(inspiration for “Story Journaling” class)
Launched to splendid fanfare, after a massive expansion, a year ago this month, only to have to close four months later when COVID-19 hit, Asheville Art Museum is again receiving visitors, currently via timed admission (buying online tickets is strongly encouraged, since walk-in availability cannot be guaranteed). Patrons must come in groups of six or less, wear a face covering, and keep a six-foot distance from other visitors. (Reservations are suggested for the Perspective Café. The Wells Fargo Art PLAYce and the Frances Mulhall Achilles Art Library are temporarily closed.)
New shows include the installation Question Bridge, a multimedia exploration of critical issues within the African American male community, and Fantastical Forms, described in museum press as “an exhibition [that] highlights the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics, especially from the 1980s until today.” Virtual programming continues, including “Story Journals” on Nov. 7, a class on artistic handmade journaling led by Susan McChesney. (The museum is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 11am-6pm; and Thursdays, 11am-9pm. Closed Tuesdays. 2 South Pack Square, Asheville. $15/general, $13/seniors, $10/kids age 17 and under and students with valid ID. 828-253-3227. Check the website for frequent updates according to state guidelines: www.ashevilleart.org.)
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center has also reopened for fall, accepting 10 people at a time in its downtown venue to explore the interdisciplinary work of the college’s original groundbreakers and their artistic descendants. In classic avant-garde fashion, BMCM+AC has decided to offer a combination of in-person, virtual, and hybrid programs; the latter two will expand on earlier pandemic initiatives, “bringing BMC to you wherever you are in the world,” according to a passage on the website. (Open Mondays through Saturdays, 10am-5pm. Free admission; door donations are encouraged.) 120 College St., Asheville. 828-350-8484. www.blackmountaincollege.org.