LEAF Global Arts began as the Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF), founded in 1995 by Jennifer Pickering, at Lake Eden in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Inspired by her travels across Africa, India, and Southeast Asia in the mid-1980s, and shaped by her roots in Asheville’s diverse communities and Camp Rockmont upbringing, she envisioned a space to unite people through the universal language of art, music, and culture.
What started as a small, twice-yearly gathering evolved into a distinctive celebration of global diversity. Unlike traditional music festivals, LEAF wove together world music, poetry, healing arts, and cultural workshops to promote unity, creativity, and joy. In 2004, it became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to expand its reach, addressing gaps in cultural arts access for intergenerational families and emphasizing a broad spectrum of genres and traditions.

Over the decades, LEAF has grown into a year-round movement. It has hosted 67 signature festivals, welcomed over 550,000 attendees from 117 countries, featured 31,200+ performers, and served more than 40,000 local community members through events that boost tourism and economic impact. The organization has pioneered youth arts education via the LEAF Schools & Streets program launched in 2004, delivering hands-on workshops, residencies, camps, field trips, and performances to over 100,000 youth since inception by focusing on Asheville and Western NC schools and community partners, including “Partners in Education” collaboration since 2018 with Buncombe County Schools through the John F. Kennedy Center. As a well-established local outreach, LEAF Schools & Streets bridges cultures, builds self-esteem, develops social-emotional learning, encourages global citizenship, and creates performance opportunities at LEAF events.

Globally, LEAF International has preserved art traditions in 10 countries, supporting 7,700+ youth through 15 programs since 2006, collaborating with local artists (Culture Keepers), schools, community centers, and orphanages to provide instruments and costumes and support long-term mentorship. LEAF International engages Culture Keepers and youth in Cultural Exchanges to connect cultures and create a global community beyond borders that include traveling to lead residencies, workshops, and performances at LEAF Festival.

In 2013, the full acronym was retired, shifting to simply LEAF to reflect its broader commitment to community arts. On January 1, 2020, it rebranded to LEAF Global Arts, aligning with the opening of its downtown Asheville hub (LEAF Global Experience)—an interactive cultural center blending museum-like exhibits, workshops, LEAF Schools & Streets cultural arts education, and events for year-round engagement.

Today, as a nonprofit dedicated to connecting cultures and fostering community through world music, arts education, preservation, and experiences, LEAF cultivates curiosity, breaks down barriers, and inspires global citizenship. Its events include the LEAF Festival, LEAF Camps, and other various ongoing programs reaching 5,000+ local youth annually and thousands more internationally. Despite recent challenges from COVID, the 2024 festival cancellation due to Hurricane Helene, and funding losses, LEAF’s 30-year legacy endures as a vibrant force for positive social impact and cross-cultural connection.