The Ashe Arts Center, located at 303 School Ave., is the hub for the Arts district in West Jefferson. West Jefferson has a bustling downtown district and may be best known for its Arts District. Numerous art galleries and studios featuring local and regional artists work can be found here.
The Ashe Arts Center, located in downtown West Jefferson’s Arts District, is home to the Arts Council’s offices. The Arts Center houses the gallery, a year-round exhibition space that showcases works of art by local and regional artists. The gallery shop features locally produced art and crafts. The restored stone building continues the legacy created in 1938 when it was built by the Works Progress Administration as a gathering place for the community. The Arts Center also hosts various functions throughout the year in addition to the rotating gallery exhibitions. Some of these functions include concerts, special speakers, holiday events, fundraisers & an outdoor arts & craft exhibition each September. For more information on the Arts Center, visit them online at ashecountyarts.org.
Throughout the summer months, the Downtown West Jefferson Gallery Crawls are an opportunity for folks to stroll the streets of downtown and visit the 15+ galleries participating with an open house type event. Galleries, studios and businesses alike feature an array of art mediums including original artwork, sculptures, pottery, photography, handmade items and much more. A great opportunity to mingle with the artists and do some shopping, too! The gallery crawls are held from 5-8 pm on the second Friday of the month June through October and again on the first Friday of December. For more information, contact the Ashe Arts Center at (336) 846-2787.
West Jefferson is the site of 15+ murals that create a walking tour throughout downtown. The murals were designed and painted by local artists reflecting the area’s history and unique mountain character. A walking tour map can be picked up at the Ashe Arts Center & Ashe Chamber of Commerce. Click here to learn more!
As part of the town’s streetscape improvements, the Town of West Jefferson removed 2 stop lights as well as all the large street lights. The lights were mounted on concrete pedestals that were left standing along the sidewalks. The Arts Council received permission from the Town in 2011 to utilize these 14 former streetlight concrete pedestals as a canvas to display artwork throughout the downtown. The theme of the art project was wildflowers of Ashe County. Intricate designs, detail and bright colors of each of these pedestals makes them a unique art canvas while marketing public art by local artists and beautifying and promoting the Town already bustling with public art murals and galleries. Take a stroll, can you find them all?