STRONGER TOGETHER

by Katie Cornell

Photos courtesy of Asheville Area Arts Council

As the executive director of the Asheville Area Arts Council, I have seen firsthand the devastation this year has wrought on our local arts community. At the same time, I have been inspired by the many creative ways artists and arts organizations have found to support each other and the community.

Before the state of emergency was declared in March and the lockdown began, cultural institutions in Buncombe County voluntarily closed their doors and went dark, because it was the right thing to do for our local community. These institutions continue to go the extra mile to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, oftentimes at great sacrifice to their own organizations.

In March, I AM AVL partnered with the Orange Peel for a series of live-streamed performances to support musicians that lost work due to COVID-19. And as the months dragged on, Asheville Music Professionals organized joint relief efforts to provide food and other resources to local musicians.

Following the death of George Floyd, protests broke out in downtown Asheville, and a group of local artists seized this opportunity to capture the movement in a series of powerful murals. Since then, many arts organizations have shown their support for racial equity by prioritizing equity work and using this time to address needed systemic changes within their institutions.

Artists continue to capture both the impacts of the pandemic and the social justice movement, preserving and helping us interpret this moment in our society. At the same time, they have found a way to support each other through the Artist Support Pledge campaign, by donating a portion of their sales to other artists in need.

Recently, Explore Asheville brought together the Asheville Area Arts Council, Asheville Art Museum, Buncombe County government and the City of Asheville to design new artwork to encourage locals and visitors to follow health safety protocols, while at the same time supporting local creatives. The arts council has also partnered with Buncombe County for this year’s Arts Build Community grant, a series of $500 micro-grants for artsbased community projects that promote hope and healing. Over the winter months especially, our local community is going to need some positive connection — even if it’s only virtual — and we hope these projects can help.

The arts council has also partnered with local arts nonprofits for an art benefit series next spring. A series of 10 events will feature performances benefiting LEAF Global Arts, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville Community Theatre, Asheville Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Stage Company, Montford Park Players, the Center for Craft and Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. More information about this series will be available early next year.

These are just a handful of the many initiatives happening in our creative community. No matter how bleak things might seem there are always silver linings, and we will get through this by working together.

Katie Cornell, Executive Director, Asheville Area Arts Council