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May 25-26, 2013 (Memorial Day Wkend)
10 AM-5 PM
More than 20 artists open their studios on Memorial Day Weekend at 11 locations in the Kenilworth neighborhood near downtown Asheville and Biltmore. The free, self-guided tour is fun for both the serious art buyer or the casual browser.
Since its inception in 2008, the Kenilworth Artists Association tours have brought thousands of art lovers to the historic neighborhood.
The tour includes artists working in a wide range of media, including five painters offering works in oil, watercolor and acrylic. Other media featured are jewelry, pottery, ceramic tile, glass beads, furniture, mixed- media, photography, paper, turned wooden bowls, wooden flutes, and collage. Artists’ ages range from 14 to 92.
This year’s tour features four artist husband-and-wife couples, including two who collaborate with each other to create their art. Edward Bent, also known as Red Ute, was born on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation of Colorado. His interest in flutes began at age 7 when he was drawn to the captivating sound of the instruments that were being made by the Elders in his tribe. Now 92, he divides his time between making flutes and getting kidney dialysis treatments several times each week. He courted now-wife Diane Box in 1990, recalls the first time Red Ute played the flute for her at a celebration at Ute Park in Colorado. "All of the folding chairs had been taken away except the one I was sitting on. Red Ute came over and played his flute just for me. A Ute woman walked by and remarked, 'Eddie is trying to get himself a wife!'" It worked, and now Diane’s elaborate Plains Indian-style beadwork is often included on Edward’s flutes.
Ann and Sandy Batton are another husband-and-wife team, operating a busy pottery business out of their home while raising two children. Being lovers of nature, the Battons produce forms that are based on the organic shapes that surround them. Customers, friends and art lovers alike frequently comment on the "Dr. Seuss" or "Alice in Wonderland" aspect of their work. Other neighborhood artist couples are Diana Gillispie [ceramic tiles] and Michael Robinson [oil paintings] at Asheville Tileworks and Kathie [pottery] and Robert Kline [turned wooden bowls] at Centerpoint Studios.
The Kenilworth Art Studio Tour is planned by participating artists and sponsored by local businesses. For the first time, three visiting artists have been invited to share studio exhibition space with Kenilworth artists: potter Robin Kirby of Saluda; jeweler Christie Calaycay, of West Asheville; and photographer/poet Tracey Schmidt of Weaverville.
Visitors to the Studio Tour may also want to stop for lunch at the Art Café at the Kenilworth Presbyterian Church from noon through 3pm each day, where residents snacks and lunches will be offered. Proceeds will benefit the Kenilworth Residents Association. Also featured at the Art Café will be examples of artist’s work and tour brochures. Café menus will be available at each artist studio.
Studio maps are available at area art galleries, retail stores, hotels, and tourist information sites. A tour map and brochure can be downloaded at kenilworthartists.org.
Now a tradition with Kenilworth Artists, each artist will donate 5% of sales to Loving Foods Resources, the Kenilworth-based charity that provides basic necessities to people living with HIV/AIDS.
See more great Art Events & Festivals.
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