December Issue 2001
Hub City Juried Competition in Spartanburg, SC, Attracts Entries from Charleston to Charlotte
On Nov. 8, The Spartanburg County Museum of Art in Spartanburg, SC, hosted over 400 people at a gala "Black and White" reception held in honor of the first Hub City Juried Art Competition. The stars of the evening were the 122 entries that were chosen for this show by juror, Lilian Tone from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Tone was overwhelmed by the quality and creativity of the entries and gave the following statement.
"My curiosity and interest on the South and its artistic production dates back to the gratifying research that I conducted for the Jasper Johns retrospective organized by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1996. My contribution to the catalogue was an extensive chronology of Johns' life and work. It included several previously unpublished facts about and unrecorded events from, the artist's background in Allendale, Columbia, Batesburg-Leesville, and Sumter, in South Carolina, as well as his early career, from the time of his early involvement with the arts as a student at College of Arts and Sciences of the University of South Carolina in 1947 and as a soldier in Fort Jackson, where he developed art exhibition programs in 1951-52, to his survey exhibition at the Columbia Museum of Art in 1960. This is one of the reasons why I feel fortunate and grateful for the invitation to judge the first Hub City Juried Art Competition. It provides an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with what local artists are currently doing. The response of the artistic community exceeded all expectations, with over 200 artists submitting approximately 400 works of art. This is an eloquent sign of ebullient artistic activity, and shows the eagerness of local artists to share their vision and participate in a wider forum for the discussion of art."
"The variety and range of work submitted was extraordinary, from more conventional mediums like painting, sculpture, prints, drawings, and photography, to collages, textiles, ceramics, and constructions employing unusual materials. I was particularly impressed with the number of meticulously made works that crossed or tested the boundaries between fine arts and crafts, between sculpture and design, between painting and embroidery, exploring issues of pattern and ornamentation. Also noteworthy was the quantity and quality of entries by artists working in the genre of landscape, as well as by those who chose to focus their attention on their immediate surroundings, where the depiction of objects and people speak to a range of psychological states."
"My several years of experience working in museums, organizing exhibitions, visiting studios and reviewing work by numerous artists within the United States and abroad have reconciled me to the fact that there is no such thing as objectivity in selecting work for inclusion in this, or any other, exhibition. Morever, it is crucial to remember that, for logistic reasons, only two works (at most) by each artist were available for review, an extremely untelling sample. I hope that those artists whose work is not included will take this into account and not feel discouraged. On the other hand, I hope that those who are participating in the exhibition take pride in it, and use this to create an increasingly compelling and ambitious production."
"Finally, I would like to acknowledge the charming and devoted group of supporters of the Spartanburg County Museum of Art, from its staff to its volunteers and board, who made everything possible. It is my hope that this exhibition will inspire others to get involved in their fundraising efforts and help shape the Museum's vision and scope."
An Awards Ceremony was held that evening and winners were announced with great anticipation. The First Place Award of $2,000 went to Michel McNinch of Chapin, SC ,for her pastels of Nate the Great and Fierce Pierce. The Second Place Award of $1,000 went to Melissa Early of Spartanburg for Neither Here Nor There a mixed media piece containing over 10,000 glass beads. Amanda Sanders of Seneca, SC, took the Third Place Award of $750 for two oils, 41 Cadillac and 65 Mustang. The Honorable Mention of $500 went to Jeff Donovan of Columbia, SC, for his oil and paintstick Interior. Ten Merit Awards of $250 each were given to: Susan Dean, John Griffith, Debra Howard, Brandy Limehouse, Bob LoGrippo, Hazel Mitchell, Michael Slattery, Jason Smith, BJ Turner, and Tracie Zimmerman. The exhibition will be on display in the Milliken and Parsons galleries through Dec. 31.
During the same time, the Museum is presenting an exhibition in the Burwell Gallery entitled, Artist Invitational, which features works by Steven Chesley, Robert Levin, Mark Mulfinger, and Karen Newgard.
The Museum of Art would like to thank all of the artists who entered this competition. We appreciate each and every one of you and your extraordinary talent. Our next Hub City Juried Art Competition will be held in 2003.
For more info check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Museum at 864/582-7616. For a complete exhibition list and preview of the exhibit, please go to our website at (http://www.sparklenet.com/museumofart).
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
Subscriptions are available for $18 a year.
Carolina Arts
is published monthly by Shoestring
Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use
without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina
Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.