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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

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.

Submitted material

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

Deadline nears for SOBA 27th Annual Judged Show

Submission deadline: Friday, June 25, 2021, 11 a.m. ET


Lowcountry artists are invited to submit their works of art for The Society of Bluffton Artists’ (SOBA) 27th Annual Judged Show.

(Ed. note: This is an updated version of this previous post. New deadline; same call.) Winners 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 St. in Old Town Bluffton, or by registering online at http://bit.ly/27thjudgedshow. The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $45 for non SOBA members. The deadline for dropping off your art is from 9-11 a.m. June 25 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. Click here to read the registration and a full list of rules. The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from July 5 to Aug. 1 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 5-7 p.m. July 7. These events are free to attend and open to the public. The judge for the show is David Rankin. Rankin’s award-winning watercolors are in public and private art collections in the U.S., India, and China, have been featured in more than 150 museum exhibitions, and are included in the North Light’s series, Splash: The Best of Watercolor, and Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing, and in numerous art magazines. Rankin is offering a “Watercolor Dazzle” demonstration at 2 p.m. July 3 at the Center for Creative Arts. The demo is free for SOBA members and $10 for non-members. Immediate and advanced painters also might like to take advantage of Rankin’s transparent watercolor workshop called “Painting Lowcountry” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 6-8 at the Center for Creative Arts. To register for the class, go to sobagallery.com.

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 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. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.3776.

Jason Rapp

SOBA issues judged show call for artists

Submission deadline: Monday, March 1, 2021, 11 a.m. ET


Please see an update to this post with an extended deadline and new event dates here.

Lowcountry artists are invited to submit their works of art for The Society of Bluffton Artists’ (SOBA) 27th Annual Judged Show.

Winners 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 St. in Old Town Bluffton, or by registering online at http://bit.ly/27thjudgedshow. The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $45 for non SOBA members. The deadline for dropping off your art is from 9-11 a.m. March 1 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. Click here to read the registration and a full list of rules. The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from March 1-April 5 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 5-7 p.m. March 3. 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 5 at the SOBA gallery. The judge for the show is David Rankin. Rankin’s award-winning watercolors are in public and private art collections in the U.S., India, and China, have been featured in more than 150 museum exhibitions, and are included in the North Light’s series, Splash: The Best of Watercolor, and Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing, and in numerous art magazines.

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 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. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.3776.

Jason Rapp

SOBA calls for Lowcountry artists

Submit now for 27th annual juried show

Submission deadline: Monday, March 1, 2021 at 11 a.m. ET

Lowcountry artists are invited to submit their works of art for The Society of Bluffton Artists’ (SOBA) 27th Annual Judged Show.

Winners 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 St. in Old Town Bluffton or by registering online at http://bit.ly/27thjudgedshow. The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $45 for non SOBA members. The deadline for dropping off your art is from 9-11 a.m. March 1 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. The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from March 1-April 5, 2021 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 5-7 p.m. March 3. 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 5 at the SOBA gallery. The judge for the show is David Rankin. Rankin’s award-winning watercolors are in public and private art collections in the U.S., India, and China, have been featured in more than 150 museum exhibitions, and are included in the North Light’s series, Splash: The Best of Watercolor, and Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing, and in numerous art magazines.
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. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843.757.3776.
 

Jason Rapp

Society of Bluffton Artists searching for local artists

The art district in Bluffton is growing, but where do local artists go to network, to exhibit or to sell their works? The founding members of The Society of Bluffton Artists (SoBA) had this in mind when they started the non-profit organization in 1991. Today, SoBA is a thriving community with an eclectic art gallery and Center for Creative Arts instructional studio in Old Town Bluffton. The group’s organizers are ramping up their membership drive in search of new local artists — from painting and collage to print making and sculpture. “Members are the lifeblood of SoBA,” said Bill Bogle, SoBA president and a local photographer. “Membership provides 11 display opportunities for the year, discounts on the annual Judged Show, consideration for our Featured Artist exhibition, workshops led by renowned art instructors and camaraderie with other artists.” There are three levels of membership:

  • Starting Membership is $75 and includes discounted rental fees of the Center for Creative Arts for private events, invitation to artist member networking events, discounted classes and workshops, as well as promotional opportunities on the SoBA website and newsletter.
  • Exhibiting Membership starts at $200 and includes the starting membership. This level of membership offers artists the opportunity to display and to sell their artwork at the SoBA gallery.
  • The Friends of SoBA donor membership offers three levels of giving that range from $125-$500 and includes all of the benefits of the starting membership. Contributions are 100% tax-deductible will help support SoBA.
Membership is open in all visual art categories: painting, collage, photography, print making, jewelry design, sculpture and more. The jewelry membership categories are filled, but those interested can be added to a wait list. “Running a Gallery is a business and our members help in this endeavor by taking advantage of the many volunteer opportunities, including staffing the gallery, where they greet visitors and promote member art,” said Bogle. For more information about SoBA membership, visit sobagallery.com/memberships/ or contact Mary Burrell, SoBA’s membership committee chairwoman, at maryellenburrell@aol.com.

About Society of Bluffton Artists

The Society of Bluffton Artists (SoBA) is a non-profit organization established to promote a stimulating community environment for the visual arts and assist area students and artists in enhancing their artistic abilities. SoBA is the flourishing art hub in Bluffton’s historic District at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. SoBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows and exhibitions. Please visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843-757-6586.

Display your love of Bluffton through Heart of the Lowcountry art contest

As a part of Bluffton, S.C.’s new brand – Bluffton: Heart of the Lowcountry — The Town of Bluffton, the Society of Bluffton Artists and the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce are hosting an art contest and exhibit so you can describe and display your love of Bluffton through art. Photographs, drawings, paintings, mixed media and sculpture are eligible, so grab your drawing pen, your paint brush, your camera, or your iPhone and let your creativity flow. “The only instruction we have for this contest is to interpret the new Bluffton brand anyway you want and display it artistically,” Mayor Lisa Sulka said. “This contest is literally and figuratively an empty canvas; we don’t want to get in the way of anyone’s interpretation. “We can’t wait to see the many ways everyone creatively displays their love of Bluffton.” Awards will be given in the following categories: Professional, Amateur, Student/Elementary (K-5th grade), Student/Middle School (6th – 9th grade), & Student/High School (10th- 12th grade) & College. The contest is open to anyone, not just Bluffton residents. An award ceremony and reception will be held at the Society of Bluffton Artists’ Center for Creative Arts, Thursday, April 24 from 5: 30 – 7: 30 p.m. The exhibit will continue Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, from 10 a.m. –5 p.m. “If, after the show, artists would like to donate their art for Town Hall, we will gladly find a place to display their works. Town Hall’s cinder-block, beige walls would welcome a little Bluffton love on them,” Sulka said. Find entry forms and details on the Town of Bluffton's website.  Entries are due by April 23. For more information, contact Debbie Szpanka, dszpanka@townofbluffton.com or 843.706.4534. Via: Town of Bluffton