LEAF Global Arts is on a mission CONNECTING CULTURES and CREATING COMMUNITY through world music, arts education, preservation and experiences. The closest distance between two people is a story, a song, or a dance.
Tickets on sale now for LEAF Festival
30th Year Celebration!
Save the date: October 16-19, 2025
YALA CULTURAL TOURS every Saturday at Global
Experience West African Culture with LEAF’s Cultural Ambassador Adama Dembele.
Drop in for Yala Cultural Tours every Saturday. Drum class and cultural exploration, 12-2 pm. Bring your drum or we have one for you. Families welcome!
Suggested donation: $15
LOCAL ARTIST RELIEF FUND
Artists & LEAF need your continuing support! In the wake of hurricane Helene and arts funding loss, we recognized the devastating longterm impact on our artistic community.
Artists are the heart and soul of our community — the performers, musicians, and creatives who work in schools to uplift our youth through global and cultural arts, and bring so much joy, love, and light to our community.
Dan Lucas Memorial Fund continues to lead the way to supporting local WNC & LEAF Artists and cultural institutions. Over the years, Dan Lucas’ family has guided and generously supported LEAF Global Arts and has been a catalyst for keeping culture and music alive!
Please consider giving to the LEAF Artist Relief Fund. 100% directly supports our local artists.
LEAF in Our Community & The World
LEAF’s mission comes to life as an agent for positive social impact in many ways and places.
The “ways” include: cultural exchanges, residencies, programs, workshops, mentoring, Easel Rider Mobile Art Lab, Learning Journeys, Signature Events, and immersive experiences. “Places” include: LEAF Global Arts Center in downtown Asheville, in communities across the world, in schools, in community centers, at event locations such as Lake Eden in Black Mountain, and downtown Asheville.
Measuring Our Success
Our vision is to create relationships with communities around the world in order to strengthen cultural and global arts education program with which to engage youths in their rich cultural heritage, while cultivating community and connection. These are our guiding tools:
LEAF global arts education program goals, curriculum, teacher & student evaluations are aligned with the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP), developed by the Search Institute. The Search Institute has identified 40 assets which comprise a set of skills, experiences, relationships, and behaviors that enable young people to develop into successful and contributing adults. Building these assets prepare youth for success in some type of college or education, a career, and citizenship.
LEAF has identified and prioritized 6 assets that exemplify the types of skills our programs help to develop in our youth participants:
- Community Values Youth
- Adult Role Models
- Creative Activities
- Cultural Competence
- Personal Power
- Self-Esteem
LEAF’s Global Arts Education programs align with Common Core State and NC Essential Standards to supplement what teachers are doing in their classrooms.
The UNESCO Culture for Development Indicators Suite identifies several dimensions that address the interrelations between culture and development. LEAF International aligns with 5 indicators that provide a guiding framework for quantifying the contribution of culture in development.
The 5 indicators that guide the design and evaluate global programs:
- Economy Dimension
- Education Dimension
- Social Participation Dimension
- Communication Dimension
- Heritage Dimension
Within these 5 dimensions, 9 indicators are utilized by LEAF as direct indications of how our programs are enriching individual lives, communities, and preserving forms of cultural expression:
- Cultural Employment
- Inclusive Education
- Professional Training in cultural sector
- Tolerance of other cultures
- Interpersonal Trust
- Participation in cultural activities
- Freedom of Expression
- Heritage sustainability
- Access and internet use
Since 2018, LEAF Community Arts as a team with Buncombe County Schools (BCS) are John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – Partners in Education Program. This national recognition is only the 3rd cohort in NC! The SHARED purpose of LEAF and BCS as Kennedy Center – Partners i
LEAF's Impact
Since 1995
Global Arts Experiences
537,578+
LEAFers at Events
58
Signature Festivals
116
Countries Represented
26,615+
Performers
4
Virtual Events
Since 2004 Global Arts Education
88,000+
Youth Participants
8,831
Youth Performers
621
Arts Education Programs
23,650
Easel Rider Youth
30+
Kennedy Center Cohort BCSTeachers
Since 2006 Cultural Preservation
6,730+
Youth Participants
10
Countries
15
Programs
4
ONEmic Studios
22
Culture Keepers
110+
Cultural Exchanges
