ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A new weekly market is coming to the River Arts District following a party straight out of a Renaissance painting.
The RAD Art Market will be held every Saturday from now through November in the parking lot of Pine Gate Renewables, 130 Roberts St.
“Every weekend in the Pine Gate parking lot, artists can set up booths. It costs the artists nothing. The focus is on supporting displaced artists,” said Kimberly Self Hundertmark, executive director of the RADA Foundation.
One way RADA Foundation, or River Arts District Artists Foundation, will support those displaced artists is through small grants, in addition to other artist scholarships, which offer artists a $200 stipend to purchase tents and tables for their booth space.
Space is a major component of the RADA Foundation initiative, from supporting reopening art studios to surveilling the restoration of the district after Tropical Storm Helene.
“Buildings are starting to open. We are almost fully open from one end of Roberts to the end of Depot,” Hundertmark said, referring to Roberts Street and Depot Street. “The Foundy area, so Marquee, the Wedge Foundation and Riverview Station, hopefully by the end of the year, all of that will reopen as well.”
The RAD Art Market comes on the heels of RAD Renaissance, an event held Saturday, May 10 to celebrate RAD resilience.
RAD Renaissance hosted artists booths and open studios, live art demonstrations, food trucks, music and community flower stations all over the RAD.
The event was made possible through the support of artist and non-artists alike, Hundertmark said.
“Pine Gate has been an amazing, fabulous partner. One of their employees is on the foundation board, they have been really generous and a wonderful partner,” Kim said. “It’s been great. Between them and the Radical, we’ve felt very supported by the non-art businesses in the RAD.”
For more information about RADA Foundation or upcoming RAD events, visit www.riverartsdistrict.com.