![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Mars-Landing-Gallery-Interior.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mars Landing Galleries will celebrate its one-year anniversary on Saturday, July 23, from 2\u20138 p.m. in downtown Mars Hill. The celebration will feature the launch of a brand new NFT gallery, art demonstrations and workshops, live virtual reality painting, free NFTs, local food vendors, live music, ice cream by Meadowsweet Creamery and an art raffle benefiting the Madison County Community Housing Coalition.<\/p>\n
An NFT, or non-fungible token, is a cryptographic asset that can represent a piece of art. \u201cThe NFT Gallery can provide artists with innovative opportunities to display and sell their art to any and every audience beyond the region,\u201d says Miryam Rojas, founder and director of Mars Landing Galleries. \u201cAlso, the NFT Gallery will allow us to integrate with the burgeoning web3 communities and open doors to metaverse exhibitions for artists that are interested.\u201d The NFT Gallery at<\/p>\n
Mars Landing Galleries is led by virtual reality artist Alissa Christine, aka LUVRworldwide, as the NFT program director, who will be painting in virtual reality at the anniversary event.<\/p>\n
Rojas says the gallery\u2019s first successful year is directly correlated to \u201cthe caliber and variety of the artwork displayed\u201d at Mars Landing Galleries. \u201cThese are local artists creating art for art\u2019s sake, not for the traditional art market,\u201d she says. In its first year, Mars Landing has showcased and curated the work of 28 artists, facilitated art workshops and recently hosted the opening season reception for the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (SART). Upcoming solo shows will highlight abstract watercolorist Celia Reigle and mixed media artist Leah Waldo and a fundraising group show with the Saints of Paint for Madison County non-profits the Appalachian Barn Alliance (ABA) and SART.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like everyone to come out and celebrate our anniversary with us and feel welcome, be inspired, and spend time with good music, great art, fabulous ice cream, artists and art lovers,\u201d says Rojas.<\/p>\n