Like many other spaces in the River Arts District, ArtPlay Studio & Gallery was flooded and destroyed during Helene, but hope is on the horizon with a new location and a busy calendar of classes. “Our hearts ache for the unimaginable amount of loss in our area,” says ArtPlay founder and owner Kristen Edge. “With so much devastation, it’s hard to know where and how to begin again. We are doing what we can to try and uplift people as we navigate what’s next, and to provide opportunities for them to be together again in community.”
ArtPlay has found a new temporary space in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood just across from Asheville Yoga, where it will host classes on the weekends and show gallery art by appointment. It was important to Edge to reopen as soon as possible not only to provide support for the artists represented by ArtPlay’s gallery but also to serve an important need for her customers. “I’ve been told by some of our customers that ArtPlay was their ‘third place,’ a space other than home or work where people can go to connect over a shared interest and be themselves,” says Edge. “That feels spot on.”
Edge also hopes that offering art classes will help to attract visitors back to Asheville. “Eventually we plan to move back to the River Arts District, but I am so grateful we have a wonderful space for this moment, that will greatly help us as we recover, and return to being a third place and a spot for visitors to try their hand at some art-making,” she says.
ArtPlay will welcome folks into its new space with an Open House on Sunday, December 8, from 2–6 p.m. The event will feature cider, hot chocolate and a poignant art opportunity for visitors to make lanterns in support of Light the Night AVL, a project by gallery artist Liberty Hanson Wild. On Saturday, December 21, the night of Winter Solstice, there will be a community Lantern Walk in the River Arts District to symbolize the power of hope and community during the shortest day of light.
“[Visitors can create] a beautiful lantern using simple materials like tissue, and natural items such as twigs, branches and leaves—elements readily available in the wake of Hurricane Helene, symbolizing strength through renewal,” says Hanson Wild. “Light the Night AVL offers a simple, heartfelt way for Asheville to gather in unity and resilience.”
“People are yearning to be together right now,” says Edge, “and we want them to know that is our intention to gather at our new space in the spirit of hope, resilience and community as we heal and imagine the way forward together in our arts community.”
ArtPlay will host classes and gallery art beginning in December at 53 Orange Street, Asheville. Follow ArtPlay on Instagram (artplaystudionc) and artist Liberty Hanson Wild on Instagram (liberty_wild_art) to learn more about Light the Night AVL.
