Red House Gallery finds a perfect fit on Cherry Street
Swannanoa Valley Art League is ‘Making Changes’ in spacious new downtown location
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 22, 2024
Nature and landscape photographer Paul Penny is one of 47 local artists featured in the Making Changes exhibit at the Red House Gallery, which debuted its new downtown Black Mountain location in March. Photo by Fred McCormick
Adaptation has long been explored through artistic expression, as the process of deconstruction and restoration allows creative minds to transform existing pieces into new and stimulating works of art.
It is a concept that resonates profoundly within the walls of the Red House Gallery, as the home of the Swannanoa Valley Art League debuts its first exhibit — Making Changes — in the nonprofit organization’s new Cherry Street location.
The SVFAL, a volunteer-led organization that provides a setting designed to cultivate area artists and promote their work, was established by Mary Gilbert in 1967. The collective, which now includes 150 members practicing a wide array of mediums, held its first exhibit in the Black Mountain Public Library a year later. The league’s home, Red House Gallery & Studios, borrowed its name from the farmhouse it began occupying in 2012.
“That move happened because (Barney Fitzpatrick and Sue Conlon) bought the Monte Vista Hotel,” Red House Gallery Board President Tina Kannapel said. “That house had a long history at the hotel, as a former farmhouse and even lodging, but they originally rented it to the SVFAL for $1 per year under the condition that the league revitalize it. Volunteers brought that building back to life, and it ended up being our home for 12 years.”
In 2018, Conlon and Fitzpatrick sold the historic hotel and neighboring wooden structure, and the nonprofit organization and gallery thrived, before surviving the pandemic a couple of years later. The property changed hands again in 2023, and current ownership informed the SVAL they planned an expansion that would require the use of the farmhouse, beginning in February.
“The new owners of the Monte Vista are wonderful, and they have great plans for the hotel and the community,” Kannapel said. “They told us what they were going to do, and sadly, they loved us but needed the building for lodging. Of course, the Monte Vista has been incredibly supportive of the SVAL over the years, and we really value our longstanding relationship with the hotel.”
While the prospect of finding a new gallery and studio space raised an air of uncertainty, it was accompanied by an unexpected opportunity for growth that could bring local art to a wider audience in a heavily trafficked location. The organization’s search brought them to 101 Cherry Street, where a vacant two-story brick commercial building and basement “checked all the boxes,” according to Kannapel.
Making Changes, the first exhibit in the new Cherry Street location of the Red House Gallery, features work of 47 of the nonprofit organization’s members. The display will remain in the Mary McMurray Gallery through Monday, May 13. Photo by Fred McCormick
The structure, built in the 1920s, was originally occupied by a clothing store and eventually a shoe store, according to the National Register of Historic Places, but served as a grocery store for nearly 30 years. The main floor most recently housed Element Tree Essentials, which closed in January.
The 4,500-square-foot space allowed the Red House to expand its studio offerings to members and host larger exhibits in the Mary McMurray Gallery, where the league unveiled its Making Changes exhibit, March 15, when it hosted its grand opening.
Approximately 400 people attended the celebration, according to Kannapel.
“It was amazing,” she said of the event. “We were equally stunned and thrilled.”
The Mary McMuray Gallery, which faces the busy downtown sidewalk, was named in honor of a pioneering founder of the nonprofit organization.
“Mary was one of the founding members of the SVAL, and she dedicated herself to making art and art education accessible in the Swannanoa Valley,” Kannapel said of McMurray, who passed away in 2018. “She was extremely passionate about the art league.”
The move downtown, according to Kannapel, has led to an immediate increase in foot traffic and “dramatic growth in membership.”
“Since we opened we’ve been averaging around 50 visitors per day, and we haven’t even entered the busy season,” she said. “The only way we could 50 people into our prior location in a day would have been if we were having a reception. We were probably welcoming about 15 people, on average, per day.”
That increased exposure for the artists who call the Red House Gallery home is substantial, according to nature and landscape photographer Paul Penny, one of 47 SVAL members featured in the Making Changes exhibit, which runs through Monday, May 13.
“Moving to this space gave me a lot more of an opportunity to become actively involved in the SVAL,” he said. “I had already been around a couple of years when this move was set in motion, but I hadn’t really developed close relationships with folks. But, the scramble that we experienced in the move here really helped me get to know so many of the artists here.”
Penny, who has been taking pictures for around 40 years, began to get serious about his craft within the last decade. He credits his experience at the SVAL for accelerating his growth as a photographer.
“It really gave me a ton of confidence, having the opportunity to be exhibited in shows and getting a lot of positive feedback about my work,” he said. “That’s really pushed me to do more, both as an artist and member of the league.”
While the gallery offers 15 moveable walls to accommodate regular feature exhibits, nearly 1,000 pieces of art are displayed throughout the two-story building and basement, which are all accessed by separate Cherry Street entrances.
The bottom level allowed the SVAL to expand its studio offerings from nine, at its previous location, to 15. Each work space includes walls to display their work.
Kim Argenta works in her studio space on the bottom floor of the Red House Gallery, which moved to a new location on Charry Street in March. Photo by Fred McCormick
“It’s really like a family down here,” SVAL member Kim Argenta said of the studio. “As an artist, it’s so good to be around other artists, knowing they have your back and care about you and your work. It’s a wonderfully supportive environment.”
The studio provides a hub for area artists, while the top floor of the Red House Gallery holds limited additional studio space and a dedicated room for live drawing.
“It doesn’t get any more local than what we have here,” Kannapel said. “We have a wonderful price range because we offer everything from cards to prints to reproductions to pottery.”
The nonprofit gives 80% of its sales to the artists and keeps 20% to sustain its operation, according to the board president.
“Every piece people purchase here goes directly back into the local art community,” Kanappel said.
The Red House Gallery, home of the Swannanoa Valley Art League, is displaying the work of 47 member artists in its first exhibit—Making Changes—in its new downtown Black Mountain location, through May 13. Photo by Fred McCormick
The Red House offers a range of programming, including free art classes for children. Prices for adult workshops are set by the instructor. The gallery hosts the weekly Let Loose Tuesday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., which allows non-members to pay $5 and work with other artists.
SVAL classes and additional programs are hosted in what will soon be dedicated as the Ron Maffett Art Education Room, named for one of the founding members of the organization and current spotlight artist in the Making Changes exhibit.
“Ron was on the board for 22 consecutive years,” Kanappel said. “He engineered our move from the original location, which was called the Green House, to the Red House. He designed the interior layout when we moved here, so he has been an important part of the league since the beginning.”
The move to Cherry Street, which was largely funded by $66,000 in donations from the local community, represents a new chapter in the 57-year history of the SVAL, according to Kanappel.
“It has really boosted us,” she said. “We have received incredible support from Black Mountain for so long, and being right here in the center of town feels like the perfect fit for the Red House Gallery.”