The Refinery AVL

07/07/2023

was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Luis is an artist and ritualist whose practice confronts the palpable inescapability of race and transforms art into an act of cultural and spiritual reclamation. He has exhibited widely at venues including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Latchkey Gallery NYC, Charlie James Gallery (Los Angeles), and The National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago), among many others. He has held residencies at Roswell, NM; The Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program (LAP), Saratoga, CA, Chicago Artist Coalition; and was a Critical Race Studies Scholar at Michigan State University. His work has been examined in publications including Artillery Magazine, Artforum, the Los Angeles Times, Newcity, and the Chicago Tribune. His work is included in the Fidelity Collection of Boston, Alta Med Collection of Los Angeles, the Alex Ko Collection, and the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, among many others. His practice has been spotlighted as having a unique voice helping to shape, shift, and touch the world on radio, podcasts, and television networks such as MundoFOX, TELEMUNDO, NBC, UNIVISION and WBEZ-NPR. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale, an MFA at Northern Illinois University. Luis is 3Arts awardee and a 2023 United States Artist Fellow.

Come see and more of his work for First Friday today at 4.30pm-8.00pm 🖼️

07/05/2023

Be sure to come by for First Fridays from 4.30pm-8pm. A spotlight on in studio 11 along with other amazing artists. We hope to see you there 🖼️

06/20/2023

is putting together a new body of work for his Halloween show here in October. Follow his page for updates 🪓

06/17/2023

Tonight from 6pm, a photography walk hosted by . Head over to Ricky’s page to learn more. Kicks off at 6.30pm tonight 📷

06/09/2023

announcement!

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming show, featuring exclusive behind the scene images from Saturday Night Fever taken by the late Holly Bower.

This will be the first of an ongoing series displaying all of the different phases of her incredible career.

Refreshments will be provided by donation and only a few selected prints will be available for sale, 20% proceeds will go towards the Asheville Darkroom.

“Holly Bower, the first woman union still photographer in the motion picture industry, sued Local 644, IATSE, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and received her union membership in October, 1974. Shortly thereafter, Sydney Pollack, director of “Three Days of the Condor,” asked Ms. Bower to shoot the lonely, isolated photographs which depict Faye Dunaway’s character. These photographs remain an integral part of this film’s texture. Ms. Bower was on the Executive Board of Local 644 in 1980, the first woman to be elected. Bower has taken still photographs for over 40 features and television shows.”

See you there !

06/01/2023

The Refinery excitingly presents the inaugural opening of art studio and store, El Mercadito. 

Join us in celebration this FRIDAY, June 2nd, 4:30 to 8PM to experience beautiful artwork, enjoy delicious Arepas by Chef Araceli (), music by Old Gold and beer by .

About El Mercadito:

We make and source objects that bring warmth, texture, and curiosity onto bodies and into homes. Our handmade prints, clothing, home decorations, and ritual objects are unique reminders of the potential of everyday moments, sensations, and sights to bring us joy and deeper meaning. We travel in search of art and craft not commonly found elsewhere – unusual designs and forms that are an expression of creative liberty and play. 

Our store welcomes all and hopes to engage its viewers with surprise and color, telling stories of origin, influence, and alchemy. Most importantly, it seeks to connect, both to far-off places and to our shared histories and home, our chosen families, and our inner selves through a commitment to intentionality and beauty in its many-faced forms.

About Luis:

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in, Luis Sahagun is an artist and ritualist whose practice confronts the palpable inescapability of race and transforms art into an act of cultural and spiritual reclamation. As the grandson of a Curandera, and himself a practitioner of Curanderismo, when Luis makes art, he conjures indigenous spiritualities to embody the aesthetics of personal histories, cultural resistance, and colonial disruption. 

Luis has been spotlighted as having a unique voice helping to shape, shift, and touch the world on radio, podcasts, and television networks such as MundoFOX, NBC, UNIVISION and WBEZ-NPR.  Luis is 3Arts awardee and a 2023 United States Artist Fellow. 

04/12/2023

04/12/2023

.art

04/12/2023

04/12/2023

03/04/2023

has opened his new studio here . This is a multi-use space where Amar will create paintings and host events selling original art, prints and merch in limited quantities. Check back soon for official opening hrs 👨🏾‍🎨