Arts For Life and Roots + Wings School of Art and Design announce the opening date of their collaborative, community-themed art exhibit: Sunday, August 23rd, 2015.
A reception will be held from 3:30 until 5:30 pm at the new Roots + Wings Creative Campus (573 Fairview Road in Oakley), where the show will remain on display through Friday, August 28 (exhibit open for viewing Monday through Friday 10am to 1pm). The show and opening-night celebration are free and all ages are welcome. More information can be found at http://www.artsforlifenc.org/exchange-show-and-reception/, as well as through updates to their Facebook and Twitter pages.
“It’s the perfect partnership,” explains Arts For Life’s Executive Director Rachel Zink, “as both programs’ teaching philosophies focus on art as a tool for growth, learning, and personal connection.” She adds, “We both believe in the power of art to change and transform lives and to bring people together. Plus, Arts For Life’s partnership with Mission Children’s Hospital since 2003 demonstrates Mission Health’s commitment to supporting and building community in Western North Carolina. What better way to accomplish all those goals than with a collaborative art show!”
The show, sponsored by Mission Health, will feature individual and group-created 2D and 3D works. Its three main projects will contain a collaborative element created by students in both programs over the course of spring and summer. Because hospital restrictions to protect the health and privacy of Arts For Life students can’t allow the two groups of young artists to meet in person, they’re interacting through the art they make together. For example, earlier this spring, they began a photography collage exchange. Each group took photos of themselves, then sent these photos to the other program for the addition of whimsical backgrounds with inspirational messages. The final results will be revealed when the show is hung.
“The students who have been involved so far are intrigued and excited about the collaboration,” says Annie Rogers, Arts For Life’s Asheville program director at Mission Children’s Hospital. “There is something very sweet and poignant in the words the kids have used in their photo collages for friends they’ve never met. They have taken great care to make the work match what they think their new friends would want, and I can’t wait to see what else these two groups are able to make together.”