American Folk Art
64 Biltmore Avenue, Downtown Asheville 28801
828-281-2134
www.amerifolk.com

PRESENTS:
Chasing Joy
June 5 – 26, 2024

Show goes Live on our website: Wednesday June 5th at 11 AM WWW.AMERIFOLK.COM
Opens in the Gallery: Friday June 7th at 11 AM
64 Biltmore Ave, Downtown Asheville
Evening Reception: Friday June 7th, 5-8 PM
64 Biltmore Ave, Downtown Asheville

For many of the artists represented at American Folk, finding happiness and delight in their surroundings and in their connections is what drives their work. “Chasing Joy” is a celebration of all those precious things that make our hearts beat faster: the exhilaration of birds in flight, the wild abandon of romping children, the deep, soul-nourishing communion with nature, or the quiet glee that comes from being close to someone who shares part of your soul.

With bird feeders hanging from any available real estate and a cherry tree on hand, Danette Sperry’s lush backyard oasis is the place to be for the local avian population. Her garden visitors often serve as the focal point of her textural paintings and embody her spiritual connection to nature.
Ellen Langford paints figures dancing through life and celebrates the small, perfect moments of the everyday. You can see her soul in her paintings, as well as her deeply-rooted connection to her environment and the people who inhabit it with her.
An avid hiker and lover of the outdoors, Jackson Hammack seeks to capture the wild gaze of his woodland subjects. He says their eyes invite us to reconnect with the natural world from which we originate. After retiring to our Blue Ridge mountains a few years back, Jackson found himself back in step with his environment, an experience that has had an incredible impact on his inspiration and his creativity.

“A central theme at American Folk is joyful artwork,” says owner Julia L. Mills. “Often, that’s one of the first things visitors to the gallery comment on: how bright and spirited our space feels. The artists we represent create with joy in their hearts, and folks can sense that energy as soon as they walk through the door.”

The show debuts on the gallery website WWW.AMERIFOLK.COM at 11AM Wednesday June 5th and for one hour the entire collection will be available for previewing, before telephone sales begin promptly at 12PM. “Chasing Joy” will be on view in the gallery Friday June 7th – Wednesday June 26th.
Featuring new work from Lonnie & Twyla Money, Danette Sperry, Ellen Langford, Jackson Hammack, Tres Taylor, Jack Klippel, and Peter Loose, join us in the gallery as we embrace all the things that bring us joy!