Oh the Places You'll Go

My wife and I decided to take an irrationally short, driving-intensive, 11 hour road trip to North Carolina to visit some friends.  We landed in Asheville, the self-proclaimed locus of the arts for the American south east.  I must say, it does sport an impressive array of galleries that feature both local and global artists, and some killer restaurants to boot!  And you can't argue with the transportation...

But in the midst of all of the wonderful art, I sometimes get the inclination to take note of all the things that are at least not intentionally art, but for all intents and purposes might as well be.  like this neglected, unprimed, stripped wall that features a "primed" poster in the Asheville Art Museum:

or this abstract expressionist/minimalist/simply-poorly-maintained pedestal just opposite the wall:

or this telephone pole:

Or my favorite, the bleacher seating of discarded studio chairs in the River Arts District:

All in all though, there were some great places worth seeing, especially in the River Arts District just outside downtown Asheville, full of open studios and personally galleries (that will shamelessly sell just about anything, right down to the very shavings of excess dried acrylic on a palette, glued to a block of wood, given a title, and priced at $95)

This last pic is in the studio/gallery of Jonas Gerard, a painter who's been working since the mid 50's.  He's currently doing a sort of abstract expressionism set to music, and upon entering his studio, sounds of a drum circle and harmonica came flowing out towards the street, as a dazzled and giddy 70-something-year-old danced with a rainstick.  Quite the experience.

I definitely encourage any passersby to check out what Asheville's inviting atmosphere and vibrant art scene has to offer, and while you're at it, stop in at Salsa, the "best restaurant in town" for some wonderful, unique mexican-carribbean food!