Flood Gallery Fine Arts Center

Flood Gallery Fine Arts Center

Established	2005
Location	Asheville, North Carolina
Website	www.floodgallery.org

Flood Fine Arts Center is a non-profit contemporary art institution in the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina. It has made significant contributions to the region by cultivating a strong exhibitions program bringing in artists both national and international, and through its expansive arts in education programs.

History

The Flood Gallery and Fine Arts Center is housed inside the Historical Phil Mechanic Studios Building (circa 1923). It was built originally as the Pierce-Young-Angel Food Storage Warehouse located near the French Broad River and Norfolk Southern Railroad in the industrial area currently known as the River Arts District. The Mechanic family purchased the building in the 70’s, and it became a construction company. When Phil Mechanic passed away in the late 90’s, his son, Mitch Mechanic, inherited the building. Mitch and his wife, Jolene, converted the building into ateliers, or art studio spaces. After a massive upgrade to bring the 90 year old building up to city code compliance, the place became Phil Mechanic Studios. In 2005, Jolene Mechanic, and popular local artist Sean “Jinx” Pace, collaborated and became Co-Founders and created the non-profit Flood Gallery and Fine Art Center.

Today, Phil Mechanic Studios has become a hub for art and science. They currently house Blue Ridge Biofuels, the only Biofuel production facility in the region; two art galleries – the Flood Gallery and the Pump Gallery showcasing an ambitious exhibitions program for both local artists as well as national and international artists; 17 artist studios, and a library featuring more than 1,000 books and internet capability for the artists in residence.

Exhibitions

The Flood Fine Arts Center opened its exhibition space in 2005, with international artist H.K. Zamani (a.k.a. Habib Kheradyar Zamani). Zamani has shown his work in Prague, the Czech Republic; Lublin, Poland; Graz, Austria; Frankfurt, Germany; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Bangkok, Thailand; London, England; and now resides in Los Angeles, California where he shows work regularly. In the past five years, The Flood Fine Arts Center has hosted other internationally acclaimed artists including Jim Buonaccorsi, Nava Lubelski, Mike Estabrook, Cory Bradley, Mike Calway-Fagen, Allen Leper Hampton, Porge Buck, Heinz Kossler, and James Esber.

References

• "Hip-shakin’ samba, South American jazz to rumble Flood Gallery", February 8, 2007, Citizen-Times
• "Lorraine Walsh to Hold Multimedia Exhibition at Flood Fine Art Center", October 28, 2006 announcement from UNC
• "Officially alternative", June 7, 2006, Mountain XPress
• "Jolene Mechanic opens the Flood and Pump Galleries", May 31, 2011, "Bold Life"