The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, set a daily attendance record of 2,006 visitors from noon until 5pm, on Jan. 17, 2010, which was a free admission day courtesy BlueCross BlueShield of SC. Sunday was the last day for the popular exhibition, "Ansel Adams: Masterworks", which opened Oct. 23, 2009 and featured many of Adams' most famous and best-loved photographs that encompass the full scope of his work. The exhibition attracted many people from outside the greater Columbia area generating strong economic activity for the city. Ten percent of visitors last Sunday were from outside of South Carolina and 55 percent were from outside Richland County. "We are so pleased that this exhibition attracted such a large audience from outside the city and county, which has a direct and positive effect on improving the vitality of Main Street," executive director Karen Brosius said. "Our exhibitions and educational programs bring thousands of people to the city center each year, which has an important economic impact as well." The Museum's previous daily attendance record was 1,590 visitors during Turner to Cézanne, which was on view Mar. 6 - June 7, 2009. For further information visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).

Megan Van Deusen

Theatre Art Galleries (TAG) in High Point, NC, is pleased to announce the winner of the 2010 Doris P. Deal Fellowship for Emerging Visual Artists, Megan Van Deusen. Van Deusen lives in Asheville, NC, and has exhibited frequently in North Carolina and New York. In 2009, she was listed by "WNC Magazine" as one of the top ten best emerging artists in Western North Carolina. Her favored mediums include fabric, charcoal, acrylic and pastel. Van Deusen is awarded $1889.00 based on strong proposal and examples of her artwork. In addition to funding, Van Deusen is awarded a solo exhibition at TAG this fall. The body of work created with funding from the Doris P. Deal Fellowship will show in a solo exhibition at the William King Museum in Abington, VA, this spring. An emerging artists is an individual in his or her formative years as a professional artists, who is attempting to launch a career and has completed basic training in the visual arts. The Doris P. Deal (DPD) Fellowship is designed to recognize and provide financial support for committed, gifted artists in their formative years, enabling them to advance and develop creatively. The grant provides financial support to a developing professional artist by funding a specific project which is pivotal to the advancement of the artist's career. Prospective emerging artists need not earn their living exclusively through their art, but should be able to demonstrate a commitment to doing so when and if it becomes practical The grant will culminate with an exhibition of the selected artist's work at Theatre Art Galleries. For info about applying for the Doris P. Deal Fellowship, contact Jessica Trotman, Development Coordinator of Theatre Art Galleries by calling 336/887-2137 or visit (www.tagart.org).

Artisphere, Greenville, SC's Arts Weekend, recently received a Top Ten ranking in Greg Lawler's Art Fair Sourcebook for the 2009 Festival. In the Fine Art category, Artisphere placed 6th out of 600 shows, up from 46th in 2008.  In the Contemporary Craft category, Artisphere was ranked 12th out of 600, up from 59th in 2008. The Sourcebook annually ranks 600 of the top-selling fine arts and crafts festivals across the country based on the net average revenue generated by exhibitors. In 2009, average artist sales at Artisphere were $5,445, while average artist sales at the number one ranking festival in the country, Art in the Square, Belleville, IL, were $7,103. The 2009 rankings are the highest Artisphere has received in its five-year history. Other top ranking festivals include: Saint Louis Art Fair, St. Louis, MO (2nd), Long's Park Art & Craft Festival, Lancaster, PA (3rd), Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA (4th) and Main Street Ft. Worth Arts Festival, Ft. Worth, TX (5th). Praise from Artisphere's 2009 participating artists resulted in a record high 682 applications for the 2010 Festival, which will be held May 7-9, 2010. Additionally, the Southeast Tourism Society recognized Artisphere as an event not to be missed in 2010 honoring the event with a "Top Twenty Event in the Southeast" designation. "The Greenville community is due a lot of credit for this top ten ranking because it is about more than just Artisphere," said 2009 Artisphere Board Chairman, Brad Campbell. "It is about our community and our citizens.  The arts make a tremendous contribution to our quality of life here. It is a tribute to our community that we supported our Arts Weekend during difficult economic times. While things like artist hospitality and festival organization make an impact, the bottom line is that we have to thank our patrons." "Artisphere would not be possible without the initial vision and leadership of our board and tremendous support from our sponsors and donors, the local arts community, and our volunteers and patrons," stated Henry Horowitz, Founding Artisphere Board Chairman. "Further, the initial and ongoing support by the city, county and state agencies has been invaluable for us to successfully execute this initiative. For Artisphere to be named one of the top ten arts festivals in the country over the course of only 5 years is an amazing accomplishment for Greenville and the entire Upstate community." Artisphere is presented by Carolina First. For more information visit (www.artisphere.us).

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts in Charleston, SC, is presenting the exhibitions:" Jonathan Torgovnik - Intended Consequences: Rwandan Children Born of Rape" & "Heather McClintock - The Innocents: Casualties of the Civil War in Northern Uganda," both on view through Mar. 13, 2010. The pairing of these exhibitions is intended to highlight humanitarian crises in two troubled African nations. In an effort to familiarize our audiences with aspects of history that do not often receive in-depth attention in conventional media, these exhibitions serve as examples of the College of Charleston's campus-wide commitment to the discussion of international issues. The programming is funded in part by a major grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. During the exhibition, the Halsey Institute will host a book drive and serve as a drop off location for Better World Books. Through a network of over 1,800 college campuses and partnerships with over 2,000 libraries nationwide Better World Books has converted more than 25 million donated books into $7.3 million in funding for literacy and education. For info about Better World Books visit (www.betterworldbooks.com). For further info call 843/953-5680 or visit (www.halsey.cofc.edu).

The Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island, SC, elected new Officers and Members to its Board of Directors at its Annual Meeting held recently. Elected for a 3-year term were: Gloria Carmines, Ruthie Edwards, Herbert Ford, Elizabeth Lamkin, Leslie Richardson, and Tom Tracy. Paul Lang was elected as Chairman of the Board, Porter Morgan, Vice-Chairman, Tom Wertheimer, Treasurer and Marilyn Bertke, Secretary. The outgoing Chairman was Jim Willard. For further information contact Robin Swift by calling 843/689-3033 ext. 224.

Gillian Christie, a sculptor from Providence, Rhode Island, was awarded a one-year installation of her stainless steel sculpture "American Dream" on the campus of CCC&TI near the Early College High School in Lenoir, NC. This sculpture will be on display until Sept. 2010. It is on public display along with the 79 other sculptures in the Caldwell Arts Council's permanent public sculpture collection. Sculptors from the eastern US competed in August for the opportunity to display their work here in Caldwell County. Christie's sculpture was selected from these by judge John Henry, Curator of the Outdoor Museum of Art at Chattanooga State College, Chattanooga TN. The Caldwell Arts Council is located at 601 College Ave., SW, and is open Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm. For additional information, contact them at 828/754-2486 or visit (www.caldwellarts.com).

Myrtle Beach, SC, artist Kathy McDermott completed the second Horry County Arts Grant project painting in November 2009. Her project involved painting two extra large triptych oil paintings from photos she took at Vereen Memorial Gardens in Little River, SC. The first painting entitled, " Marsh at Vereen Gardens" was completed in June 2009 and is on permanent display at the C. B. Berry Community Center in Little River, SC. The second painting entitled, "Vereen Gardens Marsh Walk, will be displayed for sale in the gallery at Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, NC, beginning in December. See both paintings from this grant project at (www.kmcdermottart.com).

In keeping with the spirit of the Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters, held in Seagrove, NC - people of the Seagrove area are working together to provide a future for their community, we applaud the following contributions that continue to give. Mistletoe Meadows donated 3 large trees, wreaths and greenery for this year's event held at the Historic Luck's Cannery. Owner Joe Freeman says, "My NC Christmas Tree farm offers a way to build a thriving business with a positive economic future." Freeman operates a retail lot on Dixie Drive in Asheboro, NC, but the majority of the revenue generated by his acreage in Ashe County, Moore County and VA comes from wholesale business. "It's so much fun to make that personal contact with the customer...that's the heart of my business; families making lifetime memories."  Seagrove potters feel the same way. It's no surprise that Freeman achieved the highest honor awarded to a Christmas tree grower, in 2007 he was chosen to supply the official White House Tree. The Mistletoe Meadows trees and greenery were decorated in an elegant, traditional fashion by Tom Williamson, owner of Flowers on Main in Troy, NC. He is a long-time pottery lover and collector who has volunteered to help create the décor at Celebration for the past 2 years. His inspiration was the ornamentation at the annual Catawba Valley Show, where a large number of Seagrove potters participate. It was his intention to achieve the same degree of beauty to appropriately reflect the level of professionalism that the Seagrove potters are proud to display. The trees will be re-used by the Shiloh Historical Association of Montgomery County, decorated once again by the very talented Williamson. In October 2009, Owen George, Co-founder of TreesNC, a citizen-based organization in Asheboro that emphasizes ecological stewardship and community collaboration gave two very well received presentations to the Seagrove Area Potters Association and the Seagrove Town Council. The overall theme is the formation of a new chapter of TreesNC, called Trees Seagrove. TreesNC donated trees and landscaping to the Seagrove Library in the past. This year they donated 2 live trees to help decorate the 2nd Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters. The trees were among those planted on December 5th, at the Seagrove Elementary School. States George, "Our vision is to provide support to Seagrove area residents interested in environmental service projects in their community. We are excited to partner with Modern Woodmen of America for the upcoming planting at Seagrove Elementary School. Modern Woodmen is providing both financial and volunteer support for the planting." Interested Seagrove residents can contact Owen George at 336-558-6966 or through their website at (www.treesnc.org). The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is proud to partner with those whose philosophies compliment our own - people of the community working together in a positive manner to promote affirmative local change. Look for further news on the local economic impact made by the 2nd Annual Celebration of Seagrove to be released soon, with continued recognition of the many sponsors and volunteers that contribute a tremendous amount to the success of the show. For further information contact Jennie Lorette Keatts by e-mail at (jennie@jlkjewelry.com) or Susan Greene at (sbz@rtmc.net).

The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg in Spartanburg, SC, has awarded 3 grants totaling $5,798.67 for cultural projects ranging from art classes for special needs populations to website development. The grants are part of The Arts Partnership Cultural Development Program that seeks to make the arts affordable and accessible to citizens throughout the county. Funding for the grants comes from the County and City of Spartanburg, the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, and contributors to The Arts Partnership Campaign. Organizations receiving grants included: $1,150 to Ballet Spartanburg to support dance and movement instruction for children with physical and learning disabilities and emotional, social, or personal disturbances. The organization is working with SOAR Academy and other special needs organizations such as Carolina Miracle League to implement a program similar to Boston Ballet's Adaptive Dance Program and Los Angeles County's Infinite Dreams Dance Program. $2,500 to HubCulture to support publication of a marketing brochure and map to accompany and promote the Spartanburg Music Trail, a music heritage project in downtown Spartanburg honoring artists and individuals who have had a national and international influence in the field of music. The initial phase of the Music Trail project will locate 12 colorful six-foot-tall signs on the sidewalks of a six-block area of downtown Spartanburg. The project is part of the overall Wayfinding project of the City of Spartanburg. $2,148.67 to the Spartanburg Art Museum to develop and implement a web-based business model that will integrate a database with various internet based programs to better serve Spartanburg's artist community as a professional and commercial link with the worldwide internet community. The next grant application deadline for organizations and individual artists is Jan. 4, 2010. Projects for which grant funds are being sought must occur between Mar. 1, 2010 and Feb. 28, 2011. Application forms, guidelines and help with filling out applications may be obtained by calling The Arts Partnership, at 864/583-2776. More information about the grant program as well as Spartanburg's cultural community is available on the Internet  at (www.spartanarts.org), and the latest information about things to see and do in Spartanburg may be found on the Online Community Calendar, a collaborative project with the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, at (www.spartanburgchamber.com). For further information contact George W. Loudon by calling 864/583-2776 or e-mail at (gloudon@spartanarts.org).

Artisphere, Greenville, SC's Arts Weekend, has once again been named a TOP 20 Event in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, for its upcoming 2010 Festival. The prestigious award celebrates the 20 best events in the southeastern United States for each month of the year. The Southeast Tourism Society promotes travel and tourism and the importance of this industry to the region. This is the second nomination received by the Festival that has, in five short years, become the premier arts event on the Upstate's cultural calendar. The nod acknowledges Artisphere's ability to attract culture-seeking visitors to Greenville and emphasizes the economic impact such tourism plays. As a Top 20 designee, Artisphere will receive extensive exposure in print media, web, television, and radio across the United States and Canada. The top 20 list is received by over 800 media outlets, and is regularly featured by the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution". "Artisphere's success reinforces the message to tourists that we are a 'must visit' on the cultural destination map," says Convention and Visitors Bureau President, Chris Stone. "Our vast cultural offerings are largely responsible for Greenville's remarkable economic growth and community atmosphere." Now ranked 46th out of 600 Fine Arts Festivals across the country by Greg Lawler's Art Fair Sourcebook, the sixth annual Artisphere Festival will be held May 7-9, 2010 in downtown Greenville. Drawing tens of thousands of residents and visitors each year, the Festival is a celebration of the arts and all the wonderful amenities Greenville has to offer. Artisphere is presented by Carolina First. Artisphere's mission is to showcase the arts, reflect the area's international flair, encourage economic development and bring awareness to existing local arts programs. The festival provides a diverse menu of experiences that center around the arts, both visual and performing, and Greenville's multicultural offerings to appeal to visitors from around the world, as well as residents throughout the region. Visit (www.artisphere.us) for more information. 

It's hard to put a price tag on the sound of music, the beauty of a painting or the wonder of science, but according to a new economic impact study, the organizations housed at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, SC, contributed as much as $13.5 million to the Spartanburg economy in the facility's 2008-09 fiscal year, its first full year of operations. The study was recently presented to The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg by its author Kathleen Brady, Ph.D., Director of the Metropolitan Studies Institute at the University of South Carolina Upstate. "The data show that the Chapman Cultural Center has a substantial economic impact in Spartanburg County, both directly and indirectly, through the day-to-day expenditures made by the Center and its partner organizations, as well as through the economic benefit to other businesses patronized by audiences, employees and others associated with the Chapman Cultural Center," she said. H. Perry Mixter, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Arts Partnership, said, "This study demonstrates conclusively that Spartanburg's rich cultural community is a significant player in local and regional economic development efforts. It is also further validation that corporate, government, and private support of arts and culture is not merely philanthropic but also an important investment in our local community." The primary sources of data for the study came from the actual expenditures by all resident organizations at the Chapman Cultural Center, payroll, and allocations to support "partner" organizations. With a "direct" impact of nearly $4.5 million, the study applied three "economic multipliers" to determine the overall impact that was made. The multipliers ranged from a "conservative" 2.0 to "mid range" of 2.5 to an "upper range" of 3.0, thus placing the economic impact between $9 million and $13.5 million. "In an economy such as ours, anything with a multiplier value in the millions has significant impact," David Cordeau, President and CEO of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce said in reaction to the study. "This number ($9-13.5 million) is one of those 'wow' numbers where people have to sit up and notice. It speaks volumes in support of arts and culture." In addition to putting an actual price tag on the Chapman Cultural Center's economic strength, the study noted that cultural organizations hold a special place in the economic scheme of things by generating money in "indirect" ways. "Arguably, the most important benefits of the Chapman Cultural Center brings to the community are the most difficult to measure," Dr. Brady said. "In fact, we didn't even try to measure them in this study. Those are the kinds of things that make a community a good place to live ­ things that add substantially to our quality of life. Whether we call them 'public good benefits' or 'instrumental benefits,' they include things like providing a hub for urban renewal and providing opportunity for enlightenment and edification. Perhaps most importantly to the folks who are concerned with economic development, the data show that new residents are drawn to communities that have wide cultural amenities, just like they are drawn to communities with good schools. In a nutshell, good companies that bring good jobs come to good communities with good cultural opportunities." Cordeau agreed, "There is a term you will hear more about in the next few years. It is 'quality of place' and it refers to what makes a community special. Quality of Place is now a force in corporate location decisions. Arts and culture build our 'place' quotient. We all need more than work. Our lives are enriched, our homes are more complete, our children's educations are enhanced by the arts. I don't think we can rank the Chapman Cultural Center. Many of the benefits and impacts of the Chapman Cultural Center are intangible." The University of South Carolina Upstate Metropolitan Studies Institute's (MSI) mission is to support research efforts between USC Upstate and the community that enhance relationships, promote the reciprocal flow of information and ideas, assist community and economic development, and increase the strategic use of the University's scholarship and outreach capabilities. Dr. Brady manages selected community-based research and assessment projects, most notably the Spartanburg Community Indicators Project. Dr. Brady has extensive experience in the public and non-profit sectors. She was Area Supervisor of the SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department's, Greenville County office and worked as a Director at the Greenville County United Way prior to being appointed her current position in February 2008. She holds a bachelor's degree from Furman University, a master's degree from Clemson University and a PhD in public health from the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health. "I had a lot of fun doing this study," Dr. Brady said. "Being new to Spartanburg myself, I was really surprised by the scope and quality of the offerings at the Chapman Cultural Center. Most cities of Spartanburg's size don't have nearly the cultural amenities that the Chapman Cultural Center brings. Although, as a researcher, I try to stay very objective, I have to say that I am impressed!" "I think that the people of Spartanburg County need to understand that, in addition to significant and measurable economic impact, the Chapman Cultural Center also adds greatly to the quality of life here. We are not only economically richer, but experientially richer, for having the Chapman Cultural Center here. Everyone needs to take advantage of the opportunities available right here in our own back yard ­ we could go to Charlotte or Atlanta for some of the same experiences, but luckily, we don't have to." To see the complete study, please visit (http://www.chapmanculturalcenter.org/news.php?news_id=166).

The Gallery at Carillon, located at 227 West Trade Street, in Charlotte, NC, announces the restoration of the permanent kinetic sculpture, "Cascade", by Jean Tinguely located in the lobby of Carillon.   A celebration of the completion of this restoration was held on Nov. 17, 2009 in the Carillon Gallery. Representatives from the Swiss art owner, Hesta AG, were present. Remarks were presented by Mr. Benno Vonarburg, the representative of the art owner, along with Mr. Michael Delev, General Manager with Hines, Kit Kube, Kinetic Artist and Mr. Michael Verruto,Vice President/Managing Director of HPI in Charlotte. Jean Tinguely was born in Fribourg, Switzerland in 1925.   He is known for his sculptural machines that move and produce light & sound. His international fame came around the mid-1960s when he participated in the exhibition "The Machine" at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. A year later his work was presented at the World Exhibition in Montreal. The kinetic sculpture, "Cascade", located in the Gallery at Carillon, was the last major work created by Jean Tinguely. The sculpture is made up of wires, cables, lights, wheels, chains, discarded machinery and metal, and objects collected from the Charlotte area. Perhaps the most notable object is the moving lion's head in the reflective pool. This piece once adorned the front of Hotel Charlotte, which was located on this site prior to Carillon's construction. The sculpture was installed in 1990. Kit Kube, a local kinetic artist, was retained to restore the "Cascade" to its original specifications. Kube's art has shown at museums throughout the United States. The Carillon Gallery is open to the public and features this kinetic sculpture by Jean Tinguely. In addition, the Gallery displays a new art exhibit quarterly. The exhibitions are sponsored by Hines Charlotte Carillon LP, and organized by Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte. Hesta AG is a privately owned Swiss company, which owns a number of subsidiaries including Zellweger Luwa AG, Uster, and Schiesser Group AG, Kusnacht. Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm's historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,111 properties representing more than 449 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $22.9 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, BREEAM in the United Kingdom, France's Haute Qualité Environnementale and with the German Sustainable Building Council. Visit (www.hines.com) for more information. For further info contact Jetta Gill by calling 704/714-1100 or e-mail to (jetta.gill@hines.com).

The Arts Council of Henderson County (NC) has awarded $14,963 in Grassroots funding from the NC Arts Council to 11 local organizations. The primary priority for awarding Grassroots grants is to provide program or operating support to qualified arts organizations. Fourteen organizations applied for funds totaling over $27,000. With $14,963 available, the community grants panel had a difficult task making awards for these competitive funds. They voted on artistic excellence, community outreach and fiscal responsibility of each applicant. "This panel was one of the strongest in recent years, all volunteers and all dedicated," said Patricia James, Grants Manager at the Arts Council of Henderson County. Recipients of Grassroots grants include: Boys and Girls Club, Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra Youth String Camp, 4H Do-Tell Storyfest, Hendersonville Chorale, Hendersonville Little Theatre, Friends of Carl Sandburg, Hendersonville Childrens Choir, Heritage Hall School, Hendersonville Film Society, Book and Author Showcase, and the Hendersonville Friends of Chamber Music. "The support of our grants program by the General Assembly during these economically challenging times demonstrates the role the arts play in our economy and our quality of life," said Mary B. Regan, executive director of the NC Arts Council. "Nonprofit arts organizations employ workers, stimulate commerce, generate tax revenues and help communities retain their vibrancy." The Arts Council of Henderson County is a community organization that advocates for the arts and provides opportunities to enrich the lives of children and adults through the arts by offering exhibits, art education and performances. The Arts Council, which is handicapped accessible, is located at 538 North Main Street, 2nd Floor (the corner of 6th Avenue and Main) in Hendersonville, NC. The Arts Council is supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, the State of North Carolina, the Community Foundation of Henderson County, Henderson County, and the Henderson County Travel and Tourism Bureau. For more information contact The Arts Council of Henderson County at 828/693-8504, e-mail to (acofhc@bellsouth.net) or visit (www.acofhc.org).

The Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, is pleased to announce that three scholarships were awarded to Caldwell County artists by the Stevens Family in honor of their mother, Allene Broyhill Stevens. The scholarship funds will be used to cover tuition and supplies for workshops at Cheap Joe's Art Stuff in Boone, NC. Caldwell County artists awarded scholarships are: Anne Welch, Nancy Crawford, and Dawn Mathews. The Caldwell Arts Council is located at 601 College Avenue SW, Lenoir NC. For information, call 828/754-2486 or visit their website at (www.caldwellarts.com).

The Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art (RICA), an atelier school founded by artists for artists of all levels in the Triangle area, will hold its first pre-registration on Friday, Dec, 4, 2009, from 5-9pm at 300 Blake Street in downtown Raleigh, NC's City Market complex. The event will include an exhibit of works by RICA instructors. The brainchild of well-known Raleigh artists Mia Yoon and Jason Craighead, RICA's mission is "to provide an affordable, high-quality institute for art education that will give all aspiring artists a place to reach their greatest potential," said Yoon, who attended both the Pratt Institute and Art Students League in New York. "We want RICA to be a community of artists who come together to teach and learn, very similar to my experiences at the Art Students League where both new and very successful artists can take a variety of courses to expand their horizons and grow." RICA's instructors are all regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized professional artists with a contemporary perspective. The inaugural roster of instructors includes: Marty Baird, Lope Max Diaz, Bill Koeb, Dave Green, Gayle Stott Lowry, Gerry Lynch, David McConnell, Jonathan Peedin, Shaun Richard, and Derek Toomes, as well as Yoon and Craighead. Examples of each instructor's own work will be on display during the Dec. 4, 2009, pre-registration in City Market. "By design, our instructors bring a range of artistic philosophies and approaches to the educational process," said Craighead, an accomplished artist and active member of the North Carolina arts community. "We all share the belief that education is the foundation of great art communities. We also believe that on-going education is the foundation for great artists." RICA class sessions will span six weeks with one three-hour session per week. Each six-week session is $250. Individual courses range from a Youth Class taught by Derek Toomes and Mary Baird's Basic Drawing class to Lope Max Diaz's Advanced Painting and Jason Craighead's Freeform Drawing classes. Yoon and Craighead noted that new instructors will be added in the future. Scheduled to open Jan. 18, 2010, the Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art is located at 2123 Atlantic Avenue. For more information, go to (www.ricanc.com) or call 919/800-0208.

Artisphere, Greenville, SC's Arts Weekend, received a record high 682 visual artist applications to the 2010 festival scheduled for May 7-9, 2010, in downtown Greenville. Up from 585 applicants for the 2009 Festival, visual artist applications have increased nearly 250% since the inaugural event in 2005. Artisphere Visual Arts Chairman, Stephanie Norris attributes the increase in applications to the new online application process and a Top 50 ranking for the Festival by Greg Lawler's "Art Fair Sourcebook". This publication ranks 600 top-selling fine arts festivals and shows nationwide. "Eighty-four of the 100 artists who exhibited in the 2009 Festival reapplied for 2010," said Norris. "Those artists want to come back to Greenville because they had great sales, they loved the Festival's atmosphere, and they really appreciated our artist hospitality." Artist applicants for the 2010 festival come from many different places ­ three continents and forty-three different states in the US are represented. Seventy-nine South Carolina artists applied, of which thirty-four are from Greenville. The pool of visual artist applicants will be juried in seventeen different medium categories such as ceramics, drawing, furniture, glass, jewelry, 2D and 3D mixed media, oil and acrylic painting, watercolor painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and woodwork. The panel of distinguished jurors for Artisphere 2010 are Martha Connell, owner and director of Connell Gallery, Atlanta, GA, Bill Griffith, Assistant Director and Residency Program Director, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN, Brent Skidmore, Director, UNC Asheville Craft Campus, Asheville, NC, and Marcia Wood, owner and executive director of Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta, GA. The Jury Review is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. A final list of participating artists will be released in January. Artisphere is presented by Carolina First. Artisphere's mission is to showcase the arts, reflect the area's international flair, encourage economic development and bring awareness to existing local arts programs. The festival provides a diverse menu of experiences that center around the arts, both visual and performing, and Greenville's multicultural offerings to appeal to visitors from around the world, as well as residents throughout the region. For further information visit (www.artisphere.us).

The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, recently remodeled its 1,000 sq. ft. Museum Store. The Store, open free to the public during museum hours (Tue. ­ Sat., from 10am­5pm and Sun. from 1­5pm), has been refurbished and re-merchandised in time for the holiday season. The merchandise mix now includes home decor, art-related gift items and books, unique jewelry, wool throws and reading glasses, as well as stunning evening handbags and more. The Gibbes Museum Store is now featuring for purchase limited edition hand-colored etchings by renowned abstract artist Brian Rutenberg.  Rutenberg's colorful paintings are currently featured in the exhibition "Brian Rutenberg: Tidesong" currently on view in the museum's Main Gallery through Jan. 10, 2010. The etchings are available for purchase in two sizes (6 x 9 in. and 17 x 23 in.) and are offered framed or unframed. The Gibbes Museum Store and Coleman Fine Art are exclusively offering holiday cards featuring the watercolor "Paper Angel" by Mary Whyte. The holiday cards sell for $10 for ten cards with all proceeds benefiting art education programs at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Artistic finds at the Gibbes Museum Store also include silk scarves with images of famous impressionist paintings created by Degas, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh. The scarves, by MC Oasis, retail for $69.95. The Gibbes Museum Store is located at 135 Meeting Street in Charleston. For further info visit (www.gibbesmuseum.org).

The first Folk Art Festival at the Lake, hosted by the Hickory Museum of Art, in Sherrills Ford, NC, attracted a crowd of over 1,000 on Oct. 3, 2009. A Preview Party, sponsored by Catawba Valley Medical Center, held the night before was a sell-out with 150 attending. Duke Energy was the major sponsor of the folk art festival. This event was an effort by the Hickory Museum of Art to introduce the museum to residents of the Lake Norman area. It was also intended to introduce Contemporary Southern American folk art and artists to area residents. HMA is a regional leader in displaying and promoting this type of art. More than twenty artists working in a variety of media displayed and sold their work at the Saturday event. These included a number of area folk potters, such as Mike Ball and Tammy Leigh Brooks. Other area artists selling their work included Wanda Clark, Theresa Gloster, Joe Lafone, Kessiah Meroney, Arie Taylor and others. The Best in Show award was presented to Moni Hill of Asheville, NC, for her painting featuring small birds on a background of blue and yellow stripes. On the outside edge of the painting are the words, "I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free." The winner received a cash prize of $250, and her work will be exhibited at the Hickory Museum of Art. Visitors to the Saturday festival were treated to music by the New Fire Bluegrass Band. Barbecue was sold by Horsefeathers. The Folk Art Festival at the Lake was held on property owned by Darwin and Myra Smith of Sherrills Ford. The event was organized by a volunteer committee chaired by Robert Oren Eades, who also exhibited at the event as an artist. The Hickory Museum of Art is a United Arts Council of Catawba County Funded Affiliate and is located in the "SALT Block" Arts & Science Center of the Catawba Valley, 243 3rd Avenue NE. For additional information, call 828/327-8576 or visit (www.HickoryArt.org).

Pluff Mudd Art, located on Calhoun Street is historic Old Town Bluffton, SC, welcomes five new artists to the gallery. Julia Smoak began working in kiln-formed glass after taking a basic class at a small stained glass shop in 2003. That experience opened up a world of possibilities to explore her love a glass and has taken her many places to learn from nationally known glass artists. She has studied with Avery Anderson, Kathleen Sheard, Delores Taylor and Brad Walker. Each has given her new skills to advance all areas of her work. From large to small she focuses on the design and finish of each piece. As a native Beaufortonian, the beauty of the area inspires many of her pieces. Other pieces reflect her love the art deco period. Peggy Carvell's "Island Time Collection" is inspired by small mechanical, industrial and sparkly objects. When she bought out an old watch maker's shop, she knew that a "Found Object Art Jewelry Collection" would happen. It took moving to the Lowcountry to complete the puzzle for her. As she began to relax in the Lowcountry way of life, she felt time slow down. Michael Smalls and Daurus Niles are carrying on a family tradition with their intricate sweetgrass basket designs. The coiled basket is a historically significant example of African cultural heritage that was transported across the Atlantic. The original baskets in the Lowcountry were used for winnowing rice. Today, they are a rich reminder of our heritage. Laura Cody claims "the artist in me exploded with a passion" when she moved to the Lowcountry. Working primarily in oils and pastels, she uses vivid color in her portrayal of landscapes, seascapes and Lowcountry life. Her work hangs in private collections throughout the US. In addition to these new artists, visitors to the gallery will see photography, original paintings, prints, jewelry, fiber art, soda-fired pottery, wood turning, and blown glass by local artists. The gallery is located at 27 Calhoun Street in Bluffton. For further information call 843/757-5590.

The Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, SC, receives $4,000 from the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association (CFADA). Devoted to supporting Charleston's visual art world, CFADA supports Redux with this contribution from its Scholarship Fund. CFADA raises money each year through its Palette and Palate Stroll to support art programs and scholarships for talented young artists, striving to improve their skills and hopefully choose a career in fine arts. "Supporting art scholarship and education is of primary importance to the CFADA galleries and the community as these affect the quality of future thought and open-mindedness as well as the continued growth of Charleston as the cultural center it has been since Colonial times," says Lese Corrigan, president of CFADA. CFADA's donation will help Redux continue to develop its diverse programming, while introducing and educating the public to the contemporary visual arts. Support from the community allows Redux to continue to exhibit artwork by national and international artists, support local artists, and enrich the Charleston community through adult and youth education programs. "CFADA's donation will assist our organization in maintaining an ambitious schedule of exhibition, outreach, and studio programs to accomplish our goals," says Executive Director of Redux, Karen Ann Myers. Founded in 2002, Redux is a 501-c(3) non-profit arts organization dedicated to education, and the production and presentation of contemporary visual art. Housed within a 6,000 square foot warehouse are two galleries, fifteen private artist studios, printshop, darkroom, woodshop, classroom, and film-screening area. Redux is committed to showing artwork by national and international artists, supporting local artists, and enriching the Charleston community by offering adult and youth education programs. For further info contact Karen Ann Myers, Executive Director by calling 843/722-0697 or e-mail at (Karen@reduxstudios.org).

Nationally recognized contemporary craft artist David Edgar, "fishes" in his neighborhood recycle bins for plastic containers to create his popular "Creatures from the Plastiquarium" (Hoping to get others "hooked" on this creative way to recycle plastic, Edgar's book, "Fantastic Recycled Plastic" - 2009 Lark Books, a Division of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.), will be available at a special demonstration/signing at the Barnes and Noble Arboretum in Asheville, NC, on Nov. 10, 2009, from 10am to noon. A professional artist and art educator, Edgar worked primarily with steel for over 25 years before he had what he calls an "art catharsis". On a lark, he made a mask from a blue detergent bottle to wear to a Carolina Panthers Super Bowl party. Using the organic shapes, bright focus group approved colors and label graphics of detergent bottles and other post-consumer recyclable plastics to make images of fantasy tropical fish, the artist also makes masks, birds, serpents, crabs and abstract sculptural works. "After a century of increasing pollution of Earth's marine environment, 'Plastiquarium' creatures evolved in the image of their packaging forbearers." quips the artist. Art critics and curators alike find Edgar's new work to be a lighthearted, yet effective social commentary about the precarious state of the environment. Kate Lydon, Director of Exhibitions at Pittsburgh's Society of Contemporary Craft says, "Through David Edgar's work, common materials are given new treatment in ways that are exciting, thought-provoking and accessible." "Fantastic Recycled Plastic" demonstrates how others can discover their creative potential, using recyclable plastics such as detergent bottles, yogurt containers and other plastic packaging. In addition to a history of plastics, facts on recycling plastics and a gallery of 50 international artists working with recycled plastic, this unique book offers 30 projects to inspire creativity while "going green" at the same time. To further encourage the public to recycle through his art, Edgar often participates in America Recycles Day (ARD) events. For this year's ARD on Nov. 15, 2009, the artist/author will return to Asheville for a demonstration/book signing on Nov. 10, 2009, from 6-8pm at the Barnes & Noble on Tunnel Road in Asheville. Now showing in the yearlong "Trash Menagerie" exhibit at the Peabody Essex in Salem, MA, Edgar's award-winning Creatures from the "Plastiquarium" have been included in over 50 institutional exhibitions across more than 20 states, including a national tour with the "Transformation 5" show, organized by the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA, that followed on the heels of a three-year tour of "Trashformations East" curated by Lloyd Herman, founding director of The Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. Herman also wrote the afterword to Edgar's book. Edgar says his uniquely-crafted artwork, informed by the American Pop Art movement, exposes the ecological footprint of our consumer marketing culture through the environmental impact of both plastic bottles and the chemicals that they contain. His "Creatures from the Plastiquarium" are sold in several US galleries and are in the permanent collection of the Farmington Museum of Art, as well as at the Society for Contemporary Craft, and the Hickory Museum of Art and on permanent display at the Levine Children's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, TN, and The Children's Museum of Phoenix in AZ. Selected for inclusion in the 2008-2010 North Carolina Arts Council's Touring Artists Directory, Edgar also conducts workshops for making art using recycled plastics around the country in universities, such as Indiana University of Pennsylvania; museums such as the Swope Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana; and art centers such as The Art Center in Jackson, WY. "As an artist, my work has always been strongly informed by the 20th century tradition of found object assembly. With quality of craft as an important issue for me, working with the unique properties of this recycled material truly energizes my creative spirit," says Edgar. For more information about "Fantastic Recycled Plastics", go to (www.larkbooks.com). To learn more about David Edgar and Creatures from the Plastiquarium, go to (www.plastiquarium.net).

With the opening in October, 2009 of 440 South Church, Trinity Partners in Charlotte, NC, will unveil the installation of exciting new sculpture by three renowned artists. Located in the public areas of the building, the work supports the vision of the developers and architects creating a rich and stimulating mixed-used environment. Hodges Taylor Gallery is pleased to have been a part of the development of the interior spaces, consulting on the selection of sculptural work to enhance the workplace environment. Having worked as a fine artist for 35 years and in the public art realm for 23, Cork Marcheschi builds and installs to the unique nature of each situation, always bringing energy, light and humor to the visual experience.  His "4 Random Hangings"- not random at all - are transmitters of light, sharing their curved surfaces and their occupation of the space. A NC native and ceramic artist, this is Virginia Scotchie's first installation in Charlotte. She is area head of ceramics at the University of South Carolina and exhibits extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Her installation of spheres reflects a fascination with the form she has worked with off and on for the past nine years - responding to its minimal nature and quality of play and humor. A sculptor from Wisconsin, Richard Taylor created "Sentinels" - a series of standing sculpture - to pay tribute to various people in his life who have affected him in a profound way. "The pieces are figurative, and full of the layers of emotion and inspiration I have felt from the sources. They are teachers, artists, family, writers, musicians and friends. They are geniuses, heroes, or just kind. I look up to all of them, and could not be who I am today without their touch." This installation is entitled "Ocean Park", in reference to American painter Richard Diebenkorn's large abstract series. "We commissioned these three artists for work to be installed at our new office building because we think art brings a building to life. Many buildings have appealing finishes, but many of these finishes are intentionally neutral. Strong art brings color, composition, and energy to public spaces and makes them more alive. Each of these artists brings a unique style and perspective that we intentionally sought and are very grateful for," says Gary Chesson, Partner, Trinity Partners. For further info contact Christie Taylor by calling 704/334-3799 or e-mail at (ctaylor@hodgestaylor.com).

University of South Carolina Upstate (Spartanburg, SC) Professor Jimm Cox will receive the South Carolina Art Education Administrator of the Year Award in Myrtle Beach, SC, on Oct. 30, 2009, when he attends the annual conference of The South Carolina Art Education Association (SCAEA). Cox, who has been employed with USC Upstate for 34 years, currently serves as the chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Communications Studies, director of theatre, and director of the London foreign study program. The South Carolina Art Education Administrator of the Year Award is presented to an individual who meets the following criteria: demonstrates outstanding teaching and program development, promotes strong advocacy, and has a history of active participation SCAEA at the local and state level. The South Carolina Art Education Association was founded in 1924 and has more than 500 members who give of their time and energy to promoting quality arts education for all students. Dr. Mary Lou Hightower, associate professor of art education and director of FOCUS Gallery at USC Upstate, nominated Cox for the award. "His passion for the arts is evident in everything he does whether it is administrative or teaching. Professor Cox lives and breathes the arts. He is the administrator that every art educator wishes for and more." Hightower said that during Cox's three years as chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Communications Studies he has advocated for the new art education major, lobbied for additional space and funding for the program, secured the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) accreditation necessary for the art education and graphic design majors, and attended all of the FOCUS Gallery openings where he spoke eloquently about how the arts impact children lives. Jane Allen Nodine, professor of art and director of the Curtis R. Harley Art Gallery at USC Upstate, endorsed Cox for the South Carolina Art Education Administrator of the Year Award. "Professor Cox had been an arts educator, arts activist, arts performer, arts administrator, and the director of the USC Upstate Theatre for over 30 years. Spartanburg County and the state of South Carolina have significantly and continuously benefited from Professor Cox's expertise in arts education, arts advocacy, grant writing, and program development. Under Professor Cox's leadership, the fine and performing arts programs at the University of South Carolina Upstate have flourish. He has advocate for baccalaureate programs in art, theatre, and music, and he has worked tirelessly to establish student scholarships and travel abroad programs that offer invaluable academic and life opportunities to talented and deserving students." For more information, contact Jimm Cox, chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Communications Studies, at 864/503-5697 or e-mail to (jcox@uscupstate.edu).

Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro, NC, announces the appointment of an Executive Director. Starting Oct. 7, 2009, Laura Way will take the lead at Green Hill Center of NC Art as its new executive director. Way, formally director of operations and finance at Penland School of Crafts and vice president of advancement at McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC, brings over 15 years of financial, operational, development and programmatic experience to her new role as executive director of Green Hill Center. According to Louise Brady, Chair of the Board's Search Committee, "Ms. Way is the absolute right fit for Green Hill. The Center is celebrating its 35th year, and we are all very excited to bring in an executive director who will lead the organization to the next level, bringing new and innovative approaches to providing the highest caliber artistic and educational programming to the Center, Greensboro and the region. We could not be more pleased that Laura will be joining the Greensboro community."  Way, originally from Philadelphia, PA, will be relocating from Charlotte in the coming weeks. A welcoming Director's Reception will be held at Green Hill Center for NC Art on Oct. 29, 2009, from 5:30 - 7pm. Green Hill donors, members and community members are welcome. The Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art is located at 200 N. Davie Street in the Greensboro Cultural Center in downtown Greensboro across from Center City Park. With a mission to represent and promote North Carolina artists, the Green Hill Center has been a Greensboro institution for more than 35 years. Green Hill houses over 7,000 square feet of gallery space, a sales shop, and ArtQuest, a giant, hands-on art studio for children and families. For more information, call 336/333-7460 or visit (www.greenhillcenter.org).

The winners of the 2009-2010 Regional Artist Project Grant competition have been announced. Sponsored by a five county consortium of arts councils and arts organizations, the grants are made possible with funds from the North Carolina Arts Council. The state arts council funds are matched by the Burke Arts Council and Rock School Foundation in Burke County, Caldwell Arts Council, Hiddenite Center in Alexander County, McDowell Arts Council Association and the United Arts Council of Catawba County - all in NC. The grants are given to artists who have demonstrated excellence in their fields for projects which will take them to the next professional level. Decisions for grant awards are made by peer panelists from each of the five counties. This year's winners include: Ellen Ball of Hickory, NC, for the purchase of equipment for jewelry fabrication; Wyn Flo of Granite Falls, NC, for instruction in creating structure for sculpted birds; Courtney Long of Morganton, NC, to purchase kiln equipment; Robert Steadman of Hudson, NC, to record a classical guitar CD; Susan Taylor of Old Fort, NC, to attend classes in basket weaving; Mark Tomczak of Old Fort, NC, for construction of an indoor craft show booth; and Clayton Joe Young of Hickory, NC, for a photography exhibit in a museum gallery. For further information, call the Caldwell Arts Council at 828/754-2486 or e-mail to (info@caldwellarts.com).

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has selected the artists whose work will be included in the "Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009." Of 3,300 entrants, College of Charleston (Charleston, SC) Studio Art Professor Cliffton Peacock has been named a finalist. The competition is a triennial event that invites figurative artists to submit entries in all media to be considered for prizes and display at the National Portrait Gallery. The endowment from the late Virginia Outwin Boochever has enabled the museum to conduct a national portrait competition and exhibition that encourages artists to explore the art of portraiture. The competition received 3,300 entries in a variety of visual arts media, from digital animation and video to large-scale drawings, prints and photographs and a plethora of painted and sculpted portraits. It was open to artists working in the United States who had created portraits after Jan. 1, 2007, in any visual art form. The juried exhibition includes 49 finalists' works (paintings, sculpture, drawings, photographs, and video) that will be on view from Oct. 23, 2009 through Aug. 22, 2010. Cliffton Peacock received his MFA degree from Boston University in 1977. His teachers there included: James Weeks, John Wilson and Philip Guston. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including three National Endowment for the Arts grants; three Massachusetts Artist Fellowship awards; an Englehard Foundation grant; a Louis Comfort Tiffany Fellowship; and Awards in the Visual Arts grants, sponsored by the Equitable Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the national Endowment for the Arts and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art; the Prix de Rome from the American Academy in Rome; a South Carolina Individual Artist Fellowship; a 2001 fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation; and most recently, a 2007 grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Inc. Peacock has exhibited his paintings nationally many times since 1980 and has had one-person exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; the Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC; and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC. Peacock's work is in the collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Hood Museum of Art, among others. He has been a Professor of Fine Arts at he College of Charleston's School of the Arts since 1996. For further info contact Nandini B. McCauley, School of the Arts, College of Charleston by calling 843/953-8228 or e-mail to (mccauleyn@cofc.edu).

The Cameron Art Museum (Wilmington, NC) in New Hanover County has been awarded two grants from the NC Arts Council, one for $55,000 for general support and one for $5,000 for the creation of an outdoor exhibition of architectural follies. The funds will be used to support the museum's ongoing exhibitions and public programming for adults and students. "We're so grateful for the recent grants received from the NC Arts Council, whose support remains critical to our endeavors to develop and sustain high quality art opportunities in this state. In these challenging times, we are all the more thankful for the Arts Council's leadership, support, advocacy and stewardship of all the arts in North Carolina," says Cameron Art Museum Director Deborah Velders. "The support of our grants program by the General Assembly during these economically challenging times demonstrates the role the arts play in the our economy and our quality of life," said Mary B. Regan, executive director of the NC Arts Council. "Nonprofit organizations employ workers, stimulate commerce, generate tax revenues and help communities retain their vibrancy." More than 13.6 million people participated in NC Arts Council-funded projects last year in schools, senior centers, museums, concert halls and community centers. Nearly 4.3 million of these were children and youth. The NC Arts Council awards grant money each year to provide diverse arts experiences for citizens in all 100 counties in North Carolina. In fiscal year 2009-20, the Arts Council is expected to distribute $7.4 million in state and federal grant funds to arts organizations, schools and other nonprofit organizations. The Cameron Art Museum presents 6-8 changing exhibitions annually; ongoing family and children's programs; a unique program of tours for Alzheimer's patients and their caretakers; interdisciplinary programs (lectures, music, films, literature, dance); and ongoing workshops and classes in ceramics at the Clay Studio with resident master artist Hiroshi Sueyoshi. For more information about the museum call 910/395-5999 or visit (www.cameronartmuseum.com).

The Board of Directors of The Arts Council of Henderson County invites arts and cultural nonprofit organizations and businesses to attend a meeting on Oct. 29, 2009, from 5:30-7:30pm at The Arts Council, 538 North Main Street, 2nd Floor in downtown Hendersonville, NC. The meeting is a follow-up to the arts community meeting held in May. The agenda will include: (1) an evaluation of "The Arts Council Presents" marketing festival and suggestions for improvement, and (2) a presentation and discussion of initial plans for an autumn 2010 festival event. This meeting is also another opportunity for representatives from all Henderson County arts and cultural organizations and businesses to meet, share ideas, and possibly develop new partnerships. There will also be an update on plans for a Henderson County arts directory to be introduced in 2010. Individual visual and performing artists, and people interested in the future of the arts and culture in Henderson County, are welcome to attend. The Arts Council of Henderson County is a community organization that advocates for the arts and provides opportunities to enrich the lives of children and adults through the arts by offering exhibits, art education and performances. The Arts Council is handicapped accessible. The Arts Council is supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, the State of North Carolina, the Community Foundation of Henderson County, Henderson County, and the Henderson County Travel and Tourism Bureau. Refreshments will be served.  Please RSVP to The Arts Council at 828/693-8504 or e-mail to (acofhc@bellsouth.net). For more information contact The Arts Council of Henderson County at 828/693-8504 or visit (www.acofhc.org).

On Oct. 7, 2009, at 8 pm, PBS TV, will air a nationwide broadcast of a brand new episode of the Peabody award-winning series, "Craft in America," that features two well-known North Carolina potteries. "Craft in America" producer, Carol Sauvion, explains why. "North Carolina pottery has inspired and influenced potters from all over the world," says Sauvion, "It is authentic, original, and powerful in its simplicity. By including Jugtown and the Hewitt pottery in its new episodes, the Craft in America series showcases their significant contribution to the history of craft in America." Jugtown potters, Vernon and Pam Owens, and their children Travis and Bayle, and Mark Hewitt in Pittsboro, NC, are proud to represent the state's pottery tradition in this stunning documentary that serves as a tremendous affirmation of North Carolina's role in shaping the ceramic heritage of United States. Both Pam Owens and Mark Hewitt are on the board of the North Carolina Pottery Center (NCPC) in Seagrove, NC, and have helped organize a series of simultaneous "viewing parties" across the state on Oct. 7, 2009, to coincide with the broadcast, and to raise funds for programming at NCPC. These "viewing parties", described as, "a collective group hug for all the potters and pottery lovers across the state," demonstrate a remarkable show of support from North Carolina pottery guilds and patrons across the state. This support acknowledges the camaraderie among North Carolina potters, and validates the role that the North Carolina Pottery Center plays in promoting public awareness and appreciation of the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina. Eight pottery Guilds, from the coast to the mountains, are hosting "viewing parties" for their members and supporters, including the Coastal Carolina Clay Guild in Wilmington, NC, the North Carolina Pottery Collectors Guild and the Triangle Pottery Guild (both in Raleigh, NC), Durham Clayworks, Carolina Claymatters and Carolina Clay Connection in Charlotte, NC, and the Potters of the Roan in Bakersville, NC and Penland, NC. There will also be a gathering at UNC-Asheville in Asheville, NC. The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, NC, is partnering with NCPC, Craft in America, and UNC-TV, to host a Gala Dinner, Dessert and Viewing Party. In addition, there are seven parties being held at the homes of NCPC patrons in cities across the state ­ in Edenton, Fayetteville, Seagrove, Asheboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Pittsboro - all in NC. Visit (www.ncpotterycenter.com) or phone 336/873-8430 for more information about attending one of these events. To contact Jugtown Pottery visit (www.jugtownware.com) or phone 910/464-3266, and to contact Mark Hewitt visit (www.hewittpottery.com) or phone 919/542-2371.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has awarded the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC, a $5,000 grant to support museum visits for fifth graders of New Hanover County. This Foundation grant ensures that over 1,800 New Hanover County fifth graders will visit the museum free of charge this school year for guided tours of exhibitions. "Visiting the Cameron Art Museum offers our fifth grade students an opportunity to build background knowledge which in turn will help them be better students in all areas. Learning about the featured artwork means learning about art, science, math, language, geography, history, other languages, and other arts disciplines. These tours provide our students a wonderful adventure into the world of learning!," said Georgeann M. Haas, Arts Education Supervisor of New Hanover County Schools. "Bank of America works to strengthen artistic institutions and provide greater access for those who might not otherwise experience them," said Thomas Dodson, Wilmington market president, Bank of America. "The arts improve the quality of life for residents and serve as centers of activities and we are pleased to support the Cameron Art Museum's educational mission to provide engaging experiences in the visual arts for all ages." The Cameron Art Museum presents 6-8 changing exhibitions annually; ongoing family and children's programs; a unique program of tours for Alzheimer's patients and their caretakers; interdisciplinary programs (lectures, music, films, literature, dance); and ongoing workshops and classes in ceramics at the Clay Studio with resident master artist Hiroshi Sueyoshi. For more information about the museum, call 910/395-5999 or visit (www.cameronartmuseum.com).

The first piece of art to grace the walls of the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, NC, is reaching completion. The architecturally-scaled, boldly-colored artwork is a wall drawing by famed Conceptual artist Sol LeWitt. The drawing was installed on the front-facing lobby wall of the museum by master LeWitt draftsman Jesse Good of Connecticut and a team of volunteer artists from Charlotte. The geometric drawing measures 23-feet 5-inches tall by 27-feet 5-inches wide. It consists of red, green, blue, yellow, orange and purple shapes and can be seen from the street. Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) is widely regarded as one of the leading exponents of Minimalism and Conceptual art. He stressed the idea behind his work over its execution and incorporated his work onto the walls of buildings to merge art and architecture. LeWitt designed his drawings using precise calculations but did not actually create the finished paintings. Instead, a team of assistants applied the paint. The Bechtler's wall drawing is the second LeWitt installation in Charlotte. A LeWitt piece was created inside the Carillon Building at 227 W. Trade Street in 1991. LeWitt is in the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art among other leading museums worldwide. The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art opened an historic exhibition, "Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective," in 2008 after nearly six months of drafting and painting by a team of 65 artists and art students. The exhibition will remain on view for 25 years. A giant tiled wall, one of LeWitt's final commissions, was unveiled in New York's 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway station last week. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is scheduled to open at 420 South Tryon in Charlotte on Jan. 2, 2010. For further info visit (www.bechtler.org).

Maddi's Gallery of Charlotte, NC, has been named the Top Retailer of American Craft in the United States for 2009. The honor was given by "Niche Magazine" and the Rosen Group at the annual Retailer Awards Ceremony in Philadelphia in Aug. 2009. More than six hundred galleries from across the country received nominations from hundreds of artists. Judging panels include gallery owners, former award winners and retial experts who grade the nominees according to industry "best practices". Maddi's Gallery is one of the youngest to ever receive the highest award. Founded by Diane and Madis Sulg, Maddi's opened on East Boulevard, Charlotte in Oct. 2006. Two years later, they opened a second location in Birkdale Village in Huntersville, NC, which is managed by their daughter, Michaella Dalton. The final addition was a restaurant, Maddi's Southern Bistro, also in Birkdale and managed by Jon Dalton. The Bistro features hand-made craft in every aspect of it operation, from dishes to glasses and even the check trays. In making the award, the Rosen Group cited Maddi's multi-faceted commitment to American craft, the gallery's presentation of the Carolina Folk Art Festival each May, and the number of community projects the gallery supports, in particular, the annual Potter's Market Invitational which is a fundraiser for the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte. In accepting the awards, the Sulgs told the audience "How lucky we are to be in an industry which centers around such beautiful products made by creative people and brought by exceptional customers." They have announced a "Year of Celebration" for Maddi's featuring special events, artist visits and new collaborative projects. For further info call the gallery at 704/332-0007 or visit (www.maddisgallery.com).

The Ackland Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC, has been awarded a grant from The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent grant-making agency of the federal government, to enable the conservation of sixteen rare and important Asian paintings from the Ackland Collection. The grant totals $115,000 and the conservation will be completed by 2011. The Ackland's collection of Asian art is one of the finest in the southeast and the sixteen paintings chosen for this project are among the most significant in the Collection. These works were selected for treatment following an in-depth conservation survey conducted in 2008 with IMLS support. "We are grateful to IMLS for their investment in this important work," said Ackland Director Emily Kass. "Conservation is an essential part of our stewardship of objects." The Ackland was one of only 35 museums out of 129 applicants to receive an award this year. "These 35 museums, by preserving and conserving their collections, are ensuring the longevity of our nation's treasures for the education and enjoyment of all Americans. IMLS is proud to be a part of their efforts," said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, director of IMLS. The sixteen paintings include fifteen hanging scrolls from Japan, China, and Korea, and one Japanese folding screen. The works range in date from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Notable among the paintings are "Jizo Bosatsu" (Japan, thirteenth -fourteenth centuries, and "Kasugo Mandala" (Japan, thirteenth ­ fourteenth centuries), which are related to Buddhism and Shinto respectively and are the earliest and among the finest Japanese scrolls in the Collection. Also included is the finest early Chinese painting in the Collection: "Prunus", a sixteenth-century scroll depicting plum-blossoms. All of the paintings are in physically fragile condition and, unlike most Western paintings, each must be physically manipulated in order to be viewed. Once the mounts of a screen or a scroll deteriorate, the paintings themselves are at risk every time a scroll is unrolled or a screen is unfolded. Nishio Conservation Studio in Washington, DC, will complete the conservation. Each individual treatment will return a painting to an appearance in keeping with the painters' and mounters' original intent. Once skillfully conserved and protected, these works will last for centuries. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. In addition to the IMLS funded conservation survey in 2008, the Ackland also received a grant from the Institute in 2001 for the conservation of a six-panel screen from the early sixteenth century attributed to Sesshu Toyo, a project that led to the exhibition "Plum, Pine, and Bamboo: Seasonal and Spiritual Paths in Japanese Art" (Oct. 2003 - Jan. 2004), as well as the publication of a corresponding catalogue. The 2009 grant was awarded through competitive peer review and requires, at least, a 100 percent match by the Museum. Friends of the Ackland have the opportunity to support this project through the Museum's "Adopt a Work of Art" program. More information about this program can be found at (www.ackland.org/art/conservation). As an academic unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Ackland Art Museum serves broad local, state, and national constituencies. The Ackland Collection consists of more than 15,500 works of art, featuring significant collections of European masterworks, twentieth-century and contemporary art, North Carolina's premier collections of Asian art and works of art on paper (drawings, prints, and photographs), as well as African art and North Carolina pottery and folk art. For further info call the Museum at 919/966-5736 or visit (www.ackland.org).

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), in partnership with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts in Charleston, SC, will be unveiling the fourth and final installment of the multi-year collaboration, "Palmetto Portraits" Project. The opening of this permanent exhibition will take place in MUSC's new James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine on Sept. 16, 2009. MUSC, in partnership with the Halsey Institute have developed a multi-year collaboration called the "Palmetto Portraits". The project commissions noted and emerging photographers from throughout the state of South Carolina to focus on portraying South Carolinans in the Lowcountry, the Piedmont, and the Upstate - reflecting the full range and diversity of the state's citizens, occupations, and recreational activities. The vision of this project served as the general guidelines for each photographer, allowing them full creative independence with subject choice, subject matter and photographic process. In creating a permanent collection of art to display within MUSC's educational and clinical buildings, the University hopes to remind students, faculty, staff, and visitors of those they serve at MUSC and throughout South Carolina. At the conclusion of the inaugural year, each of the six photographers recommended a respected colleague to create the second series for "Palmetto Portraits". This ongoing method was repeated for Series III and Series IV. In this way, these accomplished artists helped perpetuate the project, thereby broadening the scope of participation and engaging other photographers throughout the state. MUSC and the selected photographers have broadened the impact of the project by donating an identical set of photographs to the permanent collection of the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC. To conclude the four-year project, a comprehensive exhibition of the complete works by each of the twenty-four photographers will be presented at the South Carolina State Museum in April 2010. "Palmetto Portraits" III photographer Julia Lynn made a portrait of two Charleston Firefighters for the project. This photograph has since been given special placement within the building as a memorial to the firefighters who lost their lives in the Sofa Superstore blaze in June 2007. This year's photographers were selected by the '08 photographers and include Jeff Amberg, Brett Flashnick, and Andrew Haworth of Columbia; Squire Fox of Mt. Pleasant, SC; Molly Hayes and Stacy L. Pearsall of Charleston; and Chris M. Rogers of Johns Island, SC. Series I (2006) in the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center includes works by: Nancy Santos, Charleston; Phil Moody, Rock Hill, SC; Jack Alterman, Mark Sloan, and Michelle Van Parys, Charleston, SC; and Jon Holloway, Greenwood, SC. Series II (2007) in the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine-Floor 6, includes works by: Nancy Marshall, McClellanville, SC; Vennie Deas-Moore, Columbia; Milton Morris, Charleston; Sam Wang, Clemson, SC; Caroline Jenkins, Greenwood; and Kathleen Robbins, Columbia. Series III (2008) in the James W. Colbert Education Center and Library includes works by: Cecil Williams, Orangeburg, SC; Julia Lynn, Charleston; Blake Praytor, Greenville, SC; Ruth Rackley, Clinton, SC; and Gayle Brooker, Charleston. Series IV (2009) in the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine-Floors 1 - 5, includes works by Jeff Amberg, Brett Flashnick, and Andrew Haworth, Columbia; Squire Fox, Mt. Pleasant; Molly Hayes and Stacy L. Pearsall, Charleston; and Chris M. Rogers, Johns Island, SC. For more information contact the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at 843/953-5680 or visit (www.halsey.cofc.edu) or (www.palmettoportraits.musc.edu).

What do the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, NC, and the Whitney Museum of Art in New York have in common? Artist Dan Graham. The Whitney has co-organized a major traveling retrospective of the highly acclaimed artist's work, which runs through Oct, 11, 2009, at the Weatherspoon Art Museum. The Museum has installed a new addition to its permanent collection:  "Triangular Solid with Circular Inserts" from 1989. It is the first realization of Graham's triangular pavilion and is among many pavilions and other glass structures he has designed for both indoor and outdoor environments. As described in "Chronology" (1989), ""Triangular Solid with Circular Inserts" is an equilateral solid triangle with a circular central opening allowing the spectator to enter and have an interior view. There are equally sized circles of glass centered in relation to the side of the triangle and to the central opening. The opening side is transparent glass. The left side is two-way mirror and the circular insert is mirror on both sides. The right side is transparent glass and the circular insert is two-way mirror." Written descriptions of the piece cannot capture the possibility of multiple visual permutations in Graham's pavilion. When inside the structure, viewers can see themselves and the people and surroundings outside - at least where their view is unobstructed by two-way mirror glass; the same goes for viewers on the exterior. From various angles, the "footprint" of the pavilion appears to be doubled. There is a funhouse quality to the piece that is at once somewhat disorienting and fully engaging. Crediting popular culture as the genesis for many of his intellectual ideas, the artist has described his glass structures as existing "somewhere between architecture and television." Dan Graham was born in Urbana, IL, in 1942 and grew up in New Jersey. After high school, Graham began a remarkable career. He briefly ran an art gallery in New York City where he gave Sol LeWitt his first solo exhibition. He then turned to performance art and has created numerous videos. He has written brilliant and influential essays on art and cultural topics, and is an avid music fan. The bibliography on Graham's work is extensive, as is his exhibition record around the world. The Weatherspoon Art Museum is very excited to have acquired "Triangular Solid with Circular Inserts" and to add to an important work by Graham - one of the most highly regarded artists working today - to its permanent collection. "Although it took us several years to purchase this piece and to have it installed, it is already delighting visitors of all ages," says Weatherspoon director Nancy Doll. "This acquisition of the Graham pavilion adds to the growing collection of outdoor sculpture in the museum's courtyard." For further information call the Museum at 336/334-5770 or visit (www.weatherspoon.uncg.edu).

Charlotte Art League (CAL) will unveil its Community Mosaic Project Installation on Sept. 19, 2009, at the Charlotte Art League Gallery, 1517 Camden Road in Charlotte, NC. The unveiling event will start at 5pm, followed by an inaugural community reception and artist facilities tour. This vivid mural will be composed of over 20 panels, covering 250 square feet, containing more than 1,125 pounds of material, and is the result of approximately 5,000+ volunteer hours. Based on the Color Wheel, the all-volunteer project began in August of 2007. Two years and more than 300 community members later, the panels will be installed on the front façade of the Charlotte Art League, which is in the heart of South End, at the end of August. The Community Mosaic Project Installation has functioned as a way to bring the community together for one collaborative art project. Volunteers, including the occasional passerby to the participants from the Goodwill Industries, Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) of Mecklenburg, Charlotte Outdoor Adventures and the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs, have been an integral part in bringing this project to life. As Charlotte Art League continues to grow, it hopes that this project will be an exciting teaching tool for all viewers with its vibrant lesson on color combination and what can be accomplished when the community works as one. The installation was conceived and directed by CAL member and Ciel Gallery owner Pam Goode & CAL members Joan Vitale, and Diana Arvanites. The concept originally began as a means to bring visual awareness to the Charlotte Art League's building and soon morphed into a large-scale community project. All panels were designed by artists from the Charlotte area. Initial workshops were held at Earthfare and during the Light Rail Opening festival to allow families to create and glaze original tiles to be integrated into the panels. At subsequent workshops, participants of all ages were invited to assist with each detail of the process from cutting and fitting porcelain tile to mortaring and grouting the panels. Special sessions were held for the young artists using pre-cut stained glass with softened edges, along with glass gems and squiggles. Volunteers later combined the kid-size mosaic works into larger panels. Charlotte Art League was established in 1965, pioneering the art scene in the heart of Charlotte's Historic South End District since 1996. The Charlotte Art League is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural vitality of Charlotte through visual art. In support of emerging and professional regional artists, CAL offers affordable working studios and display space, shared workspace, mentoring, member promotion, exhibition opportunities and workshops in a variety of contemporary and traditional media. In partnership with local organizations, CAL supports the community through free outreach sessions for all ages, free monthly exhibitions and lecture series, and ongoing educational opportunities. It's important for our community to witness the unveiling of this great piece of art, which will add so much color to the Heart of South End. This is a free family event. For further info call 704/376-2787 or visit (www.charlotteartleague.org).

Rory Parnell and Megg Rader, are pleased to announce that The Collectors Gallery will soon be moving from the city market to The Pavilions at City Plaza in Raleigh, NC. The Collectors Gallery will re-open in its new glass pavilion at 443 Fayetteville Street, Oct. 23, 2009. in conjunction with the Raleigh Wide Open Festival celebrating the new City Plaza. The Collectors Gallery will be a unique and distinctive shopping destination (and online store) focusing exclusively on North Carolina fine craft including pottery, glass, wood, sculpture and jewelry. Parnell and Rader will be joined in this venture by Parnell's sister, Shawn Brewster. Parnell says, "we have loved being a part of the historic City Market, the Moore Square community and especially downtown, and we see this as a great opportunity for more visibility, more visitors, more business . . . and to be a part of something generating positive change and creating energy downtown." Some of the gallery's new neighbors include City Plaza Marriott, Raleigh Convention Center, Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts, One Bank of America Plaza, BB&T building, and their sister gallery, The Mahler Fine Art, to name a few. "The Plaza will be the hub of festivals, parades, night life, dining, art and music in Raleigh - and The Collectors Gallery will be in the heart of this activity," Parnell continued. "We will keep our customers, artists and the public up to date on the construction and Grand Re-Opening through our website, newsletters, facebook and twitter." The Collectors Gallery and The Mahler Fine Art are sister galleries offering two distinctive showplaces for fine art and fine craft in Raleigh. Both galleries are a partnership between Rory Parnell, former Director of Raleigh Contemporary Gallery, and Megg Rader, former Executive Director of Artspace. The two have over 35 years of collective experience in the arts. In addition, they are active community leaders serving on numerous art and community boards, and are strong advocates of Raleigh's downtown revitalization. For further info call 919/896-7503, 919/828-6500 or visit (www.themahlerfineart.com) or (www.thecollectorsgallery.com).

What better place for a college campus focused on the arts than in the middle of Beaufort, SC - recently ranked #12 on the "Top 25 Small Cities for Art" by "American Style" magazine. According to the list, Beaufort beat out Aspen Colorado, Laguna Beach California and even Naples, Florida. With this in mind, it seems a thriving baccalaureate art program and USCB's Historic Beaufort Campus, located along the waterfront of Carteret Street, is the perfect marriage of place and program. The plan for a "niche campus" began to crystallize when the university recently received all official approvals for a new Studio Art major. USCB plans to invest approximately $200,000 of stimulus money into jump-starting a fortified art program based on the downtown Beaufort campus. That money will go to renovate existing spaces into state-of-the-art studios and classrooms, purchase new art curricula-related equipment and the creation of a ceramics studio. The Studio Art program is scheduled to launch officially in the spring of 2010. Through the generous gift of the Heritage Foundation of the Lowcountry, two arts classrooms have already been modified. "Arts on our Historic Beaufort Campus makes sense. What better place to study art than in the middle of a historic town full of natural beauty which is receiving national accolades for its rich arts culture," says Dr. Michael Parsons, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, USCB. "Many Beaufort County high schools are now delivering quality arts education programs to their students. Students who find that's where their passion lies will now be able to pursue a four-year art degree and do it affordably, since they won't have to leave the Lowcountry," said Jon Goebel, Assistant Professor of Studio Art. Students who choose Studio Art as their major will take majority of their courses on the Historic Beaufort Campus. The new program is intended to offer a high-quality, low-cost art program responding to the needs of the region and the natural attributes of the area. The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) is a senior institution of the University of South Carolina system serving the southeast coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The university's two campuses, located on the waterfront in historic Beaufort, SC, and at the gateway to Hilton Head Island in Bluffton, SC, serve a diverse student body of more than 1,500. USCB offers students an exceptional place to learn and live in an environment focused on growth, preservation and opportunity. For more information about the University of South Carolina Beaufort, please visit (www.uscb.edu) online or call the university's Office of Public Information at 843/208-8030.

The Art Institute of Charleston in Charleston, SC, announced plans today to move its instruction of the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production and Photographic Imaging programs into 360 Concord Street, previously known to many as the old IMAX building. The newly acquired space was previously the food court area located directly opposite the entrance to the Hippodrome cinema. The expansion affords The Art Institute of Charleston an additional 6700 square feet. "We always anticipated we would need more room than what we currently occupy at 24 North Market Street, but we had no idea it would be this soon," said Art Institute of Charleston President Rick Jerue. "The fact that we needed more space so quickly indicates that our enrollment is growing. We have been overwhelmed by the positive reception we have received from students and the community, and this exciting and vibrant venue will be a major inspiration to students in our film and photography programs." The complex overlooks the Charleston Harbor and is surrounded by the South Carolina Aquarium, the South Carolina Maritime Center and various upscale office space. Construction will begin immediately to accommodate a new digital filmmaking studio and video control room, a digital editing suite, a camera studio, a digital darkroom and faculty and administrative space. The Photographic Imaging program has been offered since the school's opening at the Charleston location in April 2007, while Digital Filmmaking & Video Production was introduced in October 2008. The Art Institute of Charleston offers both associate's and bachelor's degrees (depending on the area of study) and offers programs in Culinary Arts; Wine, Spirits & Beverage Management; Graphic  Design; Interior Design; Web Design & Interactive Media; Photographic Imaging;  Fashion & Retail Management and Digital Filmmaking & Video Production. The Art Institute of Charleston is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. For further info contact Paige Canaday Crone, Public Relations, The Art Institute of Charleston by calling 843/343-1223 or e-mailing to (pccrone@aii.edu).

The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, announces its new and free wireless Internet access available for visitors, meeting planners and students in the lobby and galleries. Wireless access provides visitors with smart phones and laptops the ability to get online during their visit to obtain more detailed information on artists, art movements and exhibitions. "We are pleased to offer this educational tool for the first time to enhance our visitors' experience," executive director Karen Brosius said. The access is also available during rental events in every space of the Museum to aid with presentations, demonstrations and interactive meetings. The Columbia Museum of Art is South Carolina's premier international art museum and houses a world-class collection of European and American art. Founded in 1950, the Museum opened its new building on Main Street in 1998 with 25 galleries. The collection includes masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, porcelain and works by significant furniture and silver makers, as well as American, Asian, and modern and contemporary art. In recent years the Museum's collection of Asian art and Antiquities has grown through generous gifts to the collection. Of particular interest are Sandro Botticelli's "Nativity", Claude Monet's "The Seine at Giverny", Canaletto's "View of the Molo", and art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The Museum offers changing exhibitions from renowned museums as well as educational programs for all ages that include art classes, art camps, lectures, films and concerts. It is the recipient of a National Art Education Association award for its contributions to arts education and an Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. Generous support to the Museum is provided by the City of Columbia, Richland County, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties. For further info call the Museum at 803/799-2810 or visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).

The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC, has acquired an early 19th century portrait by John Singleton Copley, one of the greatest and most influential painters in colonial America. "St. Cecilia, a Portrait" (Mrs. Richard Crowninshield Derby) (1803) is the first painting by Copley to enter the Mint's collection. The painting and its original period frame were donated by longtime Museum supporters Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III of Wilmington, NC. Born in Boston in 1738, John Singleton Copley quickly rose to become the preeminent portrait painter in the American colonies. He began to garner critical attention in 1766 when his portrait of Henry Pelham was exhibited to great acclaim in London. In 1774, the artist moved overseas permanently to further his career and escape the escalating conflict in America. "St. Cecilia, a Portrait" portrays Martha Crowninshield Derby, an American expatriate living in London, as Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Surrounded by luxurious furnishings and wearing a fashionable empire-waist dress, Mrs. Derby demonstrates her musical talents by playing a harp - an instrument chosen to echo her graceful figure and emphasize her slender fingers - as she is gazed upon by adoring cherubs. Copley likely created this work in response to earlier versions of women posed as St. Cecilia by his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds. Measuring 92 by 58 inches, the painting is one of the largest paintings in the American art collection. Currently on display at the Mint Museum of Art on Randolph Road, it will be reinstalled as part of the Museum's holdings of Colonial and Federal portraiture in the new Mint Museum Uptown, scheduled to open in October 2010. The Mint Museum acquired the Copley painting as part of its collections campaign to enhance its holdings through donations of significant artworks or financial contributions dedicated to acquiring masterworks of art and craft. Through the collections campaign, to date the Mint has acquired more than 200 works in its artistic focus areas of American Art, Art of the Ancient Americas, Contemporary Art, Craft + Design, Decorative Arts and Historic Costume amd Fashionable Dress. The Mint Museum's major expansion project includes the construction of a new 145,000-square-foot facility as part of uptown Charlotte's Wells Fargo Cultural Campus and the reinstallation of the historic Mint Museum of Art. The new facility will house collections of American Art, Contemporary Art and Craft + Design. Following the opening of the new location, collections at the Mint Museum of Art will be reinstalled and feature collections in Ceramics, Art of the Ancient Americas, and Historic Costume & Fashionable Dress. The Mint Museum is one institution with two dynamic locations. Established in 1936 as North Carolina's first art museum, the Mint Museum of Art houses collections of Art of the Ancient Americas, American art, Contemporary art, Historic Costume & Fashionable Dress, and Ceramics. Opened in 1999, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design displays national and international Contemporary Crafts made of ceramics, metal, wood, glass and fiber. The Mint Museum is funded, in part, with operating support by the Arts & Science Council, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.; the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Charlotte; and its members. For more information, visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

The Ackland Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC, has again achieved accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation's museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. All museums must undergo a re-accreditation review at least every ten years to maintain accredited status. "The Ackland greatly enriches the University and surrounding community," said Bruce W. Carney, interim executive vice chancellor and provost at UNC-Chapel Hill. "We are pleased that the Ackland, which is such a significant resource for us, also continues to be highly regarded by the museum field's national accreditation body." Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum's operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM's Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, review and evaluate the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes three years. Ackland Director Emily Kass said, "This was an important time for the Ackland to review and update our professional practices and policies. The entire museum staff was involved in the process." Of the nation's estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. The Ackland is one of only 13 accredited art museums in North Carolina. "Accreditation is emblematic of an institution's commitment to public service and to overall excellence," said Ford W. Bell, AAM president. "Attaining accreditation involves taking a hard look at yourself, allowing your peers in the field to do the same, and being judged to be superior in all areas. The people of Chapel Hill can take great pride in the fact that their local institution is one of America's premier museums." AAM Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for thirty-five years, AAM's museum accreditation program is the field's primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable - all in order to provide the best possible service to the public. The Ackland Art Museum is located on the historic campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an academic unit of the University, the Ackland serves broad local, state, and national constituencies. The Ackland Collection consists of more than 15,500 works of art, featuring significant collections of European masterworks, twentieth-century and contemporary art, North Carolina's premier collections of Asian art and works of art on paper (drawings, prints, and photographs), as well as African art and North Carolina pottery and folk art. The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present, and future. For more information, visit (www.aam-us.org). For more information call the Ackland at 919/966-5736 or visit (www.ackland.org).

Kathleen McDermott

Myrtle Beach, SC, artist Kathleen McDermott installed her painting entitled, "Marsh at Vereen Gardens", in the community meeting room at Horry County's C. B. Berry Historical and Memorial Center at Vereen Gardens, 2250 Hwy 179, Little River, SC, on June 23, 2009. Sandi Kendrick, Executive Director of the Horry County Arts Council, and Tona Buck-Teel, Facility Supervisor, were in attendance. "Marsh at Vereen Gardens" was painted in oil on canvas in triptych format. The overall size is 42 by 66 inches before framing, and discount framing was provided by Myrtle Beach Art & Frame Outlet. This painting will be on permanent public display at the C. B. Berry Community Center and was funded in part through a grant from the Horry County Arts & Cultural Council. McDermott's paintings and portraits are on display on her website (www.kmcdermottart.com), and at the following local galleries: Art Nouveau Gallery, 9626 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC; Renaissance Gallery at South Strand Cardiology, 207 Chantwell Court, Surfside Beach, SC; Sunset River Marketplace, 10283 Beach Drive SC, Calabash, NC; and Hearing Health Care, 5913 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC. For further information or to commission a similar painting, call McDermott at 843/497-6485 weekdays or 843/448-6908 evenings.

Peter Nisbet, formerly the Daimler-Benz Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum at the Harvard Art Museum, has been appointed Chief Curator of the Ackland Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC, effective Oct. 1, 2009. Nisbet holds a BA and MA from Cambridge University and a PhD in the History of Art from Yale University. Before joining the Harvard Art Museum in 1983, Nisbet held assistantships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at Yale University Art Gallery. At the Busch-Reisinger Museum he was responsible for a collection of 39,000 works of art ranging from the Middle Ages to the present and played a leading role in the reconceptualization and revitalization of the museum, leading to its relocation in 1991. As Chief Curator at the Ackland, Nisbet will hold primary responsibility for the leadership of the curatorial department, including exhibitions planning, donor and collector cultivation, and collaborative projects. He will also oversee the development of one of the largest and most significant art collections in the region. "Peter has all of the qualifications we have been seeking for this new position," said Ackland Director Emily Kass. "He has a breadth of knowledge of art history; extensive experience, nationally and internationally, in collection development and exhibitions; a commitment to education and the mission of a university museum; and leadership and experience working with a range of constituencies. We are thrilled to have him join the Ackland." "I am very excited to have the opportunity to come to North Carolina and join this distinguished and increasingly ambitious museum," said Nisbet. "I look forward tremendously to helping to realize the Ackland's full potential as an engine of research, as a catalyst for significant experiences, and as a dynamic partner in the University's mission. The Ackland's impressive and growing collection spans many cultures and traditions, offering a great platform for making connections and starting conversations." A leading expert in Russian and German art of the twentieth century, Nisbet has organized several major international traveling exhibitions on European art between the wars and has published catalogues and essays on Russian and Soviet Modernism, El Lissitzky, German Modernism, contemporary art, and on issues of museum history, theory, and practice. The Ackland Art Museum is located on the historic campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an academic unit of the University, the Ackland serves broad local, state, and national constituencies. The Ackland Collection consists of more than 15,500 works of art, featuring significant collections of European masterworks, twentieth-century and contemporary art, North Carolina's premier collections of Asian art and works of art on paper (drawings, prints, and photographs), as well as African art and North Carolina pottery and folk art. For more information call the Museum at 919/966-5736 or visit (www.ackland.org).

David Edgar

For the past five years, nationally recognized contemporary craft artist David Edgar, has been "fishing" in his neighborhood recycle bins for plastic containers to create his popular "Creatures from the Plastiquarium". Hoping to get others "hooked" on this creative way to recycle plastic, Edgar's book, "Fantastic Recycled Plastic" (Lark Books 2009), will be available at local book stores and online, just in time for 11th annual America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, 2009. A professional artist and art educator, Edgar worked primarily with steel for over 25 years before he had what he calls an "art catharsis'. On a lark, he made a mask from a blue detergent bottle to wear to a Carolina Panthers Super Bowl party. Using the organic shapes, bright focus group approved colors and label graphics of detergent bottles and other post-consumer recyclable plastics to make images of fantasy tropical fish, the artist also makes masks, birds, serpents, crabs and abstract sculptural works in his Charlotte, NC, studio. Edgar says his uniquely-crafted artwork, informed by the American Pop Art movement, exposes the ecological footprint of our consumer marketing culture through the environmental impact of both plastic bottles and the chemicals that they contain. "After a century of increasing pollution of Earth's marine environment, Plastiquarium creatures evolved in the image of their packaging forbearers," quips the artist. Art critics and curators alike find Edgar's new work to be a lighthearted, yet effective social commentary about the precarious state of the environment. Kate Lydon, Director of Exhibitions at Pittsburgh's Society of Contemporary Craft says, "Through David Edgar's work, common materials are given new treatment in ways that are exciting, thought-provoking and accessible." Now showing in the yearlong "Trash Menagerie" exhibit at the Peabody Essex in Salem, MA, Edgar's award-winning "Creatures from the Plastiquarium" have been included in over 50 institutional exhibitions across more than 20 states, including a national tour with the "Transformation 5" show, organized by the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA, that followed on the heels of a three-year tour of "Trashformations East" curated by Lloyd Herman, founding director of The Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. Herman also wrote the Afterword to Edgar's book. "Creatures from the Plastiquarium" are sold in several US galleries and are in the permanent collection of the Farmington Museum of Art, as well as at the Society for Contemporary Craft, and the Hickory Museum of Art. It is also on permanent display at the Levine Children's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, TN, and The Children's Museum of Phoenix in Arizona. Selected for inclusion in the 2008-2010 North Carolina Arts Council's Touring Artists Directory, Edgar also conducts workshops for making art using recycled plastics around the country in universities, such as Indiana University of Pennsylvania; museums such as the Swope Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana; and art centers such as The Art Center in Jackson, WY. "As an artist, my work has always been strongly informed by the 20th century tradition of found object assembly. With quality of craft as an important issue for me, working with the unique properties of this recycled material truly energizes my creative spirit," says Edgar. The upcoming book, "Fantastic Recycled Plastic," will demonstrate how others can discover their creative potential, using recyclable plastics such as detergent bottles, yogurt containers and other plastic packaging. In addition to a history of plastics, facts on recycling plastics and a gallery of 50 international artists working with recycled plastic, this unique book offers 30 projects to inspire creativity while "going green" at the same time. To further encourage the public to recycle through his art, Edgar often participates in America Recycles Day (ARD) events. Hosted by the National Recycling Coalition, ARD is dedicated to encouraging Americans to up their recycling habits through a number of initiatives and by purchasing products made from recycled materials. The artist/author will also kick off a book signing tour on Nov. 10, 2009, from 6-8pm at the Barnes & Noble in Asheville, NC. For more information about "Fantastic Recycled Plastics," go to (www.larkbooks.com). To learn more about David Edgar and "Creatures from the Plastiquarium," go to (www.plastiquarium.net).

if ART Gallery in Columbia, SC, artist Laura Spong is part of the Lifetime cable network's new series "Drop Dead Diva," but she's feeling fine, thank you very much. Spong's paintings are on view prominently on the show, for instance in the law offices where the series' main character works. The show's producers have rented several paintings by Spong for the series' sets. To view Spong's paintings on Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva," go to (http://ifartgallery.blogspot.com).

Peggy Turner's painting was chosen by Sherry Jackson a romantic fiction writer for the cover of her newly published book entitled, "The Windy Forest." "When I saw the painting it was the vision that I had regarding my novella. So thanks to "SASEE Magazine" we were able to connect," says Sherry Jackson the author. "The Windy Forest" is about a woman who inherits a cabin and gift shop in a mountain town. It is with the help of her handsome neighbor they reveal the most intimate details of her late aunt life in an effort to know what really happened in her fatal accident they find a love not able to be denied. Unaware of the danger that awaits her she finds herself weaved in a dark plot leaving her at the mercy of the a fear that seeks to overwhelm her as it materializes into reality. "The Windy Forest" can be purchased at (www.cafepress.com/sherry2), My Sister's Books 13057 Ocean Highway Pawley's Island, SC or by calling 843/235-9618.

Virginia Derryberry

Artists are modern-day alchemists, taking dross materials and turning them into desirable objects worth more than the sum of their parts. Virginia Derryberry, a noted painter and UNC Asheville art professor in Asheville, NC, takes it one step further. Her most recent series of paintings meld alchemical themes with modern interpretations on mythology to create larger-than-life pieces that have met with national acclaim. Three paintings from this series, entitled "Rebis", are featured in the latest edition of the prestigious magazine, "New American Paintings". Issue 82 of the publication, due out this month, details the work of 40 Southeastern painters selected by juror Ron Platt, curator of contemporary art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. "It's always terrific to have a national audience for my work," said Derryberry. "I was also very pleased because the magazine has a reputation of featuring up-and-coming young artists. As a more mature artist, it's very gratifying to know that my art is relevant to a contemporary audience." The paintings featured in the magazine come from "Rebis", a series of about a dozen large-scale paintings. The name is taken from a Latin word used by alchemists, meaning dual-matter or two-fold. All the "Rebis" paintings are richly saturated with deep colors and incorporate dualism, mythological narratives, and alchemical symbols and colors. The painting process doesn't begin with the canvas, Derryberry noted. She first chooses her subject. For the "Rebis" series, she has used her daughter, son, former students and fellow artists as models. Next she takes photos, drawings and ideas from her imagination to begin mapping out the painting. "I call this part of the process 'frankensteining,'" Derryberry laughs. "But it works for me." Finally, paint and canvas meet. She saturates the canvas with an under painting of one color that is formed into darks and lights to create a value study. In the "Rebis" series, she has used dark red. Then the image begins taking shape. The result is distinctive and striking. "These pieces are very, very painterly ­ loose brushstrokes, heavily painted, merging realism and abstraction," she said. And the paintings are big. "They are actually bigger than I am," laughed the petite artist, who stands at about five feet tall. "I like the feeling that I could walk into my paintings. It's like creating a virtual world." Derryberry's work has been shown in solo exhibitions in New York, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Represented by Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC, and Cumberland Gallery in Nashville, TN, her work has been included in numerous exhibitions, including "20th Century Painting" and "Convergence." Her paintings are also in the collections of the Knoxville Convention Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, Tennessee State Museum, Morris Museum of Art and the West Virginia Permanent Collection. Recognition by "New American Paintings" is just one in a series of accolades. Derryberry has received two Individual Arts grants from the Georgia Council for the Arts as well as the West Virginia Governor's Award. In 2005, Derryberry was named a recipient of the Southeastern College Art Conference Artist Fellowship. A native of Tennessee, Derryberry holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Tennessee and a master of arts degree from Peabody College. She joined the UNC Asheville faculty in 1996. Since then, she has received a number of University awards, including the Distinguished Teaching Award, the University's highest honor. In addition to teaching art classes and serving as the current chair of the Art Department, Derryberry has also been director of UNC Asheville's nationally acclaimed Undergraduate Research Program. Derryberry is currently at work on a new painting that measures six feet by eight feet and portrays the seven deadly sins. "Each one of the sins is represented by one of my students, who posed for the piece" she said, chuckling. "It's a really complicated and really fun painting." She also has a solo exhibition of paintings from the "Rebis" series planned for the Flood Gallery in the Asheville River District this November. For further information call the UNC Asheville News Services at 828/251-6526.

Treasured artworks and artifacts held by the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC, will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS has now awarded almost 3,000 free sets of the IMLS Bookshelf, in cooperation with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). "When IMLS launched this initiative to improve the dire state of our nation's collections, we understood that the materials gathered for the Bookshelf would serve as important tools for museums, libraries, and archives nationwide," said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of IMLS. "We were both pleased and encouraged by the overwhelming interest of institutions prepared to answer the call to action, and we know that with their dedication, artifacts from our shared history will be preserved for future generations." The Cameron Art Museum has just received this essential set of resources based on an application describing the needs and plans for the care of its collections. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. The IMLS Bookshelf is a crucial component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a conservation initiative that the Institute launched in 2006. IMLS began the initiative in response to a 2005 study it released in partnership with Heritage Preservation, "A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America's Collections". The multi-faceted, multi-year initiative shines a nationwide spotlight on the needs of America's collections, especially those held by smaller institutions, which often lack the human and financial resources necessary to adequately care for their collections. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit (www.imls.gov). For further info call Caroline Culbert at 910/395-5999 x 1023 or e-mail to (cculbert@cameronartmuseum.com).

How do you fight back in a recession? You expand! At least that is what Green Rice Gallery in Charlotte, NC's Historic Arts District known as NoDa is doing! During the weekend of July 4, 2009, Green Rice Gallery owner Carla Garrison went to work on building 7 new studio spaces in her newly acquired 1,100 square feet of gallery space within the walls of 451 E. 36th St. The spaces will be open to the public and inhabited by working artists who can use the space to create and display their newest works. Viewers are encouraged to stop by and meet the newest additions to Green Rice Gallery on Aug. 1, 2009, otherwise known as move-in day! One of the incoming artists is Holt McLean, whose space will be used for creating, displaying and even teaching! Beginning Aug. 31, 2009, Holt's School of Fine Art will open for youth art classes. McLean taught youth art classes from 2002 ­ 2005 in California before moving to North Carolina, and she taught urban youth in 2005 at the NoDa School of the Arts. For more information or to register early, contact Holt at (art@holtmclean.com) or visit her website at (www.holtmclean.com). Green Rice also welcomes sculptor Marilyn Overton, abstract artist Rick Babusci, photographer Rachel Barker, mural painter Adela Jurca, as well as painters Leah Edwards, Ivory Medina and Pete Brown. Some of the artists have already begun readying their spaces and look forward to being settled in by the end of the month. The official grand studio opening will be held during the Charlotte Literary Festival in NoDa on Sept. 5, 2009. The gallery will offer a 10% discount on any piece of art for one day only, so be sure to stop by, visit the new artists, and find a great deal on a beautiful work of art by a local artist! For further info call 704/344-0300 or visit (www.green-rice.com).

The Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, announces the award of an $80,000 program grant from the prestigious Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for 2009 and 2010. Established in 1987 in accordance with Warhol's will, the foundation's objective is to foster innovative artistic expression and the creative processes that support artists and their work. The foundation values the contribution that organizations like the Halsey Institute make to artists, audiences, and to the community as a whole. "We are thrilled that the Warhol Foundation will be partnering with us on our next two years of programming," remarks Halsey Director Mark Sloan. "On their site visit last spring, the Warhol program officers were quite impressed to see such ambitious programming generated by such a small staff. This funding comes at a critical time for us, as state funds and individual giving have been in decline since October 2008. In a very real sense, this grant is a life-line." As the Halsey moves into its new gallery in The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts, these funds will provide additional support for its innovative and thought-provoking exhibitions, lectures, films, artist residencies, and comprehensive website. Over the next two years, the Warhol grant will assist the following exhibitions and related programs: "Call and Response: Africa to America-The Art of Nick Cave and Phyllis Galembo"; "David Stern: The American Years"; "Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait, Photographs by Chris Jordan"; "Leslie Wayne: New Paintings"; and "Present Tense: Vestiges of the Civil War in America". Warhol (born 1928) was one of the most accomplished and multi-disciplined artists of the twentieth century, and a leader in the avant-garde New York art scene from the 1950s until his death in 1987. He was a pioneer in Pop art, photography, print media, film, and publishing-well known for his images of Campbell's soup cans, famous celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and the Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung. Currently the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is located within the Simons Center for the Arts at 54 St. Philip Street, between Calhoun and George Streets, but will relocate this fall into a new, state-of-the-art gallery on the ground floor of The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts. Parking is available in the St. Philip Street and George Street garages. For more information, contact the Halsey Institute at 843/953-5680 or visit (www.halsey.cofc.edu).

Mary Whyte of Charleston, SC, known for her mastery of the painting medium watercolor, is to be the subject of CBS television's "Sunday Morning". "Sunday Morning" is a news magazine program, airing from 9am - 10:30am on Sunday mornings on the local CBS affiliate. Whyte is completing paintings for a museum exhibition entitled, "Working South" - a series of portraits of southern American workers in vanishing professions. This work reveals an intimate portrayal of the lives of an America that is disappearing, a people that progress and outsourcing have left behind: cotton pickers, boat builders, textile mill workers, crabbers, the shoe shine man, and so on. Traveling the South for three and a half years, Whyte met, interviewed and painted dozens of people in various industries that are quickly vanishing or dramatically changing. Whyte sought out hard working Americans in professions that often fall under the radar of celebrity driven America. Through the challenging medium of watercolor, Whyte has taken the unseen and given them a face we cannot easily forget. The exhibition will include thirty (30) major, twenty (20) minor works, accompanying studies, and the artist's sketchbooks, providing the viewer greater insight into the artistic process. This work depicts a segment of America not widely explored in contemporary visual art. The exhibition has broad public appeal, crossing both ethnic and socio-economic segments of the public. The tour is planned to open spring 2011 at the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, SC. Check our website at (www.colemanfineart.com) for an update; it will be posted as soon as we get the news of when the segment will be aired. Whyte is an artist, author and teacher. She is nationally recognized for her figurative watercolor paintings of the rural people of South Carolina. Whyte's paintings have been exhibited in the nation's most prestigious shows, and her work hangs in numerous private and museum collections. She has been recently featured in "International Artist" and "American Artist" magazines, and at the Portrait Society of American conference in Washington, DC. For more information, contact Janice J. Rossmann, gallery director, at 843/853-7000 or visit (www.colemanfineart.com).

The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, has received its first grant from the Henry Luce Foundation helping to sustain the Museum's mission to provide quality American art to the public. This $30,000 grant provides the funding from a highly regarded national foundation for the re-installation of the Museum's American art collection opening July 18, 2009. "The Museum is grateful to the Luce Foundation for its support and focus on American art. This generous gift allows visitors to see many works at the Museum that have never been on view before," executive director Karen Brosius said. The grant from the Luce Foundation enables the Museum to display the American art collection on freshly painted walls and in specially designed casework. The re-installation project includes new text labels with large print and will enable visitors to easily identify the origin of each piece of art. The new American art gallery will have an introductory text panel to orient the visitor to what they will see in the gallery. "We are delighted to assist the Columbia Museum of Art showcase its growing American art collection and herald the 'Year of American Art,'" Henry Luce Foundation program director for American art Ellen Holtzman said. The Henry Luce Foundation, based in New York, NY, was established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc. The foundation supports a variety of American and international programs, in particular a focus on American art. Its American art funding program focuses on American fine and decorative art, and is committed to scholarship and the overall enhancement of American art history. The program supports exhibitions, publications and research that emphasize an aesthetic approach to American art, specifically scholarly study of painting, sculpture, prints, drawings, decorative arts, photography, and architecture. A leader in American art funding for more than 25 years, the foundation has surpassed $125 million in philanthropic support. Scholarly studies and enhanced awareness of American art have been supported at 250 museums, universities, and service organizations in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and internationally. For further info call the Museum at 803/799-2810 or visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).

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