Asheville Art Museum
Encyclopedia
The Asheville Art Museum is the only community based nonprofit visual art organization in Western North Carolina
(WNC) and is Accredited by the American Association of Museums. Its vision is to transform lives through art. The mission statement of the Museum is to engage, enlighten and inspire individuals and enrich community through dynamic experiences in American art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Museum is located on the center square of downtown Asheville
, 2 South Pack Square at Pack Place. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The Asheville Art Museum presents exhibitions and public programs based on its permanent collection of 20th and 21st century American art
. Special exhibitions allow the Museum to feature renowned regional and national artists. In addition, the Museum showcases works of significance to Western North Carolina’s cultural heritage including Studio Craft
, Black Mountain College
and Cherokee
artists. The Museum also offers a wide array of educational programs for children and adults.
, developer of the Grove Park Inn
. By 1950, the Museum had become an established part of the city’s cultural life, and it began acquiring a permanent collection. Quickly, the collection outgrew its home, and the Museum moved to donated space on the 15th floor of the Northwest Bank, now the BB&T building. Forced to move in 1970, the Museum purchased property in the Montford Area Historic District
of Asheville. A first full-time Director was hired, and exhibitions became more regional in scope. Programming and attendance expanded, but the aging 40-year-old building presented problems. When plans for the Asheville Civic Center
were announced in 1972, the Museum Board accepted an invitation to be one of the three cultural agencies in the center. In 1976, the Museum opened a 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) facility in the Civic Center. In 1984, the Asheville Art Museum became one of few of its size to be accredited by the American Association of Museums
.
In 1992, the Museum opened in a 1925 Italian Renaissance
style building with contemporary additions that was once a library. That facility includes 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) of space at Pack Place in the heart of downtown Asheville. A modest capital expansion, completed in 1999, added space from Pack Place and the adjacent Legal Building, creating new classroom and studio facilities, an art library, a teacher resource center, a community gallery and a new entrance. The Museum now occupies 24400 square feet (2,266.8 m²) of space.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(WNC) and is Accredited by the American Association of Museums. Its vision is to transform lives through art. The mission statement of the Museum is to engage, enlighten and inspire individuals and enrich community through dynamic experiences in American art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Museum is located on the center square of downtown Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, 2 South Pack Square at Pack Place. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The Asheville Art Museum presents exhibitions and public programs based on its permanent collection of 20th and 21st century American art
American Art
American Art is the debut album of the band Weatherbox. It was released on May 8, 2007 on Doghouse Records. The album received critical acclaim from several sources including underground music distribution company Smartpunk, who lauded the band's style:...
. Special exhibitions allow the Museum to feature renowned regional and national artists. In addition, the Museum showcases works of significance to Western North Carolina’s cultural heritage including Studio Craft
Studio Craft
Studio craft, though it takes many forms, can be thought of in general as the tendency to practice craft methodology in an environment similar if not equivalent to that of an artist's studio...
, Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
artists. The Museum also offers a wide array of educational programs for children and adults.
History
Incorporated in 1948, the Asheville Art Museum celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008. The original home was a three-room building on Charlotte Street, once the land sales office of E.W. GroveEdwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove was a self-made millionaire most famous for his "Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic." In this chill tonic, which came out 1878, Grove found a way to bottle a quinine mixture that would eliminate the bitter taste...
, developer of the Grove Park Inn
Grove Park Inn
The Grove Park Inn is a historic resort hotel on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain within the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Asheville, North Carolina. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style...
. By 1950, the Museum had become an established part of the city’s cultural life, and it began acquiring a permanent collection. Quickly, the collection outgrew its home, and the Museum moved to donated space on the 15th floor of the Northwest Bank, now the BB&T building. Forced to move in 1970, the Museum purchased property in the Montford Area Historic District
Montford Area Historic District
The Montford Area Historic District is a mainly residential neighborhood in Asheville, North Carolina that is included in the National Register of Historic Places.- History :...
of Asheville. A first full-time Director was hired, and exhibitions became more regional in scope. Programming and attendance expanded, but the aging 40-year-old building presented problems. When plans for the Asheville Civic Center
Asheville Civic Center
The Asheville Civic Center is a 7,654-seat multi-purpose arena, in Asheville, North Carolina.It was home to the Asheville Altitude basketball team in the NBDL, before the franchise moved to Tulsa in 2005 and the United Hockey League's Asheville Smoke and also the SPHL's Asheville Aces.The venue...
were announced in 1972, the Museum Board accepted an invitation to be one of the three cultural agencies in the center. In 1976, the Museum opened a 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) facility in the Civic Center. In 1984, the Asheville Art Museum became one of few of its size to be accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
.
In 1992, the Museum opened in a 1925 Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
style building with contemporary additions that was once a library. That facility includes 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) of space at Pack Place in the heart of downtown Asheville. A modest capital expansion, completed in 1999, added space from Pack Place and the adjacent Legal Building, creating new classroom and studio facilities, an art library, a teacher resource center, a community gallery and a new entrance. The Museum now occupies 24400 square feet (2,266.8 m²) of space.
External links
- Asheville Art Museum - official site