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Watauga Arts Council Announces Gallery Exhibit Opening in Downtown Boone This Weekend!

Watauga Arts Council announces the opening of their second art exhibit in their new space located at 585 W. King Street (Above Doe Ridge Pottery). Their new facility, now named King Street Art Collective, will be open on weekends, Friday’s through Sunday’s from 12-5pm, starting November 20th-December 20th.

This newest exhibit highlights the works of three local artists and includes colorful abstract paintings, wood and clay sculptures, alcohol ink paintings, and mixed media metallic wall sculptures. Artists being exhibited are: abstract artist Adam Kahn, who’s bold colored canvases are representative of a multitude of deeper, primal energies; mixed media artist Pegge Laine, who for the past ten years has created beauty by remaining curious and responding to light, color and texture created by everyday items; and wood sculptor Aviva Kahn who derives inspiration from nature’s shapes and textures, combining wood, clay and other materials to express her spiritual being.

While they are unable to offer a traditional opening reception, due to COVID, visitors and residents are encouraged to come meet the artists this Saturday Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 22. Adam will be on location on Saturday from 12-3, Aviva will be there Saturday from 2-5, and Pegge Laine will be offering live demonstrations on Sunday from 3-5pm.

Included in this exhibit is Adam Kahn’s “COVID Collection” which was inspired by Marco Rothko’s abstract color-field paintings combined with Kahn’s innateness to “get whatever is within him, out onto canvas”. As a musician, martial artist, and painter, creative expression has been ingrained into Adam’s daily life since he was a child. Now married and with children, Adam resides in Watauga County after falling in love with the area and starting Blue Ridge Kung Fu over 18 years ago. Mostly self-taught, Adam has been most passionate about canvas and paint for the past seven years, thoroughly letting the visual oddities of his external worldview channel through his memory to the draped canvas before him. He is freely sporadic and does not necessarily picture the final product when he begins, usually letting strokes of symmetry and multilateral dimensions of pain guide him to the final conception.

Pegge Laine’s exhibit “ Free play” is a product of ten years of an artist’s journey. A journey of learning to be present in the moment, curious, and open, responding to light, color, texture, and design in the natural world and even in the “trash” of our daily lives. Upon retirement as a school counselor, Pegge Laine, returned to Appalachian State University to earn a certification in the Expressive Arts and Expressive Arts Consultant Educator. She began working at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts as an Outreach Coordinator. For Pegge, art is a way of being in the world, of living with awe and gratitude. She has learned to embrace the materials at hand and to have fun in her work, focusing on process rather than product. She has learned to let go of her own expectations, following the flow of paint, collage, ink, wax and trash. “I believe art offers a path for healing, a way of envisioning new ways of being in the world…a way to play. It is an ongoing journey of the heart … a conversation with life as I experience it” (Pegge).

Mother of Adam Kahn, Aviva Kahn is an accomplished artist in her own right. The mother and son share creative energies and challenge each other to continue their artistic journeys. Adam admits, “I would not be where I am as an artist without Mom’s encouragement.” An awarded sculpturist, painter, and commissioned artist, Aviva’s wood sculptures add interest and a three dimensional aspect to this exhibit. When she moved here from New York after a divorce years ago, her solitude helped her trust her own intuition much more. “The older I get the more I’m inspired by nature and my daily meditations. I’m able to go deeper within my internal world and to manifest these ideas via a variety of mediums.” Aviva is always experimenting and loves to create new textures. “I’m fortunate to still be surprised.” Aviva works with essences instead of literal realities.

The King Street Art Collective is the newest addition to the art scene on King Street in downtown Boone. Watauga Arts Council hopes to use this space to bridge various artist communities and provide artists greater exposure to new markets. They hope to energize arts in the High Country by offering space for artists to explore new ideas, showcase their work, teach workshops, offer demonstrations, perform, and more. They hope it provides rich artistic experiences for artists, residents, students, and visitors alike.

Visit them on Facebook, Instagram or Go to their website to find out more. Watauga-arts.org.