Hendersonville, NC (Hendo) Audio Public Art Tour

This episode features two lovely floral murals at 730 Locust Street located in the historic 7th Avenue District.

This area of Hendersonville is undergoing a tremendous revitalization. For many years the area has been dominated by industrial buildings and warehouses that were strategically positioned near the main railroad terminal and depot. During those times, it was not a destination for locals or visitors who didn’t have some business to transact there. But that has been changing rapidly over the past few years as new businesses catering to the general public have sprung up. Restaurants, bakeries, art galleries, bars, breweries, and even a distillery have opened to make the neighborhood a must-see stop on a trip to downtown Hendersonville.

The building at 730 Locust Street used to be the home of the Old Lab Designs and Mercantile, a beautiful and unique shop that sold unusual gifts for men and women alike. The owner was Janna Watson and she had a vision of bringing rich texture to the streets of this section of town, not only in the items she sold in the store, but also the store building as well. When Janna first moved in, the building epitomized that industrial look of the area, rough and crumbling red brick walls with very little inviting character. She was determined to spruce it up and make it much more beautiful and help the area become more inviting.

So she decided to adorn both sides of the building with murals. She commissioned a talented artist from Miami, Paulina Guajardo to paint the murals. Paulina was able to finish it all very quickly over two short trips. Paulina is an up-and-coming artist originally from Mexico. Her mother is a renowned Mexican artist in her own right.

Unfortunately, Janna’s shop has not survived the difficult economic times of late and she was forced to close. But her vision lives on in the 7th Avenue District and the building is now the home of the Art Place Gallery, a local art studio with the mission of inspiring creativity and fostering community engagement.But we feature Paulina and Janna to guide us through the murals and tell us about the inspiration for them.

Paulina and Janna will guide us through the murals and tell us about the inspiration for them.

This episode features the Butterfly and Mountains mural at the Dandelion Restaurant on 5th Ave. E. The mural was painted by Andrea Martin and was done to honor women who work at the Safelight Organization.

Since 1984, Safelight has been providing trauma informed services that allow survivors of interpersonal violence (domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, elder abuse, child abuse, and those in other violent situations) to build new, violence-free lives in a sustainable way. Safelight provides a multifaceted approach to counteracting abuse and violence in the community as they serve these survivors of interpersonal violence. All services and programs are offered free of charge.

Andrea Martin is a local artist and muralist and has painted over 25 murals all over the Southeastern U.S. She is the owner of Meliora Design located in downtown Hendersonville. Two others of her murals are featured on this audio tour including The Veterans Mural and the Get Outside Mural.

Andrea will tell us about the inspiration for the mural and why she chose the elements for the painting.

This episode features the “Unity in Bloom” mural located at 310 Freeman Street which is the home of the Interfaith Assistance Ministries, or IAM. IAM is a non-profit organization made up of a wide array of faith groups whose mission is to provide assistance to Henderson County residents experiencing crisis with basic needs. IAM graciously provided the space for this beautiful and colorful mural to create a warm welcome for their patrons.

The mural was painted by Rosalia Torres-Weiner, an artist, activist, and community leader from Charlotte, NC. Her art captures the themes, colors, and rich symbolism of her native home of Mexico. In 2010, Rosalia shifted the focus of her work from commercial art to art activism, after witnessing the repeated injustices and dysfunction of our immigration system. She calls herself an “Artivist” because she uses her art not just to beautify but to create social impact.

Her work is featured in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum as well as many other prestigious museums in the Southeastern U.S.

Rosalia is joined by her husband Ben Weiner who also assists her with her work. They will describe the theme and symbolism of the elements in the Unity in Bloom mural. Rosalia will talk about the inspiration for it and why she was so eager to paint at this particular location.

This episode features the Get Outside Mural which in on the back wall of SafeNest Storage at 137 Sugarloaf Road. The mural can be seen from the Exit 49A off ramp on Interstate 26 where it intersects U.S. Highway 64. To get a close up view of it, the storage company will grant access to the mural through their front office during their normal business hours according to the artist who painted it.

The artist is Andrea Martin, an interior designer, artist, and muralist based here in Hendersonville. Andrea is a native of Henderson County and owns Meliora Cabinetry in downtown Hendersonville. She has painted murals all over the Southeastern U.S. and, of course, several of those are right here in Henderson County. Three of those are here in Hendersonville and are featured on this audio tour, The Veterans Mural and the Butterfly and Mountains Mural.

Andrea started painting murals when she was moved to honor local Henderson County veterans. She volunteered her time and resources to do that first mural. After that she found other places that she felt needed artwork to improve the area and inspire others.

She conceived of the idea for the Get Outside mural in an effort to cover up an eyesore that greeted visitors to Hendersonville at the I26 Exchange. The building was a former discount clothing store that had long since closed up. Ugly graffiti littered the huge wall facing the busy cloverleaf and she was bothered by the fact that that would be the first impression of her hometown by tourists when they arrived.

She took the initiative to approach the new owners of the building and they happily agreed to give her the huge wall as a canvas.

She tells us more about her motivation for that and then will describe all the elements of the mural which features ten different natural attractions in the local Blue Ridge Mountains.