November Issue 2001
Awards Announced for the 24th Annual Juried South Carolina Artist's Exhibition at the Pickens County Museum in Pickens, SC
The Pickens County Cultural Commission in Pickens, SC, is pleased to announce that the Pickens County Museum's 24th Annual Juried South Carolina Artist's Exhibition was opened to the public with a gala reception and awards ceremony on Nov. 3. The exhibition will continue through Dec. 21.
The Juror for this year's competition is Douglas Bohr, Associate Curator & Exhibitions Manager at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem, NC, a working & exhibiting artist as well as Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University. Bohr is known for his attentive application to both the curatorial process and in the creation of his own art and does employ both points of view in his teaching practices.
Bohr spent the day of Oct. 13 looking at, and contemplating 380 works of art representing 148 South Carolina artists. The vast array of paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, ceramics, fiber and other mediums made for the difficult task of selecting works for, and eliminating works from, the final show. The final selection of 77 works of art represents 46 of this state's most thought provoking artists.
Speaking about the task of jurying such a competition, Bohr said, "Like SECCA's recent North Carolina artists exhibition, Homegrown, the 24th Annual Juried South Carolina Artists' Competition is intended as a very straightforward survey exhibition. I made a conscious effort to not discern or impose any over-riding theme on the exhibition; there were no preconceptions or limitations placed upon the selection process. That said, I certainly made an effort to select works that marry both content and craftsmanship. Often enough the works of art that (a) seemed to reflect a personal or, more specifically, an idiosyncratic approach to art-making, and (b) seemed to somehow address prevailing paradigms of both culture and art, caught my attention. After all, that which avoids a conventional approach or predictable outcome in order to express a more personal statement (be it strictly formal issues or not that we discuss) is the art that speaks most eloquently of the individual and community in which it is made. So it was rare that style won over substance. On the other hand, poor craftsmanship was hardly rewarded - the more cohesive the relationship between form and content, the more powerful the image."
Bohr added, "Overall, I was impressed by the diversity and the quality of art to choose from. The selection process was by no means easy. While I am aware that any juried competition reflects the tastes and predilections of the juror, I believe that the resulting exhibition will speak to the artists that participated as well as to the audience that attends it. Exhibitions of this nature should celebrate the achievements of the art community as a whole and are only as strong and as diverse as those that choose to participate and submit their work for consideration. I sincerely hope that this exhibition, whether or not (an artist's) work was ultimately selected for this particular exhibition, encourages and inspires all artists to continue to support the arts community of your region, to continue your support of the Pickens County Museum, and, most importantly, to continue to pursue your own uniquely personal visions as artists.
The awards for this year's competition represent not only a cross section of what is taking place in the visual arts of South Carolina today, but also "where we are heading". Bohr chose the photo-collage, Footloose, by Greenville's Skip Woodward as the First Place Award. Second Place was presented to Amanda Sanders of Seneca for her oil painting, 68 Camaro. The Third Place honors went to Pickens' Grizzly Forge Studio for the pipestone, amber, steel & meteorite knife entitled Earth and Sky. Honorable Mentions were bestowed upon W. D. Weekes, Sr. of Spartanburg for his three acrylic paintings from the Blue Ridge Series, to Rock Hill's Frank McCauley for his mixed-media She Blinded Me, as well as to Cecile L. K. Martin of Seneca for her two works, a graphite drawing The Bride - Backward Glance and a watercolor, Déshabillé. In addition to the above awards, Bohr asked that Rock Hill's Nicholas Bowers be noted as a "Juror's Mention" for his collage VJ (Visual Jockey).
Teresa Mills, representing the Peoples National Bank, selected the steel and stone knife, Earth and Sky by the Grizzly Forge Studio (a.k.a. Griz & Helen Hockwalt) as the recipient of the Peoples National Bank Purchase Award and will add this piece to the Peoples National Bank Collection.
Thanks to the kind sponsorships of Pickens County, Peoples National Bank, Bud & Anita Nalley of the Nalley Construction Company, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Greystone Industries, Dr. J. H. & Sue Jameson, John & Judy Rozelle, Ralph & Shirley Sarlin, Eddie & Mable Wynn, Robinson's Funeral Home, Crematorium & Memorial Gardens, Ye Olde Gift Shoppe, Liberty Family Pharmacy, Mary Ellen Crowthers and Jennings & Oleta Farr, the Pickens County Museum selected three works that, within the scope of their mission directive, will be added to the museum's permanent collection. The Pickens County Cultural Commission's Purchase Award honoring Shirley Sarlin was presented to Tom Flowers of Easley for his acrylic painting, Dacusville Hill. Additional museum purchase awards were made to Shirley Bayne of Travelers Rest for her drawing, Imp, to Glenda Guion of Easley for her clay wall sculpture, Ancient Shadows and to Amanda Sanders of Seneca for her oil painting, 68 Camaro.
In addition to the thirteen works of art singled out for special mention, there are sixty-four more on the walls and pedestals throughout the museum's second floor gallery. No matter where your individual taste in art may lead, you will find some satisfaction in this exhibition. The variety of work represented is a reflection of the varied types of art being created today.
For more information you can call the museum
at 864/898-5963, or e-mail at (picmus@co.pickens.sc.us).
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
Subscriptions are available for $18 a year.
Carolina Arts
is published monthly by Shoestring
Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use
without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina
Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.