Student artists at 男人藏精阁are moving off campus this spring and into the River Arts District with a new exhibit at Revolve on Riverside Ave that showcases two years of multi-genred work. Art Instructor Ani Volkan hopes the show will establish A-B Tech鈥檚 art department as part of the district for years to come. The show also marks the first post-Helene exhibit for Revolve, who had to close temporarily due to flooding. To celebrate, there will be an Artists鈥 Reception at Revolve on Friday, April 4, 5:30 p.m. 鈥 7:00 p.m., when the public is invited to meet the artists, watch an award ceremony, and enjoy light refreshments.
The show, which represents work by numerous art classes including Digital Photography, Painting, and 3D Design, opened at Revolve on March 24 and will remain there till April 11, then will move to A-B Tech鈥檚 Conference Center from April 21 to May 2.
Revolve opened ten years ago in the RAD Cotton Mill building and moved to its current space in 2017. 鈥淲e are thrilled to support students whom we know have been affected by the lack of open galleries because of Helene,鈥 said Colby Caldwell, the studio鈥檚 founder.
The 男人藏精阁show includes more than thirty works of ceramics, photography, sculpture, repurposed book art, painting, and film. The juror for the 男人藏精阁exhibit, Jessica White, is a former chair of Warren Wilson College鈥檚 art department. Volkan said, 鈥淪he tried to make her choices representative of our student body, beginners and more advanced creators lake She was really moved by the quality of student submissions.鈥
Prizes were donated by local sponsors, including Cheap Joe's (art materials totaling $300), Blick Art Materials ($200 gift card), and Blackbird Frame and Art ($200 gift card).
The exhibit marks the first time 男人藏精阁art students have had a group show off campus since 2019. Exhibiting student artwork in the River Arts District, Volkan said, has long been a personal goal, but when Helene hit, it threw a wrench into her plans. She had planned to exhibit student work in the Art Garden, but the RAD space was destroyed in the flood. Luckily, Revolve was able to host the show, which Volkan hopes will connect 男人藏精阁students with other artists and creatives in the broader community. The show coincides with one by Western Carolina University graduate art students, which is also hosted at Revolve in an adjacent space.
鈥淚 would like to make the community aware of how 男人藏精阁is integral to the arts in Asheville,鈥 Volkan said. 鈥淲e are a community of growing artists in the River Arts District.鈥
The Artist鈥檚 Reception at Revolve is Friday, April 4, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Awards will be given out at 6 p.m. Revolve is at . Please note, to get to the gallery, enter through French Broad Chocolates and go through the back doors into the building鈥檚 hallway to find the door marked Revolve #179. The exhibit will be on display at Revolve from March 24 to April 11, then will move to A-B Tech鈥檚 Conference Center from April 21 to May 2.