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Amiri Geuka Farris lands artist residency

Sharing photography and painting at Penn Center


Culture and Community at the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, a partnership between South Carolina’s Penn Center and the University of Georgia’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, has named Amiri Geuka Farris as its 2023 artist in residence.

Through the residency and its theme of “Land and Justice,” Farris will engage with the history and heritage of Penn Center, located on St. Helena Island, and with its surrounding community in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Farris is a Bluffton-based interdisciplinary artist whose work has been featured in more than 50 solo exhibitions and juried museum shows nationally and internationally. “For my Culture & Community residency I plan on creating a body of work focused on Gullah Geechee culture, land conservation, nature, and heirs’ property, which I plan to explore through various media including photography and painting,” he said. “By examining these themes, I hope to create meaningful works that can be shared with the community and exhibited in museums and galleries.” Farris was appointed to the residency by a committee including members of cultural and artistic organizations connected to Penn Center and led by Deloris Pringle, chair of Penn Center’s board of trustees. “Amiri Geuka Farris’s experience as a preservationist, educator, musical performer, videographer, and cultural curator places his bold and brilliant art at the intersection of people, place, and time,” said Penn board member Tia Powell Harris, vice president for education and community engagement at New York City Center, who served on the selection committee. “His art is often rooted in the legacy of the Gullah Geechee heritage and his desire to uplift the tenacity of the Gullah people,” Harris said. “We look forward with great anticipation to Amiri’s residency at the historic Penn Center and to the dynamic visual stories that will emerge from his interactions with our supportive staff and board, a welcoming community, and the indomitable spirit of the elders past and present, who have served as stewards of the land.” The Culture and Community project is funded by a $1 million 2021 grant to the Willson Center by the Mellon Foundation. Barbara McCaskill, professor of English and associate academic director of the Willson Center, and Nicholas Allen, Baldwin Professor in Humanities and director of the Willson Center, are the grant’s principal investigators and serve on the project’s steering committee with Pringle, Valerie Babb, Andrew Mellon Professor of Humanities at Emory University, and interim Penn Center executive director Bernie Wright. Angela Dore, the project’s research coordinator, provides day-to-day oversight of the project’s programs. The beginning of Farris’s residency launches the partnership’s second year of public programs, which will include two Penn Center Community Conversations and two cohorts of Student Summer Research Residencies: on-site classes and workshops with students and faculty from colleges and universities across the Southeast. The first of 2023’s public conversations, “Penn Center, Land, and Community,” will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22 in Penn Center’s Frissell Community House. The research residencies, which will take place in May, will include workshops and conversations that Farris will lead with students and other participants.

About the partners

  • Penn Center is a nonprofit organization committed to African American education, community development, and social justice. It also serves as a gathering place for meetings, educational institutions, and planning activities within the Sea Island Gullah Geechee communities. It sits on the historic campus of Penn School, founded in 1862 to provide education to African Americans who until then had been enslaved in the Sea Islands region. Following the school’s closure in 1948, the site served as a sanctuary for civil rights organizers in the 1960s, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
  • The Willson Center promotes research, practice, and creativity in the humanities and arts. It supports faculty, students, and its extended community through research grants, visiting scholars and artists, collaborative instruction, conferences, exhibitions, and performances, with a focus on academic excellence and public impact.

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Gullah Geechee chef and gospel singer to receive 2023 Folk Heritage Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For 2023, the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards will be presented by the General Assembly to honor a Gullah Geechee chef and a gospel singer whose talents keep the state’s traditional art forms alive.

The two practicing artists and are to be recognized as ambassadors of traditions significant to communities throughout the state. Their traditions embody folklife’s dynamic, multigenerational nature and the way it fuses artistic and utilitarian ideals. The Folk Heritage Awards are managed jointly by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum. The 2023 recipients are:
  • Emily Meggett: Artist, Gullah Geechee Chef (Edisto Island)
  • Hampton Rembert: Artist, Gospel Singing (Bishopville)
The Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award is named for the late State Rep. Jean Laney Harris of Cheraw, respected as an outspoken advocate and ardent supporter of the arts and cultural resources of the state. In the fall, nominations are sought from citizens across the state to recognize exemplary artistic achievement/advocacy. An independent advisory panel appointed by the lieutenant governor and president of the South Carolina Senate select the recipients, who must be living and practicing in the state. Up to four artists or organizations and one advocate may receive awards each year. As McKissick Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz notes, "These artists are masters of longstanding South Carolina traditions. The meals that Emily Meggett prepares daily ensure that the culinary know-how of her Gullah Geechee kin gets passed along to and nurtures the next generation. Hampton Rembert’s gospel singing is a point of community pride and inspiration to all who have been touched by a music tradition that uplifts the human spirit, particularly in times of adversity. We thank them for their dedication to keeping alive the traditions that have become our shared South Carolina inheritance." “The recipients of this year’s Folk Heritage Awards embody South Carolina’s rich artistic traditions and our broad diversity as a people and society,” South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David Platts said. “Their crafts connect our modern society to, and honor, South Carolina’s cultural past. They remain vibrant parts of rich tapestries that weave together people and communities across the Palmetto State today. We are all grateful for the way these artists enrich the lives of all South Carolinians.” Recipients of the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage and South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts Awards are honored during a broadcast presentation of the South Carolina Arts Awards, expected to air on South Carolina ETV this May at a date and time to be announced later. South Carolina First Lady Peggy McMaster will join Platts and Przybysz to honor award recipients.

About the 2023 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award Recipients

[caption id="attachment_52743" align="alignright" width="250"] Provided photo.[/caption] Emily Meggett | Edisto Island | Artist, Gullah Geechee Chef Gullah Geechee chef Emily H. Meggett, known by many as “M.P.,” was born in 1932 on Edisto Island, a place she calls “heaven on earth.” Meggett grew up on her grandparents’ farm, where they grew a wide variety of vegetables and kept livestock for butchering. Meggett learned traditional Gullah Geechee dishes standing next to her grandmother using ingredients grown on the farm. She honed her skills in the kitchen of wealthy white family’s Edisto Island house. Miss Julia, the Gullah head chef, had a mantra of “You do it right or you do it over.” Anything that wasn’t up to Ms. Julia’s standards went straight to the trash. Meggett married Edisto native Jessie Meggett and they built a four-room home on one acre of land for their 11 children. From there, she cooked for everyone in her family and, as she recalls, likely more than a hundred area children. Meggett’s family and friends long encouraged her to share her recipes in a cookbook, a novel concept to someone who never used one herself. She eventually relented, and a friend visited her daily to work on one recipe at a time. In April of 2022, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking was published and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. Among Meggett’s accolades is the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. To this day, she wakes around two in the morning with inspiration of what to cook that day for all comers. When the door to her kitchen is open, you know you’ll be fed—no money needed, and no questions asked. [caption id="attachment_52744" align="alignright" width="250"] Credit: Amanda Malloy/McKIssick Museum[/caption] Hampton Rembert | Bishopville | Artist, Gospel Singing Raised on a sharecropper farm in Bishopville, 85-year-old Hampton Rembert has been singing gospel from a very young age. He learned with his family who would sing on Sundays and during family reunions. When he and 10 living siblings were younger, they formed a gospel choir of up to 21 members at one point that would sing at a different church every Sunday evening in Lee and Sumter counties. Rembert worked hard at his professions throughout his life. From working at his church to driving trucks through 28 states, and the lawn services he performs today, he always sang. Singing is one of his greatest joys and an experience that connects him to his family and his faith. His talent was threatened in 1998 with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Rembert had surgery in February, but one month after leaving the hospital, he was diagnosed with oral cancer and went back immediately for mouth and throat surgery. He knew that there was a possibility that he would never talk or sing again, a fear confirmed by his doctors. But Rembert credits the power of prayer from his friends and family for allowing him to testify at his church three months after surgery, and while that might be true, his attitude and tenacity played no small part. It has been 25 years since that diagnosis, and he still sings twice a month at his church and as often as he can with his siblings.

About the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum

The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum tells the story of southern life: community, culture, and the environment. The 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 exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The Museum is closed Sundays and university holidays. For more information, please call at 803.777.7251 or visit https://sc.edu/mckissickmuseum.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences. A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in four areas: arts learning, community and traditional arts, artist development, and arts industry. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Jason Rapp

Cash prizes available to Lowcountry artists

SOBA's 29th Annual Judged Show calls for art

  • REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
  • COST: $25

Lowcountry artists are invited to submit their works of art for The Society of Bluffton Artists’ 29th Annual Judged Show.

SOBA logoWinners will be awarded first, second and third place cash awards in the following categories: acrylic, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, watercolor, or 3D. Registration is required by completing a registration form available at the gallery, located at 6 Church Street in Old Town Bluffton or by registering online at https://sobagallery.com/product/register-for-judged-show/. The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $50 for non-SOBA members. The registration deadline is Tuesday, February 28. The deadline for dropping off your art is from 9-11 a.m. March 6 at The SOBA Art School, 8 Church St., Bluffton, SC. No entries will be accepted after 11 a.m. Registration and a full list of rules are available online at https://sobagallery.com/2023-judged-show/. The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from March 6-April 2 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 4-6 p.m. March 9. These events are free to attend and open to the public. Artists can pick up unsold artwork at the end of the show from 9-11 a.m. April 3, 2023 at The SOBA Art School.
The judge for the show is Eve Miller. Miller is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and a member of the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies. She is also a signature member of the Pastel Society of Spain and Fellow maxima cum laude at the American Artists Professional League. Her works have been featured in numerous publications and she presently exhibits her work in three international juried exhibitions in France. As an art instructor and mentor, she conducts workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Her goal is to share how to communicate the beauty one finds in landscape by utilizing the elements of design. Her goal is to establish a spiritual connection between herself, the painting, and the viewer.

About The Society of Bluffton Artists

SOBA is the heart of the flourishing art hub in Old Town Bluffton’s historic district at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. As a non-profit art organization, SOBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions, scholarships, outreach programs and more. The gallery is located at 6 Church Street and is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.6586.
Got arts news? Remember to submit it to The Hub! Got arts events? Listings are free on the only statewide arts calendar—Arts Daily!

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Hub Quick Hits: Beaufort benches, Spartanburg hotel art

Twofer Tuesday? Twofer Tuesday. Let's go.

  • BEAUFORT–The city's Cultural District Advisory Board began rolling out "art benches" throughout the district in 2019, giving good-looking places to soak in surroundings to those enjoying scenic Lowcountry charm. Just days ago, the city unveiled five more benches, bringing to 17 the number "now or soon [to] be installed." (Post & Courier Hilton Head, subscription may be required to view).
  • SPARTANBURG–In Spartanburg's cultural district, one hotel has made itself a destination for visual art lovers. Art from The Johnson Collection adorns the walls, nooks, and crannies of the AC Hotel Spartanburg, and staff receive regular training on to be ad hoc docents. Might be time for a trip to Spartanburg, dear reader. Read the story for a list of artists represented at publication time. (Greenville Journal)

Jason Rapp

Bluffton High grad wins SOBA art scholarship

[caption id="attachment_50410" align="alignright" width="304"] Liam Giblin, a Bluffton High School graduate, was the recipient of the Naomi McCracken Scholarship by SOBA. He plans to attend Winthrop University and major in illustration. Provided photo. Click to enlarge.[/caption]

Liam Giblin was awarded The Society of Bluffton Artists Naomi McCracken Scholarship during a special reception June 17 at the SOBA gallery in Old Town Bluffton.

The scholarship is presented every year to a deserving local high school graduate who is pursuing a major in the art field at the college level. Giblin was an AP student who graduated from Bluffton High School in the top 10% of his class. In addition to art, Giblin participated in marching band and orchestra. He also volunteered at Heroes on Horseback. Giblin plans to attend Winthrop University in Rock Hill with a major in illustration. Giblin enjoys working in black and white with ink washes as well as charcoal. Emmett McCracken, whose mother was a founding member of SOBA, and Mary Ann Burgeson, president of SOBA, presented Giblin with the scholarship award. He plans to pursue a career in newspapers and magazines.

About The Naomi McCracken Scholarship and The Society of Bluffton Artists:

Naomi McCracken was one of the founding members of SOBA. When Naomi passed away in 2006 her family requested that in lieu of flowers donations should be made to SoBA. In the spring of 2007, her son, Emmitt McCracken, and Dave Dickson, then president of SoBA, established the scholarship program for a graduating senior who planned to further their studies in the field of art. SOBA is the heart of the flourishing art hub in Old Town Bluffton’s historic district at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. As a non-profit art organization, SOBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions, scholarships, outreach programs and more. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.6586.

Jason Rapp

NEA announces $57 million in American Rescue Plan grants

567 arts organizations benefit, including five in S.C.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced it has recommended American Rescue Plan (ARP) awards totaling $57,750,000 to 567 arts organizations to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic.

The organizations may use this funding to save jobs, and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. The full list of recommended awards, sorted by city/state, is available from arts.gov. “Our nation’s arts sector has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Rescue Plan funding will help arts organizations rebuild and reopen,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the NEA. “The arts are crucial to helping America’s communities heal, unite, and inspire as well as essential to our nation’s economic recovery.” Grants are recommended to organizations in both rural and urban communities; in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC; and represent all 15 of the NEA’s artistic disciplines. The NEA encouraged applications from a variety of organizations for this opportunity and provided numerous resources for navigating the application process. Among the recommended organizations, 27 percent are first-time NEA grantees and 78 percent are small or medium sized organizations with budgets of less than $2 million. [caption id="attachment_14408" align="alignright" width="250"]Catawba potter Keith Brown works on a project. Catawba potter Keith Brown works on a project in this file photo.[/caption] Grant award recommendations are for $50,000, $100,000, or $150,000 and do not require cost share/matching funds. In South Carolina, five organizations are recommended for the awards:
  1. Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce: $150,000
  2. Greenville Light Opera Works: $50,000
  3. Hampton County: $150,000
  4. Colour of Music, Inc.: $150,000
  5. Catawba Indian Nation: $150,000
The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March 2021 and included $135 million for the National Endowment for the Arts for the arts sector. This is the third installment of ARP funding. In April 2021, the NEA announced $52 million (40 percent) in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for subgranting through their respective programs. In November 2021, the NEA announced $20.2 million to 66 local arts agencies for subgranting to local artists and art organizations. The National Endowment for the Arts received more than 7,500 eligible applications requesting $695 million. To review the applications, the agency employed more than 450 expert readers and panelists to review and score each application using the published review criteria. The NEA recognizes that the financial needs of the arts and culture field far outweigh the available funds that will be awarded through these programs and encourages eligible organizations to explore the agency’s other grant opportunities which can be found on arts.gov.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Jason Rapp

SOBA accepting entries for 28th Annual Judged Show

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 1, 2022


Lowcountry artists are invited to submit their works of art for The Society of Bluffton Artists’ (SOBA) 28th Annual Judged Show.

SOBA logoWinners will be awarded first, second and third place cash awards in the following categories:
  • Acrylic
  • Oil
  • Watercolor
  • Photography
  • Drawing (pastel, pencil/graphite, pen & ink)
  • Miscellaneous (mixed media, collage, 3-D, stained glass)
The Judged Show is limited to 100 entries. Registration is required by completing a form available at the gallery, located at 6 Church Street in Old Town Bluffton or by registering online at bit.ly/28thjudgedshow. The registration deadline is March 1. Dan Graziano is serving as the 2022 judge. The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $50 for non-SOBA members. Artists must drop off their art from 9-11 a.m. March 7 at the Center for Creative Arts, located next door to the SOBA gallery at 8 Church Street. No entries will be accepted after 11 a.m. Registration and a full list of rules are available online at bit.ly/judgedshowdetails. The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from March 7-April 3 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 5-7 p.m. March 9. These events are free to attend and open to the public.  Artists can pick up unsold artwork at the end of the show from 9-11 a.m. April 4 at the SOBA gallery.

About the Society of Bluffton Artists

SOBA is the heart of the flourishing art hub in Old Town Bluffton’s historic district at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. As a non-profit art organization, SOBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions, scholarships, outreach programs and more. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.3776.

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South Carolinian to lead Gullah Geechee commission

Victoria Smalls named ED of multi-state heritage group


The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission announced recently that Victoria Smalls of St. Helena Island will be its next executive director.

Smalls (right) is a National Park Ranger with the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, a public historian, educator, arts advocate, and cultural preservationist. She also serves as a maven for the S.C. Arts Commission program "The Art of Community: Rural SC," helping her community reimagine itself through an arts lens. Beginning July 26, she will lead the four-state National Heritage Area under the National Park Service that extends from North Carolina to Florida. A "rigorous national search process" was used to identify its new leadership. “I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to advance the great work of the commission, where I can serve the corridor in a focused capacity—as an advocate and connector—promoting the magnificent richness of the culture, sharing the beauty of the people, and helping to support and uplift our communities," Smalls said. Smalls served on the 13-member federal commission as a South Carolina commissioner from 2016-2020. She will return to lead the corridor with her extensive knowledge as a primary resource in the Gullah Geechee community, working in cultural education and development, across the corridor and internationally. The corridor’s mission is to create and build strategic alliances to strengthen the preservation and stimulation of Gullah Geechee people and communities within the global corridor. The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was established in 2006 by Congress to recognize and preserve the cultural treasures of Gullah Geechee people. Gullah Geechee people are direct descendants of enslaved people brought from primarily Africa’s rice-producing regions who were forced to work for almost two centuries on coastal plantations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida. In 2013, the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service approved the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Management Plan in an effort to support the recognition of important contributions made by Gullah Geechee people, their history, traditions and origins. Guiding the Corridor through its reauthorization process this year is an important first responsibility for the new executive director. Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown of Savannah chairs the Commission and leaves the role of acting director as Smalls assumes leadership. “I am absolutely ecstatic that we are able to place someone as capable as Ms. Smalls at the helm of our organization. She is eminently qualified, uniquely prepared, and profoundly representative of the community,” Hoskins-Brown said.
A lifelong member and descendent of the Gullah Geechee community, Smalls has emerged as one of the thriving voices in cultural preservation education. Her professional work in Beaufort County in 2012 at the Historic Penn Center on St. Helena Island, one of the country’s first schools for formerly enslaved people. She then served for five years as the director of history, art, and culture and director of the York W. Bailey Museum. In 2019, Smalls returned to Penn Center to serve in various roles, including as a cultural, historical, and creative diplomat and providing leadership and strategic direction while articulating positive impacts of the Penn Center’s 159-year history to the public. She is as a commissioner with the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission, through which she assisted in identifying and promoting the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and culture of the African American experience. Smalls is also a Riley Fellow with Furman University’s Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative, which helps leverage diversity to improve organizational outcomes and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina. Smalls has additional experience serving with partnering organizations and commissioned boards that align with the mission of the commission, including:
  • the International African American Museum (IAAM) as program manager,
  • as a cultural consultant for the Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies at Coastal Carolina University,
  • and most recently with the National Park Service (NPS) as a park ranger at the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort that educates the public on the Reconstruction Era (1861-1900), the historic period in which the U.S. grappled with how to integrate millions of newly freed African Americans into social, political, economic, and labor systems.
In the latter role, she provided education and interpretation at historic sites to diverse visitors, conducted presentations for secondary and higher education audiences, conducted relevant research, and served as the liaison between affiliated networks.

Jason Rapp

Winners of the 27th annual SOBA Judged Show announced

Winning pieces on exhibit through Aug. 1 at SOBA gallery


Of the 100 local artists who entered The Society of Bluffton Artists’ 27th Annual Judged Show, 18 winners were awarded first, second and third place cash awards in the following categories: oils, acrylics, watercolor, photography, mixed media and other art during an opening reception July 7.

“It was a pleasure to jury this fine collection of art,” said David Rankin, a nationally renowned artist who judged the entries. “It is a vivid testament to the creative efforts of the artists and art community here in Bluffton. Excellence in art is a hard-won achievement that artists struggle to achieve through their individual creative skills, efforts, and inspiration. And this 27th annual compilation is one the local art community can be proud of. I hope you will come walk through this exhibition and enjoy the diversity of styles and achievements.” The Judged Show exhibit is on display through Aug. 1 at the SOBA gallery, on Church Street in Old Town Bluffton. To view all of the winners, visit http://bit.ly/SOBAJudgedShow.

Prize Winners

[caption id="attachment_47417" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Dennis Lake walked home with “Best In Show” for “Aegan Blue” at the 27th Annual Judged Show.[/caption] The “Best In Show” winner for “Aegan Blue” (above) is Dennis Lake. In Category 1: Oils, winners are:
  • 1st Place — “Resting Spot,” Jackie Nutter
  • 2nd Place — “Reverie,” Bill Winn
  • 3rd Place — “South From Daws Island,” James Cawley
  • Honorable Mention — “My Happy Place,” Julia Kamenskikh
In Category 2: Acrylic, winners are:
  • 1st Place — “Velocity,” Audrey Salkind
  • 2nd Place — “Morning Coffee at Cafe,” Lin Hilts
  • 3rd Place — “Globally Clean,” Cheryl Arnold
  • Honorable Mention — “Friends Forever,” Wyn Foland
In Category 3: Watercolor, winners are:
  • 1st Place — “Three Friends,” Brenda Fallon
  • 2nd Place — “Blooming Again,” Barbara Pecce
  • 3rd Place — “The Gathering,” Patricia Wilund
  • Honorable Mention — “Little Ruby,” Loraine Mullaney
In Category 4: Photography, winners are:
  • 1st Place — “Anticipation,” Suzanne Fiorino
  • 2nd Place — “A Bird’s Eye View,” Melinda Welker
  • 3rd Place — “Tranquility,” Steven Higgins
  • Honorable Mention — “Chechessee Storm,” Ed Kelly
  • Honorable Mention — “Reflections of Connections,” Jo Paduch
  • Honorable Mention — “Cool Contemplation,” Savannah Kemper
In Category 5: Mixed Media, winners are:
  • 1st Place — “Hanami,” Tamara Garvey
  • 2nd Place — “Bucket Full of Blues,” Joan McKeever
  • 3rd Place — “Believe in Spring,” Donna Varner
  • Honorable Mention — “Guardian Angel,” Pam Davis
In Category 6: Other Art, winners are:
  • 1st Place — “Unconsidered Trifles: Dispensary Bottles,” Kara Artman
  • 2nd Place — “Pride,” Mary Burrell
  • 3rd Place — “On the Road to Hanna,” Pat Diemand

About the judge

David Rankin promotes conservation and appreciation of the natural world through his paintings and has worked with organizations such as the International Crane Foundation, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, the Corporate Conservation Council-Japan and the Smithsonian Institution. He is a Signature Member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, Artists for Conservation, and the Society of Animal Artists where he has served on the board since 1990. David is one of the true modern-day masters of transparent watercolors, exuding a dynamic passion for the medium in his lectures, demonstrations, and workshop instruction. His art reflects his profound passion for both watercolor and nature. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art and lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife, Deanna.

About The Society of Bluffton Artists

SOBA is the heart of the flourishing art hub in Old Town Bluffton’s historic district at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. As a non-profit art organization, SOBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions, scholarships, outreach programs and more. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.6586.

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Bluffton High senior awarded SOBA scholarship

Naomi McCracken Scholarship goes to Venezuelan-born student

[caption id="attachment_47310" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Multimedia artist Nathalia Roca poses with some of her artwork. Photo courtesy of SOBA.[/caption]

Bluffton High School Senior Nathalia Roca received The Society of Bluffton Artists’ (SOBA) Naomi McCracken Scholarship for students pursuing art in higher education.

Roca, who graduates this month, was accepted to all four of her top college choices. She ultimately settled on attending Columbia College in Chicago as a fine arts major, because of the school’s focus on technology and business courses for artist entrepreneurs. Roca was chosen for the Naomi McCracken Scholarship with the help and collaboration of Andrea Pejeau, fine arts department chair at Bluffton High School. The scholarship applicants must write a personal statement on why they feel they deserve the scholarship and are then interviewed by the SoBA scholarship committee. “Art is my calling, my constant companion, and most importantly, my dominant form of communication,” Roca wrote in her artist’s statement. Roca was born in Venezuela and credits communicating freely in both English and Spanish for enabling her to express her point of view through art. As an artist, Roca says that she does not limit herself to a single medium. She has experience with acrylic, oil, watercolor, pen and ink, pastel, oil pastel, charcoal and scratchboard. “Drawing and painting are my freedom of expression, where no one but me dictates what I do or say,” says Roca.
In their letters of recommendation, Pejeau and Kristen Munroe, a Bluffton High School painting, ceramics and design instructor, describe Roca as a hard-working dedicated student who has already exhibited and sold her work. Roca’s artwork was chosen for a 2018 SOBA exhibit called “Artists In the Making,” where two of her pieces were sold. She has repeatedly won top honors in such youth art events as Promising Picassos and the Scholastic Art Contest. “In all her work, Nathalia shows patience and dedication to meeting the standards she has in mind,” Munroe wrote in her letter of recommendation, adding, “Not only did she have exceptional skills in observation, rendering, value and color; she constant asked for and excelled in more challenging assignments, absorbing every technique and process eagerly, and dedicating hours outside the classroom to practice and investigation.” Pejeau wrote: “Nathalia has the experience of a much older artist. She conceptualizes and executes original work in a wide range of media which she approaches with authority. This young artist is just that. An artist. The rare breed born to create outstanding, already award-winning art with an authentic voice. Never cliche, always interesting.

The Naomi McCracken Scholarship

Naomi McCracken was one of the founding members of SOBA. When Naomi passed away in 2006 her family requested that in lieu of flowers donations should be made to SoBA. In the spring of 2007, her son, Emmitt McCracken, and Dave Dickson, then president of SoBA, established the scholarship program for a graduating senior who planned to further their studies in the field of art.

About the Society of Bluffton Artists

SOBA is the heart of the flourishing art hub in Old Town Bluffton’s historic district at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. As a non-profit art organization, SOBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions, scholarships, outreach programs and more. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.6586.

Jason Rapp