A Tale of Two Cities: What Asheville Can Learn From New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina
Two thought leaders—Michael Manes of Asheville’s Blue Spiral 1 and Arthur Roger of New Orleans’ Arthur Roger Gallery—join us to discuss the future of Asheville post-Hurricane Helene.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastation, Asheville can draw valuable lessons from New Orleans, a city that faced its own struggles after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In this month’s podcast episode, ArtsvilleUSA director Louise Glickman sits down with Michael Manes of Asheville’s Blue Spiral 1 and Arthur Roger of New Orleans’ Arthur Roger Gallery to discuss the future of Asheville’s arts community.
To kick off the conversation, Michael shares his experience of living through Hurricane Helene and discusses some of the damage that was done to the Asheville Arts District, what needs to happen next, and how he is adjusting his gallery planning to help with recovery efforts. Arthur dives into the diverse responses of artists to water-damaged work: some want to incorporate the effects into their pieces' stories, while others seek repairs. Finally, Scott “Sourdough” Power, founder of NOT REAL ART, joins the conversation for a roundtable discussion covering the art culture in New Orleans and the role of galleries in uplifting artists who aim for a fresh start after the natural disaster. Join us for a much-needed dose of hope from these two impressive curators and thought leaders in art.
Quotes From This Episode
“Even with all this loss, there’s a resiliency that’s happening. The artists are the ones who come together.” — Michael Manes [0:11:36]
“It uplifted me to hear artists respond [to the hurricane damage] in the ways that they responded, and so organically and different to the way you would watch on television.” — Arthur Roger [0:24:52]
“I think the most important thing that the gallery did was having a panel discussion.” — Arthur Roger [0:29:41]
“The best thing you could’ve done is just dive in and do what you can do.” — Arthur Roger [0:34:07]
“We were confronted with a lot of artwork that was damaged for us personally at the time, and I would try to call the artist. For example, we had a show that went to the Dallas Museum, The MAC, and James Drake and Lesley Dill. They were both perfectly wrapped, and they were ready for transit; they were sitting in the loading dock, and they both floated. So we got them to the gallery, and we unwrapped them and there was a little bit of water damage. I immediately called Lesley, and Lesley, so lovely, as all the artists were, said well, look, we’re more worried about you—don’t worry. And I told Lesley, this can be repaired. We can have a conserver fix this. And then I called James, and I told him, you know, we can get a conserver to repair this, and unlike Lesley, he was reflecting, he goes, don’t touch it, it’s part of the work now. I want it. It uplifted me to hear artists respond in the ways that they responded.” — Arthur Roger [0:23:59]
“In general, what [artists] need is advocacy and representation, somebody to help market their work, somebody to help bridge the gap between the politics and the creatives. Looking at the history of Asheville, it’s always been a centric place for crafts and artists to make and live and work, and then over time, they were populating downtown when [it] was desolate, and then they moved to the [River Arts District], which was more affordable, and then developers came in. What needs to happen next is the creatives and the developers need to work together, and they need to have a shared vision and understanding that those developers wouldn’t be there without the creatives, and they need to respect that and help them regain what they have lost in a better way so that it promotes growth in a way that is equitable.” — Michael Manes [0:41:03]
About Blue Spiral 1
Founder John Cram (1948 - 2020) opened Blue Spiral 1 on New Year’s Eve of 1990 with a vision of creating a home for the many artists who had settled in the region in the mid-to-late 20th century. Additionally, he needed a suitable space to exhibit the recently acquired estate of Southern Modernist Will Henry Stevens (1881 - 1949).
At the time Cram opened Blue Spiral 1, Asheville was a shell of itself. Having suffered through the post-industry recession, downtown buildings were boarded up, and artists were moving to the area because the rent was cheap and the scenery was inspiring. Cram recognized a need, took a chance, and made an investment that altered the trajectory of visual culture in Asheville. What was once a defunct radio supply shop flanked by an adult theater and plumbing supply store is now one of the largest and busiest galleries in the South. Over three decades later, Blue Spiral 1 is the heart of a booming art scene in downtown Asheville.
For over 30 years, Blue Spiral 1 has exhibited work by artists and makers in a three-story, multi-gallery setting. Maintaining a diverse and extensive exhibition schedule, the gallery presents over 25 shows annually. Thematic group exhibitions and individual artist showcases rotate in the Main and Lower Level galleries every other month, while the gallery's Upper Level features a wide array of works by over 100 represented artists.
About Arthur Roger Gallery
Arthur Roger is the owner and director of the Arthur Roger Gallery, located in the Arts District of New Orleans. A native of the city, he worked at an art gallery in the French Quarter while attending college. In 1978, he opened the Arthur Roger Gallery, which enjoyed early success and soon earned a national reputation as a leading art gallery in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Arthur helped spearhead the renewal of the visual arts in New Orleans. In 2006, his gallery hosted a panel discussion that led to the art consultant Dan Cameron founding PROSPECT, now an international arts biennial in New Orleans. Throughout the gallery's 45-year history, Arthur has made an effort to feature the work of artists of diverse backgrounds, races, and sexual orientations. In 2017, Arthur donated his personal artwork collection to the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Museum displayed the work in a special exhibition titled "Pride of Place: The Making of Contemporary Art in New Orleans." Arthur has served on numerous boards and received local and national recognition for his philanthropic efforts. For several years, he chaired the highly successful Halloween in New Orleans, which has raised over $4.1 million over the years and is the largest cumulative donor to Project Lazarus, which provides healthcare and support services for men and women with AIDS. He began Arts Against AIDS in New Orleans, which was one of the top ten fundraisers of the year. He chaired and organized Human Rights Campaign (HRC) fundraising dinners. He currently chairs The Greater New Orleans Foundation LBGTQ Fund. Arthur volunteered to assemble the art collections for the Human Rights Campaign Headquarters in Washington D.C. and the Greater New Orleans Foundation building. He recently arranged for over 200 pieces of artwork to be donated and installed at CrescentCare—a community healthcare center in New Orleans that assists the underserved.