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Engaging in Art’s Cultural Value
Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: June 2024
The collection on display at Art Highlands Gallery, 521 N 4th Street, deserves a careful browse and an eye for discernment.
Dr. Steve Hinkey and Beata Gola
Art Highlands Gallery owners Beata Gola and Dr. Steve Hinkey want you to understand that buying art is so much more than simply glancing at a painting on a wall.
Hinkey is of the mind that “people look too quickly,” and for familiar things. “They often miss the depth and meaning behind pieces. I see my role as curator to open curiosity and give understanding that makes art fun and interesting.”
It was after a 42,000-mile trip around the US, and a tour of three European countries that Gola and Hinkey decided to open a gallery here.
For Gola, former Vice President of a prestigious salon spa chain in New England, Highlands felt like home.
The road to gallery ownership was more circuitous for Hinkey. A former chiropractor, Hinkey had channeled his understanding of the human brain to employ the digital artwork he created into the healing process.
In November 2022, they opened their gallery at 521 N 4th Street.
“From our research and desire to present something very special came the opportunity to represent artists who are very special and worthy,” he said. “There are 100 creators we want to feature, to start we brought in 30. Plus, I’m expanding my own work into a more immersive experience.”
Hinkey and Gola are motivated by the challenge of how to engage people and to make the case that art has a cultural value that is worth engaging, to make it feel more relevant.
“The gallery is a vibrant community that champions the bold and experimental,” says Gola. “Offering a space for distinguished artists and enriching the understanding of the broader discourse of art builds confidence and connection to the gallery.”
The pair are dedicated to redefining the role of a boutique art gallery by showcasing and supporting unique talent.
The collection reads like a star studded collection of the gems of American artists; abstract painting by Harry James Moody, who developed his unique style questioning color, composition and patterns; encaustic paintings by Michael Hayden who creates lush and textured abstracts by heating beeswax and adding pigments; figurative, landscape and abstract oils on wood panels by Asheville artist Mark Bettis; nature art by Brevard artists Colette Fairman who captures the sunlight pouring through the forest; and works by printmaker, etcher and serigraph artist Ann DerGara.
The gallery also offers classes and public events and happily arranges private art showing. For information regarding upcoming events and current exhibits go to ArtHighlands.com.
