Art in the Park brings artists, shoppers back to Pack Square

Pack Square filled again with browsers, buyers and handmade work on June 13 as Asheville’s Art in the Park returned downtown, turning the city’s civic center into a live test of how much foot traffic and spending power still remain in the core. For local artists, the market is more than a weekend outing: its official description says the event has generated well over $1 million in income over the years, a figure that helps explain why the crowds matter to Asheville’s creative economy as much as to its calendar.

The market is built as a juried, membership-based sale for professional artists, with work selected through a process that requires a one-time jury fee and images of both the art and the booth setup. Shoppers moved past tables of glass, ceramics, wood, jewelry, metal and paint, buying directly from the people who made the pieces. That face-to-face model is part of the event’s appeal, and part of why it has endured since Andrew Montrie founded it in 2009.

This year’s series is set for six Saturdays, June 13, June 20 and June 27, then October 3, October 10 and October 17, keeping the market in Pack Square Park on three consecutive weekends in each season. Admission is free, which lowers the barrier for residents and visitors alike and helps make the square a place to linger, not just pass through. One report described a 2024 show as the 82nd Saturday show in the series, underscoring how steadily the market has grown from its start.

That longevity gives Art in the Park a different kind of significance in Asheville, especially in the months after Helene and amid the city’s broader downtown recovery. Pack Square has functioned as Asheville’s center for more than 300 years, and the Asheville Art Museum notes that it was once Cherokee land, giving the market a setting that is both culturally central and historically layered. In that space, the event works as a barometer for shopper confidence and a direct sales channel for artists who depend on local spending to keep their studios moving.