ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Bender Gallery is located right on Biltmore Avenue, across the street from the Fine Arts Theater and nestled beside Manicomio Pizza. Bender is in the center of downtown Asheville.
In its upcoming benefit art exhibition, “Standing Strong,” Asheville is the center of Bender.
“Standing Strong” will have an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave. The exhibition will be on view at the gallery from Jan. 11 to 25 and visible on the gallery website until Feb. 8.
Bernadette Bender, who co-owns Bender with her husband, Miles Bender, said they felt extraordinarily lucky during Hurricane Helene not to lose their home or gallery. It was much harder, Bender said, to watch what happened to the River Arts District.
“We were so devastated by the losses in the RAD,” Bender said. “We really wanted to do something to help out and this is what we thought might be the best thing to do.”
100% of the profits from “Standing Strong,” made up of mostly artists from the RAD, will go back to the artists displaying their work. Several more artists, Laine Bachman, Linda Gritta and Michael Hedges, have donated pieces to the show. The profits from their work will go to support the RADA Foundation.
Bender has curated her gallery with contemporary and pop artwork with an edgy and abstract bent. Artists from all over the world have pieces in her showroom. On Saturday night, “Standing Strong” will represent a Bender show closer to home, but not without a curatorial vision.
“I really went through the RADA art list and just picked work that inspired me,” Bender said.
The artists that will be showcasing their work at “Standing Strong” include:
- Annie Kyla Bennett
- Greg Carr
- Elizabeth Porritt Carrington
- Heather Clements
- Lissa Friedman
- Amanda J. Kendrick
- Kelcey Loomer
- Daniel McClendon
- Kasey Moran
- Jodi O’Hara
- Jeremy Phillips
- Peter Roux
- Jeff Snell
For more information about the show, visit www.bendergallery.com.
To donate directly to the RADA Hurricane Helene relief fund, go to www.riverartsdistrict.com/donate.
