A Pink Tie Affair

Even at sundown, the heat was intoxicating. Stepping into Pink Dog Creative in Asheville’s River Arts District, I felt like I had wandered into an oasis—or finally succumbed to thirst-driven hallucination.

Formerly a textile manufacturing and storage facility, 342 Depot Street has been brought back to life as Pink Dog Creative, a juicy mix of commercial outlets, galleries, and artist studios. Last Friday, I attended the grand opening of this hip new creative space.

From the inquisitive faces of contemporary primitive artist Cle Cotton, to the organic whimsy of realist Brad Stroman’s wabi-sabi paintings, to the bold, striated colors of Randy Shull’s painted furniture, walking through the Pink Dog Gallery felt a little like standing in front of a fire hydrant: powerfully refreshing. 

I wondered what had brought together such a diverse array of artists. Then I bumped into Hedy Fischer, co-owner of Pink Dog. Hedy explained how, after partner Randy Shull painted the snarling, bubblegum-pink canine on the outside of 342, curious artists began to gravitate to the renovation project.

“We’ve done more than just renovate a building,” Hedy told me. “We’ve created a community.”

And the people continue to flock; admirers from Harlem to Charlotte came to the opening to congratulate Hedy and Randy on their accomplishment and meet the artists that have helped complete the couple’s dream.

This Thursday, I’ll be back at Pink Dog for a sneak peek of Ginger Huebner’s Asheville Art Rereats, which you can read more about in WNC’s upcoming Arts & Music issue. Pink Dog Gallery is also open to the public Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.