Downtown Boone Art Crawl Friday

frank@mountaintimes.com

Hosted every first Friday of the month (this time on Sept. 2), the Downtown Boone Art Crawl sees area galleries and businesses open their doors in celebration of art, community and a combination of the two, oftentimes served alongside refreshments and live music.

This Friday, Appalachian State University's Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (423 W. King St.) presents its Fall Exhibition celebration opening this Friday, inviting art crawlers to "engage, discover and connect through the arts." The celebration starts with a donors-only preview from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by the general opening from 7 to 9 p.m. The center's three new exhibits are "Sanctuary" by Val Lyle in the Mayer Gallery, "John Scarlata: Living in the Light - A Retrospective and Other Works," and "Northmost" by R. Martin Stamat.

Boone Saloon (489 W. King St.) returns to the art crawl lineup with a new art installation from Asheville's Benjamin Kaleb-Levi. An abstract surrealist painter for more than 34 years, Kaleb-Levi said he wishes "to live another 53 years just because I want to see what is going to happen; have seen a lot and know too much to tell, but I still don't know anything."

Hands Gallery (543 W. King St.) hosts Zoe Nelson, who designs and makes jewelry, using silver, copper, precious and semi-precious stones, glass and beads. The gallery will remain open until 8 p.m.

Gladiola Girls (549 W. King St.) invites art crawlers to join the Glads as they celebrate the coming season. Featured artists are Sarah Jackson and Elizabeth Edwards, sisters who use everyday items to create art, including handcrafted metal flowers. Refreshments, including special creations from The Cupcake Lady, will be served throughout the celebration, which lasts from 5 to 8 p.m.

Doe Ridge Pottery (585 W. King St., Suite D) presents the artistry of Carol King, who will be demonstrating her technique for putting flowers - dogwoods - on her pots.

The Watauga Arts Council and Jones House Community Center (604 W. King St.) welcome three new exhibits with a reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m., refreshments included. The Mazie Jones Gallery hosts the colored pencil artwork of Bob Stevens, the Open Door Gallery features the pottery, oil paintings and acrylics of Tara Belk, and the Serendipity Gallery hosts the watercolors of Mahala Porth.

ArtWalk (611 W. King St.) presents wood-fired stoneware from Boone-based Brandon Thompson, who often uses soda ash in firing to create depth in the glazes used. This technique provides a unique irregularity to the pottery, leaving behind marks of the flame.

The Nth˚ Gallery & Studios (683 W. King St.) hosts "Shadows and Spindles," paintings and drawings by Ian Wilson, and installation and performance by Jaclyn Bowie. Wilson's work explores nightmares through portraiture, figuration and disfiguration, inspired by cinematography and psychology, while Bowie's work explores dream imagery and metaphor as a universal language, with her performance starting at 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Shear Shakti (693 W. King St.) hosts the work of photographer Sheena Laine Honeycutt.
Murphy's Restaurant & Pub (747 W. King St.) features live music from Bertram, Huffman, Turner and Harris, starting at 10:30 p.m.

The Art of Oil (819 W. King St.) will have new sculptures and paintings by Davis Whitfield, along with a French wine tasting, dessert and oil and vinegar tastings from 5 to 9 p.m. Expect live music with guitarist David Funderburk from 6 to 7 p.m.

With the purchase of a T-shirt, Custard Depot (158 S. Depot St.) offers two free small custards with two toppings. Visitors must mention the "art crawl special," however.

Modern Rustic (182 Howard St.) will open its doors on Friday from 5:30 to 11 p.m., welcoming visitors to its gallery and "think-tank for creativity." Featured art includes cast concrete and locally reclaimed wood used to unique cabinetry, countertops, furniture, sinks and more. Commissions are also welcome.

Join Our Art Crawl Roundup!

If your business participates in the Downtown Boone Art Crawl, send your goings-on to (frank@mountaintimes.com) for a spot in next month's Downtown Boone Art Crawl Roundup.