Posts Tagged ‘Bluffton SC’

The Last Bunch of Late Exhibit Arrivals for March 2011

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

This will be the last time I’ll post press releases which came in after our deadline at Carolina Arts. We’re getting too busy dealing with info that comes in on time. So, I suggest that folks get their info to us before the 24th of the month. The only exception – will be advertisers.

Here they go:

Carolina Galleries in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Terri Katz Kasimov

Carolina Galleries in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, Lowcountry Series, featuring collages and abstract paintings by Terri Katz Kasimov, with an opening reception on Mar. 4, 2011, from 5:30-7:30pm.

Katz Kasimov received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting from the Ohio State University and her Masters of Fine Arts from State University of New York at Buffalo. She studied under Sam Russo of Niagara Falls, NY, and David Hockney, University of California at Los Angeles as well as at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and La Universidad de las Americas, Mexico City, Mexico.

Katz Kasimov works in a variety of mediums. Collage, watercolor, acrylic, and even using old canvases reworked into new paintings, she is always striving to produce engaging and communicative artwork. Her artwork is represented in numerous private. corporate and museum collections throughout the world. She currently divides her time between Buffalo, NY, and Kiawah Island, SC, just outside of Charleston.

For further information call the gallery at 843/720-8622 or visit (www.carolinagalleries.com).

The Society of Bluffton Artists in Bluffton, SC, Presents a Photography Exhibit

The Society of Bluffton Artists in Bluffton, SC, is presenting the exhibit, A View Thru the Lens of Bluffton, Low Country and More, juried by Jean-Marie Cote and Donna Varner, on view through Apr. 8, 2011.

An awards presentation and reception will be held on Mar. 6, 2011, from 3-5pm.

For further information call Sandra Wenig, The Society of Bluffton Artists ( SoBA) Publicity Chairperson at 843/247-2868.

UNC Asheville in Asheville, NC, Features Works by Norma Bradley and Vicki Essig

UNC Asheville’s Blowers Gallery in Asheville, NC, will present, Intimacy and Contemplation, a new exhibit of fiber art using unique approaches that invite the viewer to share the artists’ quiet contemplative space. The exhibit, featuring works by Norma Bradley and Vicki Essig, opens Mar. 7 and will remain on view through Apr. 2, 2011. There will be a closing reception with the artists from 2-4pm, Saturday, Apr. 2, 2011, in Blowers Gallery.

Bradley incorporates photography and digital processes into her fiber art, contrasting handwork with technology. Essig weaves natural elements and small found objects into her works, playing with light and translucency, and the dichotomy between fragility and strength. The works are very distinct, but both artists incorporate elements of time, nature and contemplation.


Work by Norma Bradley

Bradley, who relocated to North Carolina from her native New York City more than three decades ago, is Director of Education for HandMade in America and is a teaching artist in the North Carolina State Visiting Artist Program. Her works hang in private and corporate collections.


Work by Vicki Essig

Essig grew up in the Rocky Mountains but now lives and maintains a studio in Asheville. She is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Piedmont Craftsmen, is a founding member of Ariel Contemporary Craft Gallery, and has taught at Penland School of Craft. Her works are on exhibit at Blue Spiral 1 in downtown Asheville.

The Blowers Gallery is located in UNC Asheville’s Ramsey Library, is free and open to the public, and is usually open 7 days a week.

For further information call 828/251-6436, or visit (http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/exhibits/blowers/exhibits.html).

Dialect Design in Charlotte, NC, Presents Works by Sharon Dowell

Dialect Design in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Shift: New Works by Sharon Dowell, with an opening reception on Mar. 11, 2011, from 6-9pm.

Dowell captures the  energy of place, the economic boom and downturn, and explores the theme of man vs. nature. She is interested in the documentation of memory and incorporates references to our changing political and social environment in this exhibition of paintings and installation.

Dowell is a painter residing in Charlotte and exhibiting internationally. Her work is in major collections such as the BLT Steakhouse (Ritz Carlton), Duke Energy, Fidelity Investments, and The Federal Reserve Bank. Recent shows include the Kipton art auction at Christies New York, UNC-Charlotte, and Duke University. An Arts and Science Council grant recipient, she is currently working on public art commissions for Charlotte’s light rail and Durham’s bus line. In 2010, she was in residence at NES in Skagastrond, Iceland, and will be an Affiliate at the McColl Center for Visual Art, in Charlotte, from Apr. 11 – Aug. 23, 2011.

For further information call the gallery at 704/488-6811.

Stanly Arts Guild in Albemarle, NC, Features Works by Deb Russell

The Stanly Arts Guild in Albemarle, NC, will present the exhibit, Landscapes of Lake Tillery & the Uwharries, featuring breathtaking photographic imagery of Lake Tillery and the Pee Dee River Basin by Deb Russell, on view at The Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, from Mar. 1 – 31, 2011.

Hosted by the Stanly Arts Guild, in cooperation with Falling Rivers Gallery, the exhibit features two of Russell’s metallic gallery wraps on loan from HD Photo Lab. Their glossy finish and metallic appearance result in striking three-dimensional imagery. Photographers often describe the effect as “chrome on paper.”

The fine art exhibit includes a series of nearly 20 photographs, ranging from large gallery wraps hand-crafted by HD Photo Lab, a division of Bullock Professional in Albemarle, to framed metallic prints. Anchoring the show are two large canvas wraps of ethereal Lake Tillery at daybreak: Golden Swift Island and In Morning’s Glow.

The exhibit showcases Russell’s signature approach to landscape photography, captured so powerfully in her recently released book, Lake Tillery: Our River, Our Beauty.

“I like to create images which evoke an emotional response in me,” says Russell, further elaborating on her inspirations. “Dramatic light and interesting composition drive my photography, and my appreciation of art generally. Fortunately, if you’re ready to really see them, engrossing vistas unfold before you on and around Lake Tillery, revealing themselves in surprising ways.”

Russell grew up just a few miles away from the lake in Mount Gilead, NC, and considers the area her “home turf.” She has seen her beloved Lake Tillery change over the years. It’s no longer the quiet, sparsely developed river of her youth, when most houses along its shores were simple weekend river cabins. Gone are the days when weekday boating could mean a long paddle to the shore if you ran out of gas.

Through her imagery, Russell hopes to convey – and, perhaps, to recapture – the quiet harmony and mystery of Lake Tillery, to remind busy Sunday afternoon boaters of the majesty of “our river.”

“For those with a life-long appreciation of this stretch of the Pee Dee River, I want to confirm that your river is still beautiful,” she says. “For everyone, I hope there can be a renewed or continued desire to preserve that which is close to us, so precious and delicate, and so critical to our way of life.”

Russell has worked at Bullock Professional, a pro lab in Albemarle, for the last 12 years. In that time she has complemented her artistic instincts with refined editing and post-processing skills that help her turn ordinary photographs into art.

“The masters canvas product is great for my landscapes because the Kodak metallic paper is ‘right out there,’ behind no framing glass, allowing the room light to play with all the vibrant color, contrast and depth in the paper,” she says. “In one of my graphic bridge shots, the morning sun hitting the glistening water is so much more enhanced by the reflective properties of the metallic paper. It brings additional life and pop to the sunlight as the viewer moves to examine at different angles. I know I smiled when I first saw that one in the lab.”

All photographs in the exhibit are available for sale by contacting Anita Ammerman of the Stanly Arts Guild by calling 704/982-0924. More of Russell’s art, including her book, are on display at Falling Rivers Gallery, a cooperative of local artists, in downtown Albemarle.
The Stanly Arts Guild and their Falling Rivers Gallery is sponsored in part by the Albemarle Improvement LLC, the Stanly County Arts Council, and the Grassroots Arts Program of the NC Arts Council, a state Agency.

For further information call the 704/983-4278 or visit (www.fallingriversgallery.com).

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Attending the SC Arts Commission’s Canvas of the People in Bluffton, SC

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Well, on a day the weatherman said would rain all day – especially in the Bluffton, SC, area, I headed out on a three hour drive there – for a meeting which would only last an hour and 15 minutes. Unlike the Arts Commission staff which would be staying in a hotel over night, I had to drive back home – March 12 is deadline day for our April issue of Carolina Arts. But, I’m sure they had other business to do in the area the next day to justify the hotel stay. And, I was lucky the rain had stopped for my return trip home. Finishing that April issue delayed this posting.

OK, to end the suspense – in answer to the question you’re all wondering. There were 6 Arts Commission staff members and about 16-18 other people, but oh, what a group of folks who just happen to show up in Bluffton.

This crowd had less people than showed up in Columbia, SC, but, that’s to be expected. Some seemed to want to blame the turnout on the rain, but there are no rain days in the arts. Events take place all the time when it is raining and people go to them anyway – if they really want to. Some use rain as an excuse, but rain shouldn’t of been an excuse to not attend such an important meeting. But, I don’t want to diminish the rain – at times it was a real downpour.

About a week before this meeting, the Arts Council of Beaufort County held an Emergency Arts Summit in Beaufort, SC, and about 75 people turned out for that. Somehow they were able to get people to turn out for that meeting.

The group that showed up for this Canvas meeting wasn’t what I would call a normal one. Besides an art collector and an individual artist – the rest of the group were administrators or public officials.

In fact, the Director and Development Director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County were there. They said they were also  artists, which made three people who actually create art. You have to wonder why so few artists showed up.

To my surprise, Suzette M. Surkamer, former Executive Director of the SC Arts Commission and Betty Plumb, director of the SC Arts Alliance from Rock Hill, SC, were also there. What were they doing there? But, I soon learned that a meeting of the South Carolina Association of NonProfit Organizations (SCANPO) just happened to be taking place on Hilton Head March 10 & 11. Two folks were there from the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina on Hilton Head Island, someone from the local School District, and someone from the local Chamber of Commerce. There were a few folks from Jasper County and the others – the introductions went so fast I didn’t get them all. And, I’m sure I was a surprise guest to some, but Bluffton and Hilton Head Island are in the area of coverage of Carolina Arts and I’ve spent many a day in those areas delivering papers.

So, it was no surprise that the answers given to the three questions posed for the Canvas were pretty good coming from seasoned veterans. A few times it sounded like a lovefest. But, in the end they were just words on paper.

These folks won’t be getting together to study or suggest solutions to problems pointed out. They won’t even have a hand in how these words will be incorporated into the final report – which is just more words on paper. And, like the five times before this Canvas of the People (which is #6), no group of people will be gathered together to see how well the goals of the previous Canvas were or were not accomplished.

But, the real surprise of the evening came when I heard Jeanette Guinn, Program Director for Long Range Planning and Performing Arts County Coordinator for Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties at the Arts Commission (she was also leading the discussion) say that the Canvas wasn’t to make a plan for them – it was for SC’s art community – shifting the responsibility from them to us.

I copied Guinn’s title description from the Arts Commission’s website – it’s too bad there are no visual or literary arts in the greater Charleston area that need coordinating. Most of the other County Coordinators don’t have such a specific description, but it’s their site – so it must have some meaning.

So aren’t we lucky that the Arts Commission is going to all this time and expense to help us organize ourselves – thinking about what works, what our biggest challenges are and what opportunities are out there – as if… as if we don’t think about those things every day – especially in these times.

Just before the end of our time they asked us to suggest what was a plus or a minus – as far as the meeting goes so they can make adjustments for the next meeting. My first suggestion was that the 15 minute talk given by Ken May, the acting Executive Director of the SC Arts Commission, about the results of a survey taken about the arts in SC could have been a handout saving us all that time for further discussion. After all, we only had one hour and 15 minutes and that wasn’t bad for a group this small, but what’s going to happen when it’s a group of 50 or 100 people? That might be wishful thinking, but if it happens, a lot of people are not going to get a chance to talk and there won’t be any time for discussion or follow-ups on comments.

Other comments were about a lack of snacks or coffee and donuts, some thought an hour was just right. I guess it was for busy administrators. Others gave the Arts Commission staff high marks for running the meeting. My list would be too long for this entry and can be found in previous postings about the Canvas of the People process. But I will suggest one thing to all who are planning on attending one of these gatherings. Write your answers to the three questions asked (given here) ahead of time in order to save time and not be distracted by others’ comments. You can always offer reactions on the fly to other comments, but you’ll be glad you wrote yours down ahead of time.

We were reminded that we will probably think of something important on the way home that wasn’t said and that we can always send those comments along to the Arts Commission by taking their survey found on their website.

But why add more words to paper? Where is the plan for action? It’s not like a taskforce is going to be formed to work on the goals which are distilled after combining the words from seven different gatherings. At least it never happened before that I know of and I haven’t gotten the indication that it’s going to happen this time.

The bottom line is – I think you should still go to these gatherings and tell them what you think about what’s going right and what your challenges are. Guinn said she’s not there to control your comments – just to direct them. Hold her to that statement and speak your mind. Don’t expect any administrators who depend on money from the Arts Commission to step outside the box. They’re still hoping it’s all not crashing down around them and the money flow will return.

But I have to wonder – where were all the artists from that area around Bluffton and where were the Board members of the Arts Commission? Where were they and why don’t they want to know what the community has to say, or are they too used to having that information spoon-fed to them by the staff members?

Here’s the remainder of the schedule:
Tuesday, March 16 – Governor’s School for the Arts, Greenville
Monday, March 22 – Black Creek Arts Center, Hartsville
Thursday, March 25 – Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken
Monday, March 29 – North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston
Thursday, April 8 – Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg
For more information about exact locations visit this link (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/canvas2010).

Here’s a link to my other postings on the Canvas of the People process.

Someone asked how this meeting was promoted and a chorus of voices said – very well, but I don’t agree. This is my fifth posting on these events since the press release first came on Feb. 10, 2010, just 12 days before the first gathering. I doubt any other publication or media outlet has given the Canvas more attention than I have and I doubt the Arts Commission has done any follow-up press release to upcoming areas since the first press release. That’s no way to beat the bushes for people to attend these meetings.

I bet if the SC Legislature was thinking about cutting the SC Arts Commission out of the State’s budget, they would beat all the bushes they could find.

Maybe I’ll see you at one of the next meetings – who knows who is going to show up? I know I was surprised at who was at this meeting. But you won’t know if you don’t show up.

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Questions Asked by SC Arts Commission at Canvas of the People Events

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

The next Canvas of the People events will take place in Bluffton, SC, at the Technical College of the Lowcountry on March 11, 2010 (that’s today) and then at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Greenville, SC, on March 16, 2010. Each runs from 6:45 to 8pm. Registration is not required.

Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, March 11 – Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort area (Bluffton, SC)
Tuesday, March 16 – Governor’s School for the Arts, Greenville
Monday, March 22 – Black Creek Arts Center, Hartsville
Thursday, March 25 – Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken
Monday, March 29 – North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston
Thursday, April 8 – Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg
For more information about exact locations visit this link (www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/canvas2010).

We found the questions you’ll be asked if you attend one of the Canvas of the People events on the Arts Commission’s website. You’ll only have an hour and 15 minutes so it will help if you know the questions ahead of time and have your answers written down. That will leave some time to tell the Arts Commission how stupid this process is. If that’s what you think. You might think you’re lucky that they even want to hear what you have to say.

Here are the questions and a few answers – off the top of my head.

Q1. What is one thing that is working in the arts, either in your community, the state or elsewhere?

A1. In North Carolina the NC Arts Council (equal to the SC Arts Commission) runs their program based on a Grassroots outlook – giving funding to the communities to use the way they feel best fits their needs. Not by everyone trying to fit their square pegs into the Arts Commission’s round holes.

Q2. What is one of the biggest challenges facing the arts where you live?

A2. Well, everyone in the arts is not a non-profit and those who are for-profit are invisible to the Arts Commission. They only want to assist groups that lose money and stay dependent on handouts and the Arts Commission. Let for-profits compete for funding too. Let the best ideas that serve the arts community get the funding – not just non-profits in need.

Q3. What is a great opportunity for the arts in our state?

A3. Since the state of South Carolina is in such a financial hole they could disband the Arts Commission and take all the money that doesn’t go toward the Commission’s overhead (huge staff and facility) and give it directly to each county on a per-capita basis. The overhead money could go toward keeping people on the job in safety, health and education positions.

I’m not saying that these are my answers. They just came off the top of a long list developed over the years. And, that’s one of the problems with this Canvas process – there are only three questions offered and you get only one answer. It’s like they don’t want to admit to any other problems or suggested solutions.

You want to know what was said in Columbia, SC – the first Canvas event where 20 people showed up. Click this link.

You say you can’t attend any of the planned gatherings – take this survey on the Arts Commission’s site. You can leave your written comments to be part of the official record. Of course – unlike a public meeting – if you do the survey, there is no way to guard against lost comments.

Funny, this survey – the ability to leave comments without attending the gathering wasn’t mentioned in the initial press release about the 2010 Canvas of the People process. You can always count on finding something extra on the Arts Commission’s website if you just dig deep enough – something not mentioned at first.

For instance I thought I was receiving all press releases from the Arts Commission – not so. I found notice of another Board meeting scheduled for March 10, 2010, 11am to 2pm, in Columbia, SC, at the Arts Commission’s headquarters dated March 1, 2010. Another ten day notice to such an important event.

They say the public is welcome to come to these board meeting, but the public has to know about them first. They shouldn’t rely on me to spread the word.

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Take a Winter Gallery Walk in Old Town Bluffton, SC – Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Well, it may not seem that wintery in Bluffton, SC, by Nov. 20, 2009, but it could be cool after sundown. It seems we’ve been having Indian Summer  in the Carolinas – we just had a tropical storm go through the area – so don’t look for snow flurries anytime soon. But, anything could happen – it snowed in our area last year in November or was that the year before?


Work by Julia Smoak from Pluff Mud Art

For you readers who do not know the area of South Carolina where Bluffton is located (almost in Georgia) – we could count on one hand how many times it has snowed in a few decades – even fewer the number of times the snow actually accumulated on the ground for more than five minutes. And, if snow does come – it’s usually in February – not November. But, lately – it’s not unusual to have a tropical storm and snow come in the same month. What does that tell you global warming naysayers?

Anyway, in Carolina Arts‘ continuing coverage of the visual arts community in the Carolinas – from the mountains to the sea and from one end of I-95 to the other – we’re bringing you news about a gallery walk in Bluffton – a small community in SC, that is bursting at the seams. You wouldn’t think of the word “small” if you were driving down Hwy. 278 from I-95 to Hilton Head Island, SC, but if you’re standing on Calhoun Street – you’ll get what they mean by – Old Town Bluffton. Pay no attention to what’s happened along 278 in the last ten years – please.

So here’s a little press release from the folks in Bluffton about their gallery walk.

WINTER GALLERY WALK in OLD TOWN BLUFFTON

Friday Nov 20, 2009,  3 – 8pm

Old Town Bluffton’s thriving and eclectic art community will host its annual Winter Gallery Walk on Friday, November 20. Wine and refreshments will be served by each gallery. Visitors can also enjoy live music and browse through Old Town’s “walkable” galleries on Boundary, Church, May River and Calhoun Streets throughout the entire event. The event is sponsored by the Old Town Bluffton Merchants’ Society with funding from local A-tax dollars. Hundreds of visitors to the area and local art patrons have traditionally enjoyed this local art experience.

Participating Galleries include:

Society of Bluffton Artists (48 Boundary Street) 843/757-6586. The SOBA will be presenting an exhibit of works by Helen Evans entitled, Thru My Eyes, plus the artwork of 70 other local artists will be on display.

Old Town Vintage Posters (49 Boundary Street) 843/837-3311.
The exhibit, David Klein Travel Poster, will be on display. Klein is best known for his 1950’s and 1960’s work designing and illustrating travel posters for Howard Huges’ Trans World Airlines (TWA). These works defined the excitement and enthusiasm of the early years of post-war travel.

The Filling Station (Calhoun Street)  843/263-4796.
Art Cornell, painter, photographer and poet, will be signing his books of poetry. Kathy Levey, will be doing woodcut block prints and finishing them with acrylics, Kelly Graham, local lowcountry painter, will demonstrate. David Musial, painter and sculpture of quirky slice of  life images will begin the festivities a 2pm and continue until dark.

Maye River Gallery (37 Calhoun Street) 843/757-2633.
Local ceramic artist Laura Silberman’s collection of holiday ornaments, functional and decorative creations will be featured along with a variety of holiday gift selections from 17 other artists.

Pluff Mudd Art  (27 Calhoun Street) 843/757-5590.
The gallery welcomes five new artists to the gallery including: kiln formed glass by Julia Smoak, jewelry by Pegg Carvell, sweetgrass baskets by Michael Smalls & Daurus Niles, and paintings by Laura Cody. In addition to these new artists, visitors to the gallery will see photography, original paintings, prints, jewelry, fiber art, soda-fired pottery, wood turning, and blown glass by local artists.

Jacob Preston Pottery (10 Church Street) 843/757-3084.
Jacob Preston will be working at his craft in the old Bluffton Tabernacle on Church Street. Visitors can catch a glimpse of the artists as he creates custom sinks and decorative pieces. Keep an eye out for his distinctive glaze-on-glaze feather patterns and carved and inlaid designs reflecting the local environment.

Four Corners Art Gallery and Fine Framing (1263 May River Road) 843/757-8185.
Four Corners will be featuring the Lowcountry photography of Marge Agin. Here in the area for 3 years now, Agin shares her digital manipulative eye in a number of formats. She will introduce a small series of some of her more popular images, some in oversize and some on canvas. Her artistic manipulation of her photos turn them into a painterly expression of what we see each day here in our splendid environment.

For more information contact one of the participating galleries.

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