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June Issue 2007

An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC, Offers 2007 Season

An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC, announces its 2007 season, packed with world-class arts events, including music, dance and theatre performances, visual arts exhibitions and events, workshops for children and adults and educational lectures and seminars. Held from July 6-28, 2007, this summer arts celebration will feature artists as diverse as they are talented, from Dame Evelyn Glennie, Julia Fischer and the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra to the Mystical Arts of Tibet, Ellis and Defayeo Marsalis and the Mark Morris Dance Group to Bruce Hornsby, Old Crow Medicine Show and Wynonna. The dynamic summer season is completed by five visual arts exhibitions, including two national competitions and a season filled with hands-on educational opportunities.

Presented annually by Appalachian State University's Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, An Appalachian Summer Festival is attended by more than 25,000 people, and has emerged as one of the nation's most innovative and highly regarded regional, multidisciplinary arts festivals. Now entering its 23rd season, the festival is committed to showcasing American talent, commissioning new works, and building new audiences for the fine arts. For many years, the festival has been named one of the "Top 20 events in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society.

This year during An Appalachian Summer Festival, the North Carolina High Country's summer celebration of the fine arts, will present a wealth of visual arts offerings in conjunction with Appalachian State University's Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Two national, juried competitions, the Halpert Biennial '07 and the 21st Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition are the highlights of the festival's summer exhibitions; other programs in the exhibition schedule featured during the summer festival include Joseph Patrick: Beyond Borders, From the Private Diary of Noyes Capehart and works by Casey Dupree. Many of these exhibitions open on July 6, 2007.

The Halpert Biennial '07 is a national, juried two-dimensional art competition and exhibition program designed to recognize new works by emerging and established artists residing in the United States. After nearly two decades, it has grown to feature some of the most exciting new visual art in the country. All visual artists currently residing in the United States, at least 18 years of age, and working in two-dimensional media are eligible to enter the Halpert Biennial.

Terry Suhre, Director of Gallery 210 at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, serves as this year's juror, and will lead participants on an insightful and entertaining gallery talk. The Halpert Biennial exhibition will be on display in the Turchin Center's Main and Mezzanine Galleries through Oct. 6, 2007.

Joseph Patrick is an artist from Iowa City and a longtime professor of art at the University of Iowa. Working in watercolors, oils, photography, and drawing media, Patrick finds much of his inspiration through the life and landscape of Oaxaca, Mexico, where he and his wife Genie spend their summers. Patrick received his BFA from the University of Georgia and his MFA from the University of Colorado. He began teaching at Iowa in 1965, and served as the head of the drawing program in the School of Art and Art History.

Patrick describes his work "as being like stages for human action... past, present, and future." Of extreme importance to Patrick is the task of conveying an awareness of time, both passing and standing still. The Mexican streets, buildings and gardens become metaphors for the lives passing through them. Patrick's work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and can be found in many public and private collections, including Interstate Assurance Company, Pella Corporation, Farm Bureau and Hallmark Cards, Inc. The works of Joseph Patrick will be on display in the Turchin Center's Galleries A and B through July 28, 2007.

Editor-in-Chief of American Artist magazine M. Stephen Doherty notes: "(Noyes) Capehart is exactly like other notable American artists, particularly those capable of looking at life with clarity, sympathy and understanding. By exposing his own deepest thoughts and feelings, he connects with viewers in the same way that Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth presented universal aspects of life."

Noyes Capehart Long began his career teaching in Appalachian's Department of Art in 1969, and spent the next 37 years positively impacting the lives of his students and colleagues. He has been exhibiting regionally and nationally since 1958, and his works have been shown in numerous galleries and museums including The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, The Smithsonian Museum, The Mint Museum and the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Long's work was featured in the October 1995 issue of American Artist magazine. In addition to his professional involvement in art, Long also is deeply involved with writing and has, since the early '70s, completed a dozen short stories, a novel and a novella. He is currently working on a second novel based on his experiences with a study-abroad program while at Appalachian.

"There is a sense of both joy and melancholy in that work that is distinctly American in its bold individuality, raw honesty and unwavering sense, of hope," adds Doherty.

From the Private Diary of Noyes Capehart Long will be on display in the Turchin Center's Mayer Gallery through Sept. 15, 2007.

Casey Dupree is a native of Raleigh, NC, and a recent graduate of Appalachian State University's BFA Studio Art program with concentrations in Painting and Photography. While he has explored many media and processes including watercolors, drawing and printmaking, this exhibition represents his first serious inquiry into the realm of fine art photography. The works of Casey Dupree will be on display in the Turchin Center's Catwalk Community Gallery through Oct. 6, 2007.

In addition to the exhibits on display in the Turchin Center, the festival has, in partnership with longtime arts supporters Martin and Doris Rosen, built a tradition of hosting an outdoor sculpture competition that has spanned more than two decades. The 21st Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition is a national, juried competition presented annually on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone. Made possible by the generosity of Martin and Doris Rosen, this competition and exhibition was established in 1987 and showcases the best of large-scale, contemporary American sculpture. Each year, ten sculptures are selected for exhibition situated in outdoor, public settings across campus and juried by a guest expert in the field of sculpture. A cash prize is awarded to the artist whose work is chosen as the year's Rosen Award winner in a ceremony following the popular annual sculpture walk.

The festival's sculpture walk is a favorite annual event for Boone area natives and visitors alike. Held on July 28, 2007, at 10am, participants will gather at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery (in the lobby of Farthing Auditorium) and tour the surrounding grounds on a fun and informative art tour led by the season's juror. The Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Walk is free of charge and open to the public.

The 2007 Rosen juror is Shannon Fitzgerald. She is an independent curator and writer based in St. Louis, MO. She held the position of Chief Curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis from 2000-2007, where she curated thematic group exhibitions, as well as the museum's inaugural and traveling exhibition. Fitzgerald has curated solo exhibitions of new work by international artists Larry Krone, Michael Paul Britto, Ruby Osorio, Dzine, Keith Piper, Yun-Fei Ji, Polly Apfelbaum, William Pope.L and Michael Lin, among others. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and an MA in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Prior to moving to St. Louis, Fitzgerald worked at the Institute of Visual Arts (inova), University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. She is currently teaching in the department of Art and Art History at Webster University, St. Louis.

While Fitzgerald will be on campus for only a brief time, members of the Turchin Center staff are available by appointment throughout the festival season to conduct private walking tours of the exhibition. Self-guided tours are also encouraged; to assist with the walking tour, visitors may pick up maps at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery or download them at (www.rosensculpture.org). Additionally, beginning in June, podcasts and MP3 audio components will be available at (www.rosensculpture.org) allowing listeners to learn more about the sculptures with commentary from the artists. The 21st Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition will be on display through Feb. 2008.

Additional events presented by the festival and Turchin Center include the Lunch & Learn Lecture Series. These hour-long seminars provide opportunities for community members to gather together, enjoy a bag lunch and learn more about works in the current exhibitions or related subjects. Fun and informative, these informal get-togethers are a relaxed and friendly way to explore art. The sessions are held each Wednesday at noon during the festival season. No registration is required to attend. Lunch & Learn events are free and open to the public.

The festival's educational setting offers a wealth of opportunities to connect with the arts on many levels. The festival's workshop series, presented in conjunction with the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, creates accessibility to the arts and ways to explore the disciplines for art lovers of all ages and skill levels.

For the July 11 Lunch & Learn, join the Turchin Center staff for a review of currently exhibited works by artist Joseph Patrick, whose work is featured in the Turchin Center. Patrick finds intriguing possibilities in the everyday, and his work in all media challenges us to see the world with new eyes.

For the July 18 Lunch & Learn, join Dr. Bill Harbinson, Dean of the Hayes School of Music, for a lively program highlighting some of the music and composers featured during the 2007 season of An Appalachian Summer Festival. Not only will this presentation offer context for this summerís offerings, but it will also broaden understanding of the artists and their greater body of work.

For the July 25 Lunch & Learn, Independence is the word! Take a look at artwork that holds concepts associated with independence as central themes. From images that convey the struggle for freedom, to works that illustrate the artistic reach for something new, this program considers the concept of independence on numerous levels.

During the week of July 9 - 13, Appalachian faculty member and renowned artist Tim Ford will return to the festival to teach a weeklong workshop focused on drawing the figure from life. Ford will lead participants through a series of drawing exercises designed to strengthen familiarity with the figure and increase fluidity of technique, leading to more expressive and dynamic content.

During the week of July 16 - 20, glass artist Grace Hall will teach a glass bead workshop. Participants will learn safety techniques (with a short chemistry session about thermal shock and proper use of supplies and materials), then a variety of techniques for decorating a bead. By the end of the workshop, each student will walk away with enough beads to make their own jewelry and enough knowledge to start a small studio.

During the week of July 23 - 27, Dr. Gayle Weitz and her Art Education students will teach a childrenís workshop, during which participants will construct and papier-m,chÈ creatures, then paint and adorn their creations with a variety of doodads. This workshop is designed for children ages 7 - 12.

For complete details about lectures and workshops call 828/262-3017.

An Appalachian Summer Festival would be unable to present and publicize its wide range of extraordinary programming without critical private funding sources, including a loyal and generous donor base and a group of outstanding corporate and media sponsors that are dedicated to promoting the arts in our region. In addition to the corporate support provided for the festival's Outdoor Concert by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation and Westglow Resort and Spa, the festival sponsors include SkyBest Communications, Laurelmor - A Ginn Club Resort, Ford Motor Company, Mast General Store, Best Western - Blue Ridge Plaza, Footsloggers, Rock 'n Walls, Inc., Allen Wealth Management, The Inn at Crestwood, Peabody's Wine and Beer Merchants, The Mountain Times, All About Women magazine, the Winston-Salem Journal, the High Country News, WBTV, WCYB, Charter Communications, Mountain Television Network, Aisling Broadcasting, WETS 89.5FM, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WNCW 88.7FM and WASU 90.5FM.

For more information about the festival's visual arts events check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call 828/262-3017 or visit (www.tcva.org) or (www.appsummer.org).

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