Blue Ridge Sunset. Ray Byram, artist
River Arts District (RAD) artists invite strolling the district on Second Saturday and throughout the month, to enjoy a panoply of exhibitions and demonstrations, as well as benefits including a bake sale for Ukraine and an artists’ collaborative honoring artist Carrie Cox. Additionally, the new free ArtsAVL Connect Trolley now offers ease of travel around downtown and the RAD with two overlapping routes that circulate on 20-30 minute intervals from 12–8 p.m. on every Second Saturday. The Downtown Trolley connects the main areas of the Central Business District to the River Arts District, and the River Arts Trolley loops throughout the RAD. Riders can find an interactive trolley map on ArtsAVL’s website (ArtsAVL.org) or on the new ArtsAVL app.
Second Saturday happens on May 13, when at Clayspace Co-op member artists will display new mugs perfect for Mother’s Day (May 14) giving. The Mother’s Day Mug Show will be held from 4–7 p.m.
Encounter Variations IV. Phil Garrett, artist
Events at Pink Dog Creative include a bake sale from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All funds raised from the sale will benefit the UNWLA Humanitarian Aid Fund for Ukraine. “The artist community and members of the new group AVL4Ukraine I’m forming are contributing,” says Andrea Kulish, owner of Studio A. “This is a group to build community for Ukrainians and Ukrainian allies in the Asheville area, and to support Ukraine.” Baked goods of all kinds including some Ukrainian specialties will be available, and a raffle will be held with prizes that include a quilt square and pysanky art.
At Riverside Studios, Patricia Cotterill will hold a demonstration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “I will do a painting in oil, demonstrating how I approach my favorite subject: animals,” Cotterill says. “Second Saturday is a great way for the public to meet the artists and get a more in-depth understanding of the process of making art. It is also inspiring for me as an artist to get feedback and share my art with visitors.”
The day will offer many exhibitions, including Spring: Rebirth, Cycle of Life, featuring the work of Trackside Studios’ Ray Byram. The show runs throughout the month, with an artist reception on Second Saturday from 2–6 p.m. “My exhibition focuses on the spring, nature and the perpetual rebirth of life,” Byram says. A full-time artist since 1979, with the last seven years at Trackside, Byram paints primarily with a palette knife and is also a printmaker. “All cities have art districts,” Byram says, “but nothing like this. Those who started it and keep it going and growing, we all owe them a great deal.”
Additional events include demonstrations by studio artists at Art Garden AVL from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a mandala demo by Kim Beller at Riverview Station from 12–5 p.m.
On Sunday, May 14, SOJOURN: Phil Garrett Paintings and Monotypes opens at Pink Dog Gallery, with a reception from 3–6 p.m. Garrett, whose work addresses the incomprehensible aspects of nature, will present an artist talk at 3:30 p.m. “Painting and making monotypes is my search for the mystery within the subject, within myself,” Garrett says.
For a complete schedule of events and times, a map and a studio guide to the district’s artists, visit RiverArtsDistrict.com. Studios have varying hours. Information may also be found on websites for studios and individual artists.
