Asheville

In an oral history interview cited by the museum, Roseanne Coates described the closeted nature of LGBTQ+ life in Asheville at the time. [www.ashevillehistory.org] Two Asheville music venues, Mothlight and Ambrose West, closed permanently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. [mountainx.com] Jeff Santiago, operations manager for The Orange Peel and Rabbit Rabbit, pointed to the pandemic-era formation of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which lobbied for the Save Our Stages Act, providing $16 billion in emergency relief for entertainment venues nationally. [mountainx.com] A new venue, AyurPrana Listening Room, opened in the former Ambrose West space near Beacham's Curve in West Asheville; director David Newman described it as alcohol-free and focused on music. [mountainx.com] Santiago described how the Asheville music scene came together during the pandemic. [mountainx.com] Artists began moving into the River Arts District's vacant industrial buildings beginning in the 1980s, converting them into working studios. [artsavl.org] Helaine Green and Trudy Gould transformed a former tannery into what became Riverview Station; Pattiy Torno converted the former Standard Oil buildings into Curve Studios; John Payne's work at the Wedge continued the tradition of maintaining accessible studio space. [artsavl.org] Brian and Gail McCarthy expanded Highwater Clays, developed the Clingman Avenue Extension warehouse complex, and played a pivotal role in launching Studio Stroll. [artsavl.org] By the 1990s, Studio Stroll had opened the district to the public, and by 2005 it was formally recognized as the River Arts District. [artsavl.org] Much of the district's industrial-era development relied on the labor of African Americans, including formerly enslaved individuals and incarcerated workers, a history reflected today through the Black Cultural Heritage Trail. [artsavl.org] In 2024, Hurricane Helene caused significant flooding that damaged a significant portion of the district's studios and businesses. [artsavl.org] In 2026 the River Arts District was named one of the top arts districts in the country by USA Today. [artsavl.org] Urban renewal programs in the 1960s-70s led to the closure of Black-owned businesses and displacement of communities in the River Arts District area; the East Riverside area lost over 1,000 homes, seven churches, and more than 60 Black-owned businesses, including grocery stores, laundromats, beauty parlors, barber shops, funeral homes, a hotel and a hospital. [www.riverartsdistrict.com] The largest Black-owned business in Asheville, MB Disposables — a disposable-textile manufacturer bought by Matthew Bacoate, Jr. from a former egg-processing plant — closed in the 1970s due to redevelopment policies. [www.riverartsdistrict.com] Artists began moving into the district's abandoned industrial buildings in 1985; the first 'Studio Stroll' was hosted in 1994 by the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts. [www.riverartsdistrict.com] The mile-long stretch along the French Broad riverfront was officially named the River Arts District in 2005, following advocacy from artists and building owners; in 2013 the artists formally organized as the nonprofit River Arts District Artists (RADA). [www.riverartsdistrict.com] 8 River Arts Place, once an electric company building, was restored by the City of Asheville and is now leased by Black Wall Street Asheville, a nonprofit supporting Black-owned businesses. [www.riverartsdistrict.com] Sculptor John Payne, described as a mentor to many artists, purchased the Wedge building — which became available after urban renewal — in the 1980s from Bill Goacher; his large steel works remain visible on the building. [www.riverartsdistrict.com] For nearly 70 years, Eagle and South Market streets in downtown Asheville were home to a vibrant Black residential and commercial district known as The Block, largely destroyed by the city's urban renewal policies between the 1950s and 1980s. [mountainx.com] The YMI Cultural Center, originally the Young Men's Institute, opened on South Market Street in 1893 as a place for the Black construction workers employed at the Biltmore Estate; it was reestablished as a nonprofit in 1981 to preserve African American heritage in Buncombe County. [mountainx.com] In the year before publication (2021), Black-owned businesses including the Noir Collective, Jawbreaking fashion store, Asheville Iridescence Yoga and Sole82 sneaker boutique opened on The Block, suggesting a renaissance for the former 'Black Wall Street.' [mountainx.com] YMI executive director Dewana Little described what made The Block significant historically. [mountainx.com] Ajax Ravenel founded the Noir Collective, a shop for Black makers, in June 2020, with the YMI as landlord of its South Market storefront. [mountainx.com] Explore Asheville spokesperson Kathi Petersen said the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority had invested more than $1.5 million in the YMI and LEAF Global Arts. [mountainx.com] UNC-Asheville associate professor Amanda Wray runs the Blue Ridge LGBTQ Oral History Project, which she started in January 2019 after moving to Asheville in 2011. [qnotescarolinas.com] As of October 22 (2021), the project had collected 83 oral histories: about 60% from white, 12% Latinx, 9% Black, and 6% Indigenous participants, with roughly a third each from trans or non-binary, gay-identifying, and lesbian narrators. [qnotescarolinas.com] Wray described the project's guiding philosophy. [qnotescarolinas.com] Blue Ridge Pride has been the project's main source of support since the beginning, providing interviewees and financial backing. [qnotescarolinas.com]

“the only out that anybody really lived was in the bars.” [www.ashevillehistory.org]

“I think we've understood for a while here in Asheville that we are all part of an ecosystem together. We watch and help artists develop.” [mountainx.com]

“What made it The Block was it being a safe zone for Black people. Historically, it's one of the only areas outside of Southside where Black people have been able to really grow businesses in downtown Asheville.” [mountainx.com]

“That's kind of our catchphrase, right? Our stories, our lives, our way.” [qnotescarolinas.com]