Asheville’s beloved River Arts District (RAD), a thriving area for the arts since artists began moving into the historic buildings in the 1980s and turning them into vibrant art studios and galleries.

Asheville is a long way from the North Pole. But that didn’t stop George W. Vanderbilt from hosting festive fêtes that would put Saint Nick’s holiday parties to shame.