Join the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown to celebrate its latest featured artist, Wendy Newman, and her Asheville Imagined exhibit. A reception will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday (April 12) at the AC Hotel in downtown Asheville. The event will display Newman’s fashion designs and photography inspired by Asheville’s skyline and natural beauty. Works for sale will include multi-dimensional prints, canvas prints, silk prints, scarves and umbrellas. The designs showcase 3-D kaleidoscopic mandalas featuring iconic landmarks, compelling objects, landmarks, and individuals who represent the best of Asheville. The show is part of the AC Hotel’s “Meet the Artist” series, which features the work of local artists for purchase on the ninth-floor rooftop level. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the hotel’s rooftop bar and lounge, Capella on 9, which just launched a new seasonal menu. Wendy Newman will be giving away more than $1,000 of her work at the event. After the event and throughout her three-month exhibit, she will donate 20 percent of all proceeds to Arts for Life, which provides arts programs to pediatric patients and their families at Mission Children’s Hospital. Her work will be on display and for sale at the AC Hotel through June. In addition to regularly featured artists, the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown displays the work of 10 local and regional artists in its public spaces, guestrooms and suites. This program is part of McKibbon Hospitality’s broader art collection, which is comprised of pieces specifically commissioned by local artists for its various hotel properties. John McKibbon, chairman of McKibbon Hospitality, works with Asheville art consultant Liz L. Barr of Art Resources to select the featured artists.