In January, 2011 The Asheville Area Arts Council unveils its new community arts facility "The Artery" at 346 Depot St. centered amid the brand new Pink Dog Creative studios in the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 11-6. The mission of the Asheville Area Arts Council is to unify established creative professionals and organizations into a collaborative and thriving sector, to cultivate emerging grassroots entrepreneurs through direct financial support and access to opportunities, and to enhance the profile and visibility of our unique culture. The Asheville Area Arts Council has a long history as one of the oldest arts councils in the country. Formed from a working committee of the Junior League, the Civic Arts Council (CAC) was incorporated in 1952.
 Art Gallery Exhibits
March 11-31, 2011: “Falling Into the Sky,” a solo exhibition of works by Mark Koven, a 2011 recipient of a North Carolina Regional Artist Project Grant.
The opening night will take place Friday, March 11th from 6-9pm and the exhibit will be on view through March 31st. The exhibition will also feature the Mobile ART Lab, a collaboration with the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department. The opening night will be filled with participants creating and throwing LED magnetic stickies, outdoor video projections, a live DJ, a special creation by Artista Cakes, and cotton candy served by students from Koven’s Edible Aesthetics course at UNCA.
The works featured in “Falling into the Sky” take inspiration from science and the life of the French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery (author of the Little Prince), by focusing on "…what is essential is often invisible to the eye.” The exhibition will include interactive sculptures and extended media that utilize both organic and inorganic materials such as bubbles, sound, dragonfly wings, electronics and wind turbines in highlighting the artists’ fascination with the natural and manmade facets of air and flight.
In 2009, Koven arrived in Asheville after accepting an Assistant Professorship of Sculpture at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He received his Bachelors in Sculpture and Multi-Media from Florida International University and his MFA in Digital Media from University of Miami. Since 2000, Koven has shown in over 100 exhibition and art venues including Art Basel Miami, StoreFront for Art and Architecture New York, FlashArt Milan, Locust Projects, Southern Exposure San Francisco, Taipei Taiwan, and Scope London. His 2010 solo exhibitions include Punch Gallery in Seattle, WA and the American Anthropology Association national conference in New Orleans, LA. Select 2010 group exhibitions include “Digital 10” at the New York Hall of Science Museum and “Fine Contemporary Craft” at ArtSpace in Raleigh, NC. Koven’s work is also included in various public and private collections including the Miami Art Museum, the Frost Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
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