During the month of October historic Atherton Mill, located in Charlotte, NC’s SouthEnd District, will host a month-long art event named Carolina’s Got Art!. Larry Elder, owner of Elder Gallery in Charlotte, has fashioned the exhibition after a long running annual art exhibit which was at one time sponsored by Springs Mills in SC. The juried show has since been discontinued but exciting memories still exist for those who participated. The eagerly anticipated “Springs Show” provided an opportunity for artists to compete for prize money and prestige. The objective of Carolina’s Got Art! is similar.
“Through Carolina’s Got Art! we hope to see the diversity of artwork being produced throughout the two Carolinas. Both states are rich in visual art history and have produced artists who have achieved national and international acclaim,” says Elder. A South Carolina artist recently reflected that his participation in the “Springs Show” was instrumental in one of his paintings being included in the Guggenheim Museum’s permanent collection. Acceptance into the exhibition will allow artists, both amateur and professional, to offer their work for sale, as well as evaluation by New York art critic, Brice Brown, who will serve as juror. The main goal of the event is to generate a spark of excitement within the visual arts community that has suffered due to the economic downturn.
“Our hope is that Carolina’s Got Art! will be the first of many 21st century visual art exhibitions to showcase the vast amount of talent being created in the two Carolinas. Now is a great time for residents and businesses of the Carolinas to step up and offer a strong show of support for the visual arts,” says Elder. Submissions for the exhibition can be made via (www.carolinasgotart.com). Deadline for entries is September 1, 2009.
The Juror: Brice Brown received his BA from Dartmouth College and his MFA from Pratt Institute. His work has been reviewed in the New York Times, Art in America and The Village Voice, among others, and is in numerous public collections such as Baltimore Museum of Art, The Speed Art museum, and Yale University. As a writer and art critic, he has been a regular contributor to The New York Sun, and The New York Press, and has written numerous exhibition catalogue essays. He also publishes and edits an annual arts journal called The Sienese Shredder.
Carolina’s Got Art! will take place from Oct. 2 – 30, 2009 at Atherton Mills, 2000 South Boulevard in Charlotte.
Round One: All work submitted as per the terms of the Entry Instructions will be viewed by the exhibition juror with assistance from Elder Gallery. All best efforts will be made to keep judging impartial and fair. Our goal is to select an exhibition that is broad in scope and reflects the very best quality of work submitted.
Round Two: New York art critic and writer, Brice Brown, will select prize winners from the exhibition.
Round Three: Elder Gallery will select up to fifty pieces to be included in its November, 2009 exhibition.
Show awards include:
Best in Show – $2,500; First Place – $2,000; Second Place -$1,500; Third Place – $1,000; and Honorable Mention(s) – $500 gift certificate from Williamsburg Oil Paints and $500 gift certificate from Campania Fine Moulding.
For further info contact Larry Elder at 704/370-6337 or e-mail to (lelder@mindspring.com).
P.S. To read some of the buzz this juried show is generating check out theCharlotte Observer article about Carolina’s Got Art!.