Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Press release here:
OpenDoors, a new Asheville not-for-profit, is holding its first annual art show and auction—Open Minds, Open Doors—in January. The opening reception will be on Sat., Jan. 9, from 5-7 p.m. at the Pack Place Front Gallery. More than 20 regional, nationally acclaimed artists will display their work. An auction will be held at the YMI Cultural Center on Jan. 30.
Artists contributing pieces to the auction are area artists but many, like photographer Mike Smith, have work hanging in museums all over the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Randy Shull’s work is in collections at the Brooklyn Museum, The High Museum in Atlanta, and the Renwick Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. Other artists featured at the event include: Ben Betsalel, Kenn Kotara, Jeff Kinzel, Matt Jones, Werner Haker, Moni Hill, Richmond Smith, Rebecca D’Angelo, Gabriel Shaffer, Jonas Gerard, and many more.
OpenDoors of Asheville works to break the cycle of poverty by connecting local children to a support network of families and providing them with opportunities for higher education.
“The proceeds of this event will help us pay for tutors, extracurricular activities and tuition for at-risk kids,” says Jennifer Ramming, co-director of OpenDoors. She describes OpenDoors’ work with kids as “intensive” and “intensely personal.”
The opening and reception at Pack Place is free to the public, while the auction at the YMI Cultural Center will be ticketed.
For more information, call Jennifer Ramming at 777-1135 or Kendra Sherrod at 337-8086.
