On February 16 & 17, 2019, *Assembly Required: The Asheville Designer Toy Expo, premiered in Asheville, NC.

As the adopted home town of the organizer and creator Matthew J. Casale (MJC), Matthew chose Asheville as the destination of the event because he saw a shared sensibility between the pop/deviant art culture of the movement, and Asheville’s culture.

With the help of, and advice from, artists working and living in the South East, such as Brad Rader (Battle Babies) and Jason Kinsey (FigureFETTish), the purpose of this event was to shine a light on a subculture that previously had little direct exposure in the region.

The event brought together some of the most talented designer, bootleg and art toy makers in today’s artistic movement. And was excitedly embraced by artists and attendees alike.