What used to be the entire Asheville Art Museum is now but its north wing. That’s because 7,000 square feet of new exhibition space (formerly occupied by the Health Adventure) now forms the east wing. It’s a massive expansion for the museum and it’s set to open to the public on March 23, with an artistic barrage that covers almost every part of the museum, including the bathroom. Check out the sculpture that artist Hoss Haley made from recycled washing machines, pictured here.
The museum is calling its interim expansion Art works PRIMED, and it includes the New Media Gallery and several others. Its first show, Prime Time: New Media Juried Exhibition, was curated by Lorraine Walsh, Steven Matijcio and AAM’s Nancy Sokolove.
The Artworks project space will house site-specific installations, the first of which is by Hoss Haley. (He designed the Pack Square fountain and the arbor-pergola further down the hill.) Fire on the Mountain: Studio Glass in Western North Carolina, also in the East Wing, portrays the rise of the glass works in WNC.
Several shows open up in the in the museum’s North Wing. Ancient Forms, Modern Minds: Contemporary Cherokee Ceramics, Ennead Architects: Design Process and The Essential Idea: Robert Motherwell’s Graphic Works all open Friday night.
The public is invited to a launch party for Art works PRIMED on Friday, March 23 from 7:30 to 11 p.m. $5 for non-members. Or come to the free Family Day and Grand Opening on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. More at ashevilleart.org.
