Explore more of the Swannanoa Valley
Black Mountain Center for the Arts spotlights creativity and beauty with self-guided public art tour
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 6, 2023
Spirit, a mural created in 2020 by Asheville artist Ian Wilkinson, is one of 20 stops on the Black Mountain Center for the Arts Public Arts Tour, a self-guided look at the creative installments around town. Photo by Fred McCormick
A few weeks ago, while walking around the Sourwood Festival, I stopped by the Black Mountain Center for the Arts and something caught my eye. A small glossy foldable map touting the nonprofit organization’s Public Art Tour.
“Black Mountain does have some cool public art,” I thought as I picked it up. While I’m in no way an art expert, I have written about many public art installations around town over the years, so I picked up the booklet and set a reminder to head out and take a look around. Turns out, we don’t just have “some” cool public art, we’re surrounded by it.
The Public Art Tour is a self-guided look at Black Mountain’s “amazing collection of murals and sculptures,” according to the map, which can be picked up at the BMCA and opens to display the location of 20 pieces from downtown to Town Square to Veterans Park. The booklet offers a QR code for an online option.
The recommended starting point of the tour is the BMCA building, which is located in a structure that has, at varying times, housed the Black Mountain Police Department, the chamber of commerce, the Red Cross, Western Union Telegraph offices and the Black Mountain Public Library.
Its current occupant, a nonprofit organization that opened its doors in 2000 to “bring arts to the people and people to the arts,” displays three murals, including one of the largest in town.
Community, a large mural on the west wall of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, greets drivers arriving in downtown Black Mountain on U.S. 70. The piece is among many on the BMCA Public Art Tour. Photo by Fred McCormick
Community, which was installed on the west wall by Scott Allred and Jeremy Russell of Brushcan Custom Murals and Design in 2019, depicts a view inside the historic building and represents a traditional 1930s Works Progress Administration style. Set against the backdrop of a downtown mountain view, the piece greets travelers entering town on U.S. 70.
Just around back, the BMCA building displays two murals by Lara Nguyen, an artist and educator in the Swannanoa Valley who passed away earlier this year. Nguyen, an art professor at Warren Wilson College who owned Stone Cloud Studio in Asheville, painted two pieces, collectively known as Beautiful Migration, in 2022. Mighty Migrants, visible on the exterior walls of the top two floors, features patterns inspired by Anni Albers and images of milkweed and monarch butterflies. Universal Citizen, displayed below on the ground level, was inspired by a photograph of artist Ruth Asawa and her work.
Nine pieces on the tour, including David Collins’ Gray Eagle Rock mural along Sutton Avenue its intersection with State Street, and its accompanying untitled piece, can be viewed on and around the BMCA.
Roberta Flack, a mural on the north wall of Black Mountain Brewing, is one of nine pieces on the N.C. Musicians Mural Project by Scott Nurkin, and one of 20 stops on the BMCA Public Art Tour. Photo by Fred McCormick
A few blocks east, a striking image of Black Mountain native Roberta Flack faces southbound travelers on Broadway. The piece, installed on the north wall of Black Mountain Brewing by Scott Nurkin in 2020, is one of nine included in the N.C. Musicians Mural Project, which depicts a range of performers who were born in the state. The trail of murals, which features works dedicated to Randy Travis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and others, stretches across N.C.
Between paintings, sculptures by local artists are included in the tour. The oversized rocking chairs in the Black Mountain Town Square were fabricated by Dan Howachyn, who passed away earlier this year. The Having Fun sculpture, also created by Howachyn, can be viewed nearby.
Across Montreat Road, Spirit, painted in 2020 by Asheville muralist Ian Wilkinson, provides a picturesque landmark for the White Horse Black Mountain.
Gray Eagle Rock, painted on a wall along Sutton Avenue in 2019 by David Collins, is named after the rock formation it depicts. Photo by Fred McCormick
Local sculptor Julia Burr, whose public art can be found in Asheville, Greensboro and other cities, has five local pieces featured on the tour. The Absence of Reality, along Sutton Avenue, and her nearby Tile Mural at the BMCA Clay Studio, are downtown. Her sculpture, Wild Things, is the only art installation in Riverwalk Park, while a a pair of pieces — The Alchemy of Dawn and An Exquisite Moment — along the greenway in Veterans Park, complement the surrounding mountains.
I, like most locals, was familiar with many of these pieces before completing the tour, but viewing them as a single collection of Black Mountain public art was illuminating. It’s not only a reminder of this community’s rich tradition of artistry, it is also a testament to the inspirational qualities of the natural beauty all around us.
Each of the works featured on the tour are eye-catching on their own, but set in front of mountainous skylines, quaint downtown streets or along green spaces, they tell a lasting story about the people who live here now, and those who came before them.
When a group of Black Mountain residents got together and formed the BMCA 23 years ago, they were establishing something that would preserve and celebrate local arts while honoring the unique heritage of the Swannanoa Valley. The Public Art Tour is one of many ways in which the nonprofit pursues its mission.
As the weather cools down, I recommend taking this tour, whether you’re a year-round or seasonal resident or first-time visitor. It offers a unique perspective on the impact of public art and a chance to get out and explore your community.
If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll be happy you did.