Gallery Gossip

• An artist has a lot of work to do if he or she responds to an invitation to submit a proposal for a work of art. First comes the idea, then a letter of intent, and then a detailed explanation of the proposal and its relevance. One’s résumé must be updated, and slides or digital images of work must be made. Usually there have to be at least three copies of everything—it’s a time-consuming and expensive commitment. But the City of Asheville Public Art Board’s recent call for proposals for a work of art for Pritchard Park has proved unusual. I know because I entered a proposal of my own. The Board gave a date by which artists would be notified whether their proposal had been accepted or rejected. That date came and went, and no word. Weeks after the announced date, SASEs were returned containing only the artists’ submitted images—no acceptance or rejection slip, no requisite thanks-for-entering memo. This lack of respect does not speak well for a city that promotes itself as a Mecca for artists. I recently called the Art Board office and was informed that, oddly, the decision-making panel had yet to meet.

• Some people just keep getting it right. Ceramist Rob Pulleyn has spearheaded an effort to provide beautiful and affordable studio space for artists and craftspeople in the old high school on Blanahassett Island in Marshall. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the project is the respect shown for the building’s importance to the generations of students who went to school there.

• Few things are easier to dismiss than computer art, but Lynette Miller has curated an exciting exhibit of digitally based works for the Upstairs Art Space in Tryon. The show will open in May and includes works by 13 artists.