Stanly Arts Guild at Falling Rivers Gallery in Albemarle, NC, Calls for Entries for 7th Annual Ellen Cook Gaskin Memorial Art Show – Deadline Mar. 7, 2015

The Stanly Arts Guild at Falling Rivers Gallery in Albemarle, NC, is calling for entries for the Seventh Annual Ellen Cook Gaskin Memorial Art Show – “Nature At Its Best” taking place from Mar. 10 through Apr. 11, 2015.

Art accepted Friday March 6th, 12 to 5 and Saturday March 7th, 12 to 4

All art must include elements of nature.

Entry fee is $25 members and $30 non-member.

For more information or a copy of the Prospectus visit (https://files.ctctcdn.com/fd8f2cc1101/19e4692e-c492-424d-b970-2cc88d58e8da.pdf).

Copies of the prospectus are also available at (www.fallingriversgallery.com) or at  Falling Rivers Gallery, 119 W. Main St, Albemarle, NC 28001, 704/983-4278

North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, Presents Monthly Lecture Series – Feb. 20, 2015

Charlie Tefft will be presenting at the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, for the February installment of the Monthly Slide Lecture Series on Feb. 20, 2015, from 7-9pm. Tefft is the ceramics teacher at Guilford College, in Greensboro, NC, and will present images of his life and work, influences and experiences as an artist, potter and educator.

Charlie Tefft

Of his own work, Tefft tells this story, “In the spring of 2003 a pair of Carolina Wrens took up residence in the rafters of my studio. I watched them raise two sets of babies over that summer. Day in and day out they would move upon the rafter calling down to me, always feeding their babies. The summer of Carolina wrens nestled into the depths of my mind, and over time I began to create work about that experience. In hind sight I can see a similar path in many of the pieces I design. They are born out of something outside of clay, and evolve over time. The theme that reoccurs most often is movement. I am always looking for ways to make the surface or the actual pots seems as though they have captured a moment in time. I balance this movement and life in the pots with a desire to make them functional. This is the challenge that brings me back to the studio eager to make pots.”

Come on out and join us for a fun evening! A potluck at 7pm will begin the evening’s events, followed by Tefft’s talk at 8pm.

The lecture will take place at the NCPC Educational Building located behind the NCPC at 233 East Avenue, Seagrove, NC 27341.

For more information, call the center at 336/873-8430. This ongoing lecture series is facilitated by Josh Floyd, the Artist-in-Residence at the Pottery Center.

Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, Offers “ArtBreak” Lecture with Ward Briggs and Louise Fry Scudder – Feb. 10, 2015

The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, presents “ArtBreak: Art and Myth with Classicist Ward Briggs,” continuing the new series of unique art talks, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 10:30am to noon. “ArtBreak” is a program that looks at art through a different lens. Each session features a speaker, typically from outside the art world, who gives insight into their worldview by sharing their interpretation of works of art at the CMA. This month, Ward Briggs, Carolina distinguished professor of classics and Louise Fry Scudder professor of humanities emeritus, discusses mythology and its impact on art through the ages.

“Join me for an exploration of the gods and mortals in antiquity and beyond found in the CMA collection,” says Briggs. “I will discuss mythology illustrated in the ancient and contemporary renditions at the museum and how some stories waxed and waned as subjects through the ages while others remained enormously popular through Renaissance and later painting.”

Briggs served as Carolina distinguished professor of classics and Louise Fry Scudder professor of humanities emeritus at the University of South Carolina until 2011. He has published widely in the field of classics, with particular attention to Roman authors and the history of classical studies in the US.

Briggs lends his years of classical scholarship to a fascinating discussion connecting mythology and the art at the CMA. Begin the morning at the museum with pastries and coffee sold at a pop-up café by Drip before the program.

Upcoming ArtBreaks are on the following Tuesdays:

March 17 – The Music of the 1893 World’s Fair with CMA Adjunct Curator of Music Peter Hoyt

May 12 – The Victorian Language of Flowers with Horticulturalist Amanda McNulty

June 16 – Warhol and Printmaking with Art Historian Brad Collins

Pop-up cafe begins at 10:30am. Program begins at 11am. Free with membership or admission.

For more information call 803/799-2810 or visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).

Charlotte Fine Art Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Calls for Entries for 4th Annual Juried Exhibit – Submissions Open Mar. 1, 2015

Charlotte Fine Art Gallery in Charlotte, NC, invites artists to begin preparing to enter their “Fourth Annual Juried Exhibition”. The theme for this year’s juried show is “Wildlife: The Beauty, the Beast.”

Submission for the show opens March 1, 2015.

Participation is open to all artists 18 years of age and older, living in the Southeastern United States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. Each artist may enter up to three works.

Please see Prospectus at (http://charlottefineart.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/2015_Juried_Show_Prospectus.2695609.pdf) on CFA’s website for dates, awards, entry fees, and submission procedures.

Exhibit opens Nov. 4, 2015.

Contact:
Joni Purk, Curator/Artist
Charlotte Fine Art Gallery, LLC
7510 Pineville-Matthews Road, 9A
Charlotte, NC  28226

Call 704/541-0741 or visit (www.CharlotteFineArt.com).

Columbia, SC, Commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Burning of Columbia – Symposium and Ceremony Held on Feb. 17, 2015

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Burning of Columbia, SC, Columbia’s cultural institutions have come together to present a full day of events on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, exploring the events of Feb. 17, 1865, as well as the immediate and long-term ramifications of the burning of South Carolina’s capital city.

The day will begin at 9am with Columbia Burning: A Sesquicentennial Reappraisal, a symposium featuring scholars and authors discussing the burning of Columbia and civic dialogue on difficult pasts, as well as a period luncheon and presentation on 19th-century foodways. At 4pm, the SC Department of Archives and History will unveil the official historical marker for the burning on the 1200 block of Main Street. At 5pm, the official commemoration ceremony will be held in Boyd Plaza, featuring speakers, music, poets and the premier of two performance art pieces created for the occasion. Following the ceremony, attendees can explore exhibits, performances, readings and more on Main Street.

“The University of South Carolina, with its outstanding public history program, excellent faculty, and commitment to university-community partnerships, takes seriously its responsibility to work with citizens and scholars to help puzzle through a fraught and difficult chapter of our city’s, our region’s, and our nation’s past with the best research and interpretive framework available,” said Jessica Elfenbein, senior associate dean of the University of South Carolina Graduate School.

Although often overshadowed in the popular imagination by the burning of Atlanta, GA, the burning of Columbia, SC on the evening of Feb. 17, 1865, was a major event in American history and a defining moment in the history of the state, city and the Civil War. Through a multi-disciplinary coalition of organizations and agencies, a two-month-long initiative is currently underway to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the burning through lectures, tours, films, exhibits, literature, public discussions and visual and performing arts. The events planned for Tuesday, Feb. 17 are below. Find more information and a full list of commemorative events at (www.BurningofColumbia.com).

“The commemoration events on Feb. 17 help us as Columbians reflect on the impact of the events of 150 years ago and explore Columbia’s identity through historic recollection and artistic interpretation,” said Lee Snelgrove, executive director of One Columbia for Arts and History. “And, the events will emphasize to those visiting that Columbia continues to emergence as a modern, thriving capital city.”

Tuesday, Feb. 17 Events:

Columbia Burning: A Sesquicentennial Reappraisal – Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC – Presented by the University of South Carolina’s History Center, Institute for Southern Studies and Graduate School; Columbia Museum of Art; and Historic Columbia. Registration is required for all sessions. Register at (www.BurningofColumbia.com).

9 – 11:30am – Panel Discussion on the Burning of Columbia – Free session – By bringing in scholars who are generating new work on the burning of Columbia, our goal is to shed fresh light on the meaning of the events of February 17, 1865 as an example of urban disaster and recovery. The arrival of the Union army marked a day of jubilant emancipation for blacks, thousands of whom followed in the wake of Sherman’s advance northward. These and other topics, including the evolution of modern warfare, will be discussed.

Moderator: Dr. Don Doyle, University of South Carolina

Dr. Anne Sarah Rubin, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, author, “Through the Heart of Dixie, Sherman’s March and American Memory”

Dr. Megan Kate Nelson, Historista.com and author of “Ruin Nation: Destruction and the American Civil War”.

Caitlin Verboon, Yale University, author, “Urban Encounters: Race, Space, and Citizenship Struggles in Southern Cities, 1865-1877”

Dr. Thomas Brown, University of South Carolina, author, “Civil War Canon: The Emplacement of Confederate Memory in South Carolina”.

12pm – Presentation on mid-to-late-19th-century foodways by Dr. David Shields, University of South Carolina, with period appropriate meal by Scott Hall Catering. The luncheon is $30 to attend.

2 – 4pm – Dr. Tom Sugrue (University of Pennsylvania) will lead this discussion looking at the role of public history/public intellectuals in shaping and advancing civic dialogue to deal with difficult pasts, as well as the role of the academy in preparing students for community and public engagement. Free session.

4pm – Burning of Columbia Historical Marker Unveiling, 1200 Block of Main Street, Columbia, SC. Free and open to the public.

5pm – Columbia Commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Burning of Columbia, Boyd Plaza, 1515 Main Street. Free and open to the public. Join us for a commemoration of one of the most significant events leading to the end of the Civil War, of the destruction of the city and the suffering endured by SC and its citizens during Sherman’s March, but also pointing to a rebirth of both Columbia, SC and the nation, unified and free, that led to the prosperity and freedoms we enjoy today. Featuring comments by elected officials and historians; performances by Benedict College Concert Choir, Sandlapper Singers; a reading by Columbia’s Poet Laureate; and new performance art works by Candice Ivy, Martha Brim and Kimi Maeda, the Columbia, SC community will reflect on this defining moment in the city’s history. Following the commemoration ceremony, explore exhibits, performances, tours, music, readings and more on Main Street.

7pm – Readings from Jasper Magazine’s Art from the Ashes Monograph

7pm – Tapp’s Art Center, 1644 Main Street, Columbia, SC
Poets and prose writers will read their unique literary reactions to the 150th anniversary of the Burning of Columbia from Art from the Ashes, a juried monograph publication, released in conjunction with a visual art exhibition of the same name to commemorate the sesquicentennial.

8pm – Tapp’s Art Center, 1644 Main Street, Columbia, SC
“Cleaning up the Dirty South” performed live by THE Dubber is an American journey through the deep south, distinctively slinky, percussive style affects a jazzy, dub-inflected funk-hop swagger that combines smirking island charm, surprisingly intricate playing, and a casual, speak-sing manner reminiscent of Gil-Scott Heron.

Open Exhibits on Main Street – “Impressions of Chimneyville: Columbia’s Civil War Destruction by Historic Columbia,” on display through Mar. 31, 2015, at the Gallery at City Hall, 1737 Main Street, Columbia, SC. After the Burning of Columbia, citizens came to identify their hometown by the remnants of buildings that dotted its skyline. Columbia’s physical transformation is shown through historical images and descriptions in this exhibit.

“Art from the Ashes: Columbia Artists Respond to the 150th Anniversary of the Burning of Their City,” sponsored by Jasper Magazine, on display Feb. 1 – 28, 2015, at Tapp’s Art Center, 1644 Main Street, Columbia, SC. Literary and visual artists respond to the 1865 Burning of Columbia, particularly the role and activities of civilian women and men and other individuals already marginalized in the culture of the time, and the effects of the burning on these individuals and groups.

Columbia Commemorates is a multi-disciplinary coalition comprised of Midlands and statewide organizations formed to plan and implement a citywide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Burning of Columbia. Through lectures; tours; film; visual, literary and performing arts; exhibits; public discussion; and large public gatherings, Columbia Commemorates will explore the events of Feb. 17, 1865, as well as the immediate and long-term ramifications of the burning of South Carolina’s capital city. This commemoration is made possible by The Humanities CouncilSC, South Carolina Arts Commission and Chernoff Newman.

For more information about the commemoration and a calendar of events, please visit (www.BurningofColumbia.com) and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Greenhill in Greensboro, NC, Announces 2015 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships Poster Competition Results

Greenhill, in Greensboro, NC, in partnership with North Carolina 2015, Local Organizing Committee for the 2015 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships, invited North Carolina artists to create and submit original works of art for the 2015 US Figure Skating Championships Poster Competition. The 2015 US Figure Skating Championships took place Jan. 17 to 25, 2015 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Together, Greenhill and the US Figure Skating Championships sent out a call to artists looking for an original artwork portraying the spirit, athleticism and grace of figure skating for the official poster of the 2015 US Figure Skating Championships taking place at the Greensboro Coliseum from Jan. 17-25, 2015. Forty-four works by forty North Carolina artists were on view. The winning artist received $3,000 for reproduction of their work on the poster as well as royalties from sales during the Championships. Second and third place entries received $750 and $500 respectively. A People’s choice award of $750 voted by the public was also awarded.

On Jan. 17, at a reception, judges announced the following three artists to receive prizes for the Official 2015 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships Poster Competition: First Place – Jessica DeHart for “Whirlwind”, Second Place – Alexis Lavine for “Poised”, and Third Place – David Eichenberger for “Slow Dance on Ice”. Upon the completion of the Championships, The People’s Choice Award was announced to winner Nicole Agresto for “Swirls and Twirls”.

For more information, please visit (www.greenhillnc.org) or (www.northcarolina2015.com).

People’s Choice Award Recipient, Nicole Agresto, Swirls and Twirls ©Nicole Agresto

First Place Award Recipient, Jessica DeHart, Whirlwind ©Jessica DeHart

Second Place Award Recipient, Alexis Lavine, Poised ©Alexis Lavine

Third Place Award Recipient, David Eichenberger, Slow Dance on Ice ©David Eichenberger

McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC, Presents Power in Native Art: American Indian Aesthetic and Artistic Sovereignty – Feb. 6, 2015

The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC, will present Power in Native Art: American Indian Aesthetic and Artistic Sovereignty on Feb. 6, 2015, from 3:30–5pm in the Museum’s second floor south gallery. This event is free and open to the public.

Today, the ability of artists to express themselves through their work is often taken for granted. Many indigenous artists, however, confront challenges in the creation and display of their works. Power in Native Art: American Indian Aesthetic and Artistic Sovereignty will focus on these challenges, addressing topics such as: who has the power to control artistic expression, how indigenous artists use their power to address issues that face American Indians, and the power of indigenizing the curation process.

The program will involve a series of presentations by leading national and regional scholars including: Gabrielle Tayac of the National Museum of the American Indian, Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Nancy Palm of the University of North Carolina – Pembroke, and Christopher Olszewski of the Savannah College of Art and Design.  The presentations will be moderated by Stephen Criswell, director of the Native American Studies Center at the University of South Carolina – Lancaster.

“This program presents a fascinating opportunity to understand the various issues associated with American Indian artists and artistic expression in the contexts of traditional and contemporary art,” says Doug Peach, South Carolina Folklife and Traditional Arts Program Director. “Importantly, the presenters involved are not only well-respected scholars and artists, but several are members of Native American tribes. These experiences provide invaluable perspectives to the goals of this event.”

Power in Native Art: American Indian Aesthetic and Artistic Sovereignty is the fourth public program for McKissick’s exhibit “Traditions, Change, and Celebration: Native Artists of the Southeast”. This program is presented in conjunction with the Department of Anthropology and the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina, and is supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission.

McKissick Museum is located on the University of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe with available parking in the garage at the corner of Pendleton and Bull streets. All exhibits are free and open to the public.

For more information, call Ja-Nae Epps at 803/777-2876.

The Catawba Regional Ag + Art Tour is Accepting Applications for Farm Sites for 2015 – Deadline Feb. 13, 2015

The Ag + Art Tour is a free, self-guided tour of Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, Union and York County, SC, farms with area artisans located at each farm site.  During this weekend-long event, visitors will have the opportunity to see first-hand where their food comes from, watch artists in action and purchase their works, dance to the melodies of bluegrass and folksongs, and learn more about rural life.  The tour is the largest free farm tour in the nation and has drawn over 16,000 visitors since it began in 2012.

The 2015 Catawba Regional Ag + Art Tour will be take place on Saturday, June 27 from 9am-5pm and Sunday, June 28, from 1-5pm. A farm site is defined as a business or farm that relies on natural resources of the land, such as family farms, vineyards, wineries, timber, breweries, and orchards. These sites produce food, fiber, unique crops or livestock, add value to traditional agricultural products, or are other farm-based activities, such as markets & roadside stands. Applications are due before 5pm on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015.

You can apply to be a site on-line at (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015agandartfarm) or (www.lancastercitysc.com).

The Berkeley Artists Guild Calls for Entries for Show at Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, SC

Cypress Gardens and The Berkeley Artists Guild would like to invite you to join us for our annual art show at Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, SC. Our show is a non-juried art show that supports local artists by providing an opportunity to display their work in a gallery setting. The exhibition gives artists at all skill levels an opportunity to showcase, share, and possibly sell their artwork to the visitors at Cypress Gardens. Art displays will be arranged in the Cottage of Cypress Gardens. Entries are only open to artists who are residents of Berkeley, Charleston, or Dorchester County, SC.

Show takes place between Mar. 2 – 7, 2015.

Hosted By: The Berkeley Artists Guild and Cypress Gardens

Location: Cypress Gardens, 3030 Cypress Gardens Road, Moncks Corner, SC 29461

To print or view the prospectus and application for this show, click on this link (http://berkartguild.org/wordpress/?page_id=876).

Artist Studios at Fearrington Village, NC, Announces First Annual Open Studio Tour – Apr. 11 & 12, 2015

Artist Studios at Fearrington Village, NC, announces our First Annual Open Studio Tour 2015 – Saturday, Apr. 11, 10am–5pm and Sunday, April 12, noon–5pm.

To be a visual artist is to express ourselves in a way that can be viewed by others. These expressions may be profound or silly; inspire or unnerve; be innovative or revere the past. We may see our role as one who reflects on the mysteries of life; presents joy or beauty; creates in order to make a living; or simply because “we must”.  It is this communication, this sharing of our ideas, thoughts and emotions that brings our art to life. Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

Artist Studios at Fearrington Village is a group of visual artists (friends and neighbors) who come from many backgrounds. Some are lifelong professional artists, while others are just discovering the joys of creative expression. In opening our studios, we have chosen to share our creative process, present our unique artistic perception and welcome visitors to our world of colors and shapes- paintings, drawings, collage, photography, altered books, sculpture, woodwork, jewelry and more. Works are available to view and purchase.

Some of our studios are not much more than an easel in the quiet corner while others are spacious places filled with energy. Whichever, we have created a space where we find inspiration.

We hope you will too.

A preview reception and group exhibit will be held – Friday, April 10, 2015, from 6–8pm at Galloway Ridge Auditorium, Fearrington Village.

Maps will be available at business locations throughout the area. Open Studio signs will be posted along Fearrington Village’s beautiful winding roads to guide visitors to the studios. Fearrington Village is off 15-501 in Chatham County – just 8 miles south of Chapel Hill, NC.

For details, to download the tour map or to view a list of participating artists go to (http://fearringtonartists.org/) or (http://fearringtonartists.blogspot.com). Visit us on Facebook at Artist-Studios-at-Fearrington-Village.