December Issue 2000
23rd Juried SC Artist's Exhibit at The Pickens County Museum in Pickens, SC
The Pickens County Cultural Commission is pleased to host the Pickens County Museum's 23rd Annual Juried South Carolina Artists Exhibition which will continue through Dec. 23 in Pickens, SC.
The Juror for this year's competition was Dr. William U. Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, GA. A native of Alabama, William Underwood Eiland holds a PhD degree from the University of Virginia. He has written extensively on American and European art, including monographic studies of the painter Lamar Dodd and the sculptor Ann Norton.
Eiland spent the day of October 15 looking at, and contemplating 324 works of art representing 123 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 103 works of art represents 81 of this state's finest and most thought provoking artists.
Speaking about the task of jurying such a competition, Eiland said, "Some observations about the entries are in order. First of all, very few abstractions were among the entries, and realism in all its guises - photo realism, surrealism, hyper-realism - is alive and well in SC. Political and socio-economic comment is less strident, more philosophical and ironic, where it exists in these works. Traditional subject matter was the norm among the entries, and the ubiquitous landscapes and figures that showed most originality were the ones that more quickly grabbed my attention. The more sophisticated works reveal a mastery of technique that is refreshing, considering the mix of professional, commercial and so-called amateur artists represented in this competition. This juror was surprised by the scarcity of three-dimensional works in light of SC's prominence in the history of crafts, but he expected the large number of photographs."
"I am not the only juror who perennially complains about presentation. The more meticulously and painstakingly the artist "crafted" his or her art, the more interest it held for me. Unless the artist is arguing that art is ephemera, he or she is better served by clean mats, well-constructed frames and non-scratched surfaces."
"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the juror for this exhibition. As an advocate of local arts agencies, councils and institutions, in the face of the impersonal art world of money and sensation, I believe that it is easier to find the universal truths in art in the regional, at the grass roots."
The awards for this year's competition were well deserved, as they represent not only an excellent cross section of what is taking place in the visual arts of SC today, but also where we are heading in this new millennium. Dr. Eiland chose the photograph, Untitled 1, by Clemson's Sam Wang as the First Place Award. Second Place was presented to Dave Appleman of Greenville for his soapstone carving, Lunar Module. The Third Place honors went to Greenville's Mark Mulfinger for his batik, Zinnias. Honorable Mentions were bestowed upon Amanda Jenkins of Easley for her Polaroid transfer photographs, Downtown Doorways, as well as to Cateechee's Jane West for her acrylic on paper paintings Land Bordering the Sea, no. 1 & no. 2. In addition to the above awards, Eiland asked that the following works be noted as of special interest. These Juror's Choice commendations were presented to Eleanor Castle of Clemson for her 100% watercolor, Southern Comfort; to Greenville's David Crosby for his photograph, Tiger Lily; to Suzanne Herman of Pickens for her drawing, Guardian, to Pendleton's Elisa Kay Sparks for her photo-intaglio, Virginia O'Keefe Meets Georgia Wolfe; and to Dana Taylor of Central for her oil painting, Stone Innocence. Teresa Mills, representing the Peoples National Bank, selected the cast bronze, Mare and Foal by Easley's Gerald P. Orr as the recipient of the Peoples National Bank Purchase Award and will add this work to the Peoples National Bank Collection.
Nicholas S. Clark, representing the Cornerstone National Bank, selected the Untitled soapstone carving by Spartanburg's Robert W. Conn as the recipient of the Cornerstone National Bank Purchase Award and will add this work to the Cornerstone collection.
Thanks to the kind sponsorships of Pickens County, Peoples National Bank, Cornerstone National Bank, Hiott Printing Company, The Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative as well as Jennings & Oleta Farr, Philip & Gilda Hendricks, Dr. J.H. & Sue Jameson, the Palmetto Cleaners, Rozelle Stone Company, Ralph & Shirley Sarlin, H. Dean & Brenda Watson, Eddie & Mable Wynn, Robinson's Funeral Home, Crematorium & Memorial Gardens, Ye Olde Sandwich Shoppe, the Liberty Family Pharmacy, Nancy Johnson, Mary Ellen Crowthers, those wishing to remain unnamed and a grant from the Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., the Pickens County Museum selected five 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 Dana Taylor of Central for her oil painting, Stone Innocence. Additional museum purchase awards were made to Eleanor Castle of Clemson for her watercolor, Southern Comfort, to Gale McKinley of Anderson for her hand-split white oak woven Ladies Basket, to Clemson's Sam Wang for his photograph, Untitled II and to Beverly Clonts Turner of Greenville for her watercolor, Sunlight and Shadows.
In addition to the sixteen works singled out for special mention, there are eighty-seven more on the walls and pedestals throughout both of the museum's second floor galleries. No matter where your individual taste in art may lead, you will find satisfaction in this exhibition. The variety of work represented is an honest reflection of the varied types of art being created today.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the museum at 864/898-5963, or by e-mail at (picmus@innova.net).
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