Welcome to Number 7 Arts
Number 7 Arts is a cooperative art gallery located in the heart of Brevard, North Carolina. As the longest running art gallery in Transylvania County, it is a favorite destination for locals and visitors.
The gallery is a program of the Transylvania Community Arts Council and is the area’s largest collection of local art. As members, our artists share in the day to day operation of the gallery so when you visit, there is always a participating artist available to answer questions. Stop by and browse our selection of original artwork including pottery, jewelry, woodwork, fiber arts, photography, stained glass, fabric and woven art, furniture, paper maché, as well as oil, acrylic and watercolor painting.
Stop in often! Our gallery is constantly changing as artists create new work. And remember…when you choose a unique handmade art object from Number 7 Arts, your purchase supports local artists and our arts community.
It Began With A Vision
For many years, Brevard was known primarily for its outdoor activities, the Brevard Music Center and Brevard College, but perhaps less so as an arts community.
In 1998, a group of five Transylvania Community Arts Council (TC Arts Council) leaders decided to change that. They would create a non-profit, self-sustaining program that would focus on local artists and provide them with a venue for selling their art. It would be operated as a cooperative and a place to promote the arts and foster a sense of community pride between TC Arts Council, the gallery and the public. An outside juror chose nineteen founding artist members to display their work and share the responsibility of operating the gallery. On March 4, 1999, Number 7 Arts opened its doors for business at 7 East Main Street, a small storefront in downtown Brevard.
In the early days, when the gallery was still finding its footing, it was sustained financially by a host of non-artist volunteers who believed in the vision of the TC Arts Council and the concept of Number 7 Arts. By 2005 the gallery had proven to be viable and it was able to hire a manager to oversee the day to day operations. The gallery continued to prosper and attract visitors so when other galleries were closing during the economic downturn in 2008-2010, Number 7 survived.
In 2016, Number 7 Arts was faced with the biggest challenge in its history. The landlord was considering selling the space and the ever-increasing rent was making it difficult to serve the artists and the community. In response, the membership chose to research their options. When a prime space in downtown Brevard became available for rent the group acted on it immediately. With assistance from the Transylvania Community Arts Council and a newly formed “Friends of Number 7 Arts”, more than $70,000 was donated to fund the renovation of the space in the historic turn-of-the-century McMinn Building at the corner of Main and Broad Street. Artist members, spouses, and volunteers rallied together, forming work committees, and began the arduous renovation process. It took 11 weeks and more than 3,000 hours of volunteer work, but in January of 2017, Number 7 Arts opened its doors again and welcomed the public into 2,200 square feet of beautifully designed art space.
Today Number 7 Arts is the longest running art gallery in Transylvania County and the only cooperative gallery of its kind.
A special thanks to our founders who saw the vision for Number 7 Arts and then made it happen: Jinks Ramsey, Cindy Platt, Bob Masengill, Susan Threlkel, and John Candler.