Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Guerilla Girls, Spiegelman and Ringgold to visit Asheville

Influential artists will visit Asheville over the next year in a series of workshops, discussions and films, the Asheville Art Museum announced Friday night. The artists will come to Asheville as part of the smArt Speak Distinguished Artist Series, museum Executive Director Pam Myers told a group gathered in a room on the museum’s third floor for the special announcement.

The artists are: The Guerilla Girls (pictured), a group of women artists who create posters, stickers, books and more to expose sexism and racism; Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator Art Spiegelman, the creator of the graphic novel Maus, a story about the Holocaust, and In the Shadow of No Towers, a story about his personal experience during the 9/11 terrorist attacks; artist Faith Ringgold, an African-American painter, textile artist and illustrator; and Christo and Jean Claude, a couple whose works of environmental sculpture include erecting 7,503 gates adorned with saffron-colored cloth in New York City’s Central Park.

The museum’s goal was to choose artists that would engage the community and raise the level of discourse about the arts in Asheville, Myers said. The series will also help the museum celebrate its 60th anniversary this year, she added.

The Guerilla Girls are up first with a 7 p.m. event March 31 at Asheville Community Theatre. Spiegelman will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Ringgold’s event is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Diana Wortham Theatre. And Christo and Jeanne-Claude have an event scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 5, 2009. Visit www.ashevilleart.org for more information about the events and the programs associated with them.

The MetLife Foundation and its Museums and Community Connections program awarded the museum a $60,000 grant to help make the artist series possible. Buncombe County Public Libraries worked with the museum in obtaining the grant, with the museum and local libraries serving as locations for the events. UNCA and Asheville School are also partners in the project, with Renaissance Asheville Hotel, Haywood Park Hotel, Malaprop’s Bookstore and Fugazy Travel offering in-kind contributions.

— Jason Sandford, multimedia editor

 

 

 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Guerilla Girls, Spiegelman and Ringgold to visit Asheville

  1. lunchbox

    I can’t wait for Spiegelman, this guy created the best (in my humble opinion) graphic novel ever. He did it AT THE HEIGHT OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL AS to say the least. The fact that he, along with these other intriguing artists are coming to Asheville is a milestone. I hope that it will be a kick in the pants for the local arts community. Not that they really need it.
    I just loved Maus, and will therefore give equal respect to all who are associated with this project. How do I sign up? This is more exciting than when Claypool first came to this town. Which is now a commonplace event. HeHeHeeee! Read Maus then come see this guy.

    PS plus the Gates in the park people? This is a great announcement, one of my regrets in life is that I did not see this piece first hand when I had the chance

    Kudos for whoever put this together.

    -LB

  2. I can’t wait for Spiegelman, either. I met him last year, and he is the sweetest, smartest, funniest man! He’s married to Francoise Mouly, also an incredible person. She’s worked as an art director for the New Yorker, co-founded RAW, and is responsible for the existence of all those Little Lit books. They both rock.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.