(Left) Alternative Judgement. Mark Bettis, artist; (Righ) Make the World Better (detail). Leslie Rowland, artist
A new artist group, #AVLArtinAction, presents a virtual art sale benefit from Tuesday, December 1, through Saturday, December 5. Hosted by L Rowland Fine Contemporary Art and Mark Bettis Studio & Gallery, the sale will benefit the Center for Participatory Change (CPC) of Western North Carolina. “I wanted to do something to contribute toward change and to fight the deeply rooted pattern of bigotry toward and oppression of people of color in our society,” says Leslie Rowland, a founder of the group and host of the virtual sale. Earlier this year, Rowland created a series of paintings to sell with the intention of donating the proceeds to a local organization. “I reached out to several trusted and informed friends here in Asheville to identify the best organization to work with,” she says. “They spoke extremely highly of CPC.”
CPC opened its doors in 2000 to support grassroots groups working towards racial and economic justice with tools like community organizing, leadership development, training, technical assistance, networking, coalition building and micro-grants. “Our work over the past 20 years at CPC has resulted in a strong network of grassroots organizations, groups and individuals that are working together to respond to the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and state-sanctioned violence towards BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color),” says Magaly Urdiales, sustainability coordinator for CPC. “CPC will continue to listen, adapt and respond to the needs of our community as the impacts of the pandemic continue to take effect over the long-term.”
(Left) Hope. Sandra Bottinelli, artist; (Right) Dream Theory (detail). Deanna Chilian, artist
This will be the first in a series of art benefits hosted by #AVLArtinAction to benefit regional nonprofits. The proceeds of each benefit will be divided equally between the focal nonprofit and the participating artists. “This will help the contributing artists offset the expenses of creating the art they contribute,” says Rowland. Contributing artists currently include Rowland, Mark Bettis, Sandra Bottinelli, Deanna Chilian, Onicas Gaddis, Meryl Lefkovich, Frederic Payet, Joseph Pearson, Stephen Quinn and Jacqui Fehl, with more to be added.
Benefit items will be shown on Instagram @avlartinaction. Check the Instagram page for details and artworks available for sale beginning in late November. For more information about the Center for Participatory Change (CPC) of Western North Carolina, visit CPCWNC.org.
