The Upstairs Artspace announces the opening of three exhibits on Friday, March 8, with a reception on Saturday, March 9, from 5 – 8 p.m.

In the main gallery, Asheville artists Moni Hill, Alicia Armstrong and Spencer Herr explore art’s role in the wake of tragedy in “Here, After.” The exhibit was conceived in the wake of the tragic December killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

“These artists are all parents of young children, so they shared the gut reaction that millions of Americans felt when they heard about what happened in Newtown — from the fear to the sense that any of us could be faced with such sudden and heartbreaking loss,” said Margaret Curtis, chair of the Upstairs exhibits committee. “The artists have responded in such different and thoughtful ways. Spencer Herr explores the myth of redemptive violence. Moni Hill contemplates the many twists and turns along life’s meandering path and the shape of absence or loss. Alicia Armstrong challenges western notions of dualism in works that acknowledge the coexistence of good and evil, and the possibility of renewal and rebirth after tragedy.”