Luxury Cabins in Asheville, NC, Just a Short Drive from World-Class Galleries

12.30.09 | Comments Off

A trip to the mountains for a stay in one of the many fine luxury cabins in Asheville, NC, should also include an outing to visit the areas many art galleries.

In the heart of downtown Asheville at 38 Biltmore Avenue, Blue Spiral 1 features 15,000 square feet of exhibition space on three floors. The gallery presents craft and fine art works by Southern artists ranging from paintings and other two-dimensional works to sculpture in glass, wood, clay, fiber and steel.

In the historic Biltmore Village at 7 Boston Way, New Morning Gallery features decorative and functional crafts handmade by American artisans. The 12,300 square-foot multi-level retail space also showcases North Carolina artists in their own galleries.

Also in Biltmore Village, at 14 Lodge Street, the Bella Vista Art Gallery represents local, national and international artists in a wide range of media.

Never more than a short drive from luxury cabins in Asheville, NC, the Lexington district downtown has includes the Atelier 24 Lexington Gallery of Local Art at 24 North Lexington Avenue. Atelier 24 has more than 3,500 square feet of space offering works from more than 70 local artists.

At 240 Clingman Avenue in the River Arts District, artist Jonas Gerard has a 5,000 square-foot studio and gallery featuring his acrylics on canvas, mixed media and found objects collage, three-dimensional wall-hung painted wood sculpture, and painted wood and painted steel freestanding sculpture..

If you’re interested in photography, the Castell Photography gallery showcases photographic artist Brie Castell, whose work explores the concepts of identity, self, and intimate relationships of her personal life. The gallery, located at 2-C Wilson Alley near historic Eagle Street downtown, also showcases unique print processes and hosts rotating exhibitions of the work of other photographers.

The Asheville Area Arts Council, one of the oldest arts councils in the United States, promotes regional artists and arts organizations in its gallery at 11 Biltmore Avenue downtown. Shows change monthly with openings help the first Friday of each month from 5 to 8pm.

One of the most distinctive arts destinations in convenient to luxury cabins in Asheville, NC, is the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway just a few miles east of Asheville, the Center showcases traditional and contemporary craft of the Southern Appalachians. The facility includes the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s century-old Allanstand Craft Shop plus exhibitions in three galleries. It also has a library and auditorium with various programming.

Finally, the Flood Gallery Fine Art Center in the Phil Mechanic Studios building at Clingman Avenue and Roberts Street in the River Arts District of Asheville is a must-see for anyone interested in the arts. The Center is a non-profit arts organization that exhibits established and emerging artists from around the world. It hosts artist residency programs, public events and workshops, and educational activities.

On Graffiti as Printed Canvas Art

09.06.09 | Comments Off

Ask anyone their view on graffiti, and you’ll receive views right across the board : some people see it as vandalism, others a subtle artform. On the “good press” side, gifted creatives such as Banksy have made walls a place to put a political point across, utilising stencils to produce tricky artworks loaded with a nuanced political point. This kind of graffiti was certain to become fashionable with both the public and the likes of The Guardian pressroom : pleasing to the eye, and the intellect. This form of graffiti is even acquired as printed canvas art, and placed on the walls of suburban homes and office reception areas.

Nevertheless, when it comes to your down and dirty graffiti - the gangbanger, the tagger, the street urchin - this is just seen as vandalism, an offence perpetrated by the untalented. But is graffiti only art? To many individuals, it’s not just an artform, but a means to put your stamp on territory, or even a rejection of society altogether : anti-art, anti-social, anti-establishment.

Spraying has forever been a covert pursuit, although the effects are very much public. The targeted audience is often unknown. Is it for a rival crew? A communication to a single person? To the public at large? Maybe it’s simply uncalled-for and out of nothing else to do.

Whatever the reasons, there appears to be some kind of enduring need to spray graffiti on walls. Some cities have conceded that graffiti isn’t a short-term craze, so they’ve designated zones where graffiti is permitted - usually derelict areas, but now and again more civic zones like boarding that surrounds inner city buildings under construction.