William King Regional Arts Center Regional Exhibits and Events 2009

1. Wide Eyed Garden, Feb 13- April 19
This new exhibition is an exhibit of works by Leila Cartier. Cartier is an Abingdon native who studied art and art history at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and Temple University in Rome, Italy. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago. Cartier’s large vibrant paintings are glimpses into a surreal world dominated by the combinations of arthropod, botanical, and figural forms. The exhibition itself will be designed to catapult visitors into a unique dreamlike environment equivalent to a rock opera experience.

2. John Kingerlee: A Painter’s Passage, March 13- Sep 6
John Kingerlee is a 70-year-old British-born artist who currently resides in rural Ireland. Kingerlee’s expressive paintings are a combination of gestural brushstrokes and collage defining images that float between representational form and abstraction. This exhibition was originally curated by the late William Zimmer, former contributing art critic for the New York Times, and made available to us through Katherine T. Carter and Associates. This exhibition will be accompanied by the William Zimmer Prize in Art Criticism, a competition in critical writing focusing on the works of John Kingerlee and open to all students currently enrolled in a Fine Arts program in area colleges or universities.
Free public reception, Friday, March 13, 6-8 p.m.

3. Artistic Excellence Exhibition, March 21- April 26
The Artistic Excellence Exhibition, on view in the Student Gallery, is organized by the Arts Alliance of the Mountain Empire and will showcase the works by talented students within our area high schools. The exhibition will be juried by Hank Foreman, the associate Vice Chancellor for Arts and Cultural Affairs at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC and also the Director and Chief Curator of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.

4. Mistletoe Market, Nov 6-8
William King Regional Arts Center presents the 11th annual Mistletoe Market, a holiday gift mart featuring arts and crafts from local artisans and businesses across the Southeast. The season's premier shopping event features holiday items, decorations, jewelry, gourmet foods, clothing, toys, and pottery.



Kathy Lowdermilk
Director of Publications

Information:
276.628.5005
www.wkrac.org
415 Academy Drive
Abingdon, VA 24210
Hours: Tues 10-9, Wed-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5

Call for Artists

Historic 1908 Courthouse .
107 E. Main Street PO . Box 336
Independence, Va 24348
276-773-3711 July 10, 2008

Call for Artists – “Our Beloved 1908”, Independence , Va.
This is the centennial year for the Historic 1908 Courthouse of Grayson County in Independence , Virginia . Since this is the most recognized building in Grayson County with its unique architecture and prominent location in the center of town, it has been the subject of many photographs, paintings, and drawings.

In celebration of the 100th birthday of this historic landmark, the Courthouse Foundation is inviting all artists, young and old, amateur and professional, who have created an original likeness of the 1908 Courthouse to show their work in a grand exhibition from September 7th through October 12th this fall. There will be no awards given since each artist who participates is already a winner.

All interested artists are invited to bring one to three items to the Baldwin Auditorium on the second floor of the 1908 Courthouse on Friday, September 4, 2008, from 5:30 to 8pm; or Saturday, September 6th from 10 to 12 am. There is no entry fee, and no judging. All art must be easily wall hung, such as paintings, photographs, textiles, or drawings. Pictures should be no more than 32” x 40” including frame. All art work should have a tag with the artist’s name, address, and telephone number attached. Sale of items will be left to the artists. The 1908 Courthouse is protected by a security system.

An Artists Reception and opening will be held Sunday, September 7th 3-5pm. There will be no awards given. Each artist is invited to attend for a group photo and recognition for their ‘Beloved 1908’.

The Courthouse is open from 10 to 4 everyday except Sunday and the exhibit will be available for viewing during these hours. The exhibit will be featured during the Wine Tasting at the Courthouse on Saturday, September 13th and during the Fall Festival at the Courthouse on Saturday, October 11th. Artist will pick-up their entries on Sunday, October 12 from 3 to 5pm or the week of October 13th.

For more information contact the Historic 1908 Courthouse at 276-773-3711. Visit the web site www.historic1908courthouse.org; or send an email to president@historic1908courthouse.org.

Galax Leaf & String Festival - Authors & Art

The book, Between Two Spaces: Reflections on the Spiritual in Art by Dr. Halide Salam, Radford professor, will be showcased at the Authors on Grayson event during the Galax Leaf & String Festival, a Celebration of Music, Art and Literature. Dr. Salam’s paintings will be exhibited at City Gallery.

Not only can you purchase the book published by Pocahontas Press, Inc., but on Friday, June 13 between 5:00 & 8:00 PM you have the opportunity to meet the artist- author and see her work first hand. City Gallery Fine Art is honored to host Dr. Salam’s exhibit. The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit will hang through the end of June.

This Radford University professor has completed a collection of meditations on art and spirituality. She explores painting through the lens of her East Indian heritage to discover the synergy between heritage and expression. In homage to her parents, she also recalls the influence of family in her artistic development, tracing unique elements of her craft back to personal relationships. This book, complete with 18 color photographs of Dr. Salam’s paintings, offers us a glimpse into the world of an accomplished painter on the forefront of intercultural exploration.

Halide Salam received her Masters of Art in Painting from New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and her Ph.D from Texas Tech University in Fine Arts and teaches painting at Radford University, Radford, Virginia. She has been painting and exhibiting in national and international galleries, and presenting lectures and papers on art and art history, within and outside the United States as well. Her paintings are philosophical investigations to be viewed as spatial stations where creative forces are channeled through inner knowledge and intuition to manifest visual forms of self-recognition. Halide Salam's life pursuit has been to find answers to her perception of an incomprehensible reality, not unlike those Wassily Kandinsky or Ludwig Wittgenstein.


For more information about City Gallery, please call (276) 236-8338. City Gallery is located at 207 S. Main Street in Galax, open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

Penelope Moseley
Big Blue Magazine
www.bigbluemag.com
(276)733-9704