We Didn't Know What 2025 Would Bring. We Made Art Anyway

​Let’s be honest: 2025 wasn’t exactly the year we had circled on the calendar. Between Helene rewriting the landscape, federal arts funding disappearing, and uncertainty becoming our most reliable companion, it would’ve been easy to hunker down and wait for calmer skies. Instead, ArtsvilleUSA decided to do what artists do best: keep creating. We launched our first artist residency, mounted exhibitions that stretched from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Gulf Coast, forged partnerships across state lines, and proved that when uncertainty tries to stop you, making something beautiful is the best defiance there is.

Here’s everything we managed to pull off while the world spun sideways.

Looking Back at 2025: The Year We Said ‘Yes’ to (Almost) Everything

Our First Artist Residency

When ArtsvilleUSA launched our residency program, we had a vision: to create opportunities for artists to immerse themselves in new landscapes, communities, and creative possibilities. This summer, we made that vision a reality with Asheville artist Kenn Kotara's residency in Mammoth Lakes, CA, created in partnership with the Mono Arts Council.

Kenn didn't just hole up in a cozy cabin making art, though he did plenty of that. He also taught cartography to kids, led frottage printing workshops for adults, and explored the area’s lava-capped peaks, sequoia groves, and alpine landscapes, all of which informed the kaleidoscopic abstractions in his visual journal.

Partnerships

This year's partnership roster read like a greatest-hits tour of the arts world, if that tour zigzagged from the Sierra Nevadas to the Gulf Coast with a few strategic stops in Western North Carolina. We joined forces with Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (podcast guests, two-time exhibition partners, and travel guide subjects), teamed up with the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art and the River Arts District Association (for the hurricane commemorative exhibition Tale of Two Cities), partnered with Mono Arts Council (who hosted Asheville artist Kenn Kotara for our first residency), and worked with Haywood County Arts Council (Small Works! exhibition partners).

Each collaboration brought something different to the table, whether that was cross-country artist exchanges, dual-city exhibitions commemorating shared climate catastrophes, or simply a reminder that the arts community is stronger when we work together.

Exhibitions

We didn't exactly take it easy on the exhibition calendar. A Tale of Two Cities, presented in partnership with the River Arts District Association, became our most ambitious undertaking: connecting New Orleans and Asheville through the shared language of hurricane survival, timed to coincide with Katrina's 20th anniversary and Helene's devastating first. We also hosted the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area's Blue Ridge Craft Trails Invitational online, elevating Western North Carolina's craft traditions to our ever-growing online audience.

At our Ferguson Family YMCA gallery space, Michael Freas brought photojournalistic gravitas with Hurricane Helene: From the Beginning—raw documentation of what happens when nature rewrites the script—while Haywood County Arts Council’s Small Works! returned for its beloved annual show. Reawakening, curated by ArtsvilleUSA, spotlighted WNC craft artists during National Craft Month, both in-gallery and online.

Looking Ahead to 2026 (Because We Love What We Do)

More Partnerships

We’re continuing our partnership with Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (they’re stuck with us now), the Mono County Arts Council, and a new collaboration with community-focused organizations like ReMix It, the brand-new Asheville-based creative reuse center.

Here’s the big one: we’re also launching the PAVE Program (Partner Archival Virtual Exhibitions), our answer to the age-old problem of “that exhibition was amazing, but it only lasted three weeks.” We’re creating digital homes for in-person exhibitions—permanent, accessible archives that give artists broader reach, more context, and actual sales opportunities beyond opening night. Think of it as the exhibition that never has to come down. Contact us if your organization is interested in taking part in the PAVE program.

The Louise Glickman Grant & Artist Residency

Here’s something special: 2026 marks the inaugural Louise Glickman Grant, named after ArtsvilleUSA’s founder and the visionary who started this whole operation. We’re sending one craft artist (plus one lucky companion) to Mammoth Lakes for a two-week residency in early August. And when we say “sending,” we mean we’re covering everything: travel, housing, and a per diem to support your relaxation. It’s a $10,000 investment in letting an artist fully immerse themselves in the Eastern Sierra landscape, courtesy of our ongoing partnership with Mono Arts Council. Applications open soon, so start polishing that proposal.

In honor of Louise's legacy and her dedication to the arts, we invite you to make a donation. Your support can help us continue to fund opportunities like this that empower artists and foster creativity.

A Revamped Podcast

The podcast is getting a full makeover: bigger guests, deeper conversations, and increased production value. We’re also thrilled to introduce ArtsvilleUSA Executive Director Elise Wilson as our new host, who brings the kind of conversational energy that makes you forget you’re listening to an arts podcast and feel like you’re eavesdropping on a really good conversation. Expect more substance and topics that stick with you after the episode ends.

How You Can Support ArtsvilleUSA

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We know your inbox is already overflowing. But our newsletter comes with actual good news: artist spotlights, craft exhibitions, and the occasional update on what we’re building. Think of it as the weekly newsletter you’ll actually want to open.

Subscribe to our stories here, or forward it to that friend who’s always asking, “What’s happening in the art scene?”

Donate or Volunteer

Here’s the truth: none of this is possible without your support. Our residencies, exhibitions, and partnerships all depend on people like you. Whether you can chip in financially or lend us your time and talents, you can make art and craft happen in Western North Carolina. Every dollar goes toward artist grants, exhibitions, and programs that prove creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s how communities survive and grow. Donate to ArtsvilleUSA here, or reach out if you want to volunteer.

Follow Us on Instagram

We can’t promise our Instagram feed will change your life, but it will keep you in the know. You’ll find artist features, exhibition previews, and behind-the-scenes moments that show how the soup gets made. It’s also the easiest way to stay updated without signing up for more emails. Follow ArtsvilleUSA on Instagram here.

Membership Drive

We're launching our first-ever membership drive in February, and to sweeten the deal, we're doing what any self-respecting arts organization would do: bribing you with beautiful things. Become a paying member, and you'll be entered to win a custom textile from an Asheville artist. Think of it as a Valentine's Day gift to yourself that also supports independent artists and arts programming in WNC.

All images published with permission of the artist(s); featured artwork: “Da Ba Dee” by Ashton Zager.