Art in the Afternoon art show benefits Haywood Street Respite

Get ready to be blown away by a showcase of some of the best young artists in Black Mountain.  The ninth Annual Art in the Afternoon Art Show in the education room of the Black Mountain Library Street is happening now.

More than 1,000 paintings, drawings, sewing projects, sculptures, mosaics, group projects, books, recycled art, collages, pottery and more, all made by kids, are on view until June 16. The artists and their families enjoyed opening night on Monday, May 8.

All proceeds from a silent auction table with gifts and pieces of art created by Art in the Afternoon instructors and children will benefit Haywood Street Respite. The Asheville organization provides short-term care for homeless people who need help getting back on their feet after illness. Bid on the items through May 31.

Art in the Afternoon, an arts-based after-school program for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, is constantly growing and making new connections with the community. This year it connected with Care Partners' PACE program by creating art for the senior patients (the students even collaborated with the seniors by making portraits together that will be featured at the art show). Prints of them are also at DANG, a new gallery on Cherry Street in Black Mountain.

Art in the Afternoon meets at the Carver Center from 3-6 p.m. every afternoon. Its underlying goals are rooted in developing the child as a person, not merely as an artist.  It helps them resolve conflicts with each other in a peaceful way and encourages them to use their own voices for problem-solving and communicating.

In its ninth year as an after-school program in Black Mountain, it and its certified teachers encourage kindness, charitable acts, earth-friendly actions and inclusiveness.  We always want our children to feel welcome and loved! Call 669-6929 for more.