Southern Highland Craft Guild Offers Clay Day at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC – June 1, 2013

Celebrate Clay Day at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC, on June 1, 2013, from 10am to 4pm. This free event features craft demonstrations and hands-on activities for children and adults.

Clay Day has been a favorite happening at the Folk Art Center for over 20 years. Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and invited guests demonstrate throwing on the potter’s wheel, hand building, and surface design on clay, among other techniques.

Expert potters will demonstrate a variety of ceramic techniques including wheel throwing.

A highlight of the day is the “Make-and-Take” Raku Firing.  Buy a $10 pot, glaze it, and watch as expert potters, Lynn Jenkins, Gary Clontz, and Steven Forbes-deSoule, raku fire it for you.  Raku is a ceramic firing process which uses fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs.  Lynn will also demonstrate horse hair raku techniques, using horse hair to create designs on pots.  SHCG members Jan Morris and Sandra Rowland will host a children’s table where kids will be invited to play with clay and make something to take home. Clay for demonstrations has been generously donated by Highwater Clays of Asheville, NC.

Participants to Clay Day include the artists of The Village Potters located in the River District of Asheville,  sharing a myriad of ceramic techniques.  Volunteers from Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Department will be demonstrating and assisting visitors with a try at the potter’s wheel.  Southern Highland Craft Guild member Cindy Billingsley will lead a collaborative sculpture project.

During Clay Day visitors have the opportunity to purchase a $10 pot, decorate with glazes, and wait while it is raku fired. In this picture a visitor at last year’s Clay Day decorates a pot.  Raku is a ceramic firing process which uses fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs.

While at the Folk Art Center, visitors will have the opportunity to visit Allanstand Craft Shop, the Eastern National bookstore and Blue Ridge Parkway information desk, as well as three exhibition galleries.  Outside the Folk Art Center, there are hiking trails, picnic tables, grassy areas for a picnic and free parking.

A visitor to last year’s Clay Day uses horse hair to decorate a pot which will be raku fired.  Raku is a ceramic firing process which uses fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is a non-profit, educational organization established in 1930 to bring together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.  The Southern Highland Craft Guild is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.  The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just north of the Hwy 70 entrance in east Asheville, NC.

For more information, including a list of participating craftspeople, call 828/298-7928 or visit (www.craftguild.org).

Asheville Gallery of Art in Asheville, NC, Invites Area Artists to Submit Work

The Asheville Gallery of Art, located at16 College Street in Asheville, NC, invites area artists to apply for membership. The work of applicants must be submitted on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, for jurying on Wednesday, May 29.

The Asheville Gallery of Art (AGA) is an artists’ cooperative that exhibits original two-dimensional works by twenty-eight member artists.

Interested artists should obtain a copy of prospective member guidelines and a membership application, both of which are available at the gallery or may be downloaded from the AGA website (www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com).

Jury entrants must deliver five finished original pieces ready for hanging, six copies of a current resume, and six copies of the completed membership application to the gallery between noon and 5:30pm on Tuesday, May 28. All work must be picked up between 2-5:30pm on Wednesday, May 29. AGA will endeavor to preserve and protect submitted work, but cannot assume responsibility for loss or damage.

The Asheville Gallery of Art is located across from Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville. Founded in 1988, AGA, Asheville’s longest-established art gallery, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2013. The gallery offers works ranging from representational to abstract in a wide choice of subject matter, styles and media. Photographs, computer art, and sculpture are not accepted at this time.

For more information, call 828/251-5796 or e-mail questions to (ashevillegalleryofart@gmail.com).

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville in Asheville, NC, Offers OLLI Art Bazaar – Apr. 26, 2013

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville in Asheville, NC, will host the first annual OLLI Art Bazaar from 11am-5pm, on Friday, Apr. 26, 2013, in the Reuter Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Work by Anne Bonnyman

The Art Bazaar features a broad range of work created by OLLI members on exhibit and for sale. More than 40 participating artists will showcase their works that include painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, jewelry, fiber and paper art, purses, quilts, scarves, stained glass, handmade soap and more. Proceeds will benefit the OLLI scholarship fund.

Works by Donna Schramek

For more information, visit (www.olliasheville.com) or call 828/251-6140.

Phil Mechanic Studios and Flood Gallery & Fine Arts Center in Asheville, NC, Offers Business of Art Seminar – Apr. 11, 2013

Phil Mechanic Studios and Flood Gallery & Fine Arts Center in Asheville, NC, will offer a Business of Art Seminar on Apr. 11, 2013, from 9am-4pm. This community seminar sheds light on the Business of Art or the Art of Business.

Join us on April 11 to hear all the regional business providers describe the services and funding sources available for artists. Phil Mechanic Studios and Flood Gallery & Fine Arts Center,  in association with RiverLink, Self Help Credit Union (SHCU) and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), are pleased to present: “Shedding Light on the Business of Art:  An Intensive One-Day Workshop on Business Basics for the Artists of the Watershed.”

Phil Mechanic Studios will open their doors for this one-day-only, free seminar (with lunch included) that will engage you in topics such as:
Improving Your Credit Score

Licensing, Registration with the State, and Legal Considerations

Obtaining Funding

Developing a Business Plan

Growth Strategies

Marketing, Pricing, Preparing a Professional Portfolio, and the Appropriate Use of Social Media

Each topic will be discussed by a group of experts in the field and then opened up for questions from the audience.  In addition to members of the four sponsor organizations, panelists will include, among others, representatives from AB Tech’s Small Business Center, Asheville Grown, the City of Asheville, Eagle Market Street Development, Handmade in America, Mountain BizWorks, the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF), OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling, SCORE, the Small Business Administration (SBA),  The Support Center, Venture Asheville and from the consulting firm, Who Knows Art.

Two special sessions will round out the day:  one that will present two artists in front of a select group of experts and give them the opportunity to present issues/problems/needs facing their business and receive feedback and a second that will wrap up the day with “success stories” that will inspire and empower you.

Participating artists will include Sean “Jinx” Pace, Melissa Terrezza, Jeremy Russell, and others.

This one-day event is FREE and open to all artists in the Watershed, but registration is required in order to assure seating and lunch. Register today by calling 828/252-8474 ext. 10.

Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, NC, Present its 14th Annual Charity Sale Benefiting Brother Wolf Animal Rescue – Apr. 5-7, 2013

There is no better time to shop for yourself or a loved one, than while supporting a worthy cause. Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, NC, hosts their 14th Annual Charity Sale Apr. 5-6 (10am – 6pm) and Apr. 7 (11am – 5pm). Ten percent of all proceeds from this 3 day event will go to benefit Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville. During the sale, customers will be able to save 10% on all regular priced crafts, including studio furniture and outdoor sculptures, and up to 75% on sale items. Everything in the gallery will be marked down!

Every April, Grovewood Gallery picks a local non-profit organization to donate a portion of their charity sales to. Past organizations have included Mission Cancer Center, MemoryCare, Helpmate, and the Eblen Energy Project.

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is a No Kill organization in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to offering services to our community including free spay/neuter assistance and a pet food pantry, BWAR operates the largest No Kill Rescue and Adoption Center in WNC, second largest in the state. Our Behavioral Counseling and Youth Education programs help promote a better understanding of, and respect for, companion animals. The 10,000 sq.ft. Joyce B. Cambron Adoption Center, located at 31 Glendale Avenue, is home to up to 100 dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens each day. In this clean, happy, and energetic environment, animals receive mental stimulation and exercise through a variety of enrichment programs. BWAR’s dedicated volunteers ensure that each pet receives lots of love and attention until finding his or her forever home. Our friendly Adoption Counselors and Kennel Staff work hard to find just the right match between a potential adopter and a furry new family member. Go to (www.bwar.org) for more information!

Grovewood Gallery is located across the street from the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa. It was opened in 1992 to revitalize the Homespun Shops that once housed the famous weaving and woodworking complex of Biltmore Industries. Today, Grovewood showcases 9,000 square-feet of traditional and contemporary crafts by more than 400 artists from around the United States.

For more information on this event, contact Grovewood Gallery at 828/253-7651 or visit (www.grovewood.com).

Richard Christian Nelson Studio Offers Open House in Asheville, NC’s River Arts District – Mar. 9, 2013

Nationally known, award-winning artist Richard Christian Nelson proudly announces the opening of his Asheville, NC, studio in the River Arts District. Join Nelson for an open house welcoming him to the District on Saturday, Mar. 9, 2013, from 4-7pm during the popular “Second Saturday” open studio tours. Light refreshments will be served. Nelson is thrilled to join the RAD family, and looks forward to being energized by the palpable creativity that exudes from this exciting area.

Although Nelson is widely known as a portrait artist, he also paints landscape, still life and figurative gallery pieces. He also teaches landscape, still life and portraiture workshops. Recently a DVD still life tutorial by Nelson has been made available for download at his website. His portraits and gallery pieces have been commissioned by federal and state judges, universities, hospitals and major corporations as well as families who commission him to paint or draw their children. “I am endlessly fascinated by people, places, and things and consider it a privilege and a challenge to capture some aspect of their essence on canvas.”

Nelson hails from Detroit, where he attended and eventually taught at what is now known as The College for Creative Studies. It was at CCS where he developed his love of painting, drawing, figurative art, and art history. “I work towards ‘painterly realism’; good drawing and composition, rendered with strong natural color, in such a way that you can still sense or ‘feel’ the paint. The effect of this process is that the subject begins to artfully reveal itself to me and hopefully, the viewer.”

Most recently, Nelson won 1st place in the Member’s Only Competition-Commissioned Portraits, a Certificate of Excellence, and an Honorable Mention from the Portrait Society of America. He has also served on their faculty. Nelson continually participates in invitational paint-outs; resulting in his wide range of plein air landscapes. His workshops are taught throughout the year and you can find a schedule of them at his website.

Richard Christian Nelson’s studio is located at 352 Depot St. Suite 110. Stop in anytime from 11-5pm Tuesday through Saturday, call him at 828/817-3784, or visit (www.RichardChristianNelson.com).

Laughing Seed Café in Asheville, NC, is Looking for Local Artists to Hang Their Work

The Laughing Seed Café is getting a new paint job and is looking for local art to hang. We are a high volume restaurant right on Wall Street in downtown Asheville, NC, offering a good opportunity for sales as far as restaurant venues go. I am open to all styles and levels of experience, although I feel more production oriented work with friendlier price tags will have more of a chance to move.  The main desire is for quality work that will enhance our atmosphere and make it more representative of what Asheville is all about, i. e. art/creativity. Craft and 3D work is acceptable as long as it is wall-mountable. I have professional experience in art installation and sales so your work will be handled appropriately, all you have to do is drop it off.

Interested parties should e-mail Hank Fuseler at (manager@laughingseed.com) a bio along with 5-10 JPEG images that are representative of work that you have on hand and ready to hang at this time. I am interested in all good work, even if you only have a couple of pieces available currently.

Media Arts Project and Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in Asheville, NC, Celebrate Innovation and Collaboration in the Arts – Apr. 6, 2013

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center (BMCM+AC) and the Media Arts Project (MAP) announce the 4th Annual {Re}HAPPENING, on Saturday, Apr. 6, 2013, from 6pm to Midnight in the original dining hall of the former Black Mountain College, now Camp Rockmont. Inspired by our imaginings about what a “typical” Saturday night at Black Mountain College might have been like, the {Re}HAPPENING pays tribute to the groundbreaking artistic innovation of Black Mountain College as well as its community tradition of Saturday night parties and performances. The goal of the event is to bring BMC’s dynamic energy into the present day. Many people who have attended a previous {Re}HAPPENING consider it to be one of the very best events of the year.

Photo from the 2012 {Re}HAPPENING by Shawn Hollingsworth

The Apr. 6, 2013, event will begin with a cocktail hour, leading into a seated “family style” dinner. This year’s dinner will feature a guest chef/curator and an expanded focus on the culinary arts. The second part of the evening, will begin at 8:30pm and include an extended evening of music, art and performance along with drinks and food trucks. A limited number of Early Bird tickets for the entire evening including cocktails and dinner are available for $65 ($55 for BMCM+AC members). The second half of the evening begins at 8:30pm at a ticket price of $20 ($15 for members). The overall event will end by midnight. Tickets are available online via the BMC Museum + Arts Center website (www.blackmountaincollege.org), at (www.rehappening.com) or in person at the museum/arts center (56 Broadway, downtown Asheville).

At each year’s {Re}HAPPENING, local restaurants provide flavors, scents and nourishment to both the audience and the artists. The evening brings together more than sixty artists from the region’s diverse creative communities in a beautiful setting that occupies a unique place in history. The opportunity for contemporary artists and performers to collaborate and create new work in the dining hall, the roundhouse, the lodges, the outdoor grounds and waters of Lake Eden on the former Black Mountain College campus makes the {Re}HAPPENING a singular and deeply resonant event.

The 2013 artist lineup will be announced soon, so stay tuned to (www.rehappening.com) for updates.

For further info call the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center at 828/350-8484 or visit (www.blackmountaincollege.org).

Muddy Knees Design and Production is Looking for Participants for the 2013 Asheville Art in the Park Events

Muddy Knees Design and Production is proud to once again offer area artists the opportunity to vend in Asheville, NC’s, Pack Square at Asheville Art in the Park this June and October.

Booth fees this year will start at $95 per 10 x 10 area. This fee will increase as we move closer to the event. Starting in March the booth fee will increase to $100. If there are still booth spaces remaining, the fee will increase again to $110 in May.

This year it will be possible to purchase one of 5 high traffic corner spaces. These spaces are very limited so if you want one, best grab it quickly.

Our regular market rules will still apply to booth spaces so returning regulars can still expect normal booth locations when vending in consecutive shows.

Asheville Art in the Park artists have now created more then $500,000 in sales and donated more then $50,000 to local area non-profits. Well over a million dollars worth of economic impact has been seen since the events started in 2009.

Please join us again in Pack Square this year for a show all about locally handcrafted Art.

The dates are on Saturdays, June 15, 22, 29 and October 5, 12, 19, 2013.

For further information e-mail to (Info@muddymontrie.com).

Flood Gallery and Fine Arts Center in Asheville, NC, Calls For Entries – Deadline Dec. 14, 2012

The Flood Gallery and Fine Arts Center at Phil Mechanic Studios invites artists to submit entries to a national juried exhibition of contemporary art. The focus of this exhibition is on current socio-political relations in, or associated with, the United States. Accepted works will be on display between Friday, Jan. 18, and Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 at the Flood Gallery in Asheville, NN. The esteemed juror Diana Stoll, Senior Editor of Aperture Magazine, will be present and open the exhibition with a brief introduction to the works chosen on Friday, Jan. 18, at 6pm. The opening reception will immediately follow.

Juror: Diana Stoll is a contributor and senior editor for Aperture Magazine. For sixty years, the Aperture Foundation has served as a connecting force between artists and the international photography community. Aperture, a multi-faceted non-profit, hosts exhibitions, fundraisers, and publishes catalogs, books, and the flagship quarterly magazine that Stoll has served for over two decades. With extensive interest in and knowledge of the arts, Diana Stoll currently edits books and catalogs for The Museum of Modern Art and, previously, she has worked for Artforum magazine. The former New York City-based writer relocated to Asheville, NC, where she has become an integral part of the arts community.

Eligibility: Open to all artists living in the United States who are 18 years of age or older. All work must be original and completed within the last 5 years and cannot have been exhibited at the Flood Gallery previously. The Juror may choose single or multiple works from an artist’s submission(s) at her discretion.

Media: All mediums are accepted providing that the work will not perish or otherwise decompose during the exhibit.

Catalog: A full-color catalog of the exhibition will be printed. All artists accepted to exhibition will receive a complimentary exhibition catalog. Additional copies will be available for purchase.

Awards: $500 in cash prizes will be awarded by the juror.

Submission Details:

1. Please submit on a CD:
a.  A Word document that includes the title, materials, size, weight, and price of each work and an optional statement of purpose/intent that is less than 100 words.
b.  300 d.p.i. jpeg images of each work submitted.
c.  Contact information for the artist including name, address, phone number, and email.

2. All submissions must be post-marked or delivered in person to Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts Street, Asheville, NC, 28801 by 9pm, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

Entry Fees: Applicants may submit up to 3 works for the initial $30 entrance fee. There will be a $10 charge for each additional piece entered. These fees are non-refundable and do not cover any shipping costs. Make submission checks payable to the Flood Gallery.

Sales: Sale of accepted works will be encouraged. The gallery takes a 40% commission in the event of a sale. Please price works accordingly.

Accepted Works: Applicants will be notified by Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. Upon notification, works must be promptly delivered in person or mailed in order to arrive at Phil Mechanic Studios by Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Mailed works must arrive in a reusable container and be accompanied by a pre-paid self-addressed label/voucher for returning works. Items mailed without a pre-paid return label will not be returned. Works which were delivered in person may be picked up on Thursday, Jan. 31, after 4pm with prior arrangements or during regular gallery business hours between 10am-4pm on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. All works sent with a pre-paid label and reusable container will be returned by mail after Feb. 1.

Agreement: Submission of an entry constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to all the conditions set forth in this prospectus. The Flood Gallery reserves the right to reproduce photo(s) of accepted entries for publicity purposes.

For Additional Information: Contact Jolene Mechanic, Executive Director of the Flood Gallery, by e-mail at (info@floodgallery.org), Cynthia Canejo, Flood Board Member and UNC Asheville Professor of Art History, at (ccanejo@unca.edu), or Kyle Sherard, Flood Board Member, Freelance Writer, and Exhibition Coordinator, at (kyle.sherard@gmail.com).