Artsville Collective has initiated a new program, the Virtual Gallery of Artists (VGA), which provides an opportunity for exposure and career advancement for a cohort of nine WNC artists. Artsville Collective promotes the artists and provides an online platform for their sales opening in January and running through April. There are no fees to participate in the program and Artsville Collective takes no commissions—100 percent of proceeds go to the artist. “The goal is to show artists how to market their own work,” says Artsville Collective founder and director Louise Glickman. “We show them ‘how to fish’ on their own using Artsville’s marketing tools, such as virtual and pop-up exhibits, podcasts, educational discussions and events. Groups reflect the diversity of WNC artists with a range of backgrounds, ages, experience and mediums.”
The first cohort of artists in the Virtual Gallery include Amy Massey, Candice Hensley, Georgia Deal, Jean McLaughlin, Joseph Pearson, Max Cooper, Selene Plum, Wendy Newman and Elizabeth Walton. For Walton, the VGA has provided her with “community connections, education opportunities and a chance to share my work,” she says. “It seems to have a strong focus on bringing the artists together and offering education opportunities to aid in the development of our personal creative practices.”
Walton has a BFA in studio art from Appalachian State University with a concentration in metalsmithing and jewelry design. Her jewelry business is called Red Ren Jewelry. “The often slow yet consistent growth of nature into something magnificent inspires my process and informs the fresh yet familiar shapes of my elegant, hand-fabricated silver jewelry,” she says. “My work captures the essence of the wonder I experience in the outdoors of WNC.”
After a three-month run in the Virtual Gallery, nine additional artists will be selected for the program. The previous cohort has the opportunity to continue exhibiting in the Virtual Gallery for just $30 per month.
Learn more about the VGA artists in the Artsville Virtual Holiday Catalog, found on ArtsvilleUSA.com. Artists interested in the Virtual Gallery program can contact Meredith McBride for more information at mccoy.louisemcb@gmail.com or 828.216.8050.