Bower Power mural by Lara Nguyen. Photo courtesy of AAAC
Local Artists Celebrate with Holiday Open House and Handmade Market
The Refinery Creator Space in Asheville’s South Slope will host a holiday open house and handmade market on Saturday, December 10, from 12–6 p.m. The event will feature open studios from local artists and organizations such as Asheville Makers, Local Cloth and Asheville Darkroom. The market will also offer handmade wares for sale as well as artist demonstrations.
“I think this event will be a great opportunity for the community to see what the many artists and groups in The Refinery are doing, as well as to find some unique holiday gifts,” says Steve Altemeier, president of the Asheville Makers’ board of directors. “And of course, it is also an opportunity for people to support local artists and craftspeople and learn about opportunities to expand their own skill sets by utilizing some of the open studios in The Refinery.”
Following the open house and market, one of The Refinery’s resident organizations called The Bright Angle will celebrate their grand opening by whipping up some pizzas from their hand-built kiln from 6–9 p.m.
“We will have ceramic cups from our studio to drink from and plenty of handmade porcelain gifts for the holiday season,” says founder and owner of The Bright Angle, Nick Moen, who conceived the event. “We are open by appointment only so that we can stay focused on design and production, and we usually work behind closed doors. We have made objects meant to catalyze conversation and be used, so we look forward to putting our products to use and to sharing the experience with the public.”
As the event approaches, the local artists participating are getting more and more excited. “As an independent maker it feels really relevant to collaborate with other makers/artists/designers to help promote our creative endeavors,” says Erica Stankwytch Bailey, a collaborating artist at The Refinery and a member of the Asheville Area Arts Council. “Being surrounded by myriad creative professionals has me inspired to achieve more, be more, make more and fully own my life as a creative entrepreneur. Hopefully the holiday market will help spread the word about all of the amazing things that are happening here.”
The Refinery Creator Space is located at 207 Coxe Avenue. The event and exhibitions are free and the kilncooked pizza is donation-based. For more information, visit ashevillearts.com.
