On the Second Saturday of each month, Asheville’s River Arts District holds gallery walks with demonstrations, workshops, live music, wine tastings, delicious food, and more.
Visitors meander the mile-long district and discover all that the “RAD” has to offer. There are more than 200 artists in the 22 buildings throughout the district. Many of them open during this monthly event to describe or show their techniques and share their inspirations.
There will be no trolley service on Second Saturdays for the time being due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. Ample free parking is available in the district, and walkability is increasing every week with the greenway expansion underway.
Both in person and virtual events are happening for Second Saturday. Events marked with an asterisk are available both in person AND online.
As always, go to riverartsdistrict.com to have a virtual visit, which is a great jumping off point to explore Asheville’s art community, whether for educational purposes, entertainment, or if you’re looking for a great piece of art for your home or business.
Many studios and galleries are open and welcoming visitors throughout the month, following county and state guidelines. Click through here for a spreadsheet including many of the artists whom are open for regular business hours.
Second Saturday August 2020 Schedule
Riverview Station
191 Lyman Street
310 ART
Going Bananas, an new exhibit. And, lots of new work by the 310 ARTists
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Come see our new show all about Bananas! And, tour our newly revamped gallery with new work of 15 artists. Put on your fanciest face covering, and come for a safe space visit. Enjoy our outside garden too! Find out about our new virtual classroom, our online ebooks and videos and more!
AshevillePrintStudio
Live Artists Working
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
See Artists working using greener and safer practices in our newly renovated space.
*Peter Roux – Painting & Drawing
Sky + Ground Contemporary Art #265
Cloud Painting Demo w/ Q&A – In person or via livestream
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Livestream: https://www.instagram.com/peterrouxart/
Join Peter to watch a little cloud magic come together on the canvas. Questions always welcome. The piece will be available as part of #artistsupportpledge – and you’re welcome to claim it during the session if you wish!
Northlight Studios
357 Depot Street
*Nadine Charlsen
Live Watercolor Demo
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Nadine will be painting live from NorthLight Studios demonstrating her unique watercolor techniques. It will broadcast on Instagram and Facebook.
Phil Mechanic Studios
109 Roberts Street
Stephen Lange – Worlds Best Tape Artist
9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
I will be doing magic tricks and conjuring mountains and money out of thin air with light refreshments & possibly adult beverages later on.
Asheville Masters Exhibition in the Front Gallery
9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
A group show curated by RADA Artist – Ken Vallario.
Additional August Announcements:
August 15-16, 2020
*Offsite*
Cat Jarosz Pottery
Self Guided Studio Tour
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Self Guided Studio Tour. August 15-16, 2020, download map at www.cometoleicester.org
I am #1 stop on the map. RADA and Odyssey Co-Op Gallery member, Cat Jarosz exhibiting new work as a part of the Come to Leicester, Annual Artist Studio Tour. This self guided tour is always the 3rd Saturday and Sunday in August.
Still Hot: #ArtistSupportPledge & #ArtistSupportPledgeRAD:
Begun in Germany by artist Matthew Burrows (full information on his website: http://www.matthewburrows.org/artist-support-pledge), the Artist Support Pledge is a way for artists and collectors to easily find and support artists who are struggling to find ways to replace lost income from exhibitions, teaching, and open studio events like ours. Asheville artist Mark Bettis has encouraged and promoted the pledge amongst the River Arts District Artists, and many artists have found support and hope – creative and financial – through participating in this movement.
How it works:
*Artists are posting small works for sale under $200 on social media, using the hashtags #artistsupportpledge and #artistsupportpledgerRAD to connect artists and collectors
*When the artist makes $1000 in sales, they are pledging to purchase a piece from another participating artist.
*To find these inspiring works of art:
Search #ArtistSupportPledgeRAD on Facebook or Instagram and/or visit the River Arts District Artists on Facebook, where we are aiming to repost as many of our 240 artist’s posts as possible.