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May Issue 2003
Columbia, SC's Artista Vista 2003 Takes Place May 9 & 10, 2003
Come join the commercial galleries of the Congaree Vista area of Columbia, SC, for Artista Vista 2003, a two-day celebration of the visual arts, May 9, from 5-9pm and May 10, from 11am-4pm. Over a decade ago, art gallery owners pioneered the historic Congaree Vista warehouse district in Columbia, thus setting the stage for the area's phenomenal growth. In 2003 as more galleries have moved into the Vista, the area has become an important cultural center. Every day these galleries work to support the region's most established artists, identify and sustain new emerging talent, and bring in new artists from around the nation.
Artista Vista, an annual project of the combined forces of ten Vista galleries, celebrates the arts with special exhibits, demonstrations, invited special installation projects, film screenings, and performances.
The participating galleries will have artwork available at affordable prices, and they encourage those enjoying the festivities to come support these important adventurous art enterprises by buying art for the home and office. Parking will be available at several locations throughout the Vista.
The I. Pinckney Simons Gallery will celebrate Artista Vista with the exhibit, The Human Figure: Draped and Undraped, featuring seven award-winning artists interpreting their visions of the human figure on paper, canvas, and in sculpture. "Relationship" paintings are the visual expression on canvas of artist Harriet M. Goode. Also on exhibit will be her collection of nude figures in conté crayon. Portraits in watercolor by the gallery's new emerging artist, Benda Hancock, will focus on her realistic interpretation of the black figure. Architect Robert Kennedy has moved from the hard edge of architectural drawing to the soft flowing form of the human figure. The figure in lithography by former art professor James Innes offers a descriptive and sometimes whimsical interpretation of refined printmaking skills. Nationally known artist Lee Sipe, known for her award winning pine straw and clay baskets, will present a new collection of whimsical southern ladies in glazed porcelain. Jo Thomas, in hand crafted clay figures such as Hot Biscuits and Sweet Grass Basket Man conjures up the historical South. And lastly, the gallery will feature classical nude drawings of the last decade by well-known impressionist artist Ilona Royce-Smithkin.
The Gallery at Nonnah's offers work by eight local artists. Jan Fleetwood Porter is a self-taught expressionist who relies on vivid color for her inspiration. Michelle McNinch is an award-winning artist who skillfully portrays a wide range of subject matter. Bonnie Goldberg, a self-taught artist, makes figurative and non-objective abstract work on canvas and paper. Ingrid Carson is a realistic oil painter of still lifes and landscapes, though her paintings are reminiscent of the impressionists in their use of color and brush strokes. Jennie Branham, a graduate of Columbia College and the founding president of Crooked Creek Art league, works in a variety of styles. Margie Nation has worked as a commercial artist and fashion illustrator, and her work here will mainly include portraits. Edie Biddle, a native of Germany, paints in the impressionist style. Finally, Betty Mandell's photographs are inspired by her travels.
The Carol Saunders Gallery will present an exhibition of new work by Paula Garrett. The exhibit will feature sculpture and paintings, many based on an equine theme. Garrett originally earned her reputation as a well-known jeweler, working in precious metals, making pieces voicing her concerns regarding ecology and mankind. Her most recent work includes a series of mixed media paintings that combine drawing, watercolor and metal sculptural elements. While the horse has been her signature theme for a number of years, there will be others explored in the exhibit, including sculptures of angels and water birds. The exhibit continues through June 7, 2003.
Gallery 2, the newest gallery in the Vista, will offer The Midlands' first look at the painting and sculpture of neoclassic artist, Christopher Bilton.
Cameo Fine Art presents
a solo exhibit by Finnish-born artist, Liisa Salosaari Jasinski,
titled, Portraits. The exhibit opens May 8 and will remain
on view until May 23, 2003.
Portraits is a colorful collection of two-dimensional and three-dimensional
work created within the past two years. The complexity of the
title is to emphasize the wide variety of mediums (oil paints,
oil stick, fluid acrylics, watercolor crayon, pencil, ink, scrap
metal and clay on a variety of surfaces) and unifying themes that
also contain subcategories (mortality, pain, tragedy, humor, illusion,
mystery, historical references and narratives) which are
all expressed in this exhibit.
City Art Gallery will present the exhibit, School's Out: Emerging Artists of the Southeast, which highlights the work of eleven of the region's rising art stars, all recent or current BFAs or MFAs. While City Art continues to promote the careers of established regional and national artists, the gallery is eager to identify and promote the work of exciting new artists with varied backgrounds and fresh perspectives. The exhibit continues through June 28, 2003.
Lewis+Clark, a studio,
workshop and gallery is featuring handmade post-modernist lamps
designed by Clark Ellefson. These lamps, often with fun names
such as Veronica or Larry, are unique creations
made with fine art papers, hand-worked steel, glass accents and
fine hand-finished wood. Come see the new lamps Baby
Wow! and the Super Jumbo floor lamp.
Vista Studios will present the exhibition, 13 x 13, in
Gallery 80808. The title refers to the thirteen studios of Vista
Studios in Artista Vista's thirteenth year. The artists
of Vista Studios arrive at a variety of interpretations. One of
the gallery's most recent artists, Susan Lenz will be presenting
several works based around numbers, one being At least 169
Pieces. Reuben Gambrell will again be showing a many-colored
painting Country Wells. Sharon Licata will respond to the
straights and curves of the numbers with her stone sculptures
Twisted Lady and Intertwined. Laura Spong will have
a number of her oils, among them Come Alive and Lacuma.
The curves of the numbers will take a figurative turn with Pat
Callahan's words fail and raven envy mixed media
constructions. Robert Alison will also contribute a figurative
interpretation with Test the Waters and Fairy Dreams.
M. Craig & Company presents, Carolina Soul, it's spring 2003 Artista Vista celebration. Featuring works by Steven R. Miller of Durham, NC, and new painted works by Esther Melton, Amanda Brown and Willie Daniels all of SC. Also including works by independently established SC artisans: Claude Buckley, Steven Chesley, Terry Evans, Matt Eskuche, Dottie Gantt, Mary Gilkerson, Johnny Homewood, Deborah Lengel, Sally Leydic, Herman Leonhardt, Hal Moore and Peter Werner.
One Eared Cow will show off the handblown art glass creations of Tommy Lockart and Mark Woodham and provide demonstrations of how they accomplish their trademark designs.
There will also be two offerings of installation art presented during the two days of Artista Vista. The first will take place in the old Pleasants Hardware building on the northwest corner of Lady & Lincoln Streets. USC School of Art students Eric Miller and Jill Allen will curate this group show of installation work by local artists.
City Art Gallery, in cooperation with Marcus Kenney of Savannah, GA, will also host a group exhibit in a nearby building titled Almanac, featuring work by some of Savannah's most cutting-edge artists.
Artista Vista will also showcase work by Hybrid Films, a non-profit organization formed to help develop and encourage the growth of independent filmmaking in South Carolina by providing filmmaker resources and educational resources. Look for these indie filmmakers in their office on the second floor of 1231 Lincoln Street.
For more information
check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, contact Teri Tynes,
Gallery Director, City Art Gallery, and Media Coordinator of Artista
Vista 2003, at 803/252-3613 or e-mail at (gallerydirector@cityartonline.com).
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