ART ON THE GREEN SEEKS ENTRIES

Are you an artist itching to share your work? Then consider applying to exhibit at this year’s Art on the Green. Applications are due Feb. 14.

The Town of Davidson is now accepting applications from artists who wish to exhibit at this year’s Art on the Green. The popular annual event brings crowds to Davidson to enjoy food, live music, performances and art. Also a juried art festival, the event features booths filled with top- quality art works and demonstrations from artists throughout the region.

Artists must submit their applications, specify mediums and include digital images of their work. All work must be original and attributed solely to the demonstrating artist. The application requires a $25 non-refundable fee, and if selected, artists must pay $100 for an exhibit space. Tents are not provided. Applications are due Feb. 14.

For a printable application (PDF), CLICK HERE> Online applications will be available soon at http://www.ci.davidson.nc.us, under the Downtown Davidson tab.

The 2011 Art on the Green festival will be held April 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and May 1 from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Tina Gibson at 704 596-0342 or tgibson@imaginemusicgroup.com or Kim Fleming at 704 940-9622 or kfleming@ci.davidson.nc.us. For more information on the Town of Davidson, visit www.ci.davidson.nc.us or contact Megan Pillow Davis at mdavis@ci.davidson.nc.us or 704-940-9602.

– Town of Davidson

ARTWORKS ON MAIN CLOSES

ArtWorks on Main, at 165 N. Main St., has closed its doors. The shop held a closeout sale with 75 percent off art supplies through the middle of this month. The closing comes with the retirement of the shop’s owners Dan and Suzanne Hicks. www.artworksonmain.com. (Read more about ArtWorks on Main in Lisa Jewel’s Oct. 8, 2010, “Art Around Town” column.)

LAKE NORMAN ART LEAGUE

Artist Betsy Birkner will give a presentation about “Color Theory” at the Lake Norman Art League member meeting on Monday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. at the Lake Norman Chamber office, 19900 W. Catawba Ave., Cornelius.

In this Valentine’s Day meeting, Ms. Birkner will start with a discussion of red and its companions on the color wheel, and light and perception. The talk will examine the five components of color
and Johannes Itten’s seven Contrasts of Color.

The meeting is open to the public. For more info, visit www.lknart.org.

Rachel Goldstein

Davidson-based photographer Rachel Goldstein will discuss her work at the next meeting of the Lake Norman Art League on Monday, Nov. 8. The art league also recently announced winners of its fall show. We list them below. Meanwhile, Davidson College Visual Art Center has an exhibit through Dec. 8 titled “Three Bodies” by the Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal.

GOLDSTEIN AT ART LEAGUE

Rachel Goldstein will be the guest speaker at the Lake Norman Art League monthly meeting Monday, Nov. 8, from 7-9 p.m., at Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, 19900 W. Catawba Ave., Cornelius.

Ms. Goldstein is an emerging artist and photographer who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design last year with a master of fine arts degree in photography. She enjoys working in digital collage, combining multiple images with text, as well as photographing in the documentary style, creating narratives in her photographs. Her work has been exhibited in Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham, as well as Annapolis, Md., Rockport, Maine, and Hong Kong.

Ms. Goldstein moved back to Davidson last November, and within a week in April, won both First Place in the Lake Norman Art League Spring Exhibition and Best in Show at the Arts on the Green juried show on the Davidson Town Green. She is a member of The Light Factory, The Young Affiliates of the Mint, and the Women Centered Art Co-op and also serves on the boards of the Mooresville Artist Guild and The Lake Norman Art League.

The meeting is free for members, $5 for non-members. Lake Norman Chamber offices are across from the Goodwill and next to Zappata’s Cantina in Cornelius.

For more information please contact Sherry DeFazio, President, Lake Norman Art League at info@LKNArt.org or 704-620-4450.

WAFAA BILAL: 3 BODIES

In "...And Counting" Bilal used tatoos on his own body in a commentary on U.S. and Iraqi war dead.

Davidson College’s Belk Visual Art Center this fall is home to an exhibit titled “Three Bodies” by the Iraqi American contemporary artist Wafaa Bilal. Featured are three major works that are re-creations of Mr. Bilal’s
performance-based installations (“… And Counting,” “Domestic Tension,” and “Virtual Jihadi”).

The artist uses his own body – both literally and virtually – to explore widely held presumptions of Middle Eastern culture and people. “Wafaa Bilal is an artist on the rise,” according to Davidson gallery director Brad Thomas. “As an Iraqi American, he is all too aware of the assumptions that are associated with his nationality. Bilal interrogates these social (and political) misconceptions by casting himself as the protagonist in numerous performance-based installations that are as much a test of his endurance as they are critiques of contemporary cultural relations.”

More about the artist may be found on his website, wafaabilal.com.

For more information on the three works in this exhibit, listen to a recent audio feature on National Public Radio, CLICK HERE>

LAKE NORMAN ART LEAGUE FALL SHOW WINNERS

The Lake Norman Art League’s fall show is on display right now at Carolina Art Garden, in the Oak Street Mill, 19725 Oak St., behind the police station, Cornelius.

The league recently announced the show’s winners, judged by Joshua Cross, an assistant professor of art at Pfeiffer University. Winners were:

1st Place – Carolyn Saine, “In the Vineyard”
2nd Place – Sherry DeFazio, “Layers of Cool”
3rd Place – Lee Ann Harrison, “Circle to Square #1″
Honorable mention – James Donaldson, “Big D”
Honorable mention – Lisa Mitchell, “The Kitchen’s Closed”

More about the winners and the show on LKNArt.org.

Jeff Pender pottery.

The second-annual Lakeside Artists Studio Tour will take place this Friday from 5-9pm and Saturday from 9am-6pm. Twenty Lake Norman area artists will be displaying their work at eight locations on the Brawley Peninsula. Six of the locations are artists’ home studios, while the remaining two are open homes displayed by Allen Tate Realtors.

Visitors will have the chance to see works produced by some of the region’s finest artists, including paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, and woodworking, and to meet the artists themselves.

Admission is free. For more information, including an interactive map, visit the tour’s website. There will be drawings for a door prize, as well as the opportunity to purchase artwork directly from the artists.

Studio locations, all off of Brawley School Road, and participating artists are listed below:

143 Washam Road – Painter Sandie Bell, Wood Turner John Melius, Potter and Sculptor Jeff Pender

388 Stonemarker Rd – Painter Lori Neill, Fine Furniture Maker Brian Neill, Potters Barbara and David Ballesty

111 South Longfellow Lane – Painter Angela Van Every Johnston, Wood Turner Donald Olsen, Jeweler Tamara Dossin

117 Deacon’s Pond Ct – Potter Suzie Council, Pastel Painter Nancy Marshburn

144 Union Chapel Rd – Painter and Pastelist Eric Soller, Potter and Sculptor Penny Overcash

114 Peregrin Court – Potters Lee Ann Harrison and Shari Crouse

124 Larkhaven Lane – Potters Theresa Leatherwood and Angela Wose

126 Harborcrest Lane – Painter Cheri Simmons, Jeweler Bonnie Boardman

ART LEAGUE TAKE-IN

SUNDAY, OCT. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Carolina Art Garden, 19725 Oak St., in the Oak Street Mill, Cornelius – Artists may drop off entries for the Lake Norman Art League’s 2010 Fall Exhibit. Exhibit runs Oct. 22-Jan. 2. Artists may enter up to two works. For more information or entry forms, visit LKNArt.org

Sunrise over Alta Pass, shot in Oct. 2009 at the Carolina Captured photo workshop. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

CAROLINA CAPTURED PHOTO WORKSHOP

A contingent of Davidson photographers heads annually to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where they share knowledge about their craft and spend time shooting at a workshop called Carolina Captured. They’ve got spots open in this year’s session, from Oct. 8-10 at Wildacres Retreat, in Little Switzerland.

Davidson resident Gary Kerr, owner of Fine Art Impressions art printing service, organizes the event along with Charlotte photographer Kelly Culpepper.

Carolina Captured is a concentrated weekend workshop predicated on the idea that a group of student photographers is best led by several instructor/educators rather than a single individual. “The weekend is full of shooting opportunities, seminars and collaborative experiences with our faculty,” the organizers say. One of the weekend’s highlights is the final critique, where each photographer offers a series of photos for group feedback.

In recent years, photographers of all levels have come to the workshop from as far away as Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida and – for some reason – Davidson. (DavidsonNews.net editor David Boraks is among the regulars.)

More information and registration at www.carolinacaptured.com

ARTNOW

On Oct. 4-8, the Lake Norman Art League will host its first-ever art retreat, the ArtNOW Workshop. The Fall getaway will be held at the Blumenthal Foundation’s Wildacres Retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Little Switzerland, at the start of peak leaf season. The Lake Norman Art League invites all area artists to join the three full days of painting or pottery instruction during the four-night and five-day retreat.

The ArtNOW Workshop chose master instructors to lead the hands-on, interactive workshops that include demonstrations and participatory instruction. The Oil and Acrylic Painting Workshop, led by Paul Keysar, will take artists on an in depth journey in creating landscape and still life paintings. Participants will develop a higher understanding of and gain a greater confidence in painting these subjects. The Pottery Workshop, led by Scott Cummins, will include hands-on throwing and handbuilding with demonstrations and lots of individual attention. Emphasis on wheel and altered forms with a celebratory Raku firing to close the workshop.

ArtNOW Workshop’s goal is offering an intense and creative workshop as a venue for artists who need the space and time for a complete arts immersion. The total cost for the retreat, including instruction, double occupancy lodging, and all meals, is $420 for any member of a local art organization, $450 for non-members. The registration deadline has been extended to Oct. 1.

For full details and to register, go to http://www.ArtNOWworkshop.com, or call 704-596-1286, or email info@lknart.org.

HERB JACKSON SHOW

Davidson artist Herb Jackson, who also is an art professor at Davidson College, will have an exhibit of 10 new paintings next month at Christa Faut Gallery, 19818 North Cove Road in Jetton Village, Cornelius.

There’s an opening reception for the show on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Mr. Jackson says that this may be his last show of new paintings in North Carolina for some time, because of other commitments. Those include a solo show opening in February at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York, and a March show at Davidson College intended to be a historical overview of his work

More information is available from Christa Faut Gallery, 704-892-5312.

PAINTING CLASSES

Artist Lee Ann Harrison is offering a variety of acrylic painting classes for all levels this fall at local arts centers, including The Community Arts Project in Cornelius and Artworks on Main in Mooresville. The events include “Art on the Vine,” a one-night “painting social” with instruction on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 6-9:30 p.m., at Artworks on Main. For more information, visit or call (704) 654-2523.

SEMINAR: The Business of Art

Art conservator, professor and artist Tony Rajer will lead a 3-day artist workshop on “The Business of Art” Friday, Oct. 22, to Sunday, Oct. 24, at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.

The event is aimed at helping artists develop business plans, promote their work and prosper as artists. Mr. Rajer is an artist and instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

To register, or for more information, call Karen Derksen at 803-323-2493 or email derksenk@winthrop.edu.

MOORESVILLE CRAFT CRAWL

A handful of local artists, artisans and crafters are organizing a Monthly Craft Crawl in Mooresville, at the northeast corner of Brawley School and Williamson roads. They’ve planned the first crawl for Friday, Oct. 8 from 5-9.

“One Man Band” Barrie Howard will play music at the crawl, which organizers say is meant to promote local artistry and creativity.

More info on Facebook under “Mooresville Craft Crawl.” Or email Mooresvillecraftcrawl@gmail.com or call 704-450-7363.

EXHIBITION AT DAVIDSON

DAVIDSON COLLEGE VISUAL ARTS CENTER, 102 N. Main St. – Through Oct. 6 : British artist Ewan Gibbs has an exhibit of drawings titled “Ewan Gibbs: America.” Mr. Gibbs drawings depict iconic images of American cities and scenes, created in pencil using a painstaking grid of circles, lines or shapes. Also, 2010 Faculty Exhibition, with work by sculptor Cort Savage, painter Nathaniel Rogers and printmaker Rebekah Tolley. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4 p.m. Free. For information call 704-894-2519. See our Aug. 25 preview of the shows, “Faculty and Ewan Gibbs exhibits open at VAC”

EXHIBIT OPENING TONIGHT

The reception for “Resilience” is at 442 S. Main St. (next to MasterWorks). The Exhibit runs through July 9.

The urban ministry program helps artists who struggle with homelessness and poverty. Details www.urbanministrycenter.org

OAK STREET MILL ART CRAWL

Carolina Art Garden and The Shoppes at Oak Street Mill Village present a Fourth Friday Art Crawl Friday, June 25, from 7-10 p.m., Oak Street Mill, 19725 Oak St., behind the police station, Cornelius. With music, art, and wine tastings. www.carolinaartgarden.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTED FOR EXHIBITS

Entries are being sought for summer photography exhibits at both the Lake Norman Art League and Mooresville Artist Guild.

Lake Norman Art League invites artists to submit up to 3 works for a show that will open Juy 24 at their gallery in South Main Square. Take-in is Saturday, July 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 442 S. Main St. Details at LKNArt.org.

Mooresville Artist Guild announces “Hot Town Summer in the City” – its 2010 Photography Show. Entries should be delivered to the Depot Art Gallery at 103 W. Center Ave.in Mooresville Tuesday, June 29, 1-4 pm and 5-8 pm. The complete prospectus is availabel at www.mooresvilleartistguild.com. For more information please contact Rachel Goldstein
at Rachel.lgoldstein9@gmail.com or 704-534-0503.

ASC OFFERS ARTIST GRANTS

Visual artists and filmmakers can apply for up to $5,000 through the Regional Artist Project Grant program, managed by the Arts & Science Council (ASC). The online grant application deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 18 at noon.

Funding will support visual artists and filmmakers in their pursuit of projects that further enhance their artistic development. Grantees may use funding to support their projects in various ways, such as covering costs incurred in creating art, purchasing equipment, developing promotional materials, or supporting the cost of an exhibition.

Artists who have lived in the counties of Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Rutherford and York (S.C.) for one year are eligible to apply. Applicants may not enroll in or currently be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree seeking programs during the time their funded project is in progress. The online application and guidelines are available at www.ArtsAndScience.org.

ASC will provide two free grant information sessions for interested applicants:

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Arts Council of York County (121 E. Main St., Rock Hill, S.C.)

Thursday, July 29, 2010
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wing Haven (248 Ridgewood Ave., Charlotte, N.C.)

The program is administered by ASC in partnership with arts councils in Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Rowan, Rutherford and York (S.C.) counties. Funding for the grant program comes from the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency, the Blumenthal Endowment, the participating arts councils and ASC’s Annual Fund Drive.

Literary and performing artists will be eligible to apply next year.

From left, Diane Pike, Rachel Goldstein and Sergey Zhiboedov.

This weekend’s Art on the Green festival in downtown Davidson attracted hundreds of residents, visitors and art lovers. Davidson photographer Rachel Goldstein won “Best in Show” while honorable mentions went to jewelry maker Sergey Zhiboedov of Charlotte and painter Diane Pike of Denver, N.C.

ART ON THE GREEN WINNERS

Forty-eight artists were selected to show and demonstrate their work in the two-day juried Art on the Green fine arts festival. Media including ceramics, sculpture, oil, pastel and watercolor, photography, woods, metals and jewelry.

Rachel Goldstein won "Best in Show" for photography at Art on the Green 2010 (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

This year’s juror was Elizabeth Bradford, an award winning artist, teacher, and Davidson native. Here are brief profiles of the winners:

Rachel Goldstein of Davidson is a fine art photographer who completed a master’s of fine art degree last summer at Savannah College of Art and Design. She recently moved back to town. She also has studied at the Center for Documentary Studies in Durham, NC, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and and Emory University, where she earned a bachelor of arts in French Studies.

This weekend’s award was her second recognition in Davidson in recent weeks. She won first place in the recent Lake Norman Art League spring exhibit for her digital photo “Untitled (Mom and Dad).” (See more about that ongoing exhibit below.) Read more about her on her website, http://rachellgoldstein.com/.

Jewelry maker Sergey Zhiboedev won an honorable mention in the juried Art on the Green show. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Sergey Zhiboedov is a jewelry maker who lives in Charlotte. At Art on the Green he was showing rings, pendants and other silver pieces created and design by himself and his wife, in their business called SZ Jewelry Design.

Read more about them on http://szjewelrydesign.com/.

Painter Diane Pike of Denver, N.C., won an honorable mention in the juried Art on the Green show. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Diane Pike is a 2008 transplant from Boulder, Colo., to Denver, N.C. She paints colorful landscapes and other representational works in oil and pastel.

An Iowa native, she has a fine arts degree from University of Northern Colorado, where she studied printmaking and graphic design. She has worked as an advertising graphic designer/artist. She now paints full time and teaches classes and workshops.

Her website is http://dianepike.com/

LAKE NORMAN ART LEAGUE SHOW

The Lake Norman Art League Spring 2010 Exhibit remains on display through May 14 at the art league gallery in South Main Square, 442 S. Main St. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

Rachel Goldstein of Davidson won first place in the show with her digital photo-collage “Untitled (Mom and Dad).” It’s a 22-inch by 33-inch digital inkjet print depicting the artist’s parents, separated by a landscape. (See the photo on Ms. Goldstein’s website.)

Painter Paul Keysar won second place for his 14-inch by 16-inch oil-on-linen “House Fire.”

Third place went to Eric Soller‘s gouache sailing scene “The Maneuver.” Honorable mentions went to Lisa Mitchell for her oil painting “Waiting in Color” and Dan O’Neill for his acrylic “Flowing Lava.”

Juror for the Spring Show was Christie Taylor, of Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte.

More information about Lake Norman Art League may be found on its website, LKNArt.org.

CHRISTA FAUT SHOWS JOHN EVANS

"Two Birds" by John Borden Evans.

Christa Faut Gallery in Cornelius will open “Behind Harold’s,” an exhibit of new paintings by John Borden Evans, on May 4. The show will run through June 19 at the gallery, 19818 N. Cove Road in Jetton Village.

An opening reception with Mr. Evans is planned on Saturday, May 8, 4-6 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment. www.christafautgallery.com

COLLEGE STUDENT ART SHOW

Works by the top student artists at Davidson College are on display through May 7 at the college’s Belk Visual Art Center, Main and Griffith Streets. Juror for this year’s student exhibit was Pallas Lombardi, who manages the Art-in-Transit program for Charlotte Area Transit System.

The student artworks may be seen weekdays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Weekends noon to 4 p.m. Details: http://www.davidson.edu/