Holiday Market Shopping Extravaganza!!!!

The Asheville Art Museum hosts its annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza! in the Pack Place Community Gallery (Pack Place off Biltmore Ave.) from November 17th to the 20th.

I was lucky enough to peruse the wares early today and I have to say that I will have a difficult time not buying everything....so many goodies....

But, I will just let the pictures talk. Most of the wares are handmade by local artists and thus, one of a kind! Buy local and artsy this holiday season and make your friends and loved ones think you are the best gift giver in the world.

Plus, an extra bonus- Museum Members get 20% off on Friday November 20th. That means on everything that you purchase at the Market! Not a Member? You should join! Not only do you get the discount but you get to visit the Museum for free at any time during the year and take part in our great film screenings, artist lectures, curatorial talks....etc. Fun, exciting, and free!

Handmade journals and calendars, homemade soaps and teas, ornaments, gorgeous jewelry, hand knit scarves, holiday cards....

Four of our region's talented authors will be signing books during the Market!

Tim Barnwell, Sue Millions, Anna Fariello, and Andrea Clark

Cider, craft demos, cocktails, cookies...And you can get it all gift wrapped on the spot by our fantastic volunteers!

Student Group Tour FUNDING Opportunity!

Attention ALL Western North Carolina Educators.....

We understand the rising cost of gas, the search for volunteer chaperones, the organizing of snacks and lunches and the fight for funding are often very strong obstacles against planning a field trip for your students. However, we here at the Museum also understand the awe of standing in front of the majestic Kenneth Noland painting, of walking around a Ruth Asawa wire sculpture, of being close to a Jasper Johns print, or of walking under a massive Gillespie aluminum sculpture. More importantly, we have also seen the benefits of a day learning outside of the classroom, we have been humbled by how students react to art in their own way, we have been surprised by a student's first encounter with an elevator, and we have been shocked by a student's interpretation of their own art piece.

Thus....it is the Asheville Art Museum's pleasure to share with all educators (parents, coaches, tutors, friends, etc.- pass the news on) this remarkable funding opportunity to make your visit to the Asheville Art Museum easier to plan, staff, organize, and execute.

Target offers educational funding through its Field Trip Grants. Educators can apply for a grant for up to $800 to get out and explore the world with your students! Bring your group to the Asheville Art Museum and have your bus, admission, personalized tour with a qualified Museum docent and even your lunch paid for!

Apply soon- the grant application period closes on November 3rd, 2009.

And check out the Asheville Art Museum's Group Tours. We can personalize them to fit whatever your class is learning about. Plus, students spend time in the studio for a hands on activity. Your students can do printmaking, painting, drawing, crayon resist, sculpture work, and more.. Get them learning about art with an interesting and adventurous trip to the Asheville Art Museum! And you can do it for FREE but you must apply in the Next SIX days!

Herb and Dorothy

Special Film Screening!

Thursday, October 29th at 7pm.

For one night only the Asheville Art Museum presents a special screening for all art lovers and collectors of anything.... at the Fine Arts Theater, downtown Asheville.

Herb and Dorothy Vogel are two middle class workers who live in New York City in a one bedroom apartment stuffed with furniture and appliances, turtles and cats, and oh.. yeah...one of the most interesting collections of Contemporary Art in the City.

Year by year, they collected, piece by piece, their love of art propelling them forward without regard to monetary wealth, popular fashion, or artistic fame. Many of their pieces were acquired before an artist became famous, and thus, they amassed an incredibly rich, varied, and fascinating collection, all within modest means- and with serious space constraints.

The film mixes artist interviews with time spent with the Vogel's themselves. They are charming and affable, humbling and real. They are the reason institutions like the Asheville Art Museum are so important; their genuine passion for art reminds us of our responsibility to collect, preserve, and educate our community about the inspiring power of art in all aspects of our lives!

The film has inspired many so far, and it has become a catalyst for conversation about art, collecting, individual passions, creative outlets, inspiring hobbies, the balance of work and play, and so much more!

Bring a friend to this special ONE night opportunity and have your own conversation inspired by Herb and Dorothy Vogel. Where will it lead you?

Here is the official site.

Get your Advance Tickets by contacting the Asheville Art Museum!

Curl up with a good book!

It is chilly and raining here. ALL DAY. As I look out my window I see people huddled against each other, walking through downtown Asheville, fighting with their umbrellas, and I shudder.

But, do not despair my good readers. Today is the day I venture back into Kurt Vonnegut's strange and deliriously glorious stories as I hold in my hand his novel- Bluebeard. In it, Vonnegut tells the tale of fictional Abstract Expressionist painter Rabo Karabekian who first appeared in Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, which also happens to be the last book I read of his.

Vonnegut's book takes it's name from Charles Perrault's Bluebeard, published in 1697. Perrault is the French author whose work led to the 'fairy tale' genre. Although the Brothers Grimm (or Disney) often get much of the credit from us today for those classic fairy tales, Perrault wrote earlier versions of the fairy tales we all love and cherish like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots.... And, of course, Perrault himself was 'inspired' by earlier folk tales.

Knowing all of this, imagine what Vonnegut can do with a story he wrote that was inspired, although very roughly, by Perrault, the man of 'fairy tales'.

Just listen to Rabo Karabekian, as he says in the beginning of the book: "I promised you an autobiography, but something went wrong in the kitchen..."

I can't help but be excited for the chilly, rainy weather so I can curl up with this fun read.

Join the Asheville Art Museum's book group Discussion Bound as they discuss this farcical delight! Kurt Vonnegut at his finest. November 10th from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free with Membership or Museum Admission.

You can read Perrault's Bluebeard story here. Try to find his moral in Vonnegut's book?!

And if you need to know more about Vonnegut himself: The official site.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VONNEGUT BOOK? COMMENT HERE!

ART: 21 Film Screenings at the Museum!

ART:21 is this weekend!

I am very fortunate to work in an art environment, but film is one of my passions! Mix in the integrity of PBS programming, and this weekend is sure to inspire, enlighten, and entertain all of us at the Museum with the screening of two of the four new films from the PBS series on contemporary art- ART:21. Join us as we watch the films and then discuss after. Don't take my word for it though- watch these 'teasers' to get really excited! See you there.

Episode 1: Compassion will be screened on Saturday; Compassion features artists including William Kentridge, Doris Salcedo and Carrie Mae Weems.



Episode 4: Systems will be screened on Sunday. Systems features John Baldessari, Kimsooja, Allan McCollum and Julie Mehretu.

Discovering the Art Museum's Collection

Last week we discussed the different ways in which people collect. The Asheville Art Museum collects American Art from the 20th and 21st centuries with a focus on the Southeast and WNC. The Art Museum can only show 3% of its collection in the permanent collection galleries at any one time. Currently, their are two shows up that focus on the permanent collection but this still only means that you can see under 10% of it in person at one time. With over 2,000 pieces in the permanent collection- not including around 5,000 architectural drawings- the Permanent Collection can be is a vast-if not daunting- resources. However, it need not be unattainable.

Here at the Museum, we are trying to give you more avenues in which to discover the art of the Permanent Collection. The Permanent Collection is of monumental importance to the Museum. It is, in a way, its greatest asset for it gives the Museum a focus, collecting boundaries, and of course, a reputation. It informs all aspects of its educational programming, its exhibition organization, and its fundraising goals.

This week, we have started a project called- Work of the Week - where one work from the Permanent Collection is the focus. What is it, who did it, how did we get it, does it glow in the dark? All of your questions will be answered here at

http://www.ashevilleart.org/Announcements/Work-of-the-Week.html

Now, you can access a large chunk of the collection by first- visiting us- and second- by looking at our online catalog.
http://www.ashevilleart.org/How-to-Use-the-Collection.html
It is fun!

As a regular Museum patron, I want to share with you one of my favorite pieces from the collection-

Garage and Trailer, Cherokee, North Carolina

Photograph by Cathryn Griffin

This image was purchased with funds provided by the Asheville Citizen Times in 1999. Griffin uses her beautiful talent to juxtaposes two very different buildings within one frame . By doing this, she comments on the geographic differences of 'place' that inform how we live and who we are. Human nature told through placement!

Visit our Permanent Collection site and tell me what piece strikes you. COMMENT below! (and link if you can so we can all see it!)

The Art of Collecting

As we open our newest exhibition on the Museum's permanent collection- Looking Forward: New Works and New Directions for the Permanent Collection, I cannot help but think about the Art of Collecting. We all collect things in our own way- whether it is photographs of loved ones, coffee cups, stamps, shoes, furniture, etc. I collected erasers when I was a child and then postcards when a teenager. Today, I collect recipes, jam bands, indie movies, and Buffy comics.

Tell us about what you collect by commenting below....

I am struck by all of the great programs that the Museum has to offer in an effort to share its expertise about art collecting with the public. The Museum's permanent collection is its greatest asset. It gives the Museum boundaries; it guides its focus in not only acquiring works of art so that it can be a responsible art steward to the community, but also to provide guidance in its educational, programming, research, development, etc. endeavors (pretty much everything). In this way, the Museum can become (and is) a very important, interesting, and enlightening resource for all of us to use.

Explore all that the Museum has to give in order to educate you about its collection and collecting in general! Now is a great time to do so.

1. Two great exhibitions that traverse the Museum's Permanent Collection and make it digestible for you!
Looking Back: Celebrating 60 Years of Collecting at the Asheville Art Museum
Looking Forward: New Works and New Directions for the Permanent Collection

2. Learn about these exhibitions with personal tours with our Curatorial or Education Staff!
Art Break, Looking Forward: New Works and New Directions for the Permanent Collection- 12-1pm- September 25th
Art Break, Looking Forward and Looking Back — Together- 12-1pm- November 6th

3. Join our NEW monthly book discussions as we read and discuss books that relate to artwork in our galleries. Fall is all about collecting!
I Bought Andy Warhol, Richard Polsky- October 13th
Bluebeard: A Novel, Kurt Vonnegut- November 10th
Collections of Nothing, William Davies King- December 8th

4. Watch a film!
Who the #$%! is Jackson Pollock? 2pm September 26 &27 Herb and Dorothy-7pm October 29- Fine Arts Theatre, Downtown Asheville
The Collector: Allan Stone's Life in Art- February 2010

5. Join one of the Collectors Groups
The Collectors Circle
Art NouVeaux

Image- Art NouVeaux at Tim Barnwell's studio- look at the rest on myspace http://www.myspace.com/ashevilleartmuseum

WHAT DO YOU COLLECT? COMMENT BELOW.