African American fiber artists sought for A Piece of Peace exhibition in North Charleston
Deadline is March 1, 2016
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 2016 North Charleston Arts Festival, taking place April 29 - May 7 in North Charleston, S.C. African American artists, ages 18 and up, working in fiber and living in the United States, Mexico, or Canada, are invited to participate in the 10th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, titled A Piece of Peace. The exhibition will be on display at North Charleston City Hall from April 30-June 20, 2016. A $30 entry fee applies and allows artists to submit up to four entries. The application is strictly available online at www.NorthCharlestonCulturalArtsDepartment.SlideRoom.com. Deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
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 concept of peace. 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 expresses their personal vision of peace. In today's world, many are feeling lost, frightened, or overwhelmed. Often times life can feel tumultuous and fractured. Where can one go to find a "piece of peace"? How does one find a “true north”? For some, it is through a long meditation, a walk in the woods, or a good book. Others find their piece of peace through action - caring for a beloved child or aging parent, spending time with an animal friend, worshipping in a sacred space, or working towards social justice to help change the world in both small and large ways. "We are all so very excited that we are celebrating 10 years of producing high quality textile art as part of this magnificent festival,” says Washington. “Each year this show grows bigger and better, and we are particularly thrilled by this beautiful, healing theme."
Following the close of the show, up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2016/2017 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 10th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition: A Piece of Peace will be on display 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily from April 30 - June 20, 2016, 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 Thursday, May 5, 2016, from 6 - 8 p.m.
For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, the exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.
Image: Katrina Gorman, Be Still
Via: North Charleston Cultural Arts Department
Crafting Civil (War) Conversations — McKissick Museum’s commemorative exhibition
As part of its commemoration of the end of the Civil War, McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina will launch a major juried art exhibition that symbolically re-enacts the war’s end as a scene of reconciliation -- not between the North and the South—but between former slaves and former slave owners. Crafting Civil (War) Conversations will run from February 2 to May 31, 2015.
Artists working in craft-based media (clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood) are invited to submit entries for the exhibition. The Museum asks artists to imagine a scene of reconciliation, perhaps giving visual and sculptural form to what Martin Luther King conjured when he dreamt of a day when “the sons of former slaves and the sons of slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
What kind of table, chairs, and table wares might bring people together to share a meal and speak candidly about how the institution of slavery continues to shape Southern life? Would the table be set with china, ceramic stoneware or wooden plates? Would sterling flatware or oyster shells serve as eating utensils? Would a tablecloth grace the table’s surface? Are there serving pieces on the table suggestive of the food traditions Southerners forged and share?
In other words, what might the material culture of restorative justice look and feel like?
$25,000 in purchase prizes will be awarded to artists and/or artist collaboratives. To participate, artists must have been born in, raised in (a minimum of one year), or be currently living and working in one of the states that joined the Confederacy: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Submitted artworks must have been completed since April 2011, the start of sesquicentennial commemorations of the American Civil War.
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2014.
Complete participation guidelines are available on McMissick Museum's website.
Via: McKissick Museum
Entries sought for statewide juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition
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Fine craft artists from across the state are invited to participate in the 13th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. The state’s only fine craft competition and exhibition, the show offers cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 2-10, 2014, at the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston. The application is only available online at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 14, 2014.
Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers fine craft artists from across South Carolina the opportunity to exhibit objects in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media.
Following the close of the show, up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.
Alfred D. Ward NDD, ATD, Emeritus Professor in the Fine Art Department at Winthrop University, will jury this year’s exhibition. As a consultant designer for Spink & Sons in London (by Appointment of her Majesty the Queen) he designed and produced pieces for The Royal Family, Revlon of Paris, and Covent Garden Opera House, among others. Ward’s work is featured in many museums and collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. After moving to the United States in 1981, he taught at the University of Michigan and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 1985, he became the director of the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee, and in 1989 became the chair of Art and Design at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Winthrop University awarded him the Distinguished Professor of the Year Award in 1998 and the Medal of Honor in the Arts in April of 2011.
A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Convention Center on May 2, 2014. For more information, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.
(Images are of works from previous exhibitions.)
Via: North Charleston Cultural Arts Department
Entries sought for 7th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition
African-American art quilt artists in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, age 18 and up, are invited to participate in an African American Fiber Art Exhibition, Once Upon a Quilt: Welcome to My Quilted Story Book. The seventh annual juried exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 3-11, 2013. A $25 entry fee allows artists to submit up to two entries; limit four entries per applicant. Applications may be downloaded from the Applications page at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 15, 2013. Emerging quilt artists under the age of 18 may submit quilts for Our Next Generation, a parallel exhibition that will be on display at the Unity Church of Charleston.
Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, and curated by award winning and nationally exhibiting textile artist, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, Once Upon a Quilt offers African-American art quilters a showcase to display their original and innovative designs. This year’s show will feature art quilts inspired by beloved stories, whether they begin with, “Once upon a time…,” “In a galaxy far, far away…,” or “In the land that time forgot…” Artists’ muse may be a favorite bedtime story, Aesop’s fable, Gullah ghost story, young adult fiction, or an inspiring biography of an admired s/hero. Artists are asked to reach back onto the storybook shelf of their memory and create an original art quilt that tells a story that has encouraged, inspired, comforted or enchanted.
The exhibition will be on display April 30-June 20, 2013, at North Charleston City Hall, with a public reception schedule for Thursday, May 9, 2013, from 6 - 8 p.m.
Following the close of the show, up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2013/2014 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.
For more information, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.
Via: North Charleston Arts Festival
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"Under the Harlem River," fiber art by Kim Hall[/caption]
Don’t forget about these upcoming opportunities…
Here are some deadlines we shared earlier, and now that they're almost here, we want to be sure you don't miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of them!
January 31:
- The 2013-2014 Southern Circuit Tour provides independent filmmakers with the paid opportunity to participate in a six-venue tour of the Southeastern United States, screen their films for new audiences, and engage audiences in discussions about the content and production of their films. Read more >>
February 1:
- The 4th annual Charleston Film Festival will review shorts and feature-length films from filmmakers from SC, NC and GA. Cash prizes of $2,500 will be awarded for best regional films; the Grand Prize includes a one-week exhibition at Terrace Theater. Read more >>
February 7:
- The ArtFields festival juried competition has extended its deadline for new works (2- and 3-dimensional). Three emerging or established artists residing in the Southeastern states will receive career-changing cash prizes that honor their exceptional talents. Top Prize is $50,000 with People’s Choice and Juried Panel Winner prizes of $25,000 each. Read more >>
February 15:
- South Arts is accepting applications for partner venues to host filmmakers and their work for the 2013-2014 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, providing communities with an interactive way of experiencing independent film. Read more >>
March 15:
- Carolina’s Got Art! invites amateur and professional artists in South Carolina and North Carolina to enter its 2013 juried shows, with more than $15,000 in cash and prizes. Read more >>
- The 12th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival. Objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. Read more >>
Fine craft artists invited to apply for Palmetto Hands Competition & Exhibition
Fine craft artists from across South Carolina are invited to participate in the 12th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. Objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 3-11, 2013. Applications are available online. Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2013.
Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition features objects of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and three-dimensional mixed media. Up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.
Karen Derksen, director of Winthrop University Galleries and lecturer for the Department of Fine Arts and the Department of Design at Winthrop, will jury this year’s competition. Derksen has coordinated collaborative community projects including the public art installation of Carla Stetson’s "The Red Line" in Rock Hill, MUSE Fest, Pecha Kucha Charlotte and the Artist & Civic Engagement Projects at Winthrop. She has juried a number of exhibitions, acted as small festival representative for the Edmonton Arts Council Festival Granting Jury and served on the panel for the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design 2011 Craft Research Fund Grants. Derksen is also one of the founding members of Media, Art, Design, Exposed in Edmonton.
The exhibition will be on display May 3-11, 2013, at the Charleston Area Convention Center. An opening reception and announcement of awards will be held May 3.
For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, Palmetto Hands, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.
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Susan Lenz, Handed Down, Best in Show 2012[/caption]
Via: North Charleston Arts Festival
Artist Kim Keats teaches the “joy of random weaving”
Take a peek inside a basketry class taught by South Carolina Arts Commission Craft Fellow Kim Keats through Local Life, a monthly column in the Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet. Local Life is written by Lisa AnneLouise Rentz, publicity coordinator for ARTworks in Beaufort, where Keats teaches classes.
An excerpt:
"'If you've got something loose or popping out, just weave more over it, that's the joy of random weaving,' Kim Keats told her class. We were seated around worktables covered with grape vines, bins of water, and baskets in progress. ... Supple ribbons of bark soaked in one of the bins. Gathering is a part of her creative process. Use of materials is important to her -- she doesn't want to let anything go to waste -- 'turning a tree into something beautiful.'"
Read the complete column.
Keats' next class begins Tues., Nov. 6 and runs weekly through Dec. 4. Class is held from 6 - 8 p.m. Registration is $55. Find out more about the class and how to register on ARTWorks' website.
Photo above: Example of Keats' work made of poplar bark, waxed linen and palmetto root. More photos of Keats' work can be found here.
Via: Lisa AnneLouise Rentz, Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet
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Artist Kim Keats, right, demonstrates "the joy of random weaving."[/caption]
Statewide organization on arts and disabilities to create ornaments for National Christmas Tree display
VSA South Carolina and textile artist Arianne King Comer have been chosen to design and create ornaments for South Carolina’s tree for the 2012 National Christmas Tree display in President’s Park in Washington, D.C. Artists and youth from each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia were selected by the National Park Foundation to create 24 ornaments for their trees.
“It is an honor to be selected, and we look forward to collaborating with North Charleston students, seniors and veterans -- some with disabilities and some without -- to create these special ornaments,” said Julia Brown, executive director of VSA South Carolina.
Comer, a master batik and teaching artist for VSA South Carolina, will lead a workshop to create the ornaments on Friday, Nov. 9, from 9 am to noon at the Felix C. Davis Community Center, located at 4800 Park Circle in North Charleston. Other textile artists assisting with the workshop include Peggie Hartwell, Cookie Washington and North Charleston’s current artist-in-residence, Kristy Bishop. Ornaments will be made using batik, quilting and other textile design processes. The workshop is presented as a component of the City of North Charleston’s Veterans Day celebrations and is open to students from Stall High School and Gregg Mathis Charter School, as well as local seniors and veterans. Those interested in participating should contact Julia Brown at (803) 603-4450 or jbrown@arts.sc.gov before the workshop date, as space is limited.
The 90th National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony (date to be announced) is one of America’s oldest holiday traditions. It began on Christmas Eve in 1923, when President Calvin Coolidge lit a Christmas tree in front of 3,000 spectators on the Ellipse in President’s Park. Each succeeding President has carried on the tradition of what has become a month-long event presented by the National Park Foundation (the official charity of America's national parks) and the National Park Service. In addition to the tree display, President’s Park hosts a variety of family-oriented holiday attractions, such as Santa’s Workshop, holiday performances, a Yule log, a nativity scene and model train display.
Formerly known as Very Special Arts, VSA South Carolina is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1986 to provide quality accessible arts experiences throughout S.C. for children, youth and adults with disabilities. Founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, VSA has an international network which includes 37 state affiliates and 51 international affiliates. VSASC is affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts under the VSA /Arts Accessibility Program.
For ticket information, talent announcements and other event details, visit www.thenationaltree.org.
City of North Charleston welcomes Kristy Bishop as new Artist-in-Residence
The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department has appointed contemporary fiber artist Kristy Bishop as Artist-in-Residence for 2012-2013.
Bishop will share her talents and experiences with senior groups, public schools and other organizations in North Charleston. She is available for visual art residencies of 12-15 hours at a minimum of two-hour increments at North Charleston schools and is also available to host workshops for community groups of all ages.
Art teachers and school liaisons may request free Artist-in-Residence services by contacting the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. Community groups are also welcome to submit requests, which will be considered on a first-come first-served basis. All project requests should be placed at least two weeks in advance with residences completed by the end of May 2013.
Bishop, originally from Charleston, received a B.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in painting from the College of Charleston in 2008. In the spring of 2009, she moved to Las Vegas, Nev., where the beauty and fragility of the Mojave desert became the primary inspiration for her paintings. She began experimenting with fiber mediums, incorporating sewn and embroidered elements into her paintings. By the time she returned to Charleston in the summer of 2010, Bishop had transformed from painter to mixed media/fiber artist. Her most recent works are created solely from fabric, featuring hand-dyed silk that is cut, gathered and sewn. By hand dyeing the fabric, she creates a multitude of colors to use as her palette for creating new work. Thousands of tiny pieces of hand-dyed silk are manipulated to create large-scale abstract pieces that employ texture and color to convey a number of emotions.
The North Charleston City Gallery will host an exhibition of Bishop’s work in January 2013. School liaisons, arts teachers and the public are invited to meet Bishop at a free gallery reception on Jan. 3, 2013, from 5-7 p.m.
More information about the Artist-in-Residence program can be found on the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website. For more information about Bishop, visit her website.
Photo above: Untitled (vertical transition), detail
Via: North Charleston Cultural Arts Department
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Kristy Bishop[/caption]
