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as we celebrate community throughout the year!
LEGACY: Programming Curatorial Statement for 26-27
Last year, we reopened the doors of this historic building conjuring the spirit of Nikki Giovanni, recalling her reflections on living in her grandmother’s home — in another Affrilachian space shaped by memory, story, and survival. It was warmth that guided us then — warmth that welcomed community back into a once-dormant center reclaiming its place in the living tapestry of humanity. In 2026–2027, we turn to the words of Maya Angelou: “Our legacy is built on the strength of our ancestors and the dreams of our descendants.”
From that charge emerges a single-word refrain for the year ahead: Legacy.
In a city peppered with legacy neighborhoods working to preserve culture and memory, we anchor our work in the same sacred calling. In a city built by unknown Black hands, we remind our children that everything they see around them carries the love, sweat, blood, and brilliance of those who came before. This year, we echo the cadence of Jay-Z: “Legacy, legacy, legacy… Black excellence, baby, you gon’ let ’em see.”
Our programming will connect past to future, ancestors to those yet unborn, elders to the young. We reject narratives that reduce us to tragedy or what Zora Neale Hurston so poignantly called “sorrow in the corners of our eyes.” We are more than survival stories. We are artists. We are creators. We are the intelligentsia. We are the talented, the activists, the architects of joy. We remind this city and this region that so much of what sustains it has been powered by Black ingenuity.
This year, we will celebrate legacy neighborhoods. We will lift up bodies of work that speak to our national and diasporic inheritance. We will curate spaces that speak intergenerationally — honoring what has been entrusted to us and imagining what is still to come.
Join us for a year of deepening — a year of examining what it means to be bequeathed legacy, and what it means to move that legacy forward into an Afro-future shaped by intention, excellence, and possibility.
Tarah Singh Exhibition: Reframe-The Deconstruction of Constructs
Join us for an art exhibition by Tarah Singh that explores gender, complexion, and deconstructionism through the medium of paint and portraiture now through May 12th!
Tarah Singh First Friday Art Exhibition Reception: Reframe
Join us for the second reception with Tarah Singh about her newest YMI exhibition, Reframe!
Art After Dark
Join us for a contemporary social hour on First Friday! From 7 until, you are invited to one of our art galleries for a social experience that merges contemporary music, libations, and fellowship in one space. It’s a little sophisticated, a little home grown…and a lot of love in one spot.
The Black Tie Wedding & Special Event Expo
Saturday, May 2 | 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM | YMI Cultural Center
Join us for an inaugural showcase celebrating Black creativity and businesses in event and wedding services across the region. This special events and wedding fair is designed to highlight multicultural vendors who specialize in bringing meaningful, memorable experiences to life—from caterers and planners to photographers, designers, and beyond.
Vendors are invited to participate and connect directly with couples, organizations, and community members seeking culturally responsive, high-quality event professionals. Vendor registration is open through April 20, with a low-cost vending fee to encourage broad participation and a diverse range of businesses.
Vendors are encouraged to come prepared to make the most of this opportunity by bringing samples, business cards, and pricing or service sheets to share with prospective clients. Musicians and entertainment professionals may register for 30-minute showcase blocks to highlight their talents as DJs or live performers throughout the day. In addition, basement classroom spaces will be available for vendors who wish to collaborate and fully transform a space - creating immersive displays/experiences to demonstrate complete event and wedding design concepts.
Be part of a vibrant day of connection, visibility, and community as we uplift and invest in Black (and Brown)-owned businesses.
The Ujamaa Marketplace - May Edition
Join us for the Ujamaa Marketplace, where culture meets commerce, creativity, and community—an intentional space where emerging entrepreneurs and artisans showcase their talents, build meaningful connections, and goods to market.
Mosaic Realty Art Walk & Benefit
Join us for an art walk that seeks to support and benefit a number of non-profits including the YMI Cultural Center. In the YMI’s space will feature Jordan Smith, mixed media painter. Exhibit runs from 1st May - 7th June.
Black Experience Book Club - Black Mothers’ Month Edition
Join us for The Black Experience Book Club, a monthly gathering held every fourth Thursday at either the YMI Cultural Center’s Art Gallery or just around the corner at Noir Collective AVL. This community-centered series is hosted by alexandria ravenel, YMI’s Director of Community Engagement, and is designed to explore literature that centers the voices, histories, and futures of the African Diaspora. For location details or to RSVP, please contact alexandria ravenel directly at alexandria@ymiculturalcenter.org.
Art After Dark - June Edition
Join us for a contemporary social hour on First Friday! From 7 until, you are invited to one of our art galleries for a social experience that merges contemporary music, libations, and fellowship in one space. It’s a little sophisticated, a little home grown…and a lot of love in one spot.
Black Experience Book Club - Juneteenth Edition
Join us for The Black Experience Book Club, a monthly gathering held every fourth Thursday at either the YMI Cultural Center’s Art Gallery or just around the corner at Noir Collective AVL. This community-centered series is hosted by alexandria ravenel, YMI’s Director of Community Engagement, and is designed to explore literature that centers the voices, histories, and futures of the African Diaspora. For location details or to RSVP, please contact alexandria ravenel directly at alexandria@ymiculturalcenter.org.
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions SATURDAY EDITION
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
Black Experience Book Club - Spring Edition
Join us for The Black Experience Book Club, a monthly gathering held every fourth Thursday at either the YMI Cultural Center’s Art Gallery or just around the corner at Noir Collective AVL. This community-centered series is hosted by alexandria ravenel, YMI’s Director of Community Engagement, and is designed to explore literature that centers the voices, histories, and futures of the African Diaspora. For location details or to RSVP, please contact alexandria ravenel directly at alexandria@ymiculturalcenter.org.
Tarah Singh Art Exhibition Reception: Reframe
Come experience a reception with Tarah Singh about her newest YMI exhibition Reframe!
The Ujamaa Marketplace
Join us for the Ujamaa Marketplace, where culture meets commerce, creativity, and community—an intentional space where emerging entrepreneurs and artisans showcase their talents, build meaningful connections, and goods to market.
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions SATURDAY EDITION
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
Black Experience Book Club - Black Women’s History Month Edition
Join us for The Black Experience Book Club, a monthly gathering held every fourth Thursday at either the YMI Cultural Center’s Art Gallery or just around the corner at Noir Collective AVL. This community-centered series is hosted by alexandria ravenel, YMI’s Director of Community Engagement, and is designed to explore literature that centers the voices, histories, and futures of the African Diaspora. For location details or to RSVP, please contact alexandria ravenel directly at alexandria@ymiculturalcenter.org.
The Ujamaa Marketplace
Join us for the Ujamaa Marketplace, where culture meets commerce, creativity, and community—an intentional space where emerging entrepreneurs and artisans showcase their talents, build meaningful connections, and goods to market.
The 2nd Annual YMI Honors
Come celebrate the roaring twenties and wrap up Black History Month by joining us for a night of appreciation, celebration, and acknowledgment, recognizing those who are trailblazers and unsung heroes in our community. We also introduce our Kujichagulia Organizations-in-Residence Program, our Kuumba Artists-in-Residence, and a few other surprises, as you eat a sumptuous dinner, listening to Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd. Secure your ticket in advance!
Cocktail attire should be observed, inspired by the Harlem Renaissance.
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions: Black History Month Edition
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
Black Experience Book Club - BHM Edition
Join us for The Black Experience Book Club, a monthly gathering held every fourth Thursday at either the YMI Cultural Center’s Art Gallery or just around the corner at Noir Collective AVL. This community-centered series is hosted by alexandria ravenel, YMI’s Director of Community Engagement, and is designed to explore literature that centers the voices, histories, and futures of the African Diaspora. For location details or to RSVP, please contact alexandria ravenel directly at alexandria@ymiculturalcenter.org.
Preservation is Resistance: Black History in the Age of Erasure-2nd Annual Brunch & Lern
Join us for our 2nd Annual Brunch & Learn with RSAA as we bring 4 Black Cultural Center Directors from around the country to ask the seminal question, “How do we sustain our narratives, histories, and traditions in an age of erasure?”
Black History Month Cake & Sip
M & G Events presents Black History Month: Cake & Sip at YMI
For just $55 per person, come learn the art of cake decorating in a fun, hands-on experience. Your cake, decorating tools, and libations are all included—just bring your creativity.
Join us on the first day of Black History Month for something sweet, decadent, and joy-filled.
Celebrating Blackness through cake and community.
Geneaology Workshop with Brian Sheffey: Tracing Our Roots. Honoring Our Stories
Join the YMI Cultural Center for a welcoming genealogy workshop centered on community, memory, and legacy. This gathering invites participants to explore family history as a shared practice—one that honors ancestors, preserves stories, and connects personal journeys to our collective past.
Watoto Wa Utamaduni "Children of Culture" Lab
YMI Loves the Kids! Bring your kids, families’ kids, and other children from your neighborhood as we spend a day of learning about Black culture, history, and the arts through tactile and kenetic experiences.
Black Asheville Town Halls: Congress NC 11
Join us for a conversation with people running for office who want your vote.
Black Asheville Town Halls: City Council Part 2
Join us for a conversation with people running for office who want your vote.
Black Asheville Town Halls: City Council Part 1
Join us for a conversation with people running for office who want your vote.
YMI’s 133rd Birthday: Lovers’ Lounge
In Honor of YMI’s 133rd Birthday, Lovers’ Lounge is an intimate evening of Neo-Soul, connection, and culture at the historic YMI Cultural Center. Curated for singles and couples alike, this lounge-style experience invites guests to slow down, gather, and celebrate love, legacy, and Black cultural expression in a warm, elevated atmosphere. The evening begins with a cocktail hour at 7:00 PM, creating space to mix, connect, and settle into the vibe. As the night unfolds, guests will enjoy live Neo-Soul performances by Full Effect Band, filling the room with sound that’s rich, soulful, and timeless. Set against the backdrop of YMI’s 133-year legacy, Lovers’ Lounge blends music, ambiance, and intention—offering a night that feels both nostalgic and present, celebratory and intimate.
3rd Annual Black Storytellers Event
Join us for our 3rd Annual Black Storytellers event, an evening dedicated to honoring Black voices, stories, and creative expression in celebration of Black History Month. This year, we are spotlighting the power of storytelling through literature and live performance, featuring authors and artists whose work reflects the depth, resilience, and lived experiences of Black communities.
Art Earth & Soul Kollective Art Show
The exhibition is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between theologians, pastors, and artists who have been examining how bodies, memory, ritual, and power shape communities. What began as academic inquiry evolved into creative practice once it became clear that these questions demanded more than policy or theory, they required art.
Rather than offering definitive answers, The Art Earth and Soul Kollective invites viewers to sit with tension, contradiction, and imagination. Themes of displacement, gentrification, community, resilience, and spirituality appear across visual, sonic, spatial, and narrative works that ask us to consider what it means to belong and who gets to decide.
Applications for the Kujichagulia Organizations in Residence
This application-based program prioritizes groups whose missions align with YMI's commitment to empowering Black communities. Participants also gain opportunities for community service, cross-collaboration, and infrastructure development, fostering collective progress. Rooted in Kujichagulia, this initiative empowers organizations to define, create, and sustain their futures while making a lasting community impact.
Portraits of Dignity: Do You See Me Now Reception
Imagine making visible what most people overlook. Through portraiture and painting, Joseph Pearson turns his gaze toward everyday people—those too often forgotten or unseen. In his work, these individuals are rendered visible, honored, and affirmed. Pearson’s art insists on dignity for every subject and every story.
Experience these powerful works from January through March in Portraits of Dignity: Do You See Me Now?
Portraits of Dignity: Do You See Me Now
Imagine making visible what most people overlook. Through portraiture and painting, Joseph Pearson turns his gaze toward everyday people—those too often forgotten or unseen. In his work, these individuals are rendered visible, honored, and affirmed. Pearson’s art insists on dignity for every subject and every story.
Experience these powerful works from January through March in Portraits of Dignity: Do You See Me Now?
The YMI Annual Kwanzaa Celebration
Join us this year for an evening of storytelling, drumming, reflection, candle-lighting, African dance, and community connection. We invite you to wear your ancestral or African attire and to take part in this meaningful celebration. Guests are encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert to share—along with the recipe—to honor our tradition of collective sharing.
Space is limited, and while tickets are free to the public, we ask that you register on Eventbrite to reserve your spot. Should you wish to participate in the ceremony, please email us at info@ymiculturalcenter.org.
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions SATURDAY EDITION
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
YMI Banjul-Banjo Series Presents Jazz & Soul Sessions
Join the YMI for an unforgettable Jazz & Soul Session featuring Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project!
Black Santa: A Visit From the North Pole
You’ve asked for it, we’ve made it possible. So we got on the phone to the North Pole and asked for them to send Santa Down to take pictures and take last minute requests. On Tuesday, December 23rd, Black Santa will be visiting the YMI for pictures and to drop off last minute letters. Meet us on the corner of Eagle and Market Street for Black Santa.