Artspace 506 in North Myrtle Beach, SC, has Announce the Winners of This Years Small Works 2016 Exhibit

Artspace 506 in North Myrtle Beach, SC, has announce the winners of this years “Small Works 2016” exhibit:

1st Place went to Haley C. Smith for “Jack”

2nd Place went to Toni Smith for “Dessert Spoon”

3rd Place was presented to Rachel Jones for “Regenerate”

Honorable Mentions included:
Debanjana Bhattacharjee for “October Pink” and R. Bellinger for “Marsh Impressions III”

Among the Finalists:
Rachel Jones for “Secrets and Searchings I”; Patricia Graney for “Dew Flower”; Elaine Goodman for “I Can Wear Yellow”; William H. Miller for “Melancholy”; Jane Fay for “Untitled #6”; Phil Laborie for “Here’s to Detroit”; Rebecca Lindblade for “Down in the Phinizy”; and Sue Coley for “The Red Boat”

The gallery would like to thank Liz Miller, curator of the Burroughs and Chapin Art Meuseum in Myrtle Beach, SC, for serving as judge for this years show.

The show continues through Dec. 17, 2016. The gallery is free and open to the public Wed. – Sat. 11am-6pm.

For further info visit (www.artspace506.com).

My Not So Annual Trip to the Celebration of Seagrove Potters in Seagrove, NC

We have just posted a blog entry at Carolina Arts Unleashed at (http://carolinaarts.com/wordpress/) about our latest trip to Seagrove, NC, to the 9th Celebration of Seagrove Potters.

A tile from Acacia Art Tile at Whynot Pottery

Works from JLK Jewelry

Works from Bulldog Pottery

Main & Maxwell in Greenwood, SC, Features Works by Caroline Harrington, Hal Taylor, and Dolores von Rosen – Nov. 28, 2016

Main & Maxwell in Greenwood, SC, will be hosting an artist reception on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016, from 5:30 – 7pm.  “Against the Grain” features the work of three artists who work primarily in wood; Caroline Harrington, Hal Taylor, and Dolores von Rosen. During the reception the artists will be on hand to discuss their work and offer special purchasing opportunities.

Caroline Harrington, who currently lives in Hilton Head, SC, is an equestrian and artist. Her work is dedicated to the art of turning historic, reclaimed barn wood into beautiful, nature-themed works of art. She paints lifelike horses, sea creatures and forest animals on reclaimed and recycled barn board that she collects from around the country.

Dr. Hal Taylor is a wood worker who specializes in turned and sculpted wood art. His award-winning work has been displayed around the country including at the American Association of Woodturners 30th Anniversary Juried Show, “Turning 30”, in Atlanta GA. Currently, Taylor has a large inventory of hand turned bowls, vessels and wall hanging pieces on display at Main & Maxwell.

Dolores von Rosen grew up in Coroneca, SC, and graduated from Lander University and later the University of Tennessee.  After teaching for a number of years on the west coast she married and moved to the North-West Territories of Canada, then on to Vancouver, Edmonton and finally Windsor, Ontario where she was the founder of The South-Western Ontario Basket Guild. In 1996 she retired and she and her husband moved to Chappells, SC, where she started the Lakelands Basket Guild. Well known for her beautiful basketry, von Rosen teaches workshops both in South Carolina and Windsor, Ontario.

For more information about the exhibit or Main & Maxwell, contact Laura Bachinski by e-mail at (mainandmaxwell@gmail.com), call 864/223-6229 or visit (www.mainandmaxwell.com).

Arts Center of Greenwood in Greenwood, SC, Announces 2016 Guild Dedication Awards

Two Greenwood artists were honored Friday, Nov. 11, 2016, with Guild Dedication Awards from art guilds at the reception for the “Multi-Guild Annual Exhibition” at the Arts Center of Greenwood, South Carolina.

Potter and gallery entrepreneur Laura Bachinski and woodworker Hal Taylor are recipients of the 2016 Guild Dedication Awards — presented by the Greenwood Artist Guild, Council of Lakelands Area Woodworkers and Greenwood Area Studio Potters.

Established in 2014, by the above-mentioned art guilds, in collaboration with the Arts Center of Greenwood, the Guild Dedication Award was created in honor of potter and local arts champion Dohnna Collins Boyajian. Boyajian was the 2014 recipient and retired arts educator Dot Hershey was the 2015 recipient.

“People who decide on the award are representatives from the Arts Center and previous award recipients,” Boyajian said. “We really could not choose one. We chose both Laura Bachinski and Hal Taylor.”

Laura Bachinski

Recipients did not know about the awards in advance.
Boyajian went on to say that Bachinski has been instrumental in the founding of two annual community events — Empty Bowls Greenwood, the major fundraiser for Greenwood Soup Kitchen, and the Heritage Trail Pottery Tour and Sale.

Bachinski received much of her training as an artist through the professional clay program at the Piedmont Technical College Edgefield County Center. She has her own home studio, Bell House Pottery in Ninety Six, South Carolina.

“Without Laura (Bachinski), neither one of those would have probably happened,” Boyajian said. “With Empty Bowls, she was also instrumental in involving the Greenwood Medical Alliance with that as a project. She can make things happen.”

Additionally, Boyajian said Bachinski’s decision to open the Main and Maxwell gallery and artists’ retail shop in Uptown Greenwood is “a huge deal.”

“More than 59 member artists are now represented there,” Boyajian said. “The local artists and crafts people have a place to sell their work and she’s also creating an Etsy site to get our work out into the World Wide Web, broadening support for our artists and guilds. She’s a proponent of the growth and exposure of the arts community in Greenwood, South Carolina.”

Boyajian said Bachinski has also coordinated workshops with well-known ceramics artists and potters for area artists and Lander University students.

Hal Taylor

“Hal (Taylor) is sort of the quiet one,” Boyajian said. “He has done many different things and he’s always volunteering to give artist demonstrations or work behind the scenes for Empty Bowls and the Council of Lakelands Area Woodworkers ornaments for trees auctioned as part of the Piedmont’s Festival of Trees. He gets things done and he collaborates with other artists.”

Taylor is also a co-founder of the Greenwood Genetic Center, along with clinical geneticist Roger Stevenson. Taylor served as director of GGC diagnostic laboratories from 1974-2008.

Guild Dedication Award winners are presented with checks and a take-home plaque. A permanent plaque, with the award’s description, is on display at the Arts Center. Nominations are accepted in October with winners announced during the annual November “Multi-Guild” showcase.
Criteria for the award include creativity, engagement, enthusiasm and dedication.

Paula Taylor, 72, wife of Hal Taylor, 74, said her husband is very humble and modest about his skill as an artist.
“He will be shocked by this award,” she said in advance of Friday’s awards announcement.

“He’s been interested in building things from the time he was a boy,” Paula Taylor said. “He’s built numerous pieces of furniture for our two daughters, including a fairly elaborate dining room table and a treehouse for a grandchild. He’s been turning wood for about 15 years. He’s self-taught in a way, but he’s taken a lot of intensive courses.”
Paula said her husband turns wood every day.

“If he hears a chainsaw when we are driving somewhere, we stop,” she said. “He has to see what kind of wood it is and ask if he can have a piece.”

She said he has also mentored a number of men and women in wood crafts. “It keeps him active and creating,” Paula Taylor said.

Taylor has pieces at Main and Maxwell in Greenwood, a shop in Highlands, North Carolina and at the South Carolina Artisans Center in Walterboro.

For further information contact Dohnna Boyajian by calling 864/554-0336 or e-mail to (dcollinsboyajian@gmail.com).

Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, Calls for Applications for Exhibits in 2018 – Deadline Jan. 31, 2017

The Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, is currently accepting portfolios from local and regional artists for possible exhibitions in 2018. Details for submitting your portfolio are available on our website at (http://www.caldwellarts.com/157-guidelines/).

Portfolios will be accepted through January 31, 2017 and may be delivered or mailed to Caldwell Arts Council Exhibit Selection Committee, 601 College Ave SW (PO Box 1613), Lenoir NC 28645 or e-mailed to (office@caldwellarts.com).

The Caldwell Arts Council is a regional arts center that presents monthly and quarterly exhibits, education and collection programs that foster cultural arts in Caldwell County. Our center is housed in an historic 100+ year old home at  601 College Ave SW, Lenoir NC. There are four gallery spaces that have been renovated as professional exhibit spaces. Exhibits range from contemporary to traditional and include 2-D and 3-D exhibitions. The Caldwell Arts Council exhibits artists from across the country and has a reputation for quality exhibits. For information on the gallery space or to see a list of upcoming exhibits please visit our website at (www.caldwellarts.com).

The Caldwell Arts Council’s programs are supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and by individual and corporate donors.

Turtle Island Pottery will Hold a Trunk Show a the Advent Shoppe in Spartanburg, SC – Nov. 17, 2016

Turtle Island Pottery will hold a Trunk Show a the Advent Shoppe in Spartanburg, SC, Nov. 17, 2016, from noon-5pm.

The Shoppe is located at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, 161 Advent Street in Spartanburg, SC. The church was founded in 1848 and is gorgeous. We will have a variety of the blue flower pattern functional work to one of a kind pieces. Come see us!

Turtle Island Pottery, in Old Fort, NC, features handmade pottery by Maggie and Freeman Jones, who create one of a kind, functional, decorative stoneware items. From cups to umbrella stands, mirror frames and clocks. Sculptural and inspired by nature, many forms are reminiscent of antique pottery from the arts and crafts movement and art nouveau styles.

View a map on how to get to the Advent Shoppe at this LINK.

For further info call 828/669-2713 or visit (www.Turtleislandpottery.com).

Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail Expands in Seneca, SC

A new quilt block (#188) has been installed on the shores of Lake Hartwell, on the wood-working shop of Jere duBois at 880 Cartee Road, south of Seneca, SC. The original quilter is the accomplished Joy duBois, whose workshop lies in the walkout basement of their beautiful retirement home. Her quilts decorate every room of the spacious home and are a sight to see and enjoy.

Joy duBois relates that her husband has always hankered after a Mariner’s Compass, but for years she told him, “No, that’s too hard.” Not after she took a class at Heirlooms and Comforts with her friend, Judy Lardiere. They did their first paper piecing and each of them made a beautiful Mariner’s Compass quilt. Joy gave hers to Jere for his birthday.

duBois is now hooked on piecing, and applique, and color selection, and 1930s reproduction fabrics! Sounds like a quilter. Visiting her workspace is a delight to the eyes, with many quilts in various stages of production.

Moving south from St. Charles, IL, forty-seven years ago, Joy and Jere opened a convenience store on Old Clemson Highway in what is now a fraternity house. They lived upstairs, while Joy ran the business and Jere worked as a real estate broker for Coldwell-Banker, where he continues to be employed. After moving to South Carolina, Joy decided to make a quilt for her daughter from old dresses she wore as a child. She planned to gift the quilt to her for her high school graduation, but shares that it was actually completed for her graduation from university. She did discover the Heirlooms and Comforts Quilt Shop during that time, and took many classes there throughout the years.

duBois has been an inspiration to the Trail. You can see reproductions of her beautiful quilting at Six Mile Park. She and Sue Hackett produced #171, Quilted Tulips and soon to be added Gardener’s Delight. Joy has worked with many quilters in the area. A technique she and Gail Sexton learned together will be added soon at the City of Pickens Chamber of Commerce, and who knows where next? We have plans!

For more information on the history of the Mariner’s Compass pattern, refer to quilt #67 on the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail web site at (www.uhqt.org).

African American Fiber Artists Sought for Special Exhibition in North Charleston, SC

The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is seeking entries from African American textile artists from across the nation for a special exhibition presented as a component of the 2017 North Charleston Arts Fest, taking place May 3-7 in North Charleston, SC. African American artists, ages 18 and up, living in the United States and working in the medium of fiber are invited to participate in the “11th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition”, titled “Move On Up and Reach the Higher Ground”. The exhibition will be on display at North Charleston City Hall from May 1-June 23, 2017. A $30 entry fee applies and allows artists to submit up to four entries. The application is available online at (www.NorthCharlestonCulturalArtsDepartment.SlideRoom.com).

Deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

Curated by award winning and nationally exhibiting textile artist, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique exhibition offers African American fiber artists a showcase to display their original and innovative designs. This year’s exhibition calls for fiber art inspired by the aspirational music of the 1970’s that sought to unify and lift the spirit of our nation, specifically songs such as Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” and “Move On Up” by Curtis Mayfield. As we find ourselves, once again, in a time of great division and unrest, the challenge for this special exhibit is for artists to create a fiber work, such as an art quilt, doll, wearable art piece, etc., that explores the ideas of creating a better world, journeying toward self-awareness, and ascending to a position of loving acceptance of all citizens.

Following the close of the show, up to twenty works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2017/2018 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.

The “11th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition: Move On Up and Reach the Higher Ground” will be on display 8am-8pm daily from May 1-June 23, 2017, on the 1st and 2nd floors of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane in North Charleston. Admission is free. A free public reception in honor of the artists will be held at City Hall on Friday, May 5, 2017, from 6-8pm.

For more information about the North Charleston Arts Fest, the exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843/740-5854, e-mail to (culturalarts@northcharleston.org), or visit (www.NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com).

Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC, Offers Nights of a Thousand Candles

Dec. 1-3, 8-10, & 15-18, see Brookgreen Gardens come to life with the soft glow of more than 5,500 hand-lit candles thousands of sparkling lights, and exceptional entertainment. The 80-foot-tall fir tree, decorated with 70,000 lights, is lighted in ceremonial fashion at 5:45pm each night. New hand-blown glass creations from Conway Glass are on display in Anne’s Garden and two indoor holiday exhibits offer another layer of enjoyment to the event.

Important News About Nights of a Thousand Candles tickets! Advance ticket sales only!

Every year, attendance during Nights of a Thousand Candles grows! Over the years, to accommodate the growth, we have expanded the hours, added additional lines for admission, increased the number of nights, and extended the displays into more areas of the gardens. In anticipation of an increase in attendance this year, we have changed some of our ticketing procedures.

“As a result of this growth, we made the decision to change the ticketing process for the event,” said Bob Jewell, President & CEO. “The new system will more evenly distribute attendance across the 10 nights of the event, minimize delays, and ease parking and traffic congestion. This decision was not made lightly as it will no doubt impact our fundraising from the event, but to ensure the safety and comfort of our members and guests, we simply had no choice,” Jewell continued. “Our members and guests take priority, and we want them to have the best experience possible when they come to Brookgreen Gardens.”

Important News About Thousand Candles Tickets!
Advance ticket sales only with limited availability each night. Date specific tickets -you will need to select a date when you purchase tickets. You may exchange your tickets for another date at no charge by calling 1-888/718-4253. Ticket Questions? Call Customer Care at 1-888/718-4253 for assistance. Hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 9pm. Saturday and Sunday 12 – 5pm.

All ticket proceeds go to support Brookgreen Gardens, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and display American sculpture and regional plants, animals, and history. Brookgreen Gardens, a National Historic Landmark, is located on US 17 between Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island, SC.

For further info call the Gardens at 843/235-6019 or visit (www.brookgreen.org).

Raleigh Fine Arts Society in Raleigh, NC, Calls for Entries of Its “39th Annual NC Artists Exhibition” – Deadline Jan. 9, 2017

The “39th Annual North Carolina Artists Exhibition” is an annual juried exhibit for two-dimensional and three-dimensional visual art featuring established and emerging artists from across North Carolina. It  is the largest all media, juried artists exhibition in the state. Prizes totaling $6,000 are awarded. All North Carolina residents ages 18 and over are eligible.

Deadline for entry is Jan. 9, 2017.

The Juror for this year’s exhibition is Michael Rooks the Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA. He has served as juror for numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. The High Museum is one of the leading art museums in the Southeastern United States, with more than 15,000 works of art in its permanent collection and dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists.

The Raleigh Fine Arts Society mission is to encourage the pursuit of art, music and the written word. Since the 1970s The Raleigh Fine Arts Society (RFAS)  has been involved in a variety of projects in support of arts in the community. The “North Carolina Artists Exhibition” is one of three signature arts projects executed by RFAS annually. The Literary Contest is a short story writing contest for Wake County high school students in grades 10, 11 and 12. The Choral Celebration offers choral groups in grades 4 and 5 in Wake County Schools a chance to share their music as well as enjoy the successes of other elementary school choruses performing in Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts.

Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts: Exhibition Opening Reception and Juror’s Lecture Mar. 12, 2017  4pm Meymandi Hall. Exhibition Dates: Mar. 12 – Apr. 27, 2017 at Betty Ray McCain Gallery

For further information e-mail Susan Garrity at (artistsexhibition@gmail.com).