Student artists at A-B Tech 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’s 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’ Reception at Revolve on Friday, April 4, 5:30 p.m. – 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’s 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. “We are thrilled to support students whom we know have been affected by the lack of open galleries because of Helene,” said Colby Caldwell, the studio’s founder.
The A-B Tech show includes more than thirty works of ceramics, photography, sculpture, repurposed book art, painting, and film. The juror for the A-B Tech exhibit, Jessica White, is a former chair of Warren Wilson College’s art department. Volkan said, “She 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.”
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 A-B Tech 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 A-B Tech 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.
“I would like to make the community aware of how A-B Tech is integral to the arts in Asheville,” Volkan said. “We are a community of growing artists in the River Arts District.”
The Artist’s 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 821 Riverside Drive, #179, Ashville, NC, 28801. Please note, to get to the gallery, enter through French Broad Chocolates and go through the back doors into the building’s 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’s Conference Center from April 21 to May 2.