Press release from Asheville Action:
The North Carolina Arts Council has awarded Asheville Artist DeWayne Barton a Mary B. Regan Community Artist Residency, a grant designed to support innovative artist-in-residence projects in communities in North Carolina. The award was conceived to honor Mary’s long-held beliefs in the importance of the contributions of artists and the transformative potential of creativity to community life. He will be using the grant to renovate the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens, adding a performance space and more. He will also use the grant to provide seed money to support art-related projects around the city.
DeWayne Barton (B-Love), Founder & CEO of Hood Huggers International (www.hoodhuggers.com), is a sculptor and poet who combines his creative practice with community activism. A native of Asheville, NC, Barton grew up in Washington, D.C. and is a Gulf War Veteran. He is the author of two books of poetry, “Urban Nightmare Silent Screams” and “Return to Burton Street,” and has been involved in community improvement and youth development for over 20 years.
As a visual and performing artist, Barton is involved in justice issues — both through his art and his community involvement. His mixed-media, found-art installations have been featured at Duke University, Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of African American History and Culture, Upstairs Gallery, and August Wilson Museum as part of Affrilachian Artist Project. Barton is co-founder of the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens and serves on the African American Heritage Commission, CoThinkk, and Everybody’s Environment. He is the co-founder of Green Opportunities, a job training program designed to prepare Asheville area youth and adults for “green-collar” careers.
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