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SC Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics celebrates Youth Art Month with three student exhibitions

The South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM), located in Hartsville, is celebrating National Youth Art Month with student artwork exhibited in three locations: the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library’s Morris Gallery in Florence, the Hartsville Memorial Library, and the Michelin InTIREnational Art Competition Exhibition in Greenville. The Michelin exhibition is open until March 31; the Florence and Hartsville exhibitions run through April 17. GSSMstudentwork2 (Images - Above:  Seized, wheel-thrown altered clay, by GSSM junior Claire Moore of Greenwood, S.C. Right: Collage by GSSM junior Maya Jenson of Blythewood, S.C. Click on image for larger view.) The works were produced by students in GSSM’s Art in the Interim and Open Art Studio programs. During January Interim – a “mini-mester” – students select from a range of elective courses or trips. Art in the Interim, taught by GSSM Visual Arts Coordinator Patz Fowle, is an annual favorite. Fowle also coordinates the Open Art Studio, which is open daily for students to explore art techniques, further refine their artistic expression and find an outlet for self-expression. During this year’s Art in the Interim, students worked to develop the skills, techniques and processes to create meaningful, original 2-D and 3-D works of art. The course focused on printmaking, as well as on making cultural connections using indigenous South Carolina clay with special guest sculptor Mike Fowle. “My passion as a teaching artist and educator is to guide and to encourage each student to reach their full potential as creative beings,” said Patz Fowle. “I believe that creativity and a lifelong love of the arts not only enrich the soul of the individual, but also reach out and enhance the lives of others around them.” The Morris Gallery is located on the second floor of the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library, 509 South Dargan Street, Florence, S.C. The library is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 to 6 p.m. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.florencelibrary.org or call (843) 413-7070. The Hartsville Memorial Library is located at 147 W. College Avenue, Hartsville, S.C. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the exhibit, contact Library Manager Audrey Tripp at (843) 332-5115 or audreyt.har@darlington-lib.org, or contact GSSM's Visual Arts Coordinator Patz Fowle at fowle@gssm.k12.sc.us. GSSM Tire Art Michelin (2)GSSM is participating in the 2016 Michelin InTIREnational Art Contest along with 26 teams hailing from Anderson, Greenville, Simpsonville, Hartsville, Spartanburg and Columbia. In its third year, the Michelin InTIREnational Art Contest is hosted by Michelin North America in conjunction with Upstate International. Using up to four scrap tires donated by Michelin, participants were asked to convert ordinary tires into extraordinary works of art. Two winning works of art will be selected. One winner, the People’s Choice, will be awarded to the entry that receives the most votes online at inspiredtires.com between March 1 – 31, 2016. The second winner will be selected by a panel of judges. Each winning entry will receive a $5,000 donation to a charity, school, or nonprofit of its choice. The exhibit is on view at the Hughes Main Library at Heritage Green in downtown Greenville, S.C. View entries and vote for your favorite at www.inspiredtires.com. GSSMMichelincomposite About the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics The South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics is a two-year, public, residential high school in Hartsville, S.C., specializing in the advanced study of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), with a unique emphasis on economics and entrepreneurship. GSSM’s residential program can serve as many as 288 high school juniors and seniors annually from across the state. In addition, the school impacts nearly 10,000 teachers and students each year through its innovative outreach programs. Learn more by visiting www.scgssm.org

Then and now: Florence Library to host reflective Patz and Mike Fowle exhibit

From SCnow.com Article and photos by Deborah Swearingen

FLORENCE, S.C. – One of the first questions that Patz Fowle asked her husband, Mike, was: What do you think about art? “He said, ‘what do you mean,’” Patz said, smiling. “I knew that I was on a mission.”
Since that day, decades ago, the couple has been creating art together.
In a two-month exhibit opening Jan. 10 at the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library’s Morris Gallery, they will explore their artistic journey.
The exhibit, called “Then and Now,” features approximately 30 pieces of the artists’ work. It encompasses art made by the Fowles in the late 70s through pieces created by the dynamic duo last month.
“We might even have one that we’re still working on,” Mike said. “It’s going to be that type of a show.”
Though much of their work is thematically the same, Patz said, it will be interesting to witness the growth.
“It’s nice to show the transformation and the evolution of the work, even though they are still flavored with the things that we started with,” Patz said. “We love a lot of the same things.”
Their commonalities first brought the pair together, Patz said. 43 years later, and the couple is still going strong.
Patz calls her style detailed, while Mike’s is simple. But they complement each other well, and the two artists are open-minded and appreciative of the other’s creations.
“Patz is my detail,” Mike said.
[caption id="attachment_24587" align="alignright" width="300"]Patz Fowle, Vincent Van Goat Vincent Van Goat, a sculpture by Patz Fowle[/caption] Artistically, Patz said, she enjoys giving creatures human-like qualities.
“I kind of look at the world through an animal’s eyes and imagine what it would be like to be human – the good, the bad and the funky,” she said. “I’m just expressing what I think and how I feel through the work.”
As far as mediums go, the Fowles try it all – they’re sculptors, painters, welders and more.
The couple won the People’s Choice award in the 2015 ArtFields competition. They are also the artists responsible for the “Big Bleu Birdnanna,” a 23-foot, metal sculpture in downtown Florence.
The Fowles serve as teaching artists through the South Carolina Arts Commission, which has allowed them to teach and share their art all over the world.
Patz is the visual arts coordinator for the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics. There, she works to incorporate art into science and math. Recently, for example, she helped her students create art through the process of computer coding.
The couple said they could never have expected or predicted to be where they are today, but they have always been dreamers.
“You expect greatness, but you don’t know in what form,” Patz said. “So we’re open. Eyes open and minds open and an open heart for good things to happen.”
There will be an opening reception for “Then and Now,” when it opens on Sunday, Jan. 10. The reception begins at 3 p.m. and will last for an hour. The artists invite the public to come join in the conversation about their artwork.
Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served.

South Carolina artists among prize winners at Artfields

Although the top prize at Artfields went to a Louisiana artist, South Carolina artists won the remaining top three awards and five of 10 in the honorable mention category. Artfields, held April 24 - May 2 in Lake City, S.C., attracted 1,000 entries from across the Southeast, an increase of 35 percent from 2014. Four hundred artists were invited to participate. Top prize winners: Top Prize ($50,000) Charles Anderson (New Orleans, Louisiana) for Central City Juried Prize ($25,000) Bretta Staley (Orangeburg, S.C.) for Third Heaven People's Choice (2-D) ($12,500) Melissa Askins (Manning, S.C. ) for Sisters Under a Canopy of Oaks People's Choice (3-D) ($12,500) Mike and Patz Fowle (Hartsville, S.C.) for Consume (pictured above)   From Lake City News & Post

Article by Donna Tracy

The Village Green in Lake City filled with artists, families, and visitors from across the Southeast - and beyond – Saturday night and waited expectantly to hear who would take home prizes in the region’s largest art competition. Around 400 artists were competing for the $110,000 in prizes and just one got to go home today with a $50,000 Top Prize: Charles Anderson of New Orleans whose “Central City” was housed in Joe’s Barber Shop. Anderson said he doesn’t have any specific plans for the money yet but will use it not only to forward his own artistic career but also to give back the community that is the inspiration and subject matter of his works as well as Gregory – also known as Baby G – whose arresting expression was captured by Anderson in charcoal and graphite and has hung in Joe’s Barber Shop for the duration of the competition. “I was really amazed by the competition; I was really amazed by Joe’s Barber,” he said. “It was all so professional and you really don’t see this level of professionalism in just everything. From the booklets, to when I call people answer, … The whole experience is just beautiful and really rejuvenating.” Though Anderson hadn’t figured out what he would do with the prize money should he win, he does know that – like ArtFields – he wants it to be a part of his community and knows he wants to give part of his prize money to an organization called “Cease Fire” that he helped create to help stop violence in New Orleans. Anderson said he decided to enter ArtFields after finding out about the event through the online site Craigslist. Like many in the inaugural years of the competition, he at first thought the prize amounts were a mistake. “You don’t hear of art prizes being $50,000; It’s $1,000 and a residency for five weeks,” said Anderson. Anderson said attending the competition was done on a whim and he has been astounded by the ArtFields experience – including the hospitality of the area, the organization of the competition and the quality of the artwork he was competing against. “I am amazed. The work is phenomenal,” said Anderson who added that he has left many art shows angry because the work showed so little heart. “Here, I love about 95 percent of what is here. It’s just outstanding. Entitled “Central City” after the area in which Anderson worked for several years, the piece will now find a permanent home in Lake City as an ArtFields piece. Also remaining in Lake City will be the work that won the $25,000 winning Juried Prize, which was awarded to Bretta Staley for “Third Heaven” Works from previous winners are currently housed in the Inn at the Crossroads and the ArtFields Gallery – no word yet on just where “Central City” or “Third Heaven” will be displayed. TOP PRIZE Charles Anderson for Central City JURIED PRIZE Bretta Staley for Third Heaven PEOPLE’S CHOICE (2-D) Melissa Askins for Sisters Under a Canopy of Oaks PEOPLE’S CHOICE (3-D) Mike and Patz Fowle for Consume  HONORABLE MENTIONS, with special consideration provided by The Citizens Bank: Townsend Davidson (Charleston, S.C.) (Supercritical Flow) Kate McNeil (Charleston, S.C.) (Inference) Susie Ganch (Bale: Diptych) Matt Bryant (Ana10G0US) Aron Belka (To Market, To Market) Mary Gilkerson (Columbia, S.C.) (Minervaville, 100 Views) Brant Barrett (Surfside Beach, S.C. ) (Murphy Island Youth Hunt, 2013) Loren Schwerd (Peak) Robert Logrippo (Villa Cannery) Stacey Davidson (Rock Hill, S.C.) (Lake Norman) Tyrone Geter, one of the four judges who determined the winners, said the hardest thing about judging the works was “trying to be fair.” “Also, everything here is elevated. It’s just one of those unique things with the people involved in it…people are just starting to really get into it,” said Geter who said the Lake City community – the volunteers and venues – have really embraced the artwork as their own. “It’s just such a wonderful plan.” Geter said he expected the quality of art to continue growing in future years. “You’re really going to get top-flight artists competing in this event,” said Geter. “Because it’s not just the money; it’s that you just get treated so darn good and the city is so relaxing.” Judges for the Juried Prize and Top Prize were:
  • Chad Alligood - curator of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and a former Cranbrook Art Museum curator who recently researched the State of the Art show developed from visits to 1,000 art studios in 80 cities and small towns.
  • Tyrone Geter - a painter who has exhibited worldwide, a professor of art at Benedict College, and an art gallery curator.
  • Jay Heuman, an art museum educator and curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston where he works collaboratively to organize more than 120 public programs a year.
  • Cecilia Stucker - the founder of Curating & Collections, a curatorial consultancy to private and corporate collectors, who splits her time between New York City, Los Angeles and Paris.

Public art nearly ready for installation in downtown Florence

According to SCNow, the City of Florence, S.C., is making progress in installing public art downtown. Artists Patz Fowle, Mike Fowle and Bob Doster are creating large sculptures for the city. (View photos of artists Patz and Mike Fowle at work on their sculpture.)

Blamity blam.

That’s the sound the 20-foot tall steel sculpture named Big Bleu Birdnanna with a kinetic beak and eye piece would make, artist Patz Fowle said along with her husband and artist, Mike.

It is also the sound of progress in the arts, she said.

The local, well-known artistic duo designed and will be soon constructing the giant powder coated, steel sculpture in downtown as the city’s push for public art that began last year gets underway. (Image of sculpture fabrication pictured below.)

“Your eye lands on sculpture and it’s on public art and it brings you back again and again, and I think that’s going to bring people to Florence, even more than they do now,” Fowle said. “And then with the museum and you got the cultural arts corridor and got the Performing Arts Center, and it’s all blam, blamity blam.”

The sculpture, which Fowle describes as if “Alexander Calder gets put in a blender with Pee Wee Herman’s brain and all the people that go along with him and a little Dr. Seuss and a whole lot of us,” will sit in the green space next to the Waters building on South Dargan Street.

Ray Reich, downtown development manager of the city of Florence, said location is the challenge for public art downtown.

“The biggest challenge has been where we looked at locations, and certainly wall art has lot of opportunity and we’re only limited by funds for stuff on open walls, but in terms of actual physical pieces, the problem has been the game keeps changing in terms of development projects coming about,” Reich said. “We can’t put a piece of art there or building there or development there, and so it’s a good problem to have. So as we move forward some property is going private, and we’re talking about art on there with the property owners.”

Another spot that will become the city’s newest gallery space is the southwest part of the wall in the James Allen Plaza where Lancaster-based sculptor Bob Doster will hang a 6-foot circular stainless steel piece of the city of Florence logo. The area will also be home to three, 3-foot disks designed by local students featuring the Carolina wren, the swallowtail butterfly and marsh tacky horses as well as 8-foot tall palmetto tree and crescent moon closer toward where the courtyard meets Victor’s Bistro.

“This project lended itself to student involvement. When at all possible I like to get community involvement in it,” Doster said. “It’s a piece of Florence. I like to do that whenever possible. The kids will come up with some nice ideas, and I’ll work with them to refine it.”

Students from Briggs Elementary, Southside Middle School and Wilson High School provided their versions of the state symbols that is expected to go up next Wednesday.

“My feeling is I hope it brightens up the wall and it gets them thinking about how things can be,” Doster said, who has public art throughout the state. “When you start adding sculptural elements to downtown, it livens up the whole downtown. People see this and want to go around and see it, and it just adds to ambiance for downtown and that’s what I hope people get out of it.”

The projects, which total just under $30,000, are funded in part from Rediscover Downtown Florence membership dollars and part of the Sunday alcohol sale permits, Reich said.

“What we hope is between Sunday alcohol money and the membership money, if we continue to do well in future, we’re it hoping that we’ll have $35,000 to $40,000 every year to acquire public art,” Reich said. “It can take so many different forms, only limited by imagination and funds involved.”

Fowle said Florence is ready for contemporary art in the heart of its historic district.

“You want to walk up to it and come around a corner and see it, and you want to see other people seeing it for the first time, freaking out for the first time,” she said. “Florence is so ready, we are so ready, they’re ready or they wouldn’t have said yes.”

Via: SC Now

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