Art Reception: Freedom to Play by Gail Drozd

Artist Gail S. Drozd unveils Freedom to Play, a deeply personal fine art exhibit born from disruption, memory, and renewal. On display July 1-31, an opening reception will be held Friday, July 3 from 5-8 pm.

Drozd’s artistic path was dramatically altered in the wake of Hurricane Helene. In the storm’s aftermath Drozd turned to mixed media, less about representation and more about reckoning there is both a shift in medium and a profound reimagining of purpose. These works, raw and tactile, capture the emotional and physical debris left behind. The result feels both intimate and expansive.

Drozd's exhibit offers a new series of 12 x 12 panels using sewing patterns, childhood photographs, and heavily scraped acrylic surfaces that converge to form abstract “portals” into layered moments of time and identity. What distinguishes this exhibit is its sense of permission.

Asheville Gallery of Art is a collective of 31 local artists. Located at 82 Patton Avenue in the heart of downtown, the gallery is open daily from 11am to 6 pm. For more information, call 828-251-5796 or visit AshevilleGalleryofArt.com or the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.