PAST STEAP PROJECTS HAVE BROUGHT NEW PUBLIC ART AND INSPIRING EVENTS TO HENDERSONVILLE
For over a decade, STEAP has worked with the City of Hendersonville NC and a team of volunteers, artists, businesses, community groups, and local leaders of our BIPOC communities to represent our rich cultures/ heritages.
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The Goals Are:
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• Honor our diverse communities’ stories, cultures, & contributions in the past, present, and future
• Engage community in creating connection through art
• Enhance the corridor for residents, businesses, & visitors with public art
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Scroll Down to See the Work We Have Done Over the Past Decade
THREE NEW MURALS
We were honored and grateful to have received a 40th Anniversary Grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County. As a result we were able to commission and install three murals in downtown Hendersonville.
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The Local Community Was Involved in Selecting the New Mural Designs.
RFPs for murals were released in July 2022, and the local community selected their favorite murals, with input from several city committee members.
Contracts were awarded to local artists.
BILLY SMITH
When “God-taught” artist Billy Smith paints, his brush connects the Divine to the canvas. He spent his childhood exploring the local mountains and all the colors, textures, and shapes he found in nature. Instead of using instructional art books, he let the flowers, trees, dirt, and sky inspire him. After overcoming multiple adversities, he came to the realization that being an artist was his true calling. Billy crafted the “Youthful Journey on 7th Avenue” mural in Hendersonville’s historic 7thAvenue district.
'Youthful Journey Up 7th Ave'
by Billy Smith
628 7th Avenue East
DIAMOND CASH
From an early age, Diamond has always had a talent for photography, painting, and drawing. She has a B.A. in Studio Arts from UNC Greensboro. She is passionate about teaching art and believes she can teach anyone who is willing to learn. Diamond’s work has been featured in several magazines, and she has been commissioned by Hendersonville to create several significant public art projects.
"City of Four Seasons"
by Diamond Cash
101 East Allen Street
"Unity in Bloom"
by Rosalia Torres-Weiner
310 Freeman Street
ROSALIA TORRES-WEINER
Art has always been a source of inspiration for Rosalia Torres-Weiner. Her murals and paintings are known for bold colors that connect her to her Mexican culture. But it is her love and empathy for the Hispanic/Latinx community that compelled her to turn her artistic talents towards activism in a practice she refers to as “artivism.” She uses her art to tell the stories of the Latinx community and push for immigration rights and reform. Rosalia has been commissioned by STEAP to create a mural representing the local LatinX community in May 2024.
The Community Foundation grant also allowed us to install an Art Banner for Black History Month, and host a Yarn Bombing of 6 trees and a caboose along Maple Street in the Historic 7th Avenue District in 2023. Click here to see photos from that event.​
Our History and Programs
STEAP has been delivering successful arts programs since 2012.
As a non profit, we serve others through performance, programs, and projects with our:
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diverse volunteer board
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dedication to inclusion and diversity.
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proven track record of fiscal management, arts administration, project management, program development and delivery.
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Funding and Past Projects
We have received various regional and local public grants, grass roots grants from the Arts Council of Henderson County, NC Arts Council, and other private grants.
STEAP has:
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Delivered 60+ art and storytelling programs in schools and communities for racially and economically diverse audiences from children to senior citizens.
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Produced 8+ multi-day events & storytelling festivals (DO TELL STORYFEST) featuring diverse tellers and performers serving over 13,000+ children and adults to date.
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Created 14 FREE educational storytelling videos for schools and libraries in 2020.
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Produced 4 short films: Blue Christmas, An Appalachian Heritage film, PEAK (for parents of estranged adult kids), and Gollup a woodworker's inspiration
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Produced a free self-guided audio tour of the murals in downtown Hendersonville. Visit the Website.
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Sponsored and organized several storytelling events in downtown Hendersonville in 2025 to support local businesses after Hurricane Helene. Click here to see the flyers for these events.
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Our New Vision: Virtual Storytelling
In 2020, due to the pandemic our format changed from live performance and we began our journey into virtual storytelling. We created and delivered 14+ videos (many in both Spanish and English) for NC's Henderson County schools and library system. These videos were shared with schools in California and New Zealand. All performing artists were black or Hispanic and the director was a young Hispanic artist in our mentoring program.
A 2020 grant helped us invest in state of the art film equipment. We have a goal to raise public awareness of crucial social justice issues with our new vision and new artists. Our newest projects involve the Latinx community, a new film, and a Public Art Project. See Current Projects.
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We are keen to meet new artists from western North Carolina.
So Contact Us and Let's Discuss!
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