May 2011

City of North Charleston Features Works by Pedro Rodriguez

Pedro Rodriguez’s oil painting, Strings, was selected as the 2011 North Charleston Arts Festival design. A collection of his works, including the winning piece, will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery, located at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center & Convention Center Complex in North Charleston, SC. The exhibit will be on view from May 1 - 31, 2011, during the 2011 North Charleston Arts Festival. You can meet the artist at the gallery during the Arts Festival’s Main Event, on May 1, 9am - 6pm.

Rodriguez said, “Strings is an attempt to stimulate the brain into hearing music through color and composition. By looking at the trio can you hear the piece?”.

Born and raised in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rodriguez began painting while living on the New Jersey Shore, following his service in the Army. He started exhibiting his work while attending the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Master’s Degrees in Art Education, Spanish, and Art Therapy.

After moving with his family to South Carolina, Rodriguez continued to participate in exhibitions, including the Statements of Heritage Exhibition (1991) and the Triennial Exhibition (1992), both at the South Carolina State Museum, and the Artists Who Teach Exhibition at the Gibbes Museum (1992). Rodriguez also displayed his work in the Piccolo Spoleto Juried Exhibition, the Coastal Carolina Fair, the North Charleston Arts Festival, the City Gallery at Dock Street Theatre, and the Gaillard Auditorium.

Rodriguez continued to paint throughout the late nineties in the midst of teaching and raising three children, but took a hiatus from exhibiting for many years. He has recently renewed efforts to exhibit through local venues and events, most notably the North Charleston Arts Festival, the MOJA Juried Exhibition, and a solo show at The Saul Alexander Gallery at the Charleston County Main Library in 2008. He has several paintings on display at Runaway Bay in North Charleston, a restaurant that features local artists’ work.

Rodriguez has received various grants and awards for his artwork, including two grants from the Trident Community Foundation, now known as the Community Foundation, and the Lowcountry Quarterly Art Grant Program. He has taught Art or Spanish in the Charleston County School District for over twenty years.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office at 843/740-5854 or visit (www.northcharleston.org).

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