December 2013

Arts Council of York County in Rock Hill, SC, Offers Works by Vernon Grant

The Arts Council of York County in Rock Hill, SC, is presenting Vernon Grant’s Winter Frolic: Santas, Snow and Scenes of Winter, on view in the Dalton Gallery at the Center for the Arts, through Dec. 29, 2013. A reception will be held on Dec. 5, 2013, beginning at 5:30pm.

Renowned illustrator and creator of Kellogg’s® Snap! ® Crackle! ® Pop! ®, Vernon Grant built his reputation on his signature gnomes, jolly Santas and his whimsical approach to illustration. Along with Grant’s favorite subject, Santa Claus, this year’s ChristmasVille exhibit will feature skiers, snowmen and winter scenes that graced the covers of some of America’s most popular magazines of the times.

Born in Nebraska in 1902, Grant was the son of a blacksmith with a pioneering spirit. Everything the Grants needed they made themselves. Young Vernon made some of his toys from clay from the riverbanks. These sculpted figures he modeled were forerunners of the colorful, winsome gnomes that would later launch his career as an illustrator.

Grant personally enjoyed drawing Santa Claus more than any other subject. Through hundreds of whimsical and memorable magazine covers, advertisements and card illustrations from the 1920s through the 1970s, Grant created a national treasure of holiday seasonal art.

Over forty of Grant’s images will be on display in the Dalton Gallery at the Center for the Arts.

Exhibiting concurrently to Vernon Grant’s Winter Frolic is the York County High School Art Show, with awards sponsored by the Yorkville Artists’ Guild.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Council at 803/328-2787 or visit (www.yorkcountyarts.org).

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