Yellow Brick Road. Dawn Rentz, artist
The Asheville Area Arts Council (AAAC) is excited to announce Pioneer Women Painters of the River District, a new exhibit from curator Sara Ledonne, on display from August 3–29 in The Refinery Creator Space. A curator’s talk will be held at the opening reception on Friday, August 3, from 5–8 p.m.
“The River Arts District has undergone a transformation over the last 30 years,” says AAAC programs manager Mamie Fain. “It’s exciting for the community to experience a little bit of its history.”
The group exhibit highlights five mid-90’s Warehouse Studio artists: Betty Clark, Barbara Fisher, Mary Charles “Charlie” Griffin, Marie Hudson and Dawn Rentz. The women were among the first artists scattered in the old buildings of the area known then only as the River District. This exhibit aims to recreate the experience of discovering this artistic hot bed and to pay homage to those early Asheville pioneer women painters.
“I think it is important for the current flourishing arts community to recognize that the River Arts District did not appear overnight,” says Ledonne. “It was a growing, evolving group of artists that were dedicated to their craft and to developing an arts community more than 20 years ago.”
Ledonne describes the women’s abstract works as wild, energetic and extraordinarily thought-provoking. Their huge canvases depict dark and mysterious inner worlds and wide open, empty, internal landscapes.
The Refinery Creator Space is located at 207 Coxe Avenue, Asheville. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more at ashevillearts.com
