Art on a cart has grown up

I've written about The Easel Rider before, but this UNC-TV video has really affirmed my faith in this program. Funded with city dollars, the Easel Rider requires less resources to operate and can potentially provide greater outreach than traditional "recreation center" programs.

Another innovative aspect is that the Easel Rider can accommodate a variety of artists and media thanks to the help of new media artists Mark Koven and Gene Felice who outfitted the van with some state of the art digital electronic equipment.

I'm not sure how many other cities in the US have implemented programs similar to Easel Rider, but I hope people can look to this production as an example of inspired and resourceful city spending.

If you are an artist/writer/performer who would like an opportunity to utilize the Easel Rider, follow this link for more information

Artist Profile: Libby O'Bryan

I had the pleasure of meeting Libby O'Bryan when I wrote this article for Verve Magazine. O'Bryan is one of several artists featured in the Out of Fashion exhibit currently on display at SECCA in Winston Salem.

On the opening night of the exhibit, Out of Fashion, O’Bryan performed a piece called “Sewed In,” during which she literally sewed herself up. Sitting inside a bubble of fabric with her sewing machine, she sewed furiously until the bubble collapsed and the material clung to her like a second skin. She ended her performance by breaking out of the wrap, but the performance brought to mind images of suffocation and horrific sweatshops. “I do get a little panicky when I’m in there,“ O’Bryan admits.

“Sewed In” was one of several performance pieces O’Bryan developed as a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago starting in 2008. It’s a way to illustrate, as she puts it, “a physical manifestation of what the sewing machine and I do together.” Like O’Bryan’s other large-scale conceptual performance pieces, “Sewed In” explores the way individuals are implicated in the socio-political and manufactured worlds around them.

Read more: Sew Cool, Verve Magazine December 2011

ReMade by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski, an internationally known artist who lives in Asheville, is currently involved with a project I find interesting due to it's alternative economic-based format. Lubelski's ReMade Project is part of The Present Group Art Subscription Service which creates limited editions of original artwork by reputable artists. Subscribers to the service receive artwork while funding contemporary art projects. A yearly subscription of $150, for example, gives a patron three limited edition art pieces.

For the project, Lubelski has used a scan of one of her original stained and stitched "paintings" and converted it into computer code so that it could be reproduced en masse by an industrial sewing machine. As she explains in a video she made, the glitches and odd ways the machine interpreted her code contributes to the interest of the manufactured pieces (pictured above.)

To see Lubelski explain her art and the project visit: http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/remade

www.navalubelski.com to see more work.

Locally made art canvases

Gary Grubbs has been supplying artists with his handmade canvases for over 25 years. A Black Mountain resident, Grubbs's business is quite modest. I can't give you his email address or a website because he doesn't have one. When I told him I wanted to write about him for my blog I think he was a little confused as to what a blog is.


Gary's been making my canvases since 2004. I seek out his services when I need something really large, or a customized size, or if I just need canvases in general. I haven't been able to find better quality canvases for the price he sells his at. For example, Grubbs charges $15 for a 18" x 14" x 1.5" canvas. You might be able to find that size at a lower price but it won't have the thick edges, or the handmade quality that brings heart and soul to each piece. Gary can also make the depth of each canvas any size an artist needs. He told me some people get canvases made up to 8" deep.

Gary is not an artist himself and he came into the business by accident. "I was building a staircase for a woman who taught art and she asked me how she could make canvases for her students," he told me. He went ahead and prepared the canvases for her, and realized he had discovered his niche, saying "I'm glad I did, because it's been keeping me alive for the last 25 years."

There are several people around town who make custom canvases for artists. One is Mark Schieferstein, an accomplished painter. Another is Douglas Stewart of Asheville Fine Art Services. In the event you need canvases at a really short notice, I recommend you pop into True Blue Art Supply in downtown Asheville. They frequently run sales on their inventory, and you can always find a good bargain there.

ART & WORK

1961 – Piero Manzoni cans his own shit and sells it for its weight in gold

Since writing Self Portrait with Food Stamps I've been having great discussions with local artists on such issues involving the pricing of art and raising the bar on Asheville's contemporary art scene. The latter seems take precedence to many. While there are a few good contemporary art galleries in Asheville, I would still like to see Asheville evolve into a contemporary arts destination. The time has come for artists to join forces, take over spaces and make it happen!

Art is not just about the objects we make anymore. It is about the way we approach our lives, the connections we make, and the change we manifest through our creative work. It's about incorporating new and old technologies, being innovative and thinking outside the institutional art world box.

Bridget Elmer, a local printmaker, bookmaker and conceptual artist, recently introduced me to a newspaper called ART WORK that deals explicitly with economic issues facing artists. The writings are culled from art critics, artists, curators and the paper advocates a national conversation about art, labor and economics. The website to visit is www.artandwork.us

Hopefully we can get some papers distributed around town to excite people about these topics. (Granted, some of the writing is quite dense, but on a rainy day it makes a good read.)

Here's an article I enjoyed about the history of economic art: Selected Moments in the History of Economic Art

Self Portrait with Food Stamps

Starving Artist by Luke Ramsey

I wrote Self Portrait with Food Stamps to draw attention to the fact that many people want to market Asheville as as arts destination without knowing all that's involved with surviving economically as an artist (or musician.) It isn't as easy as it looks!
The comments that have appeared thus far on the website are quite interesting.

Reactionary:

"I (taxpayer) should not have to pay for you to fingerpaint and play with clay."

Angry:

"Personally I’m sick of Asheville and as soon as I see a good chance to split..I’m taking it. Asheville has been a curse to me ever since I arrived over 10 years ago. I say cut your losses and run to every artist I see."

Enlightening:

For visual arts especially, we need a good independent upscale auction house that draws agents and collectors (not just tourists) so that Asheville’s artists can more efficiently enhance their reputation and reach a wider audience—an audience with deep pockets.

Personal:

We work odd jobs all year round and eat a lot of rice and beans, rarely go out to hear music or see theater (sadly). 95% of our sales are from out of state. In the summer a lot of money flows in, but then it flows out quickly on materials and travel expenses to sell at shows.

Please feel free to join in the discussion!

Additionally, Asheville will be holding it's first Creative Summit on March 16th and 17th to determine what Asheville needs to grow as a viable city for working artists.
Independent artists, performers, and creatives are invited to share suggestions and insights 5:30-8:30 at the Masonic Temple Wednesday March 16th.
Check www.ashevillearts.com for more information

Local businesses & the art scene

Encaustics by Georgia Smith are currently on display at the Early Girl Eatery on Wall Street

Paintings by Dustin Spagnola hang at Arcade Asheville

I've said it before and I'll say it again: some of the more interesting art in Asheville can be found in the restaurants, bookstores, record shops, clothing boutiques and hair salons of this town. It makes sense since business owners don't need to rely on art sales to keep their business afloat.

It's true such places can't get too overly extreme with the work they show since they often need to maintain a level of family-friendliness or appetite stimulation. Nevertheless, the contribution these venues make to Asheville's art scene is vital.
Maybe an "alt art venue" map could be drawn up to distribute to tourists this summer!
Here's a list of local businesses, in no particular order, that consistently display interesting art.

Harvest Records http://www.harvest-records.com/

Downtown Books and News http://www.myspace.com/downtownbooksandnews

PUSH Skate Shop http://www.pushtoyproject.com/
Clingman Cafe http://www.clingmancafe.com/

Bobo Bar and Gallery http://www.bobogallery.com/
Short Street Cakes http://www.shortstreetcakes.com/
Early Girl Eatery http://earlygirleatery.com/
The Over Easy http://www.yelp.com/biz/over-easy-cafe-asheville
Eclipse Salon http://eclipseasheville.com/

Wink Salon http://www.ilovewink.com/
Ananda Hair Studio http://www.anandahair.com/

Blitzkrieg Games http://www.blitzkrieggames.com/
Hip Replacements Clothing Boutique http://hipreplacementsclothing.blogspot.com/
Izzy's Coffee Den http://izzyscoffeeden.com/
True Blue Art http://trueblueartsupply.com/

Arcade Asheville http://www.arcadeasheville.com/
Rosetta's Kitchen http://rosettaskitchen.com/

Tod's Tasties http://todstasties.com/

It's hard to remember everyone! Let me know who I'm leaving out.