Archive for August, 2010

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37th Artist’s Guild of Spartanburg Juried Exhibition Takes Place at Carolina Gallery in Spartanburg, SC

Friday, August 6th, 2010

This press release came a little late for all our August deadlines, but since Carolina Gallery has been such a good supporter of Carolina Arts – Yada, Yada, Yada – we don’t let any of our supporters down. Not if we can help it. Perhaps we’ll have more about this exhibit in our September issue, but for now, this is what we know.

The 37th Artist’s Guild of Spartanburg Juried Exhibition will take place at Carolina Gallery on Morgan Square in downtown Spartanburg, SC, on view from Aug. 19 through Sept. 18, 2010. The opening reception will take place on Aug. 21, 2010, from 7 – 9pm, but the exhibit opens to the public on Aug. 19, 2010, during Art Walk Spartanburg, held every 3rd. Thursday in downtown Spartanburg.

Dr. Stephanie Heydt, curator of American Art at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, is serving as juror for this year’s exhibition. Dr. Heydt, who has published widely on 19th and 20th century American art, selects works for the show based on digital entries. Award winning submissions will be determined in person, and announced at the artist’s reception on Aug. 21, 2010.  More than $4,000 will be awarded in 4 categories, including 2-D, painting and drawing, 2-D, photography and digital art, 3-D, sculpture, ceramics and jewelry, and “Upcycled,” where the majority of the materials in the art must have been previously used.


Winter Hydrangea, photography on watercolor by Susan Johann,
First Place Winner of the 36th Annual Juried Exhibition

This is the first year that the Juried Exhibition has been open to artists in both North and South Carolina outside of the designated area for membership in the Guild. This is also the first year for Carolina Gallery to host the annual Artist’s Guild Juried Exhibition.

Carolina Gallery is located at 145 West Main Street on Morgan Square in downtown Spartanburg.

The Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg was founded in 1957 by a core of 16 local artists, in order to support one another in their artistic endeavors. Several charter members are still active in the Guild. The goal of the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg is to serve as a source for creative art in the community by promoting, fostering, and cultivating knowledge of the visual arts and of local artists. It strives to provide enrichment and artistic education for its members as well as the community at large, and thus encourage a deepening appreciation, understanding, and love of art among the citizens of Spartanburg and surrounding counties.

For further information contact Laura Pinkley at 864/764-9568, e-mail to (artistsguildofspartanburg@gmail.com) or visit (http://www.artistsguildofspartanburg.com/).

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Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC, Features Works by Five Ceramic Artists

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

I think we need a new category – Pottery Exhibitions or something like that – or a whole new offering from Carolina Arts which keeps our readers up on all that is clay in the Carolinas. What do you think?

Here’s the press release:


Say, notice that quilt square?

Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC, will present the exhibit, Contiguous, featuring ceramic sculptures by Cristina Cordova and Jerilyn Virden, and What’s in a Line, featuring ceramics by David Eichelberger and Tom Spleth, on view through Aug. 31, 2010.

Cristina Cordova’s provocative new sculptures are haunting yet beckon those who come upon them to look closely and try to understand their suffering and longings.  Through the primary vehicle of the figure, she is in constant search for a presence. These new works will include materials never before seen in Cristina’s sculptures.


A work by Cristina Cordova from her website.

Jerilyn Virden looks to primitive objects that have a contemporary relevance. She pares down forms and exaggerates isolated elements, thus accentuating their sense of generosity and strength. Virden will also be introducing new surfaces and forms for this exhibition.

David Eichelberger is captivated by the dialogue in his work between simplicity and complexity. He uses clean, graceful lines to capture qualities he finds in the organic world. This will be his first exhibit of post-graduate work.

Tom Spleth’s slip cast porcelain cups are made complete with tiny script capturing select and provocative messages. Spleth will also be showing his vase forms that are recognized for the simplicity of their truly unique forms. Combined, these two artists demonstrate the importance of the “line” in ceramic design.

And, our online exhibition is, Ceramic Sweets and Small Works, featuring ceramics by Jason Bige Burnett.

New works by Burnett, aka Cakeboy, involve print processes and visual narratives that are simultaneously personal and universal. Burnett’s new forms both investigate multiple surface techniques and explore imagery that is influenced by the glitz and glam of carnivals, pop culture, and commercial design.

For further information call the gallery at 828/688-3599 or visit (www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com).

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Step Inside the Art World of Charleston, SC, Become a Roadie

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

I recently received this press release at Carolina Arts. If you’ve been wondering what the Charleston Arts Coalition has been up to for such a long silence – here it is. Click on their name to see their new redesigned website.

Here it is:

Is it okay to clap every time the symphony stops playing? Making an “art faux pas” may be intimidating for young adults, attending their first symphony. That’s why the South Carolina Arts Commission is teaming up with Charleston Arts Coalition to present the Charleston Road Show. This already successful program that launched some years ago in Columbia, SC, will give a behind-the-scenes look at what’s involved in creating and presenting art for the stage, screen and wall to 20 Charleston residents, aged 23-39.

Participating organizations include Redux Contemporary Art Center, PURE Theatre, Charleston Ballet Theatre, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Chamber Music Charleston and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. New Audience Road Show members will visit each of the participating arts organizations three times. During the first two visits, participants will learn about the art form, from the basics of musical composition to the mood-altering effects of stage lighting and the production of a visual art show. Participants will talk with artists, staff, and board members, try their hand at each art form and take backstage tours. The third visit will include a performance or opening, and each “Roadie”, will be encouraged to invite friends and share what they’ve learned.

“This program gives the ‘Roadies’ the confidence to take their relationship with art to the next level,” says Stacy Huggins, program coordinator for Charleston.

The participating art organizations get a chance to listen more closely and design programs and experiences that really welcome the young and eager audiences in the community.

“The most shocking thing that we learned from the Road Show was that there was a certain intimidation factor for those young audiences with no previous art experience to even come into the building,” says Leslie Pierce of the Columbia Museum of Art. “It made us rethink what we were doing, made us look at the museum with fresh eyes and approach it in a different way that we have not done before,” continues Pierce.

The Charleston Road Show is based on the SCAC’s pilot program New Audience Road Show that is now in its third season. Through participation grants, the SCAC, Charleston Arts Coalition and Charleston Road Show aim to increase knowledge of local arts organizations and young adult participation and patronage in them. Each organization was carefully selected based on their commitment to making quality experiences for the “Roadies”.

Charleston-area residents ages 23-39 are invited to apply for the Road Show, which runs from Sept. 2010 to May 2011. Applications are available online by visiting (www.CharlestonArtsCoalition.com); application deadline is Aug. 26, 2010. There is a nominal fee of $25.

For further information contact Stacy Huggins by calling 843/364-8333 or e-mailing to (charlestonroadshow@hotmail.com). More information is also available on the Road Show’s Facebook page.

Charleston Arts Coalition provides a forum and virtual gateway for creative individuals, organizations and businesses to collaborate on projects, exchange ideas, host special events and promote creativity.  The CAC is open to anyone and everyone who wants to be involved. Major projects include (www.CharlestonCulture.com), a website free and open to all people, where artists of all disciplines can create profiles, post events, discuss issues and connect with others in the community, and the Charleston Road Show.

The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances.  Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission focuses on increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, SC, the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com) or call 803/734-8696.

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Seagrove Potters for Peace – Turning Stoneware into Schools in Seagrove, NC

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

On Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010, twenty-three Seagrove area potteries, a jeweler and a soap-maker will sell specially signed artworks as a fundraiser for American Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, which chronicle his efforts to combat terrorism by educating impoverished and illiterate children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mortenson’s mission earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2009. His efforts have been recognized by the US military, who have invited him to the Pentagon in an advisory capacity, and are supported by donations from thousands of individual servicemen.

BUY A POT, BUILD A SCHOOL

A small purchase makes a big difference. Buy one vessel and you have provided a school uniform for one child, two vessels and you have paid a child’s school expenses for an entire year. Over 900 cups, tumblers, teabowls, pendants and soaps have been donated for this sale. Copies of Mortenson’s books will also be available for sale at some potteries.

Last year’s first Seagrove Potters for Peace event was an overwhelming success, selling out before noon. This year’s event features twice as many participants and many more vessels. There will be no early sales, but any remaining items can be ordered by e-mail or telephone on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. All items will be for sale at the individual potteries. A list of participating potters and more information can be found at (www.seagrovepottersforpeace.com). Free Seagrove area maps can be requested at (www.discoverseagrove.com).

Participants include: Abela So (items for sale at Whynot Pottery), Avery Pottery, Ben Owen Pottery, Blue Moon Pottery, Cady Clay Works, Caldwell-Hohl Artworks, Chris Luther Pottery, Chrisco Pottery, Crystal King Pottery, David Stuempfle (items for sale at Cady Clay Works), Dean & Martin Pottery, Dirtworks Pottery, Dixieland Pottery, Dover Pottery, Freeman Pottery, From the Ground Up, Great White Oak Pottery, JLK Jewelry at Jugtown, Jugtown Pottery, Old Gap Pottery, O’Quinn Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, Thomas Pottery, Tom Gray Pottery, and Whynot Pottery. (There may be more at this point.)

A LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO TERRORISM

It’s easy to feel helpless, and hopeless, about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with no end in sight and no clear solution to combating terrorism. Educating children in these countries provides an alternative to recruitment by terrorist organizations, dilutes the power of religious extremists and creates hope for a better future.

GET INVOLVED

You can help Greg Mortenson lay the foundations for this long-term solution to terrorism by attending the Seagrove Potters for Peace fund-raiser, buying his books and sharing them with others, donating to Central Asia Institute (www.ikat.org), or by organizing a “Pennies for Peace” campaign at your local school or church (www.penniesforpeace.org).
RELATED EVENT

The Randolph Friends of the Library will hold a community discussion about Afghanistan and Mortenson’s work on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010, at 7pm, at the Randolph Arts Guild, 123 Sunset Ave in downtown Asheboro, NC (about 12 miles from Seagrove, just off Hwy. 220). The discussion will be led by Dr. Jeff Jones, associate professor of Russian and world history at UNC-Greensboro. All ages are welcome. Copies of Mortenson’s books and a variety of pottery vessels will be for sale. Change will be collected for “Pennies for Peace”. Refreshments will be served.

For further information contact Beth Gore at Cady Clay Works by calling 910/464-5661 or e-mail to (cadyclayworks@yahoo.com) or (seagrovepottersforpeace@yahoo.com).

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Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, Features Works by SC Ceramic Artists

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

Here’s another entry in our efforts to keep our readers up on clay exhibits taking place in the Carolinas.

The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, is presenting the exhibit, SC6: Six South Carolina Innovators in Clay, on view in the Mamie and William Andrew Treadway, Jr. Gallery 15 through Oct. 3, 2010.

Drawn from public and private collections, six innovative ceramic artists who are, or have been, active in South Carolina are featured in this Gallery 15 installation. The works illustrate a diverse range of technique, glazes and forms for which the artists are best known. Featured artists include: Russell Biles, from Greenville, whose figural sculptures are deeply laden with social and political commentary; Jim Connell from Rock Hill, whose sinuous vessels are decorated with elaborate glazes, many of which are inspired by ancient Chinese ceramics; Georgia Henrietta Harris (deceased), a member of the Catawba Nation, who is largely credited with reviving the Catawba pottery tradition; Peter Lenzo from Columbia, whose technically complex sculptures recall the 19th century Southern “face jug” tradition yet remain completely unique; Ron Meyers from Athens, Georgia, whose functional ceramics are brightly slip-painted in a gestural, expressionistic style that can be both provocative and confrontational; and Virginia Scotchie from Columbia, head of the ceramics program at the University of South Carolina, who incorporates familiar shapes when creating her richly complex and lushly glazed vessels.


Works by Peter Lenzo

Brian J. Lang, curator of decorative arts at the Columbia Museum of Art, organized and curated the exhibition. “The Columbia Museum of Art is proud to highlight six diverse South Carolina ceramic artists who have had a profound impact on the development of ceramics in the state,” says Lang.

This Gallery 15 show is organized in conjunction with the Museum’s major summer exhibition, Innovation and Change: Great Ceramics from the Ceramics Research Center. The exhibition highlights 78 masterworks by many of the leading international ceramic artists of our day and offers a panoramic survey of the potential of clay as an expressive art form. Great Ceramics runs through Sept. 5, 2010. The Ceramics Research Center in Arizona contains one of the most exceptional collections of contemporary ceramics in the United States. The presenting sponsors for the exhibition are Carolina Ceramics Brick Company and Marcia and Allen Montgomery. Supporting sponsors are Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company and Helen and Buddy Hill.

For further information call the Museum at 803/799-2810 or visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).

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