Art on the Greene

Memorial Day weekend, July Fourth weekend, Early August weekend, Labor Day weekend

Sept. 2-3, 2023

Four times each summer, the green at the Historic Banner Elk School comes to life with Art on the Greene, featuring quality, hand-made arts and crafts from select regional and national artisans.

The shows occur Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July weekend, an early August weekend and Labor Day weekend. Festivities typically include food vendors and other entertainment.

Art on the Greene takes place in the heart of the walkabout village of Banner Elk, which allows patrons to make a day of it by visiting shops and boutiques in town and selecting from an impressive list of restaurants in the “culinary hot spot of the High Country.”

Craft vendors represent a variety of media, such as metal, glass, ceramics, wood, watercolor, acrylics and oil. Attendees can find everything from hand-crafted furniture to a one-of-a-kind piece of art made in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Proceeds from the shows are used for restoration of the historic school, built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The school is a showplace for the arts in downtown Banner Elk. It is home to the BE (Banner Elk) Artists Gallery, Ensemble Stage professional theater, a community book exchange and more.

“Art on the Greene is geared toward artists who are involved in any medium in the Appalachian tradition of hand crafters,” says show director Nancy Owen. “We have metal artists, glass artists, potters, and high-quality jewelry from all types of makers. We have wood workers of all varieties from furniture to home decor wood items, as well as painters in a variety of mediums – watercolor, acrylic and oil.”

Art on the Greene has no admission fee. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.