Come see my exhibit! Asheville, NC!

[Cooper]

Hey TDPRIers. I just wanted to let y'all know about my upcoming exhibit here in Asheville, NC. I've been a member for a long time, though I lurk more than post, and wanted to invite everybody. Awesome photos, free beer and food, and an interesting cultural experience!

Here's the low-down: http://www.darktopography.com/district.html

Hope to see you there!

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“The District: Photography by Max Cooper”

ASHEVILLE, NC--Pump Gallery is proud to present "The District: Photography by Max Cooper." A local photographer known for haunting nocturnal imagery, Cooper has turned his lens on Asheville's own River Arts District, rendering the cradle of the area's art scene in his
stark, subtle style.

"The District has a striking duality of inspiration and desolation," says Cooper. "This work focuses on the vitality and decay caught between Asheville's infrastructure and its art."

"Max's work evokes the living energy that is so indigenous to the River Arts District. His photographic technique is able to capture and animate what would otherwise be a static scene," says Jolene Mechanic, Gallery Director.

Cooper is a graduate of UNC-Asheville's photography program. He was recently honored with a Merit Award from B&W Magazine, and was the recipient of the University of North Carolina at Asheville’s Ryan Patrick Jones Excellence in Photography award. Images from "The District" series appeared recently in Everywhere Magazine.

"The District" will be on display from August 2 through 31, 2008. An opening reception with the artist will be held in the gallery August 2, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

Pump Gallery is located in the Phil Mechanic Studios building at 109 Roberts Street, in Asheville's River Arts District, 28801. For more information, call 828-254-2166, or visit www.philmechanicstudios.com, or the artist's website, www.darktopography.com.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Cooper

free beer and food

with that pitch alone, you've got a hook in 99% of all musicians!

we may be up that way soon, and if so, will make it a point to stop in.

[BritishBluesBoy]

Hey man,
I'm way too far away to make it but from one photographer to another - good luck with the exhibition.

Cheers!

[Cooper]

Woodman, noticed your sig. I grew up about four miles from Loafer's Glory. Never knew there was a band. Awesome. I've already added them to my MySpace friends.

BritishBluesBoy - come on, man, SOMEONE's got to keep the airlines afloat!

Thanks y'all.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Cooper

Woodman, noticed your sig. I grew up about four miles from Loafer's Glory. Never knew there was a band. Awesome. I've already added them to my MySpace friends.

too much! so are you from Bakersville, Red Hill, Green Mountain?

the band may have been before your time ('75-'79) ... we actually worked out of Yancey County, scattered along the Cane River road (19W), but a lot of the first gigs were at parties up in Mitchell County, thus the name.

i've been intending to post a short story i wrote about the band as a MySpace blog on the page -- your post has inspired me to get off my duff and do it today! i'll give a holler when it's up.

meanwhile, best o' luck with the exhibit!

[Robin Nahum]

Congratulations Max. Looks great.

We still have fond memories of our visit to Asheville in 2002 especially the student bar that serves countless varieties of boutique beer (and not watery stuff). And we are still using the tent that we bought from that camping place at the other end of the tunnel.

We met some lovely people, although we were not wholeheartedly welcomed at the Grove Park Inn when we visited for a coffee in our hiking gear.

http://www.groveparkinn.com/gallery/...otos/13histinn

Asheville seems a very photogenic town with its art deco buildings - quite unexpected given its location "out in the bush". Can you say a few words about why somebody chose to put a city there?

[tpaul]

Dang... I used to live there... would've come by for sure. But it's a long hike from upstate NY...

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Robin Nahum

Asheville seems a very photogenic town with its art deco buildings - quite unexpected given its location "out in the bush". Can you say a few words about why somebody chose to put a city there?

Asheville sits in sort of a "bowl" surrounded by mountains, making it a natural place for a town to grow into a city given the rugged terrain around it. it had become a vacation destination for people seeking the good mountain air even before George Vanderbilt put up the Biltmore Estate around the turn of the 19th century. after that, the town prospered, and the first few decades of the 20th century saw the advent of the Grove Park Inn, Pack Square, the courthouse, and an abundance of Art Deco architecture. celebrities and presidents visited, giving it a sort of national profile.

when the Depression hit, development was stalled as the city incurred massive debt, and the city was determined to repay it, so they couldn't afford to tear down the old buildings to put up "modern" designs -- lucky for everyone, in a perverse way! (the debt was finally paid off in 1977.)

more recently, in the '60s and '70s, the mountains attracted counterculture types who gravitated to Asheville as the hub anchoring Western North Carolina. this fueled a massive folk-arts and music scene that still thrives today.

i lived there in the '70s and in nearby Black Mountain in the early '80s ... truthfully, i wish i'd never left -- great town, great people, great scenery!