(Photos by Misha Schmidecke)
There’s so much cooking in the River Arts District May 20–22 that they’ve labeled the weekend RADical Daze. Saturday and Sunday, May 21–22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, the twice-yearly River Arts District Studio Stroll invites the public to visit more than 180 working artists and learn more about their artistic process through demonstrations and hands-on workshops.
“Studio Stroll is the perfect time to experience the full effect of a truly unique neighborhood of working artist studios, meet the artists, and directly support the local economy thru the purchase of their work,” says Lori Theriault of The Village Potters. For more information, visit riverartsdistrict.com.
This will be the first Stroll for Eco- Depot Marketplace—located at 408 Depot Street—a new space of booth displays and workspaces for artists, all of whom have an ecologically informed aspect to their art. What moves an artist to create? Eight artists of Riverside Studios (174 W. Haywood Street) explore this topic in the exhibit Inspirations: The Artist’s View.
A preview party will take place on Friday, May 20, from 5–8 p.m. Artwork is accompanied by thoughts and quotes behind each piece. The exhibit runs through June 17. From May 20–22, Burners & Barbecue is an all-day opportunity for the public to watch more than 50 mural artists from around the country create Asheville’s largest mural on Asheville Waste Paper Company’s warehouse at 304 Lyman Street.
Frank Kracher, of WLOS, says, “‘Burners’ is a graffiti reference to a more elaborate piece with colors that burn out of the surface.” Mural artist Ian Wilkinson says the mission of this event is to bring color to walls where there is none. At previous Burners & Barbecue events, artists created the western mural on the side of the Odditorium and the mural at Skylanes based on bowling and the film The Big Lebowski.
Crowdfunding efforts are currently taking place to fund this project. Visit youcaring.com and search “Burners & Barbecue” for more information. The Foundation Spot—located behind Riverview Station in the emerging Foundation Studios—is a skateable sculpture park built by volunteers. Rounding out the trio of events for RADical Daze is the Foundation Hellraiser on May 21–22, from noon to 8 p.m., cohosted by The Asheville Skate Foundation and Arts 2 People. The event features music, food trucks, and beer concessions. Everyone is welcome to hang out or skate. Funds raised from beer support the Spot’s annual insurance policy and new ramps.
