Lamplight Studios at 2 Westwood Place

This space is an expansion of our mission to support emerging and established artists in our area. After Helene, we significantly increased the scope of our work by launching a 3 phase recovery initiative: Art Recovers provided rapid relief grants, Art Remains delivered larger stabilization funding to community connectors, and Art Thrives is developing an affordable, artist-centered creative home and event space to sustain long term creative vitality for Asheville. This expansion is also a commitment to supporting the broader creative community in Asheville through space-making, programming, and artist-first values.

On the 2 main levels you’ll find artist studios: currently occupied by 11 incredible artists. To support long-term sustainability as well as to create accessible spaces for artists, the building includes a mix of affordable studios, priced well below market value, as well as market-rate rentals that help offset costs and ensure affordable artist spaces remain possible. In 2025, the building was purchased by Lamplight AVL Founders Emily and Adam McDaniel, who are committed to helping address the long-standing lack of affordable workspaces for artists in Asheville—an issue that has impacted the city’s creative community for years. While large scale construction on the site is covered by their LLC, Lamplight AVL will be renting the space and will cover Lamplight-specific items (stage, tables, etc.) through fundraising.

More Than a Workspace: 2 Westwood As a “Third Space”

Lamplight imagines the facility as more than just a workspace. 2 Westwood is being designed as a third space for Asheville’s creative community that will host:

open studios

shows

music

workshops

other arts-centered programming

Studio Artists will not only use the space to create work, but will also engage the community through hands-on programming and events.

While studios are currently open and occupied, the community event space, focused on programming and public arts engagement, is anticipated to open later in 2026. We have a temporary classroom space in the building for our resident artists and the community to use for classes and other arts-centered events. Eventually, all programming will move into the larger event space.