Asheville’s River Arts District gets more love from the New York Times

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Asheville, and Asheville’s River Arts District, couldn’t be hotter. Here’s the latest from the New York Times:

What began with artists taking over abandoned warehouses has grown into what is now known as the River Arts District, thanks to its proximity to the French Broad River that cuts through this bohemian mountain town.

“It wasn’t that long ago that it was strictly an industrial area,” said Chall Gray, an Asheville native who owns the Magnetic Field (372 Depot Street; 828-674-2036; themagneticfield.com), a multi-use performance space with a bar and cafe that opens this week in the historic, newly renovated Glen Rock Hotel. Things have been changing “pretty rapidly and on a pretty large scale,” he said. Now the area is a conglomeration of painters, potters, ironworkers and artists of every stripe.

“If you can think it, it’s being done,” said Constance Williams, president of the River Arts District and a local artist at Curve Studios (6, 9, 12 Riverside Drive; 828-388-3526;curvestudiosnc.com). Five years ago, there were fewer than 50 artists working in the district. Today, there are more than 140 working studios spread throughout 16 buildings, most of which are open for the public.

In contrast to the stereotypical image of the isolated artist, art collectors and visiting tourists to the district tramp through studios, chat with artists at work and buy pieces before they’re even completed.