Venues
ASHEVILLE'S EASTERN ARTS-FOCUSED COMMUNITY CLASS & EVENTS CENTER
Located at 119 Coxe Avenue on the South Slope, Asia House features a tea shop, herbal pharmacy & Chinese Medicine clinic on the first floor, and a community events space on the 2nd floor offering classes of Taiji, Qigong, Bagua, Yoga, meditation, health, nutrition, and more! Asia House offers Eastern traditions of wellness and culture, along with a premier rental space right in downtown Asheville.
asia house 828
One of Asheville’s newest event spaces, and part of Burial Beer, Eulogy hosts our festival grand finale.
Join us to celebrate the closing event at the Asian Culture Festival Fundraiser Gala!
Eulogy @ burial beer
Moon Mountain is an ancestral assignment, a 28-acre land project co-founded by Kris Moon that currently houses 2 families in WNC, with room for 1-2 more families.
Next fall 2024, Moon Mountain will open a modest micro jjimjilbang — a Korean-inspired bathhouse for day visits and campouts — that offers personal retreats and deep care, and centers space for those committed to collective healing who have been/are being systemically marginalized.
Moon Mountain
Pop’s vision is to provide authentic, playful, high-quality bubble tea while supporting the Asheville community and uplifting Asian culture. Its multi-cultural team of Eva Peterson and Ashley Garrison is a wonderful example of the collaboration between Eastern and Western experience and knowledge.
In keeping with that, Pop’s menu contains loose tea leaf and many toppings sourced directly from Taiwan as well as many sourced locally or made in house. Milk teas, Pop’s most popular menu item, are made with whole or oat milk, and tapioca is cooked daily for the ideal QQ texture.
Now also selling Hong Kong Bubble Waffles!
pop bubble tea
UNC Asheville is North Carolina’s designated public liberal arts and sciences university. With over 30 academic programs, the university is dedicated to diversity and inclusion, innovation, and sustainability.
UNC Asheville is hosting two documentary screenings in the Grotto at HighSmith Student Union. The screenings are supported by the Department of Psychology and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
To learn more about AAPI Advocacy on campus:
Uphora is a adult dance and fitness studio located in West Asheville offering a variety of drop-in classes taught by awesome instructors. Our mission is to spread the joy of dance and movement to our community by providing a safe, inclusive space for dancers of all backgrounds and skill levels. We host over 30 classes a week with a team of nearly 40 instructors, along with monthly events and pop up workshops. There's never a dull moment at our vibrant studio so come check us out!
Uphora Dance + Fitness
fundraiser recipients
Soulfull Simone Farm, nestled in the heart of Western North Carolina, stands as a testament to Tamarya's visionary journey in cultivating not just crops, but a haven for healing and education. As a Black-owned sanctuary, the farm blossoms with vibrant cut flowers, medicinal herbs, and the wisdom of herbal medicine. Beyond its bountiful offerings, Soulfull Simone Farm is a nurturing space dedicated to environmental and farm education, providing a refuge for BIPOC and queer individuals seeking connection with nature.
Looking ahead to 2023, Tamarya envisions an expansion that goes beyond the soil, introducing culturally relevant vegetables in a cooperative committed to racial and food justice. Soulfull Simone Farm is not merely a plot of land; it is a thriving embodiment of Tamarya's dedication to creating spaces where growth, education, and healing intertwine harmoniously.
Soulfull Simone Farm
Soul + Soil Project is a forward-thinking endeavor dedicated to fostering empowered and interconnected communities through locally thriving and just food systems. At the heart of their mission lies a commitment to embodying human creativity and cooperative systems that align with Nature's principles of Reciprocity and Sustainability. Much like the intricate harmony of a diverse ecosystem, they recognize each individual as playing a unique role in our collective synergy. Their belief in the power of regenerative agriculture and art drives them to inspire and directly impact lives. In alignment with their manifesto, "Heal the Earth | Heal the Soul," the Soul + Soil Project champions compassionate agriculture, emphasizing carbon sequestration, closed-loop practices, and biodiversity for eco-health.
The multifaceted approach of this project includes addressing food access and social justice, engaging in climate and disaster response, and fostering connection through art, music, and outreach. Through conscious choices, Soul + Soil Project aims to deconsumerize, reduce harm, and invest in a healthier world filled with a sustainable, regenerative future.
SOUL & SOIL PROJECT
Since 2014, Southside Community Farm has been a BIPOC-centered space for the community to connect with food and land. Asheville's Southside is a historically Black neighborhood experiencing intersectional oppressions including food apartheid and gentrification.
Southside Community Farm works to build Black food sovereignty through education, food access, seed sovereignty, joy, rest, healing, and more. The small urban farm includes vegetable production, herb gardens, an orchard, and outdoor community meeting space.
SCF supports neighborhood food access by hosting a monthly BIPOC Farmers Market and stocking outdoor fridges and pantries in the neighborhood with free, fresh, healthy food.
Southside Community Farm
special thanks
Caravan stands as a visionary space committed to elevating and amplifying the voices of local BIPOC artists. Breaking away from the constraints of the "starving artist" stereotype, Caravan cultivates a collaborative haven within the arts community. Inspired by the interconnectivity of all living things, this dynamic platform serves as a crossroads for artists to exchange ideas, build robust relationships, and break down the walls of hyper-independence. Caravan Art Bazaar symbolizes inclusivity, addressing the unique challenges faced by BIPOC vendors through shared booth spaces and minimal vendor fees, ensuring accessibility for artists of all ages.
As Caravan engages and collaborates with venues and BIPOC organizations that span across Western North Carolina, the community highlights its potent network, spreading art and joy across diverse audiences. The nomadic community of artists and guest artists, evolving through a series of pop-up events, pioneers the way forward with dedicated youth booths that nurture the growth of emerging artists. Caravan Art Bazaar is more than an moment; it's a movement, a celebration of diversity, and a testament to the transformative power of artistic collaboration.
“More than a market, we’re a Movement!”
CoThinkk stands as a dynamic force dedicated to fostering social change philanthropy, passionately investing time, talent, and resources to instigate positive shifts within the vibrant communities of color in Asheville and Western North Carolina. Against the backdrop of a changing social, economic, and political landscape, the resilient communities in Asheville are actively exploring innovative strategies for meaningful transformation. Driven by the spirit of community and anchored in specific places, individual endeavors converge to create a powerful synergy, sparking essential dialogues and posing a pivotal question to leaders.
Born from a seminal launch event in September 2014, attended by a passionate group of around 50 individuals, CoThinkk embarked on its mission to cultivate diverse perspectives, inspire creative innovation, and nurture valuable connections and knowledge. The term "CoThinkk" encapsulates a collaborative process that embraces varied viewpoints and experiences, addressing significant challenges, creating space for innovation, and establishing multiple entry points for engagement. Grounded in intentional dialogue and a recognition of the rich gifts within each member, CoThinkk champions a solution-focused approach that encourages participants to bring forth their best selves.
By cultivating collective thinking from diverse partners, CoThinkk aims to deepen analysis, build investment, strengthen collaboration, and deliver optimal results for the communities it serves. All of which is made possible through the act of being in solidarity and aspiring to achieve co-conspiratorship, personifying a commitment to shared values and collective rising.
Eagle market streets development corporation
Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation (EMSDC), a distinguished non-profit organization rooted in the vibrant landscapes of Western North Carolina, has been a tenacious force since its establishment in 1994 under the visionary leadership of Dr. John H. Grant and the support of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. With a relentless commitment to community support, property development, and economic empowerment, EMSDC lays the groundwork for a thriving future, meticulously cultivating people, property, and businesses block by block. Their dedication to fostering upward mobility in disenfranchised communities is evident through initiatives such as attainable housing, commercial leasing opportunities, and strategic capital injections into burgeoning enterprises.
Envisioning a sustainable community of equity and inclusion, EMSDC embraces its role as a vital resource, advocating for economic and social justice. Their mission is to transform promises into realities, making the “promise of America real” and accessible for all, as they tirelessly work towards helping disenfranchised communities build generational wealth and forge new pathways to economic opportunity.
UNC Asheville is North Carolina’s designated public liberal arts and sciences university. With over 30 academic programs, the university is dedicated to diversity and inclusion, innovation, and sustainability.
UNC Asheville is hosting two documentary screenings in the Grotto at HighSmith Student Union. The screenings are supported by the Department of Psychology and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
To learn more about AAPI Advocacy on campus:
UNC Asheville
