Current Exhibitions at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts‏

November 6, 2015, from 6-10 PM:  Fall Exhibition Celebration!  The Turchin Center invites you inside after hours, to “engage, discover and connect through the arts.” Held several times a year, these celebrations offer a chance to meet the artists and enjoy a cocktail while wandering one of the most exciting venues in town: a collection of six galleries filled with a diverse mix of contemporary art from local, regional, and international artists. This Celebration will include live music, and a chance to win a TCVA wine tour. Learn more...

KIARA, Pigment print, 30″ X 40″

The Performance Review: Endia Beal “What’s really going on here?” That’s a question the artist Endia Beal asks throughout her work, which shines a bright, unwavering light on the ways in which black women are relegated to obscurity in our culture. “Beal is acutely aware of the under-representation of minority stories in contemporary art circles; it is even more rare to find stories of black women working within the structures of corporate America,” say Turchin Center Curator Mary Anne Redding. In fact, the title of her show refers to an experience Beal had working as a tall, young black woman in a mostly white IT office; she found out through the grapevine that her male colleagues were fascinated with her hair and wanted to touch it. So she let them—then documented the unorthodox office experience in one of the videos featured in her Turchin Center show. Learn more.   Exhibition ends: Saturday, December 19, 2015.

kirsten-stolle--From_Animal_Pharm

Intervention: Kirsten Stolle.  Take a closer look at the pretty floral wallpaper featured in the multimedia artist Kirsten Stolle’s mid-century kitchen, “Miracle Grow,” and you’ll notice not-so-innocent pesticide cans and herbicide containers where a daisy’s cheery center should be. “Stolle’s installations examine the influence of corporate agribusiness and biotech companies on the food supply,” says Redding, and to do that the artist uses text-based embroidery, manipulated audio loops, and such reference materials as vintage medical books, 20th century agricultural magazines, USDA promotional videos, and mid-century chemical-company print advertisements among other materials,  “I strive to create elegant environments within the context of disturbing genetic realities,” says Stolle.   Learn more.   Exhibition ends: Saturday, December 19, 2015.

Sightings: Ruth Ava Lyons

Sightings: Ruth Ava Lyons.  “The artist Ruth Ava Lyons is inspired by her passion for diving, endangered watery ecosystems, natural disasters, and other environmental factors,” says Redding. The artist’s experiences at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Florida Everglades, Congaree National Park, Cumberland Island and other national parks and forests have intensified her concern for the negative effect of man’s behavior on the natural world. Rather than a dark and gloomy vision, however, Lyons has translated her preoccupations into ‘brightly colored mixed media paintings that evoke the shimmering hues of the sea and the sensuality of moist surroundings,” says Redding.   Learn more.    Exhibition ends: Saturday, December 19, 2015.



STREAM: Razi Projects, the Collaborations of Suzi Davidoff and Rachelle Thiewes.  We began our collaborative partnership in 1999. As artists from very diverse disciplines, we found common ground in our interest in the landscape, pattern, light and one’s perception and navigation of the natural world. Our projects have ranged from artists books to installation to video with a focus on human interaction with the environment.   Learn more.  Exhibition ends: Saturday, February 6, 2016

View ALL Turchin Center Exhibits 

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts‏  is located at 423 West King Street in Boone NC. 

 

Penland Participates at SOFA in Chicago

Come visit Penland School of Crafts at this year’s SOFA Expo in Chicago November 5-8. The event is an annual art fair that celebrates sculpture and functional art, complete with gallery exhibits, lectures, and special displays.

photo courtesy of  Penland Sketchbook

Penland staff will be part of two SOFA educational lectures:

The Penland School of Crafts Gallery & Visitors Center 2016 Expansion Friday, November 5, 9:00am
Penland gallery director Kathryn Gremley and Penland executive director Jean McLaughlin will give a talk about the new Penland Gallery & Visitors Center. The discussion will feature artists Stoney Lamar and Kate Vogel and will cover the new programming possible in the gallery’s expanded space.

Art Quilts: A Contemporary Conversation Friday, November 5, 10:30am
Penland’s Jean McLaughlin will be part of a panel discussion on trends in contemporary quilt making put on by the friends of Fiber Art International.

In addition to these lectures, Penland friends will be staffing a Penland table to tell you about upcoming workshops and events on campus. They will also be represented alongside Arrowmont, Haystack, Pilchuck, and Peters Valley at a table for the Craft School Experience. Stop by to see all the opportunities.

 

Van Gogh at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

A creative interpretation of Vincent Van Gogh's Wheat Field with Cypresses has popped up in the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum. Thirty-six employees and friends of Cheap Joe's Art Stuff each painted a section of Van Gogh's masterpiece to create this larger-than-life mural. The collaborative painting will be displayed on the second floor of the Museum through November 21, 2015.

photo courtesy Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

 The Museum is located at 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock, NC and open year around with exhibits, events and educational opportunities.

ColorFest, Art and Taste of Appalachia this Weekend in Dillsboro NC

October 17, 2015   ColorFest, Art and Taste of Appalachia   Autumn's colors and flavors take center stage  during this popular annual festival. This arts and food event fills the sidewalks of Dillsboro with a variety of mountain artisans demonstrating their skills, plus food vendors serving up a taste of the North Carolina mountains.  

Local musicians and street entertainers add music to festivities, while restaurants and shops are open to serve the crowds throughout the day.  10 AM - 4 PM.

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival Begins Today

October 9 - 11, 2015   Cashiers Leaf Festival     Each year, the Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association (known locally a GCAMA, or G-comma) sponsors the Cashiers Leaf Festival. This 3-day event celebrates the beauty of the season that's particularly unique to this area. 

Featuring arts and crafts from local and regional artisans, food from area restaurants, music from a variety of bands on two main stages, and activities for all ages at various locations throughout the Cashiers Valley, the Cashiers Leaf Festival serves as the centerpiece of the area's Leaf Season. 

Learn more about Cashiers NC HERE, on our Visitors Guide. 

 

Autumn Leaves Craft Show this Weekend in Franklin NC

October 8 - 10, 2015     Autumn Leaves Craft Show   Unique, hand-made crafts by local skilled artisans in Western North Carolina. Enjoy great food and more. Held on the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin NC with over 50 venders.  Free admission and parking.

photo courtesy of FranklinMainstreetProgram.org