October 2011

The Maria V. Howard Arts Center in Rocky Mount, NC, Offers New Exhibits

The Maria V. Howard Arts Center at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount, NC, is presenting several new exhibits including: Standing Still, featuring figurative paintings by Amy Freeman, on view through Jan. 1, 2012; Cutouts, featuring trompe l’oeil paintings by Robert Tynes, on view through Jan. 8, 2012; Double Vision, featuring large format photographs by Annie Hogan, on view through Jan. 15, 2012; Salmagundi XV, a national juried outdoor sculpture competition, on view Oct. 9 through Aug. 15, 2012; and three exhibits from the Embroiderers’ Guild of America: Tar River Chapter, on view through Jan. 1, 2012; America the Beautiful The National Tapestry, on view through Jan. 8, 2012; and Through the Needle’s Eye, on view through Jan. 15, 2012. A reception will be held for all these exhibits on Oct., 9, from 2-5pm.

A figurative painter, Amy Freeman received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Freeman habitually searches for ways to pause, position herself, and visualize a recurrent story. She primarily paints and draws from direct observation though which she attempts to dramatize the mundane. Freeman’s work is in a number of private and public collections around the world and has been exhibited throughout the United States and France. Currently, she teaches at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

The Arts Center is home to the Tar River Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America. This exhibit showcases a wide variety of embroidery styles from our local members.

The exhibit, America the Beautiful the National Tapestry, was organized by The Embroiderers’ Guild of America.

Composed of five panels, drafted on canvas, the EGA tapestry represents the wildlife and natural beauty of America. The needlework was completed by groups of stitchers all across the country.

In the exhibit, Through the Needle’s Eye, organized by The Embroiderers’ Guild of America. The Guild acknowledges the value of needlework in art and history. The National Exhibit is a representative selection of the best in artistic and technical works. It is through the needle’s eye that EGA Embraces both traditional and contemporary needlework will expanding the perception of embroidery as an art from.

Born in Chicago in 1953, Robert Tynes spent his formative years in Birmingham, AL, with regular summer retreats to the mountains of NC, where he now lives. During his MFA study, he began a life-long exploration of Trompe L’Oeil (trick of the eye) painting which has evolved into a unique contemporary style. He holds numerous honors including several artist-in-residence grants and large scale commissions for public and private businesses. Tynes will present a slide lecture on the technique of trompe l’oeil painting at 4pm on Oct. 9, 2011.

Annie Hogan is an Australian artist whose research interests include interior built space, the body and the role of photo media in its representation. Hogan explores the domestic interior, the decommissioned prison cell and most recently the plantation house as site and subject. She is a 2002 Anne and Gordon Samstag scholar and graduated with an MFA in 2004 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she was awarded the James Weinstein Memorial Fellowship.

Now in its fifteenth year, the sculpture Salmagundi exhibition brings sculpture artists from New York to Texas; North Carolina to California and everywhere in between to Rocky Mount. Salmagundi (meaning an eclectic mixture of people, ideas, or objects) represents emerging and internationally acclaimed sculptors working in many different media, scale, and concepts. This year’s juror Cliff Tresner is from Monroe, LA. He will lead a tour of this year’s selections at beginning at 2:30pm on Oct. 9 originating from the Arts Center Lobby.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Center at 252/972-1163 or visit (http://arts.imperialcentre.org/).

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