Glass blowing at the North Carolina Glass Center (Photo by Misha Schmiedecke)
River Arts District Fall Studio Stroll Welcomes Art Lovers November 12–13
By Gina Malone
Autumn in Asheville heralds the annual River Arts District (RAD) Fall Studio Stroll, when most of the more than 200 artists in the district open their studios to browsing art lovers all weekend long. This year’s Stroll will be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 12–13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The arts scene in the RAD has never been stronger,” says Wendy Whitson, a RAD studio landscape painter since 2002. She currently owns and works in NorthLight Studios at 357 Depot Street and has seen the Stroll evolve from a one-day-a-year event into the “current, biannual, two-day art party that it is.” (A Spring Studio Stroll is also held in May each year.) “The experience of meeting the artist,” she says, “learning about their process and seeing their workspace is a rare opportunity. It’s also an inspiration and an adventure.”
Wendy Whitson, artist
Jaime Lawrence of Sew What? by Jaime will experience her first Stroll, having opened her colorful studio a little over a month ago in Pink Dog Creative. “Being new to RAD,” she says, “I am so excited about the Studio Stroll. It is a great way to meet new people and share my creations.” Lawrence makes unique and vibrant appliqué pillows, bags and towels, among other things, and takes orders for custom home décor.
Shelley Schenker, owner of the newly opened Eco- Depot Marketplace, says artists there are also excited about their first Stroll, when “nearly 40 artists will be on hand to engage folks about their process and demonstrate their techniques.” She adds, “More than just a place to display their art, the artists view Eco-Depot as a community where we exchange ideas and collaborate on projects.”
Jaime Lawrence, artist
Nadine Charlsen, marketing chair for the River Arts District Association (RADA), calls the Strolls “happy weekends” and says that turnout, especially at the local level, is always good. “It’s a constantly changing area of creativity,” she says, and urges people who have attended before to come out again to see what’s new. A painter of watercolor urban landscapes, many of them local scenes, Charlsen has been in her studio at 310 Art at Riverview Station for two years. “There’s a lot of good art down here of every kind,” she says of the RAD.
As RADA members, artists contribute 15 percent of their Stroll sales to the association, which prints stroll guides and maintains a website as means of promoting the RAD and its artists.
Jonas Gerard of Jonas Gerard Fine Art is another longtime artist in the RAD, painting large abstracts and landscapes. He says he meets people from all over the country and even some from Europe at his two RAD locations during the Strolls. “People love to communicate directly with the artists,” he says, “which is why the art scene is such an important and vibrant aspect of Asheville.”
The weekend will include free trolleys with various stops in RAD as well as free parking throughout the district. Studio Stroll guides listing artists are widely available. The RADA will sponsor a non-perishable food drive to benefit Asheville’s MANNA FoodBank during the Stroll with a dozen collection sites throughout the district’s 22 buildings. For more information about the Fall Studio Stroll and the RAD in general, visit riverartsdistrict.com.
