More storefronts for artists please!

Artist Paul Hayes has created a paper mobile, "Giant Ghosts" in an empty storefront at 989 Market St. in San Francisco.

Photo: Lance Iversen / The Chronicle

I really like the idea of artists using vacant storefronts as a space for public art installations. This has been happening in many cities. Two examples of this are: San Francisco and Toronto. It seems like such an ideal response to the recession -- providing a forum for artists, and benefitting property owners by attracting people to the site and deterring crime. For a more in-depth look at this phenomenon read this NyTimes article by Diane Cardwell

In Asheville, unfortunately, I haven't seen any of this though I have seen some empty store fronts and I have seen some creative window displays for retail shops. One of the most notable is the holiday window display at The Honey Pot by Tara Jensen who regularly creates mixed media installations. Check it out next time you're on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville.

Holiday head used on a mannequin for The Honey Pot display by Tara Jensen