As the sun makes it new
Day by day make it new
Yet again make it new
Ezra Pound
The Cantos

The exhibition will be on view from March 9 through July 1, 2007.

In presenting Make It New the Asheville Art Museum continues its tradition of exhibiting the work of significant Western North Carolina artists. Whether early, mid or later in their careers it is clear that the work of these talented artists continues to unfold. The artists in Make It New address fundamental concerns from across the spectrum of human endeavor from the aesthetic to the political, from the transcendental to the technological.

Make It New publicity reached thousands of artists over the last year. 260 talented artists submitted work that will soon be available on the Museum’s website based artist registry. One of the aims of this project was to support artists by providing access to all important critical review and professional dialogue surrounding their work. This was accomplished by interaction with former Asheville Art Museum Curator of Exhibitions Ron Platt. With dedication and aesthetic acumen Ron completed the daunting task of reviewing all submitted work, visiting with 48 artists in their studios or at the Museum and selecting 25 artists for this exhibition.

“Painting provides a way for me to express the varied aspects of an observed human condition,” says Betty Clark one of the Make It New artists. “It also gives expression to the immediate, emotion/visceral responses of my personal life. Painting creates an order within a defined space while opening to the unknown and unexpected. And hopefully, for both the viewer and for me, it becomes an experience of transformation with a strange beauty and fragile completeness.”

“Our utmost gratitude must go to all of these talented artists who find inspiration from the world around them and reflect upon the human condition,” said Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of the Asheville Art Museum. “Art is truly a way of seeing and these artists see and think creatively, they look afresh at what we might normally take for granted. They ‘make it new’ for themselves and for those of us fortunate enough to encounter the fruits of their labors it is an extraordinary, illuminating and inspiring experience.”

The artists taking part in Make It New represent communities in 24 rural and urban counties in Western North Carolina, including Alexander, Asheville, Boone, Burnsville, Weaverville, Penland, Marshall, Bakersville and Mars Hill. Artists in the exhibition include: Steve Brown, Ralph Burns, Betty Clark, Virginia Derryberry, Robin Dreyer, Hoss Haley, Kristy Higby, Kevin T. Hogan, Lisa M. Jones, Jeana Eve Klein, Taiyo la Paix, Anne M. Lemanski, Robert Levin, Kyoko Masutani, Leslie Walker Noell, Jimmy O’Neal, Sean Pace, Roger Parramore, Mark Peiser, IlaSahai Prouty, Sylvia Rosenthal, Alice Sebrell, Tom Turner, Jason Weatherspoon and Kore Loy Wildrekinde-McWhirter. They create work in a range of media including printmaking and drawing, photography, painting, sculpture, film and video, pottery, glass and installation art.

An illustrated catalogue of the exhibition will include full-color photographs of selected works, written entries on each artist and artists’ biographies. Copies of this catalogue will be available for purchase at the Museum and in locations around the community. Every artist who submitted work for consideration will have one of his or her images available on the Internet through the Museum’s Artist Registry, soon to be available at www.ashevilleart.org.