What Came First, Opening March 8

Once a fixture of the South Slope, Tracey Morgan Gallery relocated to the budding arts district on London Road earlier this spring. To commemorate the move, the exhibition space will present What Came First. “Pulling from our roster of represented artists as well as highlighting work from non-represented artists, the group show centers around the theme of layers, both materially and thematically,” says gallery owner Tracey Morgan. “The title and theme further reference the process of art making itself, as each artist must choose where to begin.” Later in the spring, the gallery will also welcome Asheville creative Nava Lubelski for a solo showcase. According to Lubelski, the exhibition will feature a new series that combines stitching, collage, painting, and sculpture. “I am working on pieces that play off traditional crafts but are chaotic and unpredictable, untidy and expressionistic,” she explains. Lubelski’s new series also elevates “forgotten bits into something worthy of attention.” A piece titled “Bubby’s Bed Sheet,” for instance, uses a tattered bed sheet as a canvas for bold, expressive stitching and brushstrokes. “I want to remind people … to look honestly at the difficult world we’ve made and to remember that almost anything can be salvaged if you try hard enough to find a solution,” says Lubelski.