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The Artist’s Coop in Laurens, SC, Offers Creative Opportunity and Fundraiser for Cancer

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

The Artist’s Coop in Laurens, SC, is one of the long time supporters of Carolina Arts. They don’t usually send info into us to spread to our readers, but last month when I was delivering papers to the Upstate area of SC I was running a little later than usual. By the time I got to Laurens, the Artist’s Coop gallery was open. And, I picked up some info about a few events taking place there.

I’m posting this at both Carolina Arts Unleashed and Carolina Arts News – for maximum exposure.

So here’s the info:

The Artist’s Coop in Laurens, SC, is presenting artists and non-artists the opportunity to participate in the Creative Cups for Cancer (Artsy Bras) Event.

First, we need creative folks to create artsy bras in 3D. You can create as many as you want. You may use any size bra (padded or non-padded) or can construct and design a 3D art bra of your own with materials of your choice. All parts to be covered inside and outside, including straps. They may be sewn, glued or papier-mâché, etc. To help inspire you, check out this link on the Quilters of SC website at (http://www.quiltersofsc.org/Artful%20Bras/artfulbraproject.htm).

Attach finished bra(s) to a padded hanger.

Please “title” your creation and if there is a story behind your idea, please include that info on the entry form or separate piece of paper. Entry form to be attached to the hanger. (Call The Artist’s Coop for an entry form at 864/984-9359 or e-mail to Laurensartistscoop@backroads.net).

Entry Dates: Thursday, Sept. 16 thru Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, from 10am to 5pm and Saturday, Sept. 18, from 10am to 2pm.

Silent Auction will start on Sept. 22, 2010, and will end with a reception on Oct. 7, 2010, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. All bids to be placed by 6pm that evening. You can make a bid at this link.

Proceeds to benefit the Rainbow Connection Breast Cancer Support Group and The Artist’s Coop.

These bras would be great in a shadow box for a doctor’s office, as a gift, or as a fun unique piece of art.

For further information call The Artist’s Coop at 864/984-9359 or Fay Edge at 864/923-0083 or at (http://www.laurensartistscoop.org/).

The Artist’s Coop is also presenting the “Peep Show” the 6th Annual Juried Competition Art Show and Sale to take place from Nov. 18 through Dec. 30, 2010.

Awards and opening reception will take place on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Entries should be delivered on Nov. 12, 10am-5:30pm & Nov. 13, 10am-2pm.

Criteria:
2D art image not to exceed approx. 36 sq, in. (examples: 5″ x 7″, 6″ x 6″, 3″ x 4″, etc.); frame (or frame & mat) size or width not included in the 36 sq. in.); 3D works to be small to miniature in size; entry fee is $20 for 1-4 pieces of art work; all works must be original works of the artist; must be framed or wrapped canvases and fitted with wire hanger or secure hooks; total commission for all artists for this show will be 15% of sale price to The Artist’s Coop (artist receives 85% of sale).

Pickup dates for art after show is Dec. 30 & 31, from 10am-5:30pm.

For further information call The Artist’s Coop at 864/984-9359 or e-mail to (Laurensartistscoop@backroads.net).

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Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery in Charleston, SC, Calls for Exhibit Proposals

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

I know I said I wasn’t going to put just general press releases here, but I’m posting this here and at Carolina Arts News because I’m a big supporter of the library. Like life – there are always exceptions.

Attention SC Visual Artist: The first thing you need to know is that you have to get your act together between Sept. 1 – Oct. 15, 2010, to have a shot at an opportunity to have an exhibit at the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery, located in the Main Branch of the Charleston County Public Library in downtown Charleston, SC.

Those dates are the important thing to remember. Now you can read the rest of the information.

The Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery announces a call for entries for juried art exhibitions, solo or group, for the calendar year 2011 at the Main Library. Preference is given to work reflecting experiences and viewpoints of South Carolina residents. Deadline for completed applications is October 15, 2010. Applications are available at the Administrative Office of the Main Library or on our web at this link. Applications are also available by calling Mallery Manning at 843/805-6949.

The Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery is a small intimate exhibit space – when entering the gallery, the left wall is 17′ 8″, the rear wall is 14′ 6″ and the right wall is 19′ 2″. The room height is slightly more than 8′. But, it is in a location that sees high traffic by people who are knowledge seekers – folks with expanded horizons. These are the kind of people you might like to see your art. Although the space is small, I have seen creative artists use it with unlimited imagination. If you understand that – you know what I mean.

For some reason Charleston’s artists don’t seem to be as interested in this exhibit space as I think they should. How do I know this? By the lack of applications submitted by Charleston area artists. And, the fact that more and more shows presented there are by artists from outside of the Charleston area. I guess they prefer places where they can have receptions – booze. You see, some artists think people will only like and buy their art when they are boozed up. I hope you have more confidence in your art.

What you get out of the space depends on what you put in it – meaning I’ve seen exhibits where the artists didn’t even leave any info about the exhibit or how to get in touch with them – even if someone was interested in learning more, getting them to exhibit somewhere else, much less buy something. While others have placed sign-in books for people’s reactions to the exhibit, price lists, business cards, an artist’s statement about the exhibit, and anything else that will help them make a connection with viewers. These artists also send out press releases by deadline to the media to make sure their exhibit has a chance at being promoted to the public. You get out what you put in.

So, here’s an opportunity for any SC visual artists to show their work in Charleston – the place some people call the cultural capital of the South.

Once More: Applications will only be accepted during the Calls for Submissions period from Sept. 1 until Oct. 15, 2010. The works of each selected artist or group will be exhibited for one month beginning in February of 2011.

For further information, please call 843/805-6949 or visit (www.ccpl.org).

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The Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild’s Biennial Festival of Quilts Takes Place in Seneca, SC – Sept. 17 & 18, 2010

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Our first mention of quilts on this blog was made in Feb. 2010, when we brought you news about the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail being developed in Oconee County, SC. Since that time the Quilt Trail has expanded to Anderson and Pickens counties and has been renamed the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail. We also talked about how developed these quilt trails are in Western North Carolina. You can read that entry at this link.

Now, I’m bringing you news about a Festival of Quilts and the official kickoff of the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail.

The biennial Festival of Quilts will be held on Sept. 17 & 18, 2010, at the Shaver Center, located at 698 West South 4th Street in Seneca, SC. The show will be open on Friday from 10am until 6pm and on Saturday from 10am until 4pm. More than 200 quilts, all made by Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild (LMQG) members, will be on display throughout Seneca. Admission is $5, but children 12 and under get in free.

The Festival of Quilts features quilts produced by members in a variety of categories from traditional bed quilts to art quilt wall hangings, wearables and other quilted home decor. Demonstrations, special exhibits reflecting guild projects and challenges, and displays honoring special guild members are an integral part of the show. A donation quilt made by members, a Fat Quarters basket prize (a quilter’s dream) and a charity auction are part of the excitement. Even a Car Quilt is featured – in the past it has been the hit of the show.


The Presentation Quilt – Eat Your Greens

The Festival of Quilts will also highlight two other special quilt related events, the recognition of the Oconee Quilter of the Year, Mrs. Jenny Grobusky, and the official kickoff of the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail.

Jenny Grobusky began quilting in 1993, creating a king-sized bedspread in the Dresden Plate pattern for her husband, George, in honor of their 50th anniversary. It was the first quilt she’d ever made and it launched a whole new career for her of quilting and teaching others to quilt. She had been a seamstress all her life, teaching all aspects of sewing at the Fred P. Hamilton Career Center and elsewhere in the area. As part of the reward process in being named Oconee Quilter of the Year, her quilt pattern was painted and mounted on the barn at her family farm, becoming part of the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail. She was also honored in May 2010 at a reception at the Blue Ridge Arts Council in Seneca.

The Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail will celebrate their grand kick-off in conjunction with the Quilt Show. A sample of painted quilt blocks will be on display during the show and maps of the Quilt Trail will also be available. Several of the sites displaying show quilts also have Quilt Trail blocks mounted on their building. Thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers, the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail (UHQT) was formally established in February 2010 with the mounting of four quilt blocks on buildings. Since then, local interest in the Quilt Trail has increased rapidly, and new painted panels (almost 30) are popping up throughout Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The establishment of the Upstate Quilt Trail adds South Carolina to the National Quilt Trail, established in 2001.

The LMQG and its members preserve the traditions, culture and history of quilting in Oconee, Anderson and Pickens Counties. They promote fellowship among quilters; contribute to the knowledge and appreciation of fine quilts; sponsor and support quilting activities, and contribute to the growth of knowledge of quilting techniques, textiles, patterns and quilt makers through educational meetings and travel. More importantly, they create Comfort Quilts for children and adults at Oconee Medical Center, Hospice of the Foothills and local nursing homes. When a non-local need arises, such as a Ronald McDonald House, or a catastrophe such as Hurricane Katrina, LMQG members rise to the challenge to provide the comfort of a soft, warm quilt to make the recipient’s days a little brighter.

For more information on the festival, log onto (www.lmqg.org/quiltshow).

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Arts and Heritage Center in North Augusta, SC, Features Clay in A Can, on View Sept. 14 – Nov. 13, 2010

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

This can be considered another in our series of reporting on clay exhibits taking place in the Carolinas, although this notice came from an area we don’t often hear from much – North Augusta, SC. Border towns in South Carolina like to think of themselves as part of bigger cities close to them. North Augusta is more akin to Augusta, GA – they share names. Hilton Head, SC, likes to associate itself with Savannah, GA. Rock Hill, SC, likes to think of itself as part of metropolitan Charlotte, NC.

Actually, this notice came from someone in Augusta, GA, as this event is part of a festival in GA, but that’s OK – the exhibit is still taking place in SC. And, it’s not often you’ll be able to see a show like this with works from across the country. They may be small works but many are made by big names in the pottery world.

Here it is:

The Arts and Heritage Center in North Augusta, SC, will present the invitational traveling exhibit, Clay in A Can,  featuring works by members of the Clay Artists of the Southeast (CASE) including nationally known potters Joe Bova, Anna Calluori Holcombe, Sylvia Hyman, Val Cushing, Don Reitz, Nancy Selvin, Richard Shaw, Victor Spinski, Jack Troy, and Bill van Gilder, among others.

The exhibit, part of the Westobou Festival in Augusta, GA, will be on view from Sept. 14 – Nov. 13, 2010. The sixty-one invitational works will range from utilitarian pottery to inventive clay sculpture. Any piece must fit into a one-gallon paint can. The maximum size must be 6-inch by 5-inch by 5-inch. Each piece will be presented on top of the paint can. All works will be for sale.

Potters participating in this exhibit include: Peter Alsen, Idleyld Park, OR; Carolyn P. (Pearl) Bailie, Augusta, GA; Ann Baker, Aiken, SC; Douglas Baldwin, Missoula, MT; Alice Ballard, (Munn), Greenville, SC; Elizabeth M. Barnes, N. Augusta, SC; Jeanne Bisson, Washington, VT; Betsy Borgatti, Martinez, GA; Joe Bova, Santa Fe, NM; Eric Carlin, North Augusta, SC; Janine Cawthorne, North Augusta, SC; Val Cushing, Alfred Station, NY; Cheryl Dean, North Augusta, SC; Carissa Doying, North Augusta, SC; Aubrey Desportes, Gilbert, SC; Cecelia Desportes, Gilbert, SC; CP.  Dunbar, Leesville, SC; Christy Dunbar, Leesville, SC; Sarah Barney Fletcher, Augusta, GA; Rosemary Forrest, Augusta, GA; Wade Franklin, Midville, GA; Annette Gates, Athens, GA; Donna Hallman, North Augusta, SC; Lisa D. Hatch, North Augusta, SC; Steven Hill, Sandwich, IL; Anna Calluori Holcombe,Gainesville, FL; Richard Holt, Baltimore, MD; Bill Hunt, Delaware, OH; Sylvia Hyman, Nashville, TN; Marsha Johnson, Aiken, SC; Christy Knox, Cummington, MA; Eva Kwong, Kent, OH; Elena Sonbok Lee, San Diego, CA; Frank E. Lustig, Aiken, SC; Kayrene Lyon, North Augusta, SC; Kirk Mangus, Kent, OH; Nick Mason, Mt. Vernon, IN; Jennifer McCurdy, Vineyard Haven, MA; Katy McDougal, Atlanta, GA; Richard Nickel, Norfolk, VA; Lisa Orr, Austin, TX; David Otis, East Jordan, MI; Neil Patterson, Philadelphia, PA; Sandi Pierantozzi, Philadelphia, PA; Barbara Powell, Lincolnton, GA; Don Reitz, Clarkdale, AZ; Elizabeth Reynolds, North Augusta, SC; Andy Rogers, Maryville, MO; Tierney Rollins, Augusta, GA; Renee Rouillier, Columbia, SC; Lisa Scroggins, Ridgefield, CT; Barbara Sebastian, San Francisco, CA; Nancy Selvin, Berkeley, CA; Richard Shaw, Fairfax, CA; Victor Spinski, Newark, DE; Tom Supensky, Aiken SC; Leslie Thompson, Oak View, CA; Ikuzi Teraki, Washington, VT; Jack Troy, Huntingdon, PA; Bill van Gilder, Gapland, MD; and Dianne White, Lincolnton GA.

The exhibition is testimony to the versatile nature of clay and those persons who have chosen ceramics as their means of aesthetic expression. Each piece is an individual, one-of-a-kind work of art. The artists represent twenty-three states, from Oregon to Florida and Arizona to Vermont. Their educational and social backgrounds are as diverse as the clay objects they produce. The methods, techniques, materials and tools used cover the gamut of ceramic practice.

Please examine each work carefully and witness the fine quality as well as the creative response to a wide variety of forms and topics. Some of the pieces are humorous while others more conceptual. You will find examples of excellent craftsmanship all tied to the broad concept of clay in a can. The exhibition is partly funded by a grant from the Porter Fleming Foundation.

The Westobou Festival, designed to celebrate excellence in the arts, features a variety of performances and exhibitions by local, regional, and nationally-recognized artists, primarily in the disciplines of dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Each day and evening of the 10-day festival will be filled with a variety of performances and exhibitions designed to dazzle visitors and showcase our area’s wealth of artistic talent. Whether your passion is contemporary theatrical performances or traditional symphony events, strolling through gallery exhibitions or listening to jazz, you’ll find it all – and more – at the 2010 Westobou Festival!

The Arts and Heritage Center is located at 100 Georgia Ave., at intersection of Georgia Avenue and Center Street in North Augusta. There is an admission charge and hours at the Center are: Tue.-Sat., 10am-4pm.

For further information contact the Center by calling 803/441-4380 or visit (www.artsandheritagecenter.com).

Editor’s Note: This same exhibit will take place at the Aiken Center for the Arts, in Aiken, SC, from Jan. 6 – 27, 2011. Art venues interested in hosting this unique exhibit should contact Tom Supensky by calling 803/641-6811 or e-mailing to (supensky@gforcecable.com).

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Gallery 412 in Florence, SC, Features an Exhibit of Fiber Works by Susan Lenz

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Yes, this is another press release which came late – after deadlines for our August issue of Carolina Arts, but it’s no reason the artist should suffer, so here it is.

The Florence Regional Arts Alliance in Florence, SC, will open its 2010-2011 Season of its newly renamed Gallery 412 with Last Words, a fiber arts show by Susan Lenz. Currently entering its 3rd year of operation, the Gallery and Shoppe will annually feature shows that open on the first Thursday of each month and continue through the last Thursday of each month. Arts Alliance President Greg Fry indicates, “Our plan is to schedule a diverse array of artists each year, and we encourage our exhibiting artists to ‘push the box’ in terms of their artistic exploration. We hope the result will be many exciting shows for gallery goers over the next 12 months and hopefully in the years to come as well.”

Last Words will be on view from Aug. 5 – 26, 2010.

Susan Lenz indicates that despite two terrible childhood experiences with needle and thread, she fell “head over heels in love” with embroidery as an adult and dreamed of a time when she could indulge her passion as a professional artist. Finding time to pursue her passion was a virtual impossibility because she already filled every waking hour managing a custom picture framing shop that had 13 employees. In 2001, she downsized her growing business, rented space in a cooperative studio setting, and started “making art’ from bits of fabric and lengths of thread. Her years in operating a business served her well. Her new career became an extension of the existing corporation.

Long hours devoted to production were already Lenz’s normal work ethnic. Association with local artists provided her with an excellent mentor who immediately advised her to build a resume, enter shows, submit for art opportunities, and create an inventory book documenting every creation. These advantages, combined with inspiration from travel, medieval and renaissance history, and modern technology, are the core of her textile work.

In the fall of 2008, Lenz was awarded a MacNamara art residency on Westport Island, ME.  While there, she read a suggestion in Jeanne Williamson’s The Uncommon Quilter about making grave rubbings on fabric. There are family plots and historic cemeteries all over Maine. She made a rubbing and then an art quilt. She has been quilting ever since. She comments, “The ability to communicate the passage of time, the human desire for remembrance, the issues of both personal and universal mortality are reasons that will make quilting with grave rubbings one of my textile passions for a long, long time.”

As Lenz’s series developed, new ways of working the concepts came into being. Collected epitaphs became free motion machine embroidered words on sheer chiffon banners. Artificial flowers from the cemetery dumpsters brought color and actual tokens of remembrance into a physical space and transformed it into a spiritual oasis of tribute to human existence. Angelic digital images were transferred onto printmaking paper and combined with bits of lace, samples of antique handwriting, sepia photographs, buttons, keys, and other found objects. Lenz herself admits, “A site specific installation called Last Words was born and continues to inspire new work.”

Operating at 412 South Dargan Street in the emerging Arts and Cultural District in Downtown Florence, the Florence Regional Arts Alliance is the “chamber of commerce” for the artists, arts organizations, school arts teachers, and school arts programs of the City of Florence and Florence County. The Arts Alliance is committed to preserving, supporting, and promoting a vibrant arts community by providing grants to artists, organizations, teachers, and schools; by recognizing students, individuals, and businesses through a comprehensive program of awards and scholarships; by offering community programming that showcases the performing arts, the visual arts, and the literary arts; and by serving as an advocate for the arts to business, civic, and governmental leaders. All initiatives of The Arts Alliance are premised on the basic organizational core value that recognizes the arts are fundamental to quality of life, education, and economic development in today’s knowledge-based economy, an economy that will require innovative, imaginative, and creativity to address the critical issues of the 21st Century.

For further information call the Alliance at 843/665-278, e-mail to (fraa@florencescarts.org) or visit (http://www.florencescarts.org/).

Editor’s Note: Susan Lenz is also having a solo exhibition at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC, from Sept. 10 through Oct. 10, entitled, Personal Grounds. The exhibit is part of the annual MOJA Arts Festival which takes place from Sept. 23 – Oct. 3, 2010, in Charleston. The mixed media installation will feature 48 free-motion machine embroidered chiffon banners in the soaring two-story central space and a series of over 100 portraits depicting every day people and the decisions they’ve made. For further info about this exhibit contact Erin Glaze at 843/958-6484 or visit (www.charlestonarts.sc).

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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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The Deadline to Enter the 2010 Carolina’s Got Art! in Charlotte, NC, is August 15, 2010

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

It’s less than a month away, and I know some of you artists out there will have to hustle to make the deadline. Almost 500 artists from throughout the Carolinas entered last year. It’s an electronic entry so you won’t have to haul your work to someplace just to find out if the made the cut. You won’t do that until you know you’re in! Put you have to enter first.

But, first – here’s a press release we received at Carolina Arts about last year’s event.

Unexpected things can sometimes change a life – just ask recent Winthrop University graduate, Jon Wald, who was awarded the top prize in the 2009 inaugural Carolina’s Got Art! competition.

When asked about winning the $2,500 Best-in-Show award and subsequently selling his artwork during the show, Wald said, “First, I paid off my debts, which is a huge relief in itself. Then, I bought new supplies. One item was an Arduino (an easy-to-use microprocessor). I used the prize money to justify leaving work early every day to teach myself how to program the chip. Ultimately, I think it has helped lead me toward an entirely new method for making art.”

Wald was one of seven other artists from North and South Carolina who walked away with a portion of over $9,000 in prizes awarded by Carolina’s Got Art! that premiered in October, 2009. The initial success of the exhibition has motivated Carolina’s Got Art! founder and owner of Elder Art Gallery, Larry Elder, to launch the second annual competition, slated to open October 1, 2010, with an awards presentation to this year’s winners. The exhibition will continue through October 30, 2010, at Atherton Mill in Charlotte, NC’s Historic SouthEnd District.

“We had no idea that Carolina’s Got Art! would generate such excitement for the local visual arts community,” says Elder. “We accepted over 1100 entries and our juror selected 135 original pieces to comprise the exhibition.” During the month of October, 2009, the exhibition attracted over 2000 visitors.

Columbia, SC-based Edens & Avant, owners of Atherton Mill, is once again demonstrating its commitment to the visual arts in the two Carolinas by offering their historic property for the host location. Artists are encouraged to visit (www.carolinasgotart.com) for complete details. Carolina’s Got Art! is accepting online entries for the 2010 exhibition until August 15, 2010.

This year’s juror will be Mario Naves, an artist, writer and teacher who lives and works in New York City. He is renowned for his torn and cut abstract collages, works of art that have been described by The New York Times as being “delicate and gorgeous” and by Art in America as “joyous, sophisticated, charming, and goofy”.

The Elizabeth Harris Gallery in Chelsea represents Naves’ art. His collages are included in private and corporate collections across the world. Naves has been the recipient of awards from The National Endowment for The Arts, The George Sugarman Foundation, the E.D. Foundation and The National Academy Museum. He was recently named a Distinguished Alumni by the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah.

A critic as well as practicing artist, Naves has written on the visual arts for over twenty years. He has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New Criterion, Smithsonian, New Art Examiner, Slate and, from 1999-2009, The New York Observer, where his sometimes prickly opinions earned him the reputation of being a “maverick dissenter”. He is currently a gallery critic for City Arts, a bi-weekly journal devoted to culture in New York.

Naves has taught and lectured at The Cooper Union, The New York Studio School, Montclair State University, Rutgers University, The National Academy and The Ringling College of Art and Design. He currently teaches at Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College.

For further information contact Elder Art Gallery (www.elderart.com) by calling 704/370-6337 or visit (www.carolinasgotart.com) or (www.facebook.com/carolinasgotart).

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3rd Annual HAM Festival Takes Place in Seneca, SC – July 24, 2010

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Correction: The date of the Festival is July 24, 2010 – not the 14 as previously stated.

The 3rd Annual Heritage, Arts & Music Festival (HAM) will take place on July 24, 2010, from noon to 5pm at Duke Energy’s World of Energy, located at 7812 Rochester Highway in Seneca, SC. The theme of this year’s festival is focused on quilts and proceeds benefit the Blue Ridge Arts Center and the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail.

We first reported on South Carolina’s first entry into a national quilt trail project back on Feb. 15, 2010 – here’s the link to that blog entry (http://carolinaarts.com/wordpress/2010/02/15/launch-of-national-quilt-trail-in-south-carolina-feb-16-2010-in-walhalla-sc/).

Since that time a lot of activity on this project has been going on and I recently received a fairly long article about some of those activities and upcoming events, but we’re going to feed them to you in shorter bites.

So first up is the HAM Festival.

The Heritage, Arts & Music Festival (HAM Festival) offers a number of free activities for the whole family including: Quilt Historian Laurel Horton will give a talk from 1 to 3:30pm; Hands-on Art Station for Children; Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail Painting; Artisan’s Sidewalk Sale; Quilt-Themed Art Show, Featuring a Variety of Mediums on view through Aug. 20 inside lobby of World of Energy; Live Music by Conservation Theory and Four Mule Pileup; Oconee County Storyteller Phil Cheney Performs at 1pm; and National Award Award-Winning Youth Storyteller Rixon Lane Performs at 3pm.

For further information call the World of Energy at 800/777-1004 or visit (www.duke-energy.com/worldofenergy/).

So what’s been going on since last we reported? Well you could probably learn a lot by attending the HAM Festival or visiting the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail website at (www.oconeeheritagequilttrail.com), but here’s a little of what was in the recent press release.


Quilt Square placed on Blue Ridge Elementary School – a Jackson Star

Residents of the area are beginning to see something new in Oconee County (Seneca, Salem, Walhalla, Westminster) – Quilts. Not the cloth and batting kind of quilts, but rather historic quilt patterns painted on specially prepared boards and mounted on buildings in the area. Thanks to members of the Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild (LMQG), the Blue Ridge Arts Center (BRAC) and some dedicated volunteers, the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail (OHQT) has been established.

The Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail is in the process of creation of these “painted quilts” and hanging them where they can be enjoyed and admired by local residents and visitors alike, either one at a time or by following the Quilt Trail through the county.  Once finished, the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative installs the quilt blocks on their new homes. The blocks are then listed on the trail map in OHQT brochures and on the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail website.

Besides creating painted quilts, the Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild and the Blue Ridge Arts Center are inaugurating the Quilt Trail in a number of ways. Mrs. Jenny Grobusky of Walhalla, SC, has been named Oconee Quilter of the Year, the first recipient of this honor. As part of the reward process, her first quilt pattern, a Dresden Plate pattern, was painted and mounted on the barn at her family farm, becoming part of the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail. She was honored in May 2010 at a reception at the Blue Ridge Arts Center, and will be recognized again at the upcoming Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild Festival held on Sept. 17 & 18, 2010, at the Shaver Center in Seneca. The (LMQG) represents guilters from Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties in SC.

We’ll offer you more about the history of the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail and info about the Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild Festival later.

For further info about the Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail you can call Cynthia Leggett at 864/985-1271; Laurel Horton at 864/882-9933; or Martha File at 864/885-1018. You can e-mail to (info@oconeeheritagequilttrail.com) or visit (www.oconeeheritagequilttrail.com).

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5th National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition on View in North Charleston, SC

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

I went into North Charleston, SC, to turn our July 2010 issue of Carolina Arts into the printer, so I decided to go over to the North Charleston Riverfront Park at The Navy Yard at Noisette (former Charleston Naval Base), even though the temps were in the mid-90’s. It was a little overcast so I figured it would be a good day to photograph the 11 sculptures that were part of the 5th National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition, on view through Mar. 2011. The exhibit and competition is organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. The competition was juried by Stuart Horodner, Artistic Director of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. The exhibit features eleven sculptures by eleven artists from seven states.


Two Headed Ass (steel) by George Long


Mass Murder Machine (steel, iron, and aluminum) by Doug Barton


Prism Arc SC (painted steel) by Carl Billingsly

When I arrived at the parking area it was almost full, which was a surprise considering the heat, but it was lunchtime so maybe folks were enjoying their lunch in the park, but as it turned out all the cars were there for either the aftermath or preparations for filming of the Lifetime drama, Army Wives. They do filming all over the former naval base and shipyard.


Cube (corten steel) by Dana Gingras


Fools Buoy (steel and concrete) by Roger Halligan

It’s been a year since I was in this park and a lot has changed. The landscaping is further developed giving the park a not so new feeling – which is a good thing. There are some new additions – a covered picnic area and a children’s playground next to it. There were also some new additions to the memorial to the Charleston Naval Yard – which I think is finally finished. It also looks like a new restaurant is in the works, which will be good – especially if you can get drinks there.


La Fleur da Vie (steel) by Teresa Howachyn


Boat Nest, Elevation of Divergence (steel) by Corrina Mensoff


End of Time (recycled metal) by Jim Shultz

There was a nice breeze at the park and it wasn’t until I finished and returned to my car that I felt hot – really hot without the breeze.

I hope you enjoy the photos. It seems that this year’s primary color is – rusted brown.


Between Hope and Despair (steel and stone) by Philip Smith


Ball Joint (cast iron and bronze) by Kristy Summers


Inside the Vee (steel and recycled materials) by Bob Turan

The results of the competition are as follows: Division I – Best in Show went to Two Headed Ass (steel) by George Long of Roswell, GA; and 2nd Place went to Mass Murder Machine (steel, iron, and aluminum) by Doug Barton of Athens, GA. Honorable Mention awards were given to: Prism Arc SC (painted steel) by Carl Billingsly of Ayden, NC; Fools Buoy (steel and concrete) by Roger Halligan of Chattanooga, TN; and Ball Joint (cast iron and bronze) by Kristy Summers of Carbondale, IL. Other works in this division include: Cube (corten steel) by Dana Gingras of Moorseville, NC; Boat Nest, Elevation of Divergence (steel) by Corrina Mensoff of Atlanta, GA; Between Hope and Despair (steel and stone) by Philip Smith of Columbia, MD; La Fleur da Vie (steel) by Teresa Howachyn (TEKLA) of Black Mountain, NC; and Inside the Vee (steel and recycled materials) by Bob Turan of Earlton, NY. Division II – End of Time (recycled metal) by Jim Shultz of North Charleston, SC.

I’ve also included some wide views of the park and a few images of the shipyard memorial, which includes a lot of art also.

You can see last year’s entry about this exhibit at this link.

For further information contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843/740-5854 or visit (www.northcharleston.org).

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Friends of Berlin Committee & Sculpture in the South Unveil Sculpture of Mayor Berlin G. Myers in Summerville, SC

Friday, June 25th, 2010

We received this short press release at Carolina Arts.

The Friends of Berlin Committee & Sculpture in the South would like to invite the citizens of Summerville, SC, to the public unveiling of “Honorable Mayor Berlin G. Myers” Portrait Sculpture by Garland Weeks on Monday, June 28, 2010, at 7pm, at the Summerville Municipal Complex, 200 South Main Street in Summerville.

In honor of Mayor Berlin G. Myers lifetime of dedicated service to the Town of Summerville and it’s citizens.

We’d love to see you and your family there!

For more information contact Janet Meyer at by e-mail at (askus@sculptureinthesouth.com) or call 843/851-7800.

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