CALLING ALL ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHERS!

Entries Sought for 2014 North Charleston Arts Festival Judged Fine Art & Photography Competitions & Exhibitions 

Fine artists and professional and amateur photographers ages 18 and up are invited to participate in the annual North Charleston Arts Festival Judged Fine Art and Judged Photography Competitions and Exhibitions. Entries will be on display throughout the festival, May 2-10, at the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Ribbons and cash prizes are awarded for winning entries. Complete entry instructions are available for download at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Entries for photography will be accepted at the Convention Center on Wednesday and Thursday, April 30 and May 1, from noon to 7:00pm. Entries for fine art will be accepted on Wednesday and Thursday, April 30 and May 1, from noon to 7:00pm, as well as Friday, May 2, from 9:00am to noon. Entry fees are $5 and $10, respectively.

Fine artists may submit work in five categories: Acrylic, Oil, Drawing/Pastel, Watercolor, and Mixed Media. Entries will compete for cash prizes totaling up to $4425. Awards are at the sole discretion of the judge, Tiffany Reed Silverman, Director of the Fine Arts program at The Citadel, the Military College of SC. As the first full-time faculty member in the fine arts in the institution’s history, Silverman teaches courses and develops all art-related lectures, programs, exhibitions, and community partnerships on campus. She has added new courses in drawing, painting, drama, and film to create the Fine Arts Minor, now the third largest minor at the school. She has curated numerous exhibitions of artwork on campus, highlighting work by regional artists and cadets. Silverman is the former Director of Education & Outreach at the Gibbes Museum of Art and has also served as an Adjunct Professor in Arts Management at the College of Charleston. She holds a BA with Honors in Art History from the College of William & Mary, a master’s degree in Art History from Williams College, and is a candidate for an MFA in Photography from the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Photographers may submit work in the Professional/Advanced division or Amateur division under the categories of Color or Monochrome. Entries will compete for cash prizes totaling up to $1450 and are judged using the Photographic Society of America Print Guidelines. Scoring is done by three competent judges in the field of photography who will score entries using the 3-9 range of scores. Each judge will evaluate each entry as a whole, considering the areas of Impact, Composition, and Technique. However, there is no specific weighting or allotment of points for each category. This system is used efficiently and effectively by many councils, at international exhibitions, and by camera clubs. It allows an adequate qualitative separation of entries while lessening the potential for a large number of the higher scoring entries having identical scores. In the event of a tie-breaker, judges will choose the winning entry.

Awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each division and category, as well as Honorable Mentions for both competitions will be announced at an artist reception on Friday, May 2, from 6:00-7:00pm at the Charleston Area Convention Center. The reception is free and open to the public and will feature musical entertainment by the Hi Lo Duo and Douglas Parker. Exhibition viewing times are Saturday, May 3, 10:00am–4:00pm; Sunday, May 4, 2:00–5:00pm; Monday through Friday, May 5-9, 9:00am–5:00pm; and Saturday, May 10, 9:00am–Noon.

The North Charleston Arts Festival, scheduled May 2-10, is one of the most comprehensive arts festivals in the state, providing thousands of residents & visitors with a fabulous array of nearly 200 performances, exhibitions, and activities. The Main Event, held May 3 and 4 at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center and Charleston Area Convention Center, offers free admission and parking to over 40 performances on four stages, exhibitions, a gem and mineral show, an antique show, children’s activities, art and crafts booths, and a food courtyard. The Arts Festival continues with an array of free and moderately priced ticketed events throughout the week at various locations and concludes with fireworks over the Cooper River at the Grand Finale at North Charleston Riverfront Park.

For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, or to download entry instructions for the Judged Fine Art and Photography Competitions and Exhibitions, visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. For more information about other exhibition opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts or call 843-740-5854.

North Charleston City Gallery to Exhibit Works by The Village Artists

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that works by The Village Artists, an artist collective based in the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant, will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from December 2-28, 2013. The group, which includes Margaret Connell-de Ruyter, Jane Hart, Ann Marie McKay, Lorie Merryman, Ryoko Miller, Faye Sullivan and Ginny Versteegen, will host a free public reception at the gallery from 5:00-7:00pm on Thursday, December 5. Musical entertainment for the reception will be provided by pianist Steve Jacobs.

For many years The Village Artists have gathered to paint, critique, organize exhibits and interact as professional artists. In their month-long exhibition, titled Inspired, the group will present a collection of paintings and drawings in a diverse range of styles and media, including representational, abstract, still-life, figurative studies and landscapes in watercolor, oils, pastels and acrylics. In addition to original work, the artists will also have prints and notecard sets available for sales.

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in the common areas of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free during regular Convention Center operating hours, 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. The gallery is staffed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at http://bit.ly/culturalarts.


About the Artists
A native of Aruba, Margaret Connell-de Ruyter, is a naturalized citizen educated in Vermont, Boston and Charleston. She has exhibited at the Prince Art Gallery, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Charleston Artist Gallery, the College of Charleston Salon de Refuse Art Show, and various venues in St. Petersburg, Florida. Margaret is inspired to paint the wonders of the natural world. She uses acrylic on canvas with effects and color to achieve what she sees and feels. Margaret’s series is painted in an impressionist abstract style featuring water, earth, wind and fire. Although her paintings show destructive forces at times, they are always beautiful, conveying the majesty and force of nature.

Oil painter and pastelist Jane D. Hart’s work is held by private collectors throughout the U.S. and has been exhibited in both juried and invitational exhibitions, including the Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition in Charleston, SC. Born in southern Illinois and having lived in many states, Hart now claims Charleston and its beautiful landscapes as her home. As Hart says, “To me, composition is key to a successful; painting. This is what draws the viewer to an image from across the room, whether the image is representational or abstract. What keeps me excited about painting is that it is a constant learning process. Painting from life contributes to this learning process as it inspires me to try to capture the light and see color accurately – a great challenge, and never boring.” Her paintings can be viewed at www.janehartart.com.

After a career as a college English teacher, Ann Marie McKay became an active member of the Mt. Pleasant and Charleston art communities. She has exhibited her work at Brookgreen Gardens, Mt. Pleasant Town Hall, Old Santee Canal Park Fine Arts Exhibition, and the Lowcountry Senior Arts Festival. She has been featured artist twice at the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery at 160 East Bay Street, where her work can currently be viewed. McKay prefers to work in plein air on location, using oil for landscapes. She also uses pastel and watercolor for colorful interpretations of people, places and animals. Collaborating with author Julie McLaughlin, Ann Marie has illustrated three children’s books: Hungry Mr. Gator, Mr. Gator’s Up the Creek and Mr. Gator Hits the Beach.

Drawn to the beauty and architecture of the Charleston area, Lorie Merryman recently arrived on the Lowcountry arts scene from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a member of the Mt. Pleasant and Charleston Artist Guilds. A representational artist, Lorie works in oils and paints plein air landscapes, figures, portraits and still-life. Her work has been in numerous shows and won awards at the Atlanta Artists Center, twice in the Hudson Valley Art Association’s annual exhibitions, and as a solo artist at the Brown Gallery at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her paintings are held in private collections across the U.S. and Australia and can be viewed at www.loriemerryman.com.

Ryoko Miller, native of Sapporo, Japan, discovered her passion for painting in Charleston. Recently, she studied at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and came back inspired to rediscover the beauty she sees in the world and recreate it with her own interpretation. Her skills and talent are shown in representational work such as her Sweetgrass Basket series. Her subjects include portraits, plein air landscapes, still-life and animals. She has received numerous awards from the Mt. Pleasant Artist Guild, the First Federal Bank People’s Choice Art Exhibits, Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Show, the North Charleston Arts Festival, and the Mt. Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet Festival. Her work can be seen at the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery or online at www.ryokomillerart.com.

Originally from Virginia, Faye Sullivan moved to the Lowcountry from Massachusetts after a career as an art teacher at middle school and high school levels. Her goal as a landscape and seascape painter is for the viewer to experience the beauty and the open expanses which surround them. In some paintings she tries to express the excitement of a vibrant sunset or in others the peacefulness of an empty beach. The one element all of her paintings seem to have in common is her love of water. Sullivan is inspired by water and finds it to be the ultimate chameleon as it reflects the clouds, time of day, wind, sky and shore. An active member of the Charleston, Ion and Mt. Pleasant Artist Guilds, her paintings can be seen at the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery and online at www.fayesullivan.com.

Ginny Versteegen has painted and taught art in the United States and Europe. In fact, her oil paintings are like anecdotes in her life. They tell the story of what inspires her, from simple to complex. Working in plein air and in her studio in Mt. Pleasant, SC, Versteegen interprets her surroundings using vivid colors as she paints the ever-changing beauty of the Lowcountry. While traveling, she carries a limited palette of paints and her outdoor easel. Around every corner she finds inspiration for another painting. Ginny Versteegen’s award-winning oil paintings may be found in many private and public collections throughout the United States and Europe. To see more paintings, visit www.ginnyversteegen.com or the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery at 160 East Bay Street in Charleston.

Entries Sought for 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival Judged Fine Art & Photography Competitions & Exhibitions

Fine artists and professional and amateur photographers ages 18 and up are invited to participate in the annual North Charleston Arts Festival Judged Fine Art and Judged Photography Competitions and Exhibitions, which will be on display throughout the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex May 4-12, 2012. Cash prizes are awarded for winning entries. Details for participation are available for download on the Applications page at www.NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. The deadline for submissions is 7:00pm on Thursday, May 3, for photography, and noon on Friday, May 3, for fine art. Entry fees are $5 and $10, respectively.

Fine artists may submit work in 5 categories: Acrylic, Oil, Drawing/Pastel, Watercolor, and Mixed Media. Entries will compete for cash prizes totaling up to $4425. Awards are at the sole discretion of the juror, Kimberly H. Spears. As the Executive Director of the Anderson County Arts Council, Ms. Spears oversees the rotating gallery exhibitions in the Anderson County Arts Center. She has served as juror for art exhibitions around the state. 

Photographers may submit work in the Professional/Advanced division or Amateur division under the categories of Color or Monochrome. Entries will compete for cash prizes totally up to $1450 and are judged using the Photographic Society of America Print Guidelines. Scoring is done by three competent judges in the field of photography who will score entries using the 3-9 range of scores. Each judge will evaluate each entry as a whole, considering the areas of Impact, Composition, and Technique. However, there is no specific weighting or allotment of points for each category. This system is used efficiently and effectively by many councils, at international exhibitions, and by camera clubs. It allows an adequate qualitative separation of entries while lessening the potential for a large number of the higher scoring entries having identical scores. In the event of a tie-breaker, judges will choose the winning entry. 

Awards for both competitions will be announced at an artist reception on Friday, May 4, from 6:00-7:00pm at the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Exhibition viewing times are Saturday, May 5, 10:00am – 4:00pm; Sunday, May 6, 2:00pm – 5:00pm; Monday through Friday, May 7-11, 9:00am – 5:00pm; and Saturday, May 12, 9:00am – 12:00pm. 

The North Charleston Arts Festival, scheduled May 4-12, is one of the most comprehensive arts festivals in the Lowcountry, providing thousands of residents & visitors with a fabulous array of performances, exhibitions, and activities. The Main Event, held the first weekend in May, offers free admission and parking to over 40 performances on four stages. Other Main Event activities include exhibitions, a gem and mineral show, an antique show, children’s activities, art and crafts booth, and food court. The Arts Festival continues with over 50 free or moderately priced ticketed events throughout the week at various locations and concludes with fireworks over the Cooper River at the Grand Finale at Riverfront Park. 

For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, or to download applications for the Judged Fine Art and Photography Competitions and Exhibitions, visit www.NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. For more information about other exhibition opportunities, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts or call the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office at 843-740-5854.