Arts Council of York County in Rock Hill, SC, Announces Winners of Annual Photography Competitions

The winners of the Arts Council of York County’s 7th Annual Photography Competition and 2nd Annual Youth Photography Competitions were announced and presented Thursday, June 23rd at a public reception at the Center for the Arts in Rock Hill, SC.

Les Saucier, professional nature photographer and creator of Flowerpod, selected 33 works out of 147 entries from 10 cities and two states to be displayed in the photography competition exhibit in the Dalton Gallery at the Center for the Arts. The winners of the 7th Annual Photography Competition are:

 Raptor by Mary Roberts

1st Place: “Raptor” by Mary Roberts
2nd Place: “Cascading Water” by Donald E. Brown
3rd Place: “Untitled” by Reuben Bloom
Honorable Mention: “Misty Morning” by Peter Krenn
Honorable Mention: “Shapes 4″ by Tom Dills

Three works received the Alf Ward Merit Awards: “Bull Elk at Dawn” by Scott Hotaling, “Fenceline” by J. David Cole, and “Water Abstract” by Marc Kool

Saucier also selected 33 photos to be displayed in the youth photography exhibit in the Lewandowski Classroom at the Center for the Arts. The winners of the 2nd Annual Youth Photography Competition are:

1st Place: “Honey Comb” by Laura Rashley
2nd Place: “On the Wire” by Grace Shaffer
3rd Place: “Stairway to Heaven” by Catherine Allen

Honorable Mentions went to: “Confounded” by Maggie Hedrick and “St. Louis Arch – Riding Up” by Lara Breitkreutz

Both exhibits will be on view through July 29, 2011, at the Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St, Rock Hill. Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday 9am-6pm, Friday 9am-5pm, 2nd & 4th Saturday 10am-2pm and 2nd & 4th Sunday from 2pm-4pm.

For more information on the annual photography competition, the youth photography competition or other Arts Council events, contact the Arts Council of York County at 803/328-2787, e-mail to (arts@yorkcountyarts.org), or visit (www.yorkcountyarts.org).

Arts Council of Moore County in Southern Pines, NC, Calls for Entries for Fine Arts Festival 2011

The Arts Council of Moore County (ACMC) created the Fine Arts Festival in 1980 to provide incentive for local artists to improve their technique and a place to showcase and sell their artwork. The festival has since grown into a major exhibit featuring artwork by artists from all over the country. The event also includes an art competition where the entries are judged in nine categories and $2,500 in cash prizes and ribbons are awarded.

EXHIBITION DATES:  August 5 to 26, 2011

EXHIBITION LOCATION:  Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, NC.

ELIGIBILITY:  Any artist (16+ years old) is invited to enter art in the following categories: Acrylic, Digital Art, Drawing/Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Photography, Print/Printmaking, 3-D, and Watercolor.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY:  Participants may submit a maximum of two (2) entries, which must be completely original by the artist, created after January 1, 2009, remain on display for the duration of the exhibit, and not previously entered in ACMC’s Fine Arts Festival or exhibited at Campbell House. Due to limited space, art must not exceed 60” (including frame) in any dimension or weigh more than 75 lbs. All 2-D art must be complete, dry, framed (if needed), prepared to hang by one nail with wire and eye hooks—saw tooth hangers and clip frames will not be accepted. 3-D art may be submitted with stand, if needed. Art requiring special installation cannot be accepted. Art must be made of material stable enough to withstand handling. ACMC has the right of final decision on installation. All art is exhibited, unless ACMC exercises its right to withdraw any art that it considers unsuitable for public display.

DELIVERY DATES:  Due to lack of storage, ACMC can only accept art (with application & entry fee) at Campbell House on these dates:  Sat., July 16 (2 to 4 pm) and Mon.-Fri., July 18-22 (10 am to 4 pm).

ENTRY FEES:  $15 per entry for ACMC members; $25 per entry for nonmembers. NFS (not for sale) fee = $15 for each NFS entry. Make checks payable to ACMC/FAF. Entry fees are non-refundable.

JUDGE:  Craig Malmrose, Professor, School of Art and Design, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

AWARDS:  The following awards and ribbons are presented at the discretion of the judge:
$250 – Sara Wilson Hodgkins “Best in Show” Award
$100 – 1st Place in each category
$75 – 2nd Place in each category
$50 – 3rd Place in each category
Honorable Mention entries receive a ribbon

Awards in the Acrylic category are given in memory of Elizabeth Morrison Barron.  Awards in the Photography are category given in memory of Edward L. Green.

LEE BARRETT “PEOPLE’S CHOICE” AWARD:  This award is named in honor of Cecelie “Lee” Barrett and her 21 years of dedicated service to ACMC and the Fine Arts Festival. Ballots will be collected throughout the month and the winner will be awarded $225 and a ribbon by August 22.

For complete details visit (http://www.mooreart.org/programs/visual/fine-arts-festival/).

Visualicious, an Exhibit of 2-D Art from the Pee Dee Area of SC Opens at Art Trail Gallery in Florence, SC, – June 17, 2011

The show will be an exciting survey of 2-D works created by professionals and amateurs alike with over 100 artists expected to be participating. With categories for children, novices, and professionals, the gallery is reaching out to those who create those intriguing marks on surfaces that engage the mind. Some do it through paintings on canvas, designs on the surface of wood, metal, paper, and fiber. The show includes traditional watercolors, oils, acrylics, ink, pencil, and mixed media, among others.

Thanks to the Hibachi Grill, with two locations in Florence, there are cash prizes for children and adults. Dr. Lorne Mason will be the judge for the show.

Work by Stephen McCrea

Visualicious, will be on view from June 17 through July 29, 2011. The opening reception will be held Friday, June 17, from 5:30-8pm, and everyone is welcome.

Currently confirmed exhibitors include: Marion Berry, Kendall Berry, Andrea Boyce, Debbie Broadway, Peggy Brown, Julia Culbertson, Adam Dial, John Eisler, David Elvis, Reginald Epps, Ines Gillier, Bruce Graves, Gaye Ham, Rachell Hyman, Jeffrey Joslin, Hannah Joslin, Laura Ketcham, Angela Ketcham, Sophia Ketcham, Jane Madden, Neil McClendon, Barbara Moore, Justin Morris, Bridget Nance, Annabeth Negron, Ann Page, Ashley Poston, Jim Reed, Manning Smith, Michelle Springs, Tim Walters, Mary Williams, Denny Stevenson, Gloria Morris, Patz Fowle, Mike Fowle, Nathan Hasenjaeger, Cynthia Pollett, Antoinette Ganim, Nicole Palumbo, Tari Federer, Josh Tuttle, Jacob Marsac, Dale Worsham, Peggy Campbell, Janis Hobbs, Ryleigh Schurlknight, Sophia Hines, Blake Wright, Jordan English, Sabrina Judge, Daeshawn Judge, Dazia Judge, Ryan Davis, Victoria Winter, April Artis, Ryan Hilbourn, Chris Floyd, Saunta Muldrow, Jeri Bolling, Ray Davenport, Gloria Morris, Jamie Stuckey, Jordan Leigh Stuckey, Carson Price, Lois Coleman, Dana Mickens, Rodreanna Linnen, Elizabeth Marsac, Andrew Bradley, Suzanne Muldrow, Shawn Hudson, Alexis Dale, Mackenzie Bramlett, Tony Bryant, Tiffany Thomas, Gaye Ham, Elizabeth Spruill, Roy Malac, Rachel Jones, Stephen McCrea, Betsy Padgett, Heath Starnes, Z Tap, Jackie Wukela, Amber Hekman, Lynda English, Angela Jackson, Ellen Tisdale, Minnemie Murphy, Coleman Wells, Rebecca Polony, Ann Dowling, David Ackerman, Colby Wedgeworth and more.

Work by Mary Williams

The Art Trail Gallery is located in the old Kimbrell’s building at 135 South Dargan Street, in the emerging Arts and Cultural District in Downtown Florence.

For further information visit (www.art-trail-gallery.com) or check out their Facebook page: Art Trail Gallery.

The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, SC, Presents “Art After Dark” – A Progressive Dinner through the Chapman Cultural Center – June 23, 2011

The Arts X Society, a fundraising arm of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, in Spartanburg, SC, has announced a unique night of ballet, music, art, history and fellowship wrapped into “Art After Dark”, a progressive dinner and social gathering to be held Thursday, June 23, 2011, at the Chapman Cultural Center. The event begins at 6:30pm.

“Art After Dark” will take attendees through all three buildings of the Chapman Cultural Center beginning with a social hour in the Spartanburg Science Center and continuing through the dance studios on the first floor of the Montgomery building. There, the group will be treated to a performance by area children under the tutelage of instructors from Ballet Spartanburg.

The event moves to the Jennifer Evins Lobby which will be decorated with pieces from the Artist’s Guild of Spartanburg. Dinner will be served in a most unique location – the stage of the David Reid Theatre – amidst props from recent Spartanburg Little Theatre performances with music provided by pianist Gregg Akkerman.

All will enjoy dessert and beverages within the Spartanburg History Museum and the event concludes with an interactive look inside the Spartanburg Art Museum.

This look inside the Chapman Cultural Center and interaction with each of the seven partner organizations is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the many exciting opportunities The Arts Partnership provides the citizens of Spartanburg County!

This event is open to the public, but there is a limit to the number of attendees, so order your tickets today by calling Epsie Coleman at 864/278-9690. Tickets are $45 per person or $75 per couple and include dinner and drinks. Current Arts X Society members receive a $5 per ticket discount.

For more information on The Arts X Society log onto to our website at (www.chapmanculturalcenter.org/arts_x.php).

The 130th Birthday Celebration Committee of Saluda, NC, is Calling for Entries for the Art of Historic Saluda Exhibit

The 130th Birthday Celebration Committee of Saluda, NC, is pleased to invite you to enter your artwork at the “Art of Historic Saluda Exhibit” on October 28-29, 2011, from 11am-7pm. The committee is calling all local and regional artists in all visual art forms to participate in showing and selling your artistic views of Saluda. Your artwork of Saluda will be on exhibit to the public October 28 and 29 in the “Upstairs Room” at Historic Thompson’s Store, 24 West Main St., Saluda, NC.  20% of your sales will be donated to the 130th Birthday Celebration fund-raising campaign.

Fall is a beautiful time to visit Saluda, and the town draws many tourists coming to the mountains to view the brilliant foliage colors at that time of the year.  Saluda’s historic district and natural beauty are popular subjects from which to create art.  This is an opportunity for local artists to exhibit, and show and sell their work while helping to raise funds for the 130th  Birthday Celebration. We encourage all artists, whether amateur or professional, to participate in “Visions of Saluda.”

Exhibit Information and Guidelines:

There is no cost to exhibit your creation. The image must be of something in Saluda. You may receive a tax deductible form denoting the amount as a donation to the City of Saluda.

Artistic rendering and artwork set up Thursday, October 27 from 1pm -5pm.

If needed, please bring an easel to display your work.

All work not sold must be picked up by Monday, October 31 between 10am and noon.

Historic Thompson’s Store is located at 24 West Main, Saluda, NC.

You do not have to be present during the Exhibit hours.

The “Upstairs Room” will be secured during the Exhibit days.

Call Catherine Ross at 828/749-3789 or e-mail to (carnc@charter.net) for more details.

Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, Offers Free Admission During Blue Star Museum Project

For the second year in a row, the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, is offering free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day, Sept. 5, 2011. We are pleased to join others in the museum community in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice.

The Blue Star Museums initiative is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,000 museums across America. First launched in the summer of 2010, Blue Star Museums once again are offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, through Labor Day, Sept. 5, 2011.

In North Carolina, the Asheville Art Museum and Mint Museums are Blue Star Museums, among others,

You can check on other Blue Star Museums near you at this link (http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index2011.php).

Transylvania Community Arts Council in Brevard, NC, Calls for Entries by Local WNC Artists – Due Aug. 8-10, 2011

The Transylvania Community Arts Council has placed a call for artists in WNC and they want your BEST work for their upcoming show entitled: Keep It Local WNC. Each artist can enter two pieces of artwork to be judged. Entry fee is $20 per piece or $10 per piece for TC Arts Council members. The judges for the show are Drew Deane, owner of Drew Deane Gallery in downtown Brevard and Joe Bruneau, manager of Number 7 Fine Arts Cooperative on Main Street in Brevard. Cash Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

The art exhibit will be on display at the TC Arts Gallery from Aug. 15 through Sept. 9, 2011. Awards will be given out at the reception held on Aug. 26, part of the Brevard 4th Friday Gallery Walk. Applications and artwork are due on Aug. 8-10, 2011, at the TC Arts Council. Judging will take place on Aug. 12, 2011. This exhibit is sponsored by: Co-ed Cinema and Executive Planners.

To get an application e-mailed to you contact (tcarts@comporium.net) or call 828/884-2787 to have one mailed to you. The TC Arts Council is located at 349 S. Caldwell Street in Brevard.

For more information go to (www.tcarts.org) or (www.artsofbrevard.org).

Artspace in Raleigh, NC, Juries in Six New Members to the Artspace Artists Association

Artspace in Raleigh, NC, recently juried in six new members to the Artspace Artists Association (AAA), bringing its total number of members to 115. AAA is an organization of artists working together to promote growth of the individual artist, to provide an environment of interaction with other artists and with the public, and to foster the mission of Artspace. Benefits include exhibition opportunities at Artspace, sales opportunities, the option to participate in the leadership and direction of Artspace, as well as special discounts and invitations. To apply for entry, visit (http://artspacenc.org/artist_assoc.html). The new artists bring a range of styles, techniques, and media to the Artists Association, which already boasts a wide variety of painters, sculptors, printmakers, jewelers, photographers, and fiber artists.

The six new members include:

Work by Julie Brooks

Julie Brooks, a North Carolina native who received her BFA in Jewelry design from ECU and an MFA in Artisanry (concentrating in jewelry design) from UMASS Dartmouth. Brooks’ metalsmithing work focuses on human and natural relationships and their tendencies towards fluctuation, instability, and vulnerability. She currently resides in Morrisville, NC.

Work by Luke Miller Buchanan

Luke Miller Buchanan, a former Regional Emerging Artist in Residence (REAR) at Artspace, Buchanan’s mixed media work emphasizes and uses elements of the man-made world. By representing a particular space using photography, paint, and found objects, he links the individual to the common; art to memory; the literal to the symbolic. Buchanan currently resides in Raleigh, NC.

Julie Greenberg, a printmaker who recently earned her MFA at Ohio State University, and received her BFA in sculpture at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Greenberg’s prints highlight landscape as a symptom of nature, showcasing how scale affects a person’s sense of time and of their own existence. She currently resides in Raleigh, NC.

Juie Rattley III, a North Carolina native who earned his BFA an UNC Pembroke and his MFA from UNC Greensboro. Juie, who paints primarily in oil, focuses on both landscapes and portraits, and states that fundamentally his work is about form, shape, and volume.  Rattley currently resides in Kernersville, NC.

Work by Alberto Ortega Rodas

Alberto Ortega Rodas, originally from Seville, Spain, received his MFA from the University of Seville, where he specialized in traditional painting techniques. More recently, his work has focused on urban landscapes centering on places he has visited, drawing a connection between the viewer and ordinary urban life.  Rodas currently resides in Raleigh, NC.

Alyssa Wood, who studied art at UNC Chapel Hill and Penland School for Crafts. Wood works in sculptural and drawn ceramic tiles as well as mixed media drawings, and explores themes of home, ritual, and time. The objects she sculpts are everyday items, through which Wood is able to celebrate the beauty of domestic rituals.  She currently resides in Davidson, NC.

Artspace is a nonprofit visual art center dedicated to providing arts education and community outreach programs, creating an environment of more than 100 professional artists and presenting nationally acclaimed exhibitions. Located in downtown Raleigh in the historic Sanders Ford building, Artspace has been providing the community with the opportunity to interact with working artists and to participate in hands-on arts education since 1986.

For more information about Artspace, exhibitions, or membership, visit (www.artspacenc.org).

Allen Weiss’ Photographic Portrait of Frances Speight and Sarah Blakeslee Finds a Home at Greenville Museum of Art in Greenville, NC

The 1988 black and white portrait of legendary North Carolina artists Frances Speight and Sarah Blakeslee by Allen Weiss has been donated to the Greenville Museum of Art in Greenville, NC, to accompany the permanent gallery there honoring the couple, who lived in Greenville.

The portrait was part of a recent exhibition at Lee Hansley Gallery in Raleigh, NC, entitled, Black & White, Color & Light: Photographs by Allen Weiss and Works by His Subjects. The exhibition included Weiss’ portraits of 11 of North Carolina’s premiere artists, first shown in 1988 when the collection was commissioned by Melissa Peden, a respected art patron and former gallery owner. All of three of the artists are deceased now, including Speight and Blakeslee.

Marion Johnson Church of Raleigh purchased the Speight and Blakeslee portrait and donated it to the Greenville Museum of Art in honor of her grandson, John Church Bacon, who is retiring from the Museum’s Board of Trustees.

“The gift honors his service to the museum,” said gallery owner Lee Hansley who arranged the sale. Hansley’s gallery hosted the exhibition from March 13 through April 30th originally, then extended it for two more weeks.

Weiss, principal of Allen Weiss: Works on Film & Paper in Raleigh, was delighted to hear about the donation.

“It is always gratifying when someone thinks enough of your work to buy it,” he said. “As someone who has exhibited with other photographers who have work in art institutions, I’ll admit I’ve always been a bit jealous. It means the world to me to know my work is finally in the permanent collection of a museum.”

Lee Hansley Gallery also arranged the sale of six portraits from the show to Johnson Development Associates, Inc. of Spartanburg, SC, to add to the company’s extensive collection of art by Southern artists.

To see the complete collection of Weiss’ black and white portraits of North Carolina artists, go to (www.allen-weiss.com/stills_menu) and click on “Projects & Series.”

From the Greenville Museum of Art: “Francis Speight and his wife Sarah Blakeslee are two of the most important artists who lived and worked in North Carolina during the 20th century… Speight taught painting and drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1925 until 1961. In 1936, he married Blakeslee, who had been one of his students at the academy’s Country School at Chester Springs, PA. In 1961, they moved to Greenville, NC, where Francis became the artist-in-residence at East Carolina College. Sarah painted and taught adult classes at local art centers.”

After 15 years as a professional photographer in Raleigh and New York, Allen Weiss turned his attention towards short films, public service announcements and television commercials, both regionally and internationally. Recently, he launched Allen Weiss: Works on Film & Paper to offer still photography of all varieties, film and video (director, DP, cameraman), and freelance writing/branding.

For more information on Allen Weiss: Works on Film & Paper, visit (www.allen-weiss.com).

For more information on the Greenville Museum of Art, go to (http://www.gmoa.org/). For more information on Lee Hansley Gallery, visit (www.leehansleygallery.com).

Sipe’s Orchard Home Annual Bloomin’ Orchard Festival in Conover, NC, Calls for Artist Participation

Sipe’s Orchard Home’s 2nd Annual Bloomin’ Orchard Festival is currently seeking artists and craftperson’s interested in participating in the festival. The Bloomin’ Orchard Festival is scheduled 9am – 5pm, Saturday, August 27, 2011, on the campus of Sipe’s Orchard Home located at 4431 County Home Road in Conover, NC. Festival organizers anticipate about 1,000 will attend.

The festival will be capped off with a performance by Half Dozen Brass Band and the grand finale will be a performance by Antsy McClain & The Trailer Park Troubadours at 7:30pm.

Entry to the festival and parking is free. There will be food vendors, arts & crafts vendors, games, a Midway with games of chance and prizes to be had by those ready to try their luck, a Ferris wheel and a bi-plane ride for the little ones, a special children’s section for birth to 4 years of age and an open stage featuring local un-tapped talent.

Advance Tickets to see Half Dozen Brass Band & Antsy McClain & The Trailer Park Troubadours are on sale now and can be purchased from our website (www.sipesorchardhome.org), at ticket outlets to be announced or by calling 828/256-5056 ext. 304.  Advance Ticket prices are as follows: No charge for ages 0 to 12 years, $15 for 13 years of age and up. Ticket price at the festival $20 age 13 & up, 0 to 12 get in free.

Fees for booth spaces are:
Nonprofit Fees Without Electricity No Charge
With Electricity $10.00

For Profit (Artists, Craftsperson’s, etc) Fees Without Electricity – $ 25, With Electricity – $ 35. That’s the Early Bird Rate (By July 30th)
Regular Registration Rate (By Aug. 15th), Without Electricity – $ 30, With Electricity – $ 40
Late Registration Rate (By Aug. 20th), Without Electricity – $ 35, With Electricity – $45
All fees are non-refundable

More information and applications may be found at (http://www.sipesorchardhome.org/BloominVendor.html) or by calling 828/256-5056. Sipe’s Orchard Home offers great advertising opportunities for festival sponsors. To find out how you can benefit as a sponsor visit (www.sipesorchardhome.org/BloominSponsorInfo.html).