zoom
S h o p T a l k
C r a f t M e e t s A
r t
B lu e S p ir a l i
38
B ilt m o r e A v e .
A s h e v ille , N C
28801
800
-
291
-
2513
,
828
-
251-0202
b lu e s p ir a li. c o m
A s h e v i l l e ’s b l u e s p i r a l 1
is o n e o f f o u r d is t in c t g a lle r ie s
( a n d a t w o - s c r e e n a r t - f ilm
h o u s e ) o w n e d b y J o h n C r a m .
T h e
15
,o o o - s q u a r e - f o o t g a lle r y
o p e n e d in
1991
, a n d it s t h r e e
le v e ls h o u s e S o u t h e r n fin e a r t
a n d s t u d io c r a f t b y
80
t o
100
r e g io n a l a r t is t s . W e s p o k e w it h
B S i ’ s g a lle r y d ir e c t o r , J o r d a n
A h le r s , t o le a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e
g a lle r y ’ s u n iq u e a p p r o a c h .
H o w d id th e n a m e B lu e
S p ira l
1
o rig in a te ?
T h e r e w a s a n a m in g p a r t y , a n d
th e e le m e n t s w e r e d e c id e d c o l-
le c t iv e ly b y f r ie n d s . T h e g a l-
le r y ’ s n a m e is s y m b o lic : “ S p ir a l”
is a c ir c le in m o t io n t h r o u g h
t im e a n d a m e t a p h o r f o r c r e a t iv -
it y , “ b lu e ” is la r g e ly f o r o u r
p r o x im it y t o th e B lu e R id g e
M o u n t a in s , a n d “ o n e ” w a s s u g -
g e s t e d b y a f r ie n d in t o n u m e r o l-
o g y , as a b a la n c in g e le m e n t .
W h a t se ts B lu e S p ira l
1
a p a rt
fr o m o th e r g a lle rie s ?
O u r s p a c e a f f o r d s u s th e o p p o r -
t u n it y t o s h o w a r a n g e o f w o r k
t h a t a p p e a ls t o b o t h c a s u a l a n d
s e r io u s c o lle c t o r s , m a k in g u s
a c c e s s ib le t o d iv e r g e n t a e s t h e t -
ic s . W e m ig h t e x h ib it t r a d it io n -
a l p o t t e r y b y B e n O w e n I I I
w it h c o n t e m p o r a r y s c u lp t u r e
b y A n n e L e m a n s k i. W e e n c o u r -
a g e o u r c lie n t s t o a c q u ir e p ie c e s
t h a t in s p ir e o r m o v e t h e m , a n d
w e c o n s u lt t o p u ll t o g e t h e r e v e n
th e m o s t e c le c t ic e le m e n ts .
Above:
Stoney Lamar
Ice Storm Proposition,
2010
Bradford pear, steel,
milk paint
44
x
10
x
8
in. (right, left);
48
x
6
x
3
in. (center)
Left:
Hoss Haley
Elliptical Coil,
2010
Cor-Tcn steel
7.25
x
4.5
x
3.2
ft.
Right: Two- and three-
dimensional pieces
complement one another
at Blue Spiral
1
, which
showcases work by
established and emerg-
ing Southern artists.
T h e r e ’ s lo n g b e e n d e b a te a b o u t
th e s p lit b e tw e e n a r t a n d c r a ft,
b u t a t B lu e S p ira l
1
y o u ’v e r e a lly
w o r k e d to m a r r y fin e a r t w it h
s tu d io c r a ft in y o u r space. T a lk
a b o u t th e d e c is io n to p u rp o s e -
f u lly in te g ra te th e tw o .
T h e r e a r e m a k e r s t o d a y w h o
c o lle c t iv e ly a re p u s h in g t h e d e f -
in it io n o f c r a f t a n d in e f f e c t
c a u s in g a s h if t in t h e w h o le c r a f t
p a r a d ig m . I s e e n o r e a s o n t o
d is t in g u is h b e t w e e n m u c h o f it .
T h e g a lle r y h a s a lw a y s t r ie d t o
p a ir c o m p e llin g p a in t in g s a n d
o t h e r
2
D w o r k w it h o b je c t s . I t
m a k e s f o r a m o r e c o m p le t e p i c -
t u r e o f th e r e g io n ’ s s t r e n g t h s .
D o y o u t h in k th e re ’ s a c e rta in
q u a lity o r a e s th e tic th a t d e fin e s
A m e ric a n c r a ft in th e S o u th
a n d d is tin g u is h e s i t fr o m th e
w o r k o f o th e r re g io n s ?
I t ’ s d if f ic u lt t o q u a lif y th e S o u t h
a s a r e g io n ; i t ’ s a s iz a b le a re a .
H o w e v e r , w e s t e r n N o r t h C a r o -
lin a is h o m e t o a v ib r a n t c r a f t
c o m m u n it y . T h e e x c h a n g e o f
id e a s a n d c r o s s - p o llin a t io n e v i-
d e n t in t h e w o r k h e r e is e x c it -
in g . I n n o v a t iv e o b je c t m a k e r s
a re e x p e r im e n t in g w it h n e w
t e c h n iq u e s a n d m a t e r ia ls , p r o -
p e llin g a n d r e d e f in in g c o n t e m -
p o r a r y c r a f t .
W it h m o re th a n
15
s h o w s a
y e a r, th e g a lle ry r e a lly d o u b le s
as an e x h ib itio n space. W h a t
a re y o u lo o k in g fo r as y o u p la n
y o u r s h o w s ?
W e lo o k f o r h a r m o n y b e t w e e n
c o n c u r r e n t e x h ib it io n s , b u t a ls o
v a r ie t y . T h e m e s c a n e m e r g e
f r o m t h e s y n c h r o n ic it y o f a s
f e w a s t w o o r t h r e e a r t is t s w h o
c r o s s o u r p a t h . J o h n [ C r a m ]
m ig h t s u g g e s t a n id e a - f o r
e x a m p le , a n e x h ib it io n t h a t c e l-
e b r a t e s m e n t o r s h ip , [a th e m e ]
I s t r u g g le d w it h a t f ir s t ; t h e n I
t h o u g h t to t r y a d if f e r e n t
a p p r o a c h a n d in v it e f o u r a r t is t s
w h o in t u r n w o u ld in v it e s o m e -
o n e t h e y h a d m e n t o r e d . T h is
a llo w e d th e o r ig in a l f o u r t o g iv e
a n o d t o a p r o m is in g e m e r g in g
a r t is t , a n d t h e w o r k s w e r e r e a l-
ly in t u n e w it h o n e a n o t h e r .
W e a r e e n j o y in g d o in g s o m e
m e d ia - b a s e d e x h ib it io n s t h a t
fe a t u r e m id - c a r e e r a r t is t s p e p -
p e r e d w it h a f e w e m e r g in g t a l-
e n t s , s u c h a s th e c u r r e n t “ W o o d
M o v i n g F o r w a r d ” w it h S t o n e y
L a m a r , P h il ip M o u lt h r o p , B o b
T r o t m a n a n d r e la t iv e n e w -
c o m e r D u s t in F a r n s w o r t h .
-E L IZ A B E T H R YA N
Elizabeth Ryan is
A m e r ic a n
C r a f t ï
interactive editor.
018 american craft jun/juln
Ice Storm
photo: Tim Barnwell /
E llip tic a l C o il
photo: Ken Pitts / Gallery photo: Courtesy of Blue Spiral
