What a WOW! SHAC Supporters Visit Momentum’s New Gallery
Visit Momentum’s New Gallery, 52 Broadway, Asheville
Sand Hill Artists Collective has been reaching out from our base in Western Buncombe to downtown and RAD galleries since our inception. Tours have had to be virtual, that is until mid-March when Jordan and Shifra Ahlers were kind enough to invite us to preview their exciting new Momentum Gallery, which has moved to 52 Broadway across from the Center for Craft. Jordan has built Momentum to be one of the premier art galleries in the U. S., but now—expanded into 15,000 square feet of stunning space—every angle, surface and stairway has been designed to reflect their artistic vision.
Jordan, along with his partnering wife Shifra, have taken a carefully mapped two-year journey to represent over seventy mostly emerging and mid-career artists, serving them with his over two decades of curatorial experience, as well as his intuitive yet refined aesthetic, candor and kindness. He makes gallery visitors feel welcome, always with an easy conversation that reveals each artist’s background and intent as well as his own. From the viewer’s perspective, you will leave knowing why an individual piece of art was special enough to hang on Momentum’s walls.
Jordan and Shifra did just that for ten SHAC “artivists,” our Covid limit to ensure safety in the gallery. Jordan and Shifra’s careful attention to the health and safety of gallery visitors has allowed them to remain open throughout the pandemic. They have retained a full-time Health Coordinator and have architecturally addressed ongoing wellbeing. Momentum is fully ADA compliant with accessible ramps and an elevator, and a variety of safety-minded features such as a brand-new HVAC system with integrated UV light “air scrubbers.”
In an interview with Luxe Magazine, Jordan said, “Momentum provides a venue that introduces museum-quality work from around the country while simultaneously showcasing the best of this region. We are passionate about elevating the Asheville community as an arts destination, propelling our artists’ careers, and promoting their work to national and international audiences.”
Mission accomplished! You can enjoy, as SHAC did, an unparalleled gallery experience with peace of mind as you explore this masterful venue, designed and executed to perfection.
New artists now on exhibit at Momentum: Chihuly glass and Samantha Keely Smith, whose painterly large works draw you to their core with vibrant colors and traditional brushwork, pouring and staining. They represent the landscape of the psyche, the place where the conscious and unconscious meet.
Sand Hill Artists Collective 