Current

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.

American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection features more than 70 works of art by renowned American artists, beautifully illustrating the distinctive styles and thought-provoking art explored by American artists over the past two centuries. Though many objects from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection have been on view at other museums, this exhibition features the best of the collection brought together in one location.

The "Earth Project" series (1969), by Robert Morris, presents ten ideas for works of art shaped out of earth, atmospheric conditions, and built environments in the form of architectural plans.

Immerse yourself in a poignant virtual reality (VR) short film that delves into environmental consciousness and the delicate balance of nature. "The Last Chair of the Forest and the Plastic Bottle" transports viewers to the ancient Pisgah Forest, where the beauty of the last remaining tree is juxtaposed against the haunting presence of a plastic bottle.

A response to the exhibition "Reforestation of the Imagination" by Ginny Ruffner, "Forest Feels" invites viewers to participate in two distinct realities of an art museum experience: to observe the work as it is in this moment, and also to change the work by contributing to its evolution. Located in the Wells Fargo Art PLAYce, viewers are invited to interact directly with the work, whether that means rearranging existing components, adding in new ones, or removing what is already there.

This exhibition imagines an apocalyptic landscape of withered plant forms that come to life when activated with augmented reality. In collaboration with animator and media artist Grant Kirkpatrick, Ruffner illuminates the delicate balance between nature and the artificial human-built world around us, putting forth an optimistic hope for the future: that technology can be a means to understand and help save the earth from environmental devastation

Bill Viola’s "Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier, 1979" on loan from Art Bridges is an immersive experience that explores the ideas of death and regeneration in nature. In a darkened room, sounds from nature envelop the viewer, as a placid pool of water reflects a projected image of Mount Rainier onto a screen. The water is periodically disturbed, causing the image to dissolve and slowly recompose as the pool settles.

This exhibition traces the historical, stylistic, and conceptual origins of work that either embraces or refuses the element of chance in ceramics, looking at modern and contemporary work made in Western North Carolina.

Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum's Collection.

One of two inaugural exhibitions is Intersections in American Art, the major reinstallation and reinterpretation of the Museum’s Collection in a much-enlarged gallery space.

Art and artists often encourage us to consider our place in the world. Artworks in the Windgate Foundation Atrium and Museum Plaza bring many separate parts together to make a unified whole and offer a variety of possibilities for how to navigate our physical world on regional, national, and global levels.