On Saturday, July 19, from 4–6 p.m., join River Arts District (RAD) artists for an opening reception at Pink Dog Gallery for #RADstrong. The group exhibition, featuring work from nine artists displaced by Hurricane Helene, begins Friday, July 18, and runs through August 17. Artists displaying work are Annie Kyla Bennett, Bridget Benton, Wesley Ethyn Bowers, Gretchen Chadwick, Heather Clements, Sarah Faulkner, Jack Henry, Fleta Monaghan and Stephen Santore.
Pull Me Apart (page from book titled Pull Me Apart – An Interactive Sketchbook). Heather Clements, artist
“Each of us in this exhibition experienced sudden and radical change in our lives as a result of the power of Hurricane Helene,” Santore says. “This show gives a few of us the opportunity to share our work and our stories with anyone and everyone. I invite those that attend to feel the work and ask the artists not only about their work, but about who they are and how they were affected by Hurricane Helene. The possibility of genuine growth for all, no matter how small, is very real.”
A painter and a photographer, Santore will exhibit three black-and-white images he made in the days after the storm. “As a maker of images, whether they be paintings, drawings or photographings (I use the term photographing/s),” he says, “my work has been and will unquestionably be influenced by this hurricane.
My respect for the power of nature, and understanding of how tiny we really are, is now enlarged exponentially. And I feel the storm is a metaphor for our current social, economic and political conditions.”
Chadwick feels grateful to Pink Dog Creative for hosting the exhibition. “It’s a great gift to have an opportunity to share my work, feel seen and connect with the community again,” she says. “The work I’ve created for this show is a continuation of a theme I’ve returned to many times over the years: grassy fields that evoke a sense of serenity. There will be an abstract piece that’s a more direct processing of my feelings about the storm. Moving forward, I am drawn to moody landscapes with a lot of weather effects, most certainly influenced by Helene.”
RAD spirits are high as the District rebuilds, Faulkner says, but she hopes that the public will step up to support the entire Asheville community. “These events are so important to offer a gathering place for people to come together to share about their experiences after such a devastating event,” she says. “This is how we heal—together.” She will exhibit landscapes and botanical work during the show, with the addition of some abstract imagery incorporating soft light and translucency of color.
For all of the talk about resilience, says Chadwick, recovery takes time. “We are healing, each in our own way, at our own pace. Creativity, though, is ultimately unstoppable.”
Pink Dog Gallery is located at 348 Depot Street, in Asheville’s River Arts District. Learn more at PinkDog-Creative.com.
