Evan Kafka: Trophies & Billboard Selfies
On Exhibit: March 5th - May 5th, 2024
Reception and Artist's Talk: 3/21 from 5-7pm in Blowers Gallery
Location: Blowers Gallery in Ramsey Library
Artist & Exhibit Info:
Photographer Evan Kafka (b. 1968) has over 25 years of commercial photography experience shooting advertising and numerous magazine covers and stories. Originally from Maryland, Evan Lived and worked in New York City most of his adult life. He moved to Asheville in 2014. Kafka has a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Arts and Imaging Science.
Trophies
I create portraits of live animals, ingeniously captured so that they appear as taxidermy heads. Caught in a moment of suspended animation, they express their own unique sense of personality. I try to reveal their conscience by capturing expressions we can relate to from human experience. Using lighting, backdrops, and fabric, I isolate and freeze their frenetic movements, allowing the viewer to analyze what would otherwise be instantaneous.
Billboard Selfies
I was hired by Apple to use an iPhone to photograph babies for their latest global "Shot on iPhone" campaign. The ads hit the streets of major international cities on billboards and other outdoor advertising in early February of 2024. I traveled to New York, DC and LA to document the boards, which come down on March 10th. Using a self timer and a tripod, I created images of my self in the vicinity of the ads I created.
The River Arts District / UNC-Asheville Artist Alumni Show
On Display: February 9th-26th, 2024
Opening reception: Friday, February 9, 2024 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Blower’s Gallery in Ramsey Library
As part of Homecoming Weekend events, a special group of artists have come together to highlight their artistic abilities and celebrate the exceptional education and training experiences they received at UNC-Asheville. These 12 participating UNC-Asheville alumni artists contribute to the thriving arts scene of Asheville’s River Arts District. They have studios in the River Arts District and are members of the River Arts District Association. Each artist will present their own style and expression through various mediums, such as oil painting, pastels, sculpture, and pottery. An opening reception will take place on Friday, February 9th from 4-6pm.
Participating Artists: Karen Keil Brown, Katrina Anne Chenevert. Tess Darling, Katie Elle, Sahar Fakhoury, Meredith Gottschalk, Mary LaBianca, Fleta Monaghan, Brit J Oie, Jeremy Phillips , Susan Sinyai, and Cindy Walton.
The Bill and Alice Hart Collection
On Exhibit: January 2nd - February 2nd, 2024
Location: Blowers Gallery in Ramsey Library
The Bill and Alice Hart Collection, the crown jewel of UNC Asheville’s Special Collections, contains over 1200 books and over 25 linear feet of ephemera and related materials. This comprehensive collection was carefully curated by Bill and Alice Hart over 55 years and represents a broad spectrum of written material relating primarily to Western North Carolina. Many of the books and pamphlets are extremely rare and represent the Harts’ scholarship and pursuit of specific sources of information as their research delved deep into different aspects of Western North Carolina history and culture.
This exhibit highlights a handful of the rich and varied materials in the Bill and Alice Hart Collection. The exhibit also features Alice Hart’s watercolors, which are displayed with the Hart Collection in Special Collections, as well as Bill Hart’s scholarship and his love of hiking and the Great Smoky Mountains.
We are especially grateful to the Harts for their generous funding of the Bill and Alice Hart Internship, which provides internships for UNC Asheville students to work with Southern Appalachian materials in Special Collections. The first internship begins in January 2024.
We invite everyone to make an appointment with Special Collections and take a deeper dive into these marvelous resources. Please contact Special Collections to make an appointment to see the Hart Collection: speccoll@unca.edu This exhibit was prepared by Michael Dennis, Ashley Whittle, and Gene Hyde