ArtScape Banner Program almost doubles in 2020
Hendersonville’s yearly street-art project is about to unfurl.
Covering the city each year in a vibrant display of art, the Hendersonville ArtScape Banner Program chooses a group of artists to have their works featured on 24” by 40” vinyl panels hung around downtown Hendersonville. This year, the city will begin hanging the banners two weeks before the original artwork is exhibited, in a day-long event at benefiting nonprofit Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County.
ArtScape 2020 will highlight more youth art than ever before. In total, there will be 41 newly designed banners hung for the year featuring 40 adult artists, while the additional banner will showcase eight local youth artists from first through twelfth grades, with four images a side.
“[This year’s] art is all over the place,” says painter Diane Dean, the program’s new chair. “We encouraged the juror to have a good representation of the fine art and craft in the area. There are paintings in just about every medium, there will be mixed-media pieces, [an image of] a piece of wood furniture, clay, jewelry, weavings, and other mediums as well.”
Each banner is sponsored by a local business, art organization, or individual who wants to contribute to the benefit on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club. Michael Bailey, juror for this year’s ArtScape, participated in a similar community initiative in California for more than 30 years.
“There’s a trickle-down effect which touches everyone,” says Bailey. “The event has enormous community-wide impact, not to mention giving the artists the necessary exposure and affirmation to grow and prosper in their chosen art field.”
Public-art programs “can actually encourage people to move to [a] community because it has a robust theme,” says Dean. “We feel [we are] supporting the whole economy for Hendersonville.”
The program’s committee for 2020 received 99 applications, a major uptick from last year’s 60 entries. “As ArtScape grows into an even larger event, Hendersonville will experience many unexpected enrichments,” declares Bailey.
On Saturday, April 4, Artscape 2020 will present all original artworks chosen for banners in an exhibit at the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County (1304 Ashe St., Hendersonville), with an artists’ reception from 5-7pm. The event will include champagne, chocolate, a slideshow with information on the artists and sponsors, and music by The Dan Keller Trio. For more information, visit artscapehvl.org. Also on Facebook (@ArtScapeHendersonville) and Instagram (@artscapehvl). 828-247-1368.
