Back in the day – 1997 to be exact, when at the time our paper called South Carolina Arts jumped the border and started coverage of the visual arts in North Carolina, thus becoming Carolina Arts – I delivered papers in Salisbury, NC. At that time, it was mostly just to the old Waterworks Visual Arts Center on Water Street – there didn’t seem to be much else there.
In the last year, my delivery trail has taken me from Davidson, NC, off I-77 across Hwy. 73 to I-85 at Concord, NC, to head north toward Lexington, NC, to Hwy 64, again crossings overland to Hwy. 220 to Asheboro, NC, and then to Seagrove, NC – the center of pottery in North Carolina. That’s a geographical description, not a slight to any other pottery areas in NC.
That’s a bit of traveling with no stops in-between and when I’m doing deliveries of the paper I feel a bit like the white rabbit in Alice and Wonderland – I’m always running late or the clock is ticking. But, each time I passed by Salisbury – I wondered. I knew things had changed there, the Waterworks Visual Arts Center had a new facility, new art galleries had opened, and the city seemed more active in promoting the arts.
So, I did some map research on Google and made plans to stop there on one of my trips and drop off some copies of the paper to see if we could generate any interest from the visual art community there to become part of the Carolina Arts family – the printed version – as we include all areas of the Carolinas that send us info by our deadlines on our website version of the paper.
It’s a little hard to get a good view of things at 5 or 6am in the morning, but I could tell big changes had taken part in Salisbury as far as the visual art community went. The gallery Pottery 101 would have been enough to bring me back. The gallery was all windows on two sides, well lit, and I could see all those wonderful pots inside (sorry about the smudges on the windows). When I’m traveling at night galleries that are well lit with lots of windows get my attention. So, I was hoping some folks there would respond to the papers left on their doorsteps.
Annette Ragone Hall of Rail Walk Studios & Gallery was the first to make contact. She wanted to know all about the paper and what it would take for us to come there on a regular basis. We talked, e-mailed, and once she got the drift – she went to work talking with others, started advertising her studio and website (www.AnnetteRagoneHall.com) and I learned more about the city each time I went there. Others also made contact.
Come September, a group of galleries and artist’s studios will start advertising the Second Saturday Art Crawl (http://www.rowanartcrawl.com/) with the help of the Rowan Arts Council. The next event takes place Aug. 14, 2010.
Every second Saturday of the month, from 1pm to 6pm, in Salisbury and Spencer, NC, more than 25 professional artists, studios and galleries offer visitors new art, special events, and activities. Spend the day and see great art, talk to the artists, watch demonstrations, hear live music, and dine at local restaurants, many which are offering special discounts. Maps and free trolley rides are available at galleries and at the Rowan Arts Council office. The 2nd Saturday in Salisbury and Spencer Art Studio & Gallery Crawl is sponsored by the Rowan Arts Council. For more info call 704/638-9887.
I’ve not run into many places that share their art walk or crawl with other galleries and art studios in another city. There must be a lot of love between Spencer and Salisbury. I’m thinking of a few neighboring cities in the Carolinas where that just wouldn’t be possible. You know who you are.
Now, while I was doing some research on the 25th Annual Sculpture Celebration in Lenoir, NC, I discovered that the City of Salisbury hosts a yearly sculpture exhibition themselves, the 2010 Salisbury Sculpture Show, which runs from Apr. 1 through Dec. 31, 2010.
The Burning by Paris Alexander
Nineteen multi-media sculptures by artists from 8 states are on display throughout the downtown Salisbury area. Each piece was placed to best compliment its location within the historic downtown area. A walking tour of the locations, starting at the Visitors Center is a delight to students of art and history alike as well as visitors to Salisbury who are looking for a little culture.
A Toy For Sisyphus by Ralph Berger
So here’s a dual opportunity to plan a trip to Salisbury on one of the 2nd Saturdays, but you can really go anytime and see the sculpture show and visit some of the galleries and maybe even catch a few artists in their studios – by chance.
I did some research on the internet to see what I could find out about this sculpture show and they have a website (www.salisburysculpture.com). Here’s some info I found there.
Fibonacci’s Hidden Gold by Stephen J. Chilingirian
Judging for the 2010 Salisbury Sculpture Show was conducted in late April by Jeff York. York is the Public Arts Administrator for the Town of Chapel Hill, NC, and the former Director of Public Art and Community Design for the NC Arts Council. York exclaims, “I was honored to be asked to judge the Salisbury Sculpture Show and discover “what’s outside” in downtown Salisbury. The variety of sculptural forms and materials represented in the show offers something for everyone to enjoy. I really liked the way the works were scattered around the downtown, some very noticeable on street corners and others in more intimate spaces waiting to be found. Together they make for a great way for people to discover all that Salisbury has to offer.” York notes that the cultural experience of the local event reflects that of a well-established sculptural exhibit. “For only its second year in existence, the quality of the artists’ entries speaks to a more mature venue. There are many outdoor shows around from which the artist can choose to exhibit and this show attracted artists from around the state and beyond.” York adds that in judging the show, art award selections are naturally subjective and concludes, “I hope you will enjoy viewing each sculpture and have fun debating with your fellow citizens, your favorites and theirs.”
Windows of Time by Dale McEntire
The following works have been selected to receive awards for their participation in the 2010 Salisbury Sculpture Show by York.
The Norvell Best in Show award went to Gary Gresko of Oriental, NC for Tumbling Toward the Sun; the Second Place award went to Paris Alexander of Raleigh, NC, for The Burning; the Third Place award was given to Bill Wood of Fairfax, VA, for Tilt; and an Honorable Mention award went to Dale McEntire of Saluda, NC, for Windows of Time.
Other artists selected for the show included: Ralph Berger of Rutherfordton, NC, for A Toy For Sisyphus; Jeannette Brossart of Durham, NC, for We Are The Problem, We Are The Solution; Samuel E. Burns of Chattanooga, TN, for Sundial; Stephen J. Chilingirian of Zirconia, NC, for Fibonacci’s Hidden Gold; Jim Collins of Signal Mountain, TN, for “Big Wheel”; Pattie Porter Firestone of Chevy Chase, MD, for Leaves of Grass; Jim Gallucci of Greensboro, NC, for Cattail Bridge; Don Green of Winston-Salem, NC, for Madonna ’01; Gretchen Lothrop of Pittsboro, NC, for A Subtle Miracle; Dough Makemson of Commerce, GA, for Bear; Rueven Fields Sadeh of Chapel Hill, NC; for Hanging in the Balance; Kenneth Thompson of Blissfield, MI, for Steel Inverted Arch; Wayne Trapp of Vilas, NC, for Up and Over; Jozef Vercauteren of Myrtle Beach, SC, for Le Car; Glenn Zweygardt of Alfred Station, NY, for Blue Storys.
I’m sorry I don’t have many photos of these sculptures, but I hope to go do the tour sometime and then I’ll feature them in another blog entry, but you can go see and take your own photos, Why not take in a 2nd Saturday Art Crawl and take a break from your computer and the internet. Go see some real North Carolina art.
For more information on the artists and locations, visit (www.salisburysculpture.com).
So if you haven’t been to Salisbury in a while or never have – go check it out and we’ll keep bringing you news of what’s going on there from time to time.
