By Kristen Edge
One year ago, we had just lost our studio and gallery in the River Arts District (RAD). Many in our region were experiencing far greater loss from Hurricane Helene, and the grief was immense. This anniversary brought with it a collective remembering of all that was lost—but just as strongly, a remembering of how our community showed up for each other. That support still feels palpable today.
After losing our studio, we were given an unexpected gift: a community member who had taken our classes in the RAD offered to share her studio and showroom space with ArtPlay. I am deeply grateful to interior designer Courtney Hinton, of Hearth & Home Interiors, who so graciously and immediately welcomed us into her beautiful historic studio in Chestnut Hill. Her generosity gave us a place to gather, to create and to host uplifting community events at a time when people needed connection more than ever. Kindness like that leaves a lasting imprint that carries forward.
Silver House. Miranda Wildman, artist
When we gather to create, we don’t just make art—we build connections and community. Creativity helps us move beyond what feels heavy. Through colors, textures, gestures, images and symbols, we can express what words alone cannot hold. These shared languages of art have always been with us as human beings, and when practiced in a space of support, they weave together a kind of collective web of resilience.
As we move forward, continuing to rebuild as an entire arts community, it is my intention to keep nurturing that spirit of resilience and connection through art-making. We have a new opportunity called Creative Community Studio, where folks gather three times a month to connect and to work on their own creative projects. We also have a class called ColorScapes: The Joy of Acrylic Painting Workshop on Saturday, October 4, led by local artist Tania Dirks, and on Saturday, October 11, local fiber artist Katie Knorovsky presents Woven Windows: Round Weaving Workshop.
We are also excited to be able to again support the second annual Light the Night Lantern Walk in the RAD, which will occur near the winter solstice. Leading up to this event and the holidays, we’ll host a special event on Saturday, November 29, where people will gather to create handmade lanterns in celebration of the light of community and the spirit of hope. This workshop will again be led by local artist Liberty Hanson Wild, creator of Light the Night AVL.
A giant thank you goes out from all of us at ArtPlay to the Asheville community, Arts AVL and the River Arts District Association. Your resilience, grit, resourcefulness and fierce love have carried so many of us through this past year—and continue to lift us all up as we rebuild and recreate a new, beautiful and even stronger, more resilient version of our collective home as an arts community.
“ArtPlay is the community I secretly yearned for, but never knew existed in Asheville—or anywhere for that matter,” says community studio member Jessica Canaday. “You don’t have to be a professional artist to be accepted and beginners are not only welcomed—they are valued.”
Kristen Edge is the founder of ArtPlay, located at 53 Orange Street, Asheville. Learn more and register for classes at ArtPlay-Studio.com.
