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July Issue 2004

An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC, Includes Visual Arts

The annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, one of An Appalachian Summer Festival's most popular events doesn't take place in a concert hall, but outside, at various locations across the Appalachian State University campus in Boone, NC. The event features an extraordinary array of contemporary sculpture from established and emerging artists from across the United States. The competition, celebrating its 18th season, opens in conjunction with the start of An Appalachian Summer Festival, on July 1, 2004.

The annual Sculpture Walk, led by the competition's 2004 juror, Alyson Baker, is scheduled for July 31, at 10am. The Sculpture Walk, which is free and open to the public, will convene in the Catherine J. Smith Gallery, located in the lobby of Farthing Auditorium, and will conclude with a reception in the gallery. Made possible annually by the generous support of Martin and Doris Rosen, the competition provides cash awards for ten artists, chosen from a wide range of established and emerging artists, with one artist named as the competition's top award winner. Award winners will be announced at the conclusion of the Sculpture Walk.

Works featured in the competition are situated in outdoor, public spaces on the Appalachian campus. A map indicating a walking tour of the sites is available at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery. All works featured in the exhibit are available for purchase.

This year's juror, Alyson Baker, is director of the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens. Started in 1986 under the guidance of sculptor Mark DiSuvero, Socrates is known internationally for providing contemporary artists with an opportunity to create and present new and challenging work.

The Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition 2004-05 finalists include: Hoss Haley, Kyle Van Lusk, Venske & Spänle, John Clement, Margaret Roleke, McKendree Key, Katrin Asbury, Robert Craig, Robbie Barber, and Karyn Olivier.

On view at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts will be the exhibition, Collaborations: Paintings and Performances, by Fern Shaffer and Othello Anderson. The exhibit housed in the Martin and Doris Rosen Galleries opens on July 2 and continues though Oct. 2, 2004.

The exhibit will comprise an important part of An Appalachian Summer Festival's visual arts component. Based on the artists' performance/documentary work, The Nine Year Ritual, Fern Shaffer and Othello Anderson selected areas of environmental beauty threatened by a specific ecological concern, in locations across North America. Following a process of extensive research, the artists then traveled to the chosen sites - ranging from locations such as Big Sur and Death Valley to Canada's eastern coastline and Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains - for a ritual performance, which was documented through a series of stunning photographs.

During the course of this innovative work, each artist continued their own painting. To further investigate the process of collaboration, the artists choose a topic together, and then worked on a preliminary design. From this design, the final canvas is created, with both artists painting on the work.

In connection with the exhibit will be a weekly Lunch and Learn Series, to be held every Wed. throughout An Appalachian Summer Festival. Presentations will be held from noon-1pm, in the Rosen Galleries of the Turchin Center and will focus on various aspects of the Collaborations exhibit. Lunch and Learn dates are July 7, 14, 21 and 28. All Lunch and Learn presentations are free of charge, and participants are invited to bring their own lunch. Bottled water will be provided.

Featured in the Catherine J. Smith Gallery will be an exhibition entitled, Africa: From Eritrea with Love: Paintings by Betty Laduke, on view from July 1 - 31, 2004. In this series of vibrant paintings, Laduke draws the viewer in with a blend of narrative and cheerful color to reveal fascinating glimpses into the everyday life of African communities.

A series of educational events round out the festival's eclectic array of arts programming. A Visual Arts Workshop Series will consist of a series for children ages 8-12; two art workshop series for adults; and the popular (and free) weekly Lunch and Learn program in the Turchin Center's Rosen Galleries. The Appalachian Retired Family will present its second annual summer seminar entitled, Appalachian Traditional and Outsider Art, a day-long seminar at the Turchin Center, starting at 9:30am on July 19, 2004, focusing on a discussion of "outsider art" by experts and artists, as well as visits to view the pottery, musical instruments, collectibles and other exhibited items featured during the seminar.

For additional information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, contact Hank Foreman, Director/Chief Curator, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, at 828/262.3017 or at (www.turchincenter.org).


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