A new line up of Art in the Heart artworks and experiences will be in Pack Square Plaza for November and December 2022. A final schedule for January-March artists will be released subsequently. To learn more about the artists and their projects, please visit ashevillenc.gov/artintheheart.
Images and videos of completed projects have been, and will continue to be, added to the Art in the Heart webpage. Did you view an Art in the Heart project in the plaza? Did one of the projects you experienced or learned about online make you feel inspired about the future of Pack Square Plaza? Let us know! Visit the City’s engagement hub and answer a brief survey.
Members of the public from Buncombe County and beyond are invited to come to Pack Square Plaza, in the heart of downtown Asheville, and experience how these local artists have embraced the theme of social equity and inclusion. Art in the Heart is part of the engagement efforts surrounding the Pack Square Plaza Visioning and Improvements Project which will look at ways to make this public space a place that reflects Asheville’s diverse community and history.
Image caption: The map above shows art locations 1 – 4
The schedule for November and December artists participating in Art in the Heart, a temporary public art program, is as follows:
Homesick
Sculpture on display Saturday, November 5 until Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Audio Visual Projection November 5, 12, 19, and 26 (Saturdays) from 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Location 3, The Median
Artists Leslie Rosenberg, Liz Williams, and Ethan Schultz
- Project Type: Sculpture and interactive experience
- Project Sponsors and Collaborators: BeLoved Asheville and 12 Baskets – Asheville Poverty Initiative, Haywood Street Church, and photographs by Ponkho Bermejo
- About the Project: “Homesick” consists of 12 large, floating house structures. The houses are tightly composed and staggered in height reaching upward to 15 feet. On Saturday evenings throughout the month of November, these large, whimsical houses will light up with dynamic video projections playing in unison with audio samples, including testimonials of Asheville residents speaking on behalf of their housing experiences. There will be chalkboards welcoming the community to engage in dialogue on how Asheville serves as home: “what defines home?”, and “what memories does home conjure?” Special thanks to all of those who shared their stories for this project.
Miscanthus Sunshine
Sculpture on display starting Monday, November 21, 2022
Location 1, North Pack Square
Artist Larry Paul King
- Project Type: Natural sculpture
- About the Project: Miscanthus, (an incursive, ornamental, tall grass) is known for its wavering white/silver flowers during summer and fall. When its protective leaf blades are removed its yellow culms express pure sunshine. King’s sculpture consists of 15 to 20 steel-wired bundles of miscanthus culms arranged in a manner to express radiant spikes of sunshine. Each 5 to 9 foot bundle will have a ribbon attached to its waist line in multitudes of 5 colors: black, brown, red, white and yellow. The colors represent the basic colors of most sentient beings. Humans have used these colors in an attempt to denote and describe the visual appearance of people for hundreds of years for various reasons. Like the tall grass being stripped of its outer protective layer, King hopes that we, too, shed our protective layers of perceived bigotry and expose the goodness of sunshine that is contained deep within all of us.
Vance Tangram Obelisk
Saturday, November 26 and Sunday, November 27 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location 3, The Median
Artist Edwin Salas Acosta
- Project Type: Interactive activity
- About the Project: A 12 ft x 4 ft obelisk that represents the former Vance Monument will be divided into colorful, geometric wooden blocks that can be used to create new fantastic shapes by the public. This interactive activity will explore how symbols of hate can be rebuilt to represent a better future. There will also be a smaller-scale, paper activity that users can play with on-site or take home and continue to experiment with on their own.
Opportunities for members of the media to meet the artists, speak to project staff and view the exhibits will be provided. Details to come in further media advisories.
For more information on the artists, their projects, and the program visit the Art in the Heart page on the City’s website.