STRONGER TOGETHER
by Katie Cornell
Photos courtesy of Asheville Area Arts Council
A
s the executive director of the Asheville Area Arts Council, I have seen firsthand the devastation this year has wrought on our local arts community. At the same time, I have been inspired by the many creative ways artists and arts organizations have found to support each other and the community.
to provide food and other resources to local musicians. Following the death of George Floyd, protests broke out in downtown Asheville, and a group of local artists seized this opportunity to capture the movement in a series of powerful murals. Since then, many arts organizations have shown their support for racial equity by prioritizing equity work and using this time to address needed systemic changes within their institutions.
Before the state of emergency was declared in March and the lockdown began, cultural institutions in Buncombe County voluntarily closed their doors and went dark, because it was the right thing to do for our local community. These institutions continue to go the extra mile to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, oftentimes at great sacrifice to their own organizations.
Artists continue to capture both the impacts of the pandemic and the social justice movement, preserving and helping us interpret this moment in our society. At the same time, they have found a way to support each other through the Artist Support Pledge campaign, by donating a portion of their sales to other artists in need.
In March, I AM AVL partnered with the Orange Peel for a series of live-streamed performances to support musicians that lost work due to COVID-19. And as the months dragged on, Asheville Music Professionals organized joint relief efforts
Recently, Explore Asheville brought together the Asheville Area Arts Council, Asheville Art Museum, Buncombe County 34
