New Studio

At the beginning of the month I started moving my studio from a small bedroom at home to the newly renovated RAMP building on Riverside Drive. Though it’s on the far northern edge of what’s considered the River Arts District, it’s very close to where I live, in Five Points. It’s a lovely twenty-minute walk along the Reedy Creek Greenway. 

I’m sharing Suite 169 with a photographer who lives in my neighborhood, Nick King. There's still much to be done to get everything set up, but here's what the space looked like right after I signed the lease, and then after starting to get settled. I’m hoping to have an open studio event after the semester ends, in early May. 

The decision to move wasn’t made without some agonizing – I traded a cheap, convenient, but cramped space for a much larger one with a hefty monthly rent and no windows… So, I’m looking at this as an experiment for at least the next year, and I’ll soon discover how I like having my creative space outside of my home. Even more important, and the reason I ultimately decided to make the change, is my excitement to become a part of a larger community of artists from different disciplines, to work in close proximity to their energy and activity. RAMP stands for “River Arts Makers Place;” the building includes an amazing art/engineering studio (UNCA’s STEAM facility) and the new North Carolina Glass Center, in addition to dozens of individual artists’ studios. More details about the developing creative center are in this article from the Citizen-Times.

(outdoor shots from RAMP Facebook page)