The Miami Herald is the latest big media outlet to tell people what we already know about Ashvegas – that it’s cool and it’s filled with lots of artists and craftspeople. Here’s a tidbit:
Asheville is enjoying a resurgence today. Locals in this town of 69,000 people have pet names for two groups of new arrivals, who are boosting real estate prices and driving the spread of galleries and craft shops in recycled buildings of the historic district. Even the old Woolworth’s is divided into artists’ booths.
”Halfbacks” are transplants from the North who moved to South Florida and are now leaving that congestion behind to re-settle in the moderate climate of Asheville, halfway back to their roots. ”Trustafarians” are the dread-locked droves of young artists found on the park benches and in the coffee houses and brew pubs. Most are struggling in Asheville’s crowded art scene, but they’re not quite starving, thanks to a little parental support.
This corner of the Appalachian Mountains always has been a hotbed for arts and crafts, with potters, quilters and woodworkers in abundance. There are at least three dozen galleries in downtown Asheville. The Folk Art Center, which features the work of the more than 900 members of the prestigious Southern Highland Craft Guild, is at Milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, 15 minutes outside of town.
While the lively arts-and-crafts scene is a boon to buyers and browsers, it’s something of a bane to the region’s overflow of artists. A front-page story that ran in the Asheville Citizen-Times during my four-day stay had this headline, ”More artists than galleries,” and quoted several gallery owners as saying they no longer welcomed ”walk-ins” carrying their portfolios.
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Thanks for the article!