"Conscious Craft"
August 1 - August 30, 2010
Opening Reception: August 6, 2010 from 5-7p.m.
Artists: Nora Hartlaub: Mixed Media, Fiber Artist

For the month of August local artist Nora Hartlaub will display her works in the show Conscious Craft. Nora  has, for the last fifteen years, explored the (dis)connections between craft and fine art. An alumnus of the Cleveland Institute of Art in Fiber and Material Studies, Hartlaub has explored installation, performance, and sculpture. She has also expressed the need for the artist to create a proactive role in the world, as opposed to merely commenting on it. For this reason, she often organizes projects for the benefit of non-profits, and also, at times, the unsuspecting public. For this show Nora has created fiber sculptures of hugging ladies in which a portion of the proceeds will go to the organization Our Voice, and also mixed media houses titled "Houses for Haiti", a portion of these sales going  to the American Red Cross. Come meet the artist at the opening reception August 6th, 2010 from 5-7 p.m. and also enjoy the coinciding art walk.

"Moral Universe"
September 1 - September 29, 2010
Opening Reception: September 3, 2010 from 5-7p.m.
Artists: Julie Armbruster: Painter, Alli Good: Painter

Prepare yourself for sweater vests, saddles, hybrid creatures and the ubiquitous blonde women inhabiting the imaginations of painters Alli Good and Julie Armbruster. The Asheville duo have teamed up again to bring “Moral Universe,” a new art show on display at the Woolworth Walk’s Front Gallery at 25 Haywood Street in Downtown Asheville. Alli Good is a self-taught painter who delves deep into the recesses of her memories and observations to create narratives about relationships, unrequited feelings, and distorted insecurities. Her canvas environments are done with painstaking detail and the colors and subject matter push and pull the viewer between the lushness of the renderings and the severity of the emotional drama they depict. Julie Armbruster’s creative vision often portrays the unbalanced relationship between humans and other animals. Painted on wood panel and surfaced with a glistening resin shield, Armbruster’s characters inhabit a strange world shaded with paranoia, loneliness, humor, and hope. Her subjects are often captured at a critical moment where they have make sense of the options they have left. Both artists use narrative, brightly colored, illustrative renderings to relate their objectives and have been able to work together on a variety of collaborative projects. For “Moral Universe,” Good and Armbruster will include a collaborative element, giving the viewers permission to come up with stories and morals they find in the exhibited work. Those seeking to interact with the artists are encouraged to leave their ideas in the “Moral Universe” suggestion box. The best contributor will be honored with an original drawing from both artists. The show will be on display from September 1st-29th. Please join us for an artist reception Friday September 3rd from 5-7pm.