Art in the Heart is a way to unite, heal, and strengthen the community. The goal is to use art to spark conversation and ideas on how to make Pack Square Plaza –a central gathering place and hub of activity for the region– a place that reflects Asheville’s diverse community. The program will help inspire and inform the larger initiative underway – creating a community vision for the future of this area through the Pack Square Plaza Visioning and Improvements project.
Through these art installations, participating artists and creatives help to cultivate and facilitate critical conversations around the past, present, and future of Pack Square Plaza. A range of temporary artwork is included in the program including: traditional, non-traditional, experiences, and performances.
New Installation
Our Careful Tending
Saturday October 15, 2022 from 5-8 p.m.
*The performance will begin at the stage near City Hall and loop around the park, up to the plaza, and back. Lanterns will light the way as the sun goes down.
Tiffany Narron, Jen Murphy, and Lydia Nichole
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Project Type: Roaming performance throughout Pack Square Plaza
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About the Project: Writer and poet Tiffany Narron joins forces with Jen Murphy, a sculptor, puppet maker and founder of Street Creature Puppet Collective; and Lydia Nichole, a multimedia artist, to bring you Our Careful Tending. Our Careful Tending is a performance piece holding space for grief and bridging the dark and painful past with the present and all that is being called in to create a shared space that honors equity and promotes collective wellbeing. There will be three persons in black robes holding large paper masks with ancient peaceful faces reading poetic words of healing. Five additional persons will walk alongside carrying lanterns to light the path forward.
This new artist is available for media interviews. Please contact the City of Asheville Communications Dept. to arrange.
Ongoing Installation
Room in the Sky
On display through Sunday October 30, 2022
Jackson Martin
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Project Type: Sculpture
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About the Project: Room in the Sky consists of twelve nylon flags of various colors hanging around a steel structure. The aesthetics and kinetic qualities of the completed sculpture engage viewers to walk around it to experience the piece as a whole. The sculpture is in the shape of a plus sign or cross, a shape intended as both a symbol of inclusivity and healing. On each of the twelve sides of the structure, banners of solid colors hang and fly freely in the wind. Solid colors were chosen in order to reach across both pride and indigenous peoples. The twelve chosen colors include the 6 quintessential rainbow colors from the original Pride Flag developed in the 1970’s, black and brown from the more recent Progress Flag, light blue and pink from the Transgender Flag and gray from the Asexual Flag. The colors in the official seal of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are red, yellow, green and light blue. The artist recognizes there are dozens of colors used to represent diversity worldwide, with this sculpture only accommodating twelve, however, the meaning behind this work embraces a harmonious and heterogeneous society.