Drum Circle
By Emma Castleberry
It’s amazing the kind of weight a single word, or even a single letter, can hold. The Downtown Asheville Art District (DAAD) was founded in 1999 as the Asheville Downtown Gallery Association, a membership-based cooperative of downtown fine art and craft organizations, including galleries, museums and studio jewelry. In 2013, the organization rebranded as the Downtown Asheville Art District (DAAD). Last year, a group of local arts leaders proposed changing the name by pluralizing the word art, making it the Downtown Asheville Arts District.
This small change had a big impact, allowing for the association to include membership from organizations dedicated to visual and performing arts in addition to their existing membership. The downtown area is rich with these organizations, so the inclusion of them spiked DAAD membership to more than 30 participating organizations. In addition to the traditional fine art and craft organizations, the DAAD now includes cultural centers, festivals, galleries, museums, shops, theatres and tours, all located within a mile radius of historic downtown Asheville. “The simple addition of the letter ‘s’ to the word art not only opened up our organization to include all cultural entities in downtown Asheville, but it is also the first time ever that they have all been organized together and represented in a user-friendly brochure,” says Michael Manes, gallery director at member gallery Blue Spiral 1 and a part of the DAAD leadership team. The new DAAD brochure featuring expanded business listings and wayfinding maps is now available and will be re-distributed each year in January. The DAAD’s website and social media platforms have also been refreshed.
The Asheville Symphony Orchestra is a new member of the DAAD. “The inclusion of other entities aligns with DAAD’s mission to promote both visual and performing arts in downtown Asheville, so we’re all for it,” says Shanna Ungate, manager of sales and customer experience for the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. “Asheville is a cultural gem in North Carolina, and the community of musicians and artists residing here is something to be celebrated. The Asheville Symphony is proud to be among one of the many cultural institutions that make this a great place to call home.”
Woolworth Walk became a member of DAAD in 2002, right when the gallery opened. As a veteran gallery member of the association, Woolworth Walk is excited about the new expansion. “It’s time to pool our creative voices and stand together to define the art culture of Asheville,” says Erin Kellem, curating manager of Woolworth Walk. “It will be easier to demonstrate the vibrancy of Asheville’s art scene when everything—theater, symphony, galleries, studios—is all in one brochure.”
Betsey-Rose Weiss is the owner of American Folk Art & Framing, which has been a member of DAAD for almost 19 years. “As the owner of a folk art gallery, an area of the art scene that has opened the door to decidedly non-traditional artists, a wide embrace of all the arts is what keeps art relevant,” she says. “The name change was an acknowledgement of what was obvious all along: the museums and art galleries are a vital part of something much bigger. Dividing our cultural entities into small pieces creates redundancy.”
DAAD will host the season’s first of the 2020 First Friday Art Walks on April 3. Participating organizations will be open until 8 p.m. hosting gallery receptions, music, demonstrations and performances. “As the organization continues to grow, so will our events and offerings during the First Friday Art Walks and beyond,” says Manes. “Members are already beginning to brainstorm ways to collaborate with each other that will lead to programming that will elevate the arts downtown by highlighting our numerous cultural entities within a mile radius.”
For more information, visit DowntownAVLArts.com.
