Beyond Our Walls: ARTISTS AROUND TOWN

YMI Cultural Center + ArtSeen Studios @ River Arts District + The Foundry Hotel (Workshop Lounge) + Penny Cup @ The YMI

NOIR Collective AVL is committed to securing venues around our city to display art created by the Black artists we represent. Please visit these spaces Beyond our Walls  to visit artists and to see their work: ArtSeen Studios in the River Arts District, The Foundry Hotel, PennyCup @ the YMI, and The Gallery/ies at YMI, just for starters.

ArtSeen Studios is a year-long studio access program operated by the RADA Foundation in partnership with Noir Collective AVL. The program provides professional studio space, visibility, artist ambassadors, and transition support for Black artists, with the goal of long-term participation in the River Arts District. You can visit these studio spaces at RAD Rendezvous at 87 Roberts Street.

Jenny Pickens

Asheville, NC

Jenny Pickens is an Asheville, NC area native. She is a self-taught artist who has been making art all her life. Working in mediums including fiber arts, pencil, pen & ink, pastels, oils, as well as hand built pottery and repurposed jewelry, Jenny’s work has been featured in a variety of articles, galleries & festivals around the community.Jenny also works with children in afterschool programs, such as YTL, IRL and Asheville City Schools TAPAS program, to help young artists curate their talent and love for creating. She creates and designs custom artwork pieces for private buyers as well as the Noir Collective AVL, also known as the Block, where her work can be viewed and purchased as she curates art and provides mentorship to other up & coming artists.

Reach out and tell them you found them through Noir: https://jenny-pickens.pixels.com/

Margo Vaughn

Asheville, NC

Margo Vaughn’s current series is experimental and exploratory in nature.   Essentials of abstract contemporary painting, such as color theory, composition, balance, shape and texture, take the stage in partnership with expressive drawing. Her process entails creating many layers,  adding and removing acrylic paint, using  small embellishments such as tissue paper and collage as frequent visitors.    A sense of depth is paramount in her intentions so a sense of falling into the painting is common and contributes to the dialogue between the viewer and the work. The viewer is encouraged to step closer, investigating underlying meanings and messages.

The emotional backdrop to her themes would be identifying the feelings that lay  in the shadows of our mind but are not  acknowledged in our outer reality or disclosed to those around us.  Our shadow self is another layer of our identity,  disclosing memories, reflections, regret, guilt, self hatred,  along with such things as revenge, sorrows, dreams,  and fears.   An attempt to dialog with these fleeting moments of our human existence are the origins of these abstract paintings. Reach out to Margo here and tell them you found them through Noir.

Jerrie Settles

Asheville, NC

Jerrie’s art is an expression of being blessed, by God through her family, beyond measure.

In 2007 she authored and illustrated her first children’s book, A Prayer for Wings – A Journey of Nipaerilla the Caterpillar.

Over the years her art has taken on new dimensions, where she has tutored art students, taught art therapy classes, and expanded to digital art. No matter what the medium or the platform, the grace and love of God is always expressed in every creative work.

She signs all her work with JEMS

J- Jerrie her nick name
E- Essie her middle name from her grandmother, her childhood hero
M- Mae her grandmother’s middle name, Jerrie selected on adoption day
S- Settles her last name she received when marrying the love her life.

​And the Lord said to me; “your signature means Jesus Eternally Making Sketches.” Now God is still working in her life behind the scenes; ensuring the sketches will never stop. Reach out to Jerrie here and let them know you found them through Noir!

The Workshop Lounge

With plenty of space to work, unwind, or meet up with friends for a cocktail at the bar, you’ll be surrounded by a beautifully curated experience. Featured artists rotate seasonally, so be sure to visit regularly and often.

Elizabeth Ivey

Asheville, NC

I work in collage. I cut, layer, and sit with images until they tell me what they need to become. My work comes from lived experience-what it takes to survive, to slow down, and to keep becoming myself. I’m interested in memory, faith, and the quiet strength it takes to stay rooted while things shift. This work isn’t rushed. It’s about presence, listening, and trusting what reveals itself over time.

Flowers from Mrs. Cunningham’s Garden (right)

Fabric collage, 36×48 $15K

Your Move in the Long Game (below)

On its way to Exhibit at Queens University

Fabric Collage, 48×54 $17K

Queens University in Charlotte, NC

In Balance: Art, Health, and the Human Condition will explore themes of the body, nature, community, and creative expression, highlighting art’s ability to restore equillibrium, foster collective care, and create space for reflection, presence, and renewal.    September – December 2026.