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MASTER PIECE CHASING SENSE GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE CHASING SENSE GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
Drew Rose Designs Ceramic Woven Trim Planter
Drew Rose Designs Ceramic Woven Trim Planter
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
TALKING TO THE DEAD : RELIGION, MUSIC, AND LIVED MEMORY AMONG GULLAH/GEECHEE WOMEN
TALKING TO THE DEAD : RELIGION, MUSIC, AND LIVED MEMORY AMONG GULLAH/GEECHEE WOMEN
Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
Sweetgrass Kite Earring
Sweetgrass Kite Earring
Set of 4 Natalya Ikat Stripe Placemats Gray – Ballard Designs
Set of 4 Natalya Ikat Stripe Placemats Gray – Ballard Designs
Willow Row Multi Colored Ceramic Coastal Decorative Jar – Set of 2
Willow Row Multi Colored Ceramic Coastal Decorative Jar – Set of 2
Set of 4 Woven Striped Placemats – Frontgate
Set of 4 Woven Striped Placemats – Frontgate
Quilted Patchwork Cotton Throw Blanket – Indigo Blue Shibori Dye Indian Decorative Super Soft & Warm Blanket for Sofa and Couch 50 x 60 Inches
Quilted Patchwork Cotton Throw Blanket – Indigo Blue Shibori Dye Indian Decorative Super Soft & Warm Blanket for Sofa and Couch 50 x 60 Inches
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
Woven Wicker Rattan Wall Decor, Round Seagrass Boho Kitchen Decor, Minimalist Rattan Chargers & Placemats for Dining Table & Wall Art, Rattan Wall Decorative Basket
Woven Wicker Rattan Wall Decor, Round Seagrass Boho Kitchen Decor, Minimalist Rattan Chargers & Placemats for Dining Table & Wall Art, Rattan Wall Decorative Basket
RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
GULLAH NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (HARDCOVER)
GULLAH NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (HARDCOVER)
Mud Pie Rattan Serving Utensils
Mud Pie Rattan Serving Utensils
35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
Whitewash Wood Draped Bead 4 Light Chandelier by World Market
Whitewash Wood Draped Bead 4 Light Chandelier by World Market
G IS FOR GULLAH
G IS FOR GULLAH
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
‘Inspirations’ Note Cards by Jonathan Green
‘Inspirations’ Note Cards by Jonathan Green
Safavieh Noely Coastal Writing Desk
Safavieh Noely Coastal Writing Desk
Yaheetech Set of 2 Weave Arm Chair Mid-Century Metal Dining Chair Y-Shaped Backrest Hemp Seat, Black
Yaheetech Set of 2 Weave Arm Chair Mid-Century Metal Dining Chair Y-Shaped Backrest Hemp Seat, Black
Suzanne Kasler Greek Key Sham – Ballard Designs
Suzanne Kasler Greek Key Sham – Ballard Designs
Gullah Spirituals – by Eric Sean Crawford (Paperback)
Gullah Spirituals – by Eric Sean Crawford (Paperback)
GULLAH CULTURE IN AMERICA (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH CULTURE IN AMERICA (PAPERBACK)
Doric Upholstered Wingback Arm Chair Red Barrel Studio Body Fabric: Skylar Antique Blue
Doric Upholstered Wingback Arm Chair Red Barrel Studio Body Fabric: Skylar Antique Blue
GULLAH HOME COOKING THE DAUFUSKIE WAY: SMOKIN’ JOE BUTTER BEANS, OL’ ‘FUSKIE FRIED CRAB RICE, STICKY-BUSH BLACKBERRY DUMPLING, AND OTHER SEA ISLAND FAVORITES (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH HOME COOKING THE DAUFUSKIE WAY: SMOKIN’ JOE BUTTER BEANS, OL’ ‘FUSKIE FRIED CRAB RICE, STICKY-BUSH BLACKBERRY DUMPLING, AND OTHER SEA ISLAND FAVORITES (PAPERBACK)
Estaugh Ikat Black/Gray Indoor / Outdoor Area Rug Union Rustic Rug Size: Rectangle 8′ x 11′
Estaugh Ikat Black/Gray Indoor / Outdoor Area Rug Union Rustic Rug Size: Rectangle 8′ x 11′
ColorBird Stripe Tassel Tablecloth Cotton Linen Dust-Proof Table Cover for Kitchen Dinning Tabletop Decoration (Rectangle/Oblong, 55 x 120Inch, Blue)
ColorBird Stripe Tassel Tablecloth Cotton Linen Dust-Proof Table Cover for Kitchen Dinning Tabletop Decoration (Rectangle/Oblong, 55 x 120Inch, Blue)
BLACK BORDER : GULLAH STORIES OF THE CAROLINA COAST
BLACK BORDER : GULLAH STORIES OF THE CAROLINA COAST
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
‘Inspirations’ Sheer Scarf by Jonathan Green
‘Inspirations’ Sheer Scarf by Jonathan Green
GROWING UP GULLAH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY (PAPERBACK)
GROWING UP GULLAH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY (PAPERBACK)
carol&frank Josie Indigo Pillow
carol&frank Josie Indigo Pillow
MAMA DOONK’S GULLAH RECIPES (PAPERBACK)
MAMA DOONK’S GULLAH RECIPES (PAPERBACK)
Lowcountry Rice Culture Note Cards
Lowcountry Rice Culture Note Cards
GULLAH DAYS: HILTON HEAD ISLANDERS BEFORE THE BRIDGE 1861-1956
GULLAH DAYS: HILTON HEAD ISLANDERS BEFORE THE BRIDGE 1861-1956
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
Lenox Watercolor Horizons Microwave Safe Blue 12-Pc. Dinnerware Set, Service for 4, Created for Macy’s
Lenox Watercolor Horizons Microwave Safe Blue 12-Pc. Dinnerware Set, Service for 4, Created for Macy’s
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE IN THE GEORGIA LOWCOUNTRY: THE ATLANTIC WORLD AND THE GULLAH GEECHEE (RACE IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1700–1900 SER.)
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE IN THE GEORGIA LOWCOUNTRY: THE ATLANTIC WORLD AND THE GULLAH GEECHEE (RACE IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1700–1900 SER.)
Woven Bamboo Placemats, Set of 4 By Anthropologie in Blue Size SET OF 4
Woven Bamboo Placemats, Set of 4 By Anthropologie in Blue Size SET OF 4
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
Arthur Court Designs Sea Horse Twisted Seagrass Placemats – set of 4
Arthur Court Designs Sea Horse Twisted Seagrass Placemats – set of 4
GULLAH CUISINE: BY LAND AND BY SEA
GULLAH CUISINE: BY LAND AND BY SEA
THE JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: MAKING GULLAH: A HISTORY OF SAPELO ISLANDERS, RACE, AND THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION (PAPERBACK)
THE JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: MAKING GULLAH: A HISTORY OF SAPELO ISLANDERS, RACE, AND THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION (PAPERBACK)
Stratton Home Reddish Brown Tulum Woven Lantern Stand
Stratton Home Reddish Brown Tulum Woven Lantern Stand
Handmade Gullah Sweetgrass Drink Coasters . Traditional Hand Crafted Folk Art . Natural Woven Home Decor . Made in the USA
Handmade Gullah Sweetgrass Drink Coasters . Traditional Hand Crafted Folk Art . Natural Woven Home Decor . Made in the USA
‘Southern Imagery’ Notecards by Jonathan Green
‘Southern Imagery’ Notecards by Jonathan Green
Finnhomy Sideboard Buffet Cabinet, Kitchen Storage Cabinet with Rattan Decorated Doors
Finnhomy Sideboard Buffet Cabinet, Kitchen Storage Cabinet with Rattan Decorated Doors
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
Kouboo 1110141 Manhattan 2-Tier Console, Natural Rattan End Table, Brown
Kouboo 1110141 Manhattan 2-Tier Console, Natural Rattan End Table, Brown
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
Asheville’s Appalachian Food Culture
Family Travel Guide to Asheville
Celebrating Asheville’s Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture
Black Heritage Travel in the Outer Banks
Junteenth Family Travels
Asheville’s Appalachian Food Culture
Family Travel Guide to Asheville
Celebrating Asheville’s Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture
Black Heritage Travel in the Outer Banks
Junteenth Family Travels
Asheville’s Appalachian Food Culture
Family Travel Guide to Asheville
Celebrating Asheville’s Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture
Black Heritage Travel in the Outer Banks
Junteenth Family Travels

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Black Heritage Travels: Celebrating Asheville’s Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture

Black Heritage Travels: Celebrating Asheville’s Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture

The state of North Carolina is one big celebration of the arts and folklife, but Asheville is the home of some of the world’s most amazing artisans representative of Appalachian culture and heritage along with heritage sites. 

Front and center of Asheville’s arts and culture scene are African Americans, including a rich musical scene. Did you know Jermaine Dupri was born in Asheville? His contributions to American popular music include producing credits for some of the most memorable and prestigious names in show business from Usher to Mariah Carey to Janet Jackson and more. While he has Asheville roots, he is by no means the only Black Asheville native or notable resident to impress the world. Motown legend Gladys Knight lives on the outskirts of Asheville. Every time you hear the melodic strains of “Killing Me Softly,” think of Asheville-born Roberta Flack. Eunice Kathleen Waymon best known as Nina Simone attended Asheville’s Allen High School for Girls, where she honed her musical talents and graduated class valedictorian. 

Asheville’s Black arts community embodies a marriage between Appalachian mountain culture and Black heritage. The arts present a diverse and dimensional picture of what it means to be Black and Appalachian from the craft artisans, artists and performers to the musical styles of bluegrass, the blues, classical and even hip hop. Take the Hood Tour of “The Block” to get a feel for and learn more about Asheville’s Black past to understand its present and future. Before you arrive, read “Reclaiming Black History & Culture” to learn about the area’s rich Black history. 

Black Heritage Travels: Celebrating Asheville's Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture

If you’d like to take a tour at your own pace, we suggest the James Vester Miller Trail. This free, self-guided tour takes you to historic buildings throughout Asheville’s “East End” created by James Vester Miller. This master brick mason was once enslaved before starting his own construction company and building some of the area’s most iconic buildings, including several churches, the Asheville Municipal Building, and the YMI, pictured above.

An organization that is unique and celebratory in its focus is Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective,  a non-profit organization committed to making theater, building community, facilitating awareness, and changing the world, one play at a time. Their first play for the 2022-2023 season is Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix, which premieres in June. (Note: American character actor, Christopher Eugene Chalk, was born and raised in Asheville.)

SoundSpace@Rabbit’s is another business entity that is located in the heart of a historic Black neighborhood, South Slope (as it is now known). The owners took a former Green Book historic property,

, and turned the tourist court into practice and rehearsal spaces for musicians. Sometime this year, they will open a restaurant, Areta’s Soul Food, on the premises as a nod to Rabbit’s Cafe’s longtime employee. Her nephew chef Clarence Robinson is leading the project. An art gallery space is planned above the restaurant. 

“Cubist Parade” – Roldan Rendon

The mural art of Joseph Pearson figures prominently throughout the city, including inside of Benne on Eagle. Mural art can be found all around Asheville. Sunny Point Café has a mural of the late culinarian Edna Lewis adorning their building. Murals can be found in the walkable River Arts District as well as downtown. You will see them in the brewery district of South Slope, a formerly Black neighborhood. Murals are a part of the city’s narrative, which can be explored on the South Slope Mural Trail Tour. 

If museums are your thing, this June the Asheville Art Museum will be exhibiting American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. The traveling exhibit on loan from the American Folk Art Museum, NY, features American folk and self-taught artists. Two Black artists featured are David Drake (ca. 1800–ca. 1870), a formerly enslaved man in Edgefield SC who was able to create incredible pottery for practical use that he sometimes signed. And there are the wooden quilts by Jean-Marcel St. Jacques (b. 1972). The museum has holdings by Jacob Lawrence and North Carolinian Romare Bearden. The University of North Carolina Asheville had the exhibit Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible, which featured the art of Ann Miller Woodford, Viola Spells, and Ronda Birtha. (You can purchase the work of Ann Miller Woodford online at Ann’s Tree and Viola Spells’ work can be found in the River Arts District at ZenobiaStudio.) 

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Black Heritage Travels: Celebrating Asheville's Appalachian Folklife and Unique Culture

Noir Collective AVL is a shop featuring the work and products of local Black artists and makers. Located on The Block, a formerly Black neighborhood and business district, Noir Collective is a gathering place housed next to a coffee house. Additionally, Word on the Street is a local non-profit for Black and Brown youth to learn more about creative expression and sell their art. You can visit their online store to support them. 

Stay connected by subscribing to or bookmarking the Explore Asheville events calendar to stay up-to-date on events and other Black cultural activities in the area to add to your itinerary. 

Hours and services may be impacted by COVID-19. Please visit the links associated with each to learn more about their current hours of operations, current offerings, and policies.

Robin Caldwell

Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.

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Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.

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LEROY CAMPBELL CAREFREE HAND SIGNED AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
‘Beyonce’ Graphic Art Print on Wrapped Canvas Size: 18″ H x 26″ W x 1.5″ D
HBCU’s Canvas Print
A Different World (TV) 11 x 17 TV Poster – Style A
(27×40) Eve’s Bayou Movie Samuel L Jackson Lynn Whitfield Original Poster Print
Yes. Jesus Loves Me (Religious) – Katherine Roundtree 16×20 Black Framed
Dancing in The Living Room (Girls) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
The Goodbye Kiss (Buffalo Soldier) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
Amanti Art Funeral Procession Framed Art Print
Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
227 – TV SHOW 80’S CLASSIC SHOW PRINT, GIFT FOR BEST FRIEND, FOR MOM, HOME DECOR, BLACK ART POP ART, FEMINIST
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
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Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

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