Large Bowl #4. Syb Adcock, artist. Green Dog Clayworks. Photo by Linda Doll Cluxton
By Emma Castleberry
After she retired from a long corporate career, Nan Cole took up custom furniture upholstery. When she started looking for a place to work on her new hobby “without having to pay rent or tuition constantly,” she learned that the Fairview Area Arts League was also looking for a place to headquarter their operations and provide space for their artists. “That was the dawn of Re.Imagine Gallery and Studios,” says Cole.
It’s Not Just Black & White. Bob Travers, artist. Bowls. Syb Adcock, artist. Little Fox Kit. April Johnson, artist.
Re.Imagine is housed in a 6,300-square-foot building that was likely first built in the 1950s as a fishing cabin, due to the proximity to the Spivey Carp Pond. “The land around the building and lake belonged to the Spivey family of Fairview,” says Cole. “At some point the Spivey family expanded the building and turned it into a roller-skating rink that must have been around until the mid-1970s or beyond.” During renov
ations, Cole was able to save some of the old rink flooring, and also found old roller skate parts in a crawl space that will be displayed at Re.Imagine. “Following that,” says Cole, “the building became KD’s Bar & Grill. From what I’ve heard, it was a very fun place, one of only two bars and dance halls in the Fairview area in years past. For the 12 years before we purchased it in late 2019, it was the Ecclesia Baptist Church. The only request the pastor made of us when we bought it was that we not turn it back into a bar.”
The renovations were a major undertaking, including raising and reinforcing the roof, rebuilding footers to fix a collapsing floor, and reinstalling missing support posts. “Aside from a brief shutdown during the worst of the pandemic, we completely renovated the space in just over two years,” says Cole. “Often it was just me and my carpenter working together. The building has undergone quite a transformation and should stand for another 50 years.”
Word got around and the studios were quickly filled with artists. Cole transformed the building’s large entry space into a gallery, and the work of more than 30 artists is featured throughout the building. Illustrator Aneliese Parker is one of the eight artists who have studios at Re.Imagine. “Like a lot of artists I know, it has taken me a long time to figure out what environment works best for me to be creatively productive,” says Parker. “Having 24-hour access to a separate space to do creative work is important. Also important is the chance to be around other artists who are fun, talented, humble and inspiring. Lastly, it is crucial to also be able to shut my studio door and actually get art done. Joining Re.Imagine for me was like a perfect puzzle piece falling into place.”
Cole says she’s not looking to profit from Re.Imagine, but rather to give back to her community and support the artists of Fairview. “My goal is to provide a fun, creative place for them to come together, work and display their creations economically and perhaps give back in some way to the community we now call home,” she says.
Re.Imagine Gallery and Studios is located at 15 Spivey Lake Drive, Fairview. For more information, call 828.338.0070, visit ReImagineWNC.com or find Re.Imagine Fairview on Facebook and @reimaginewnc on Instagram.
