Rebecca Gallagher

Three new exhibits were unveiled during a free, public reception Monday evening at the arts center.

The Turner Center for the Arts presented the fine arts collections of Natalie Andreeva, Inside Out: Celebrating Women in Art, and the RAC (Regional Artists Community) inaugural group exhibit, as well as the literary works of author Steve McCurdy, in a free Gallery Opening Reception on Monday, Nov. 4, from 5-7 p.m. Read More

Celebration held at 2^nd Annual ARToberfest, Oct. 26

Local artists and their works are featured at ARToberfest 2019, this Saturday, October 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The annual event will be held at the newly-created Turner Center Art Park, located at 605 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta. Valdosta Mayor John Gayle, along with Turner Center board members, staff and park sponsors, will cut the ribbon at 10 a.m., at the Art Park Pavilion, located in the center of the park. Read More

VALDOSTA- Music by Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson and Frankie Valli top the 2019-20 Presenter Series.

The arts center, and its support organization, Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission, has put together a Presenter Series of nationally touring, professional shows for more than 50 years.

Presenter Series fans can look forward to three nationally touring productions in the coming months, said Nancy Warren, who co-chairs the Presenter Series committee with Tina Folsom, and Sementha Mathews, arts center executive director.

Written by Dean Poling
Click Here to Read More at valdostadailytimes.com

The Turner Center for the Arts held its second annual Art Instructor of the Year Reception on July 29. The center employs more than 20 art instructors throughout the year.

Photography instructor Javon Longieliere has been an instructor at the center for nearly two years, teaching more than 113 students to date in both beginner and advanced photography sessions.

Longieliere has been aptly named as the center’s 2019 Art Instructor of the Year.

“I learn and experience just as much as these students do each time we get together for a class,” said Longieliere. “We have so much fun and really learn what each others needs are, which make the classes very mutually beneficial. Now that I’ve started with the center, I just can’t imagine not doing this every week.”

Longieliere is renowned for his destination wedding photography and his continual support of his craft throughout the region. He has published a book titled, “Destination Weddings” and more recently was published in Digital Photo Pro magazine.

At the reception, Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission Board President Jeani Synyard, Executive Director Sementha Mathews and Art Education Administrator Debi Davis each publicly thanked the teachers and instructors for their time and dedication to the Turner Center for the Arts, noting that the center’s goals and overall mission would be impossible without each of them.

For information about classes and events, contact the center at 229-247-2787 or visit turnercenter.org.

Photo caption: Pictured L to R: LVAC Board President Jeani Synyard, Arts Education Administrator Debi Davis, 2019 Art Instructor of the Year Javon Longieliere and Executive Director Sementha Mathews during the Art Instructor Reception Monday evening at the Turner Center for the Arts.

Presenter Series Co-Chair Nancy DeRuyter Warren (center) and Co-Chair Tina Folsom (right) reveal the Broadway shows included in the 2019-2020 Presenter Series season to Valdosta Daily Times Executive Editor Dean Poling. The announcement, written by Poling, will appear in the Sunday, July 28 issue of the Valdosta Daily Times. Season tickets sales will begin on Monday, July 29 with a blockbuster “buy two, get one free” special that will run through Aug. 31. For more information, visit turnercenter.org or call 229-247-2787.

The Turner Center for the Arts will host Art History in a Nutshell, a two-day workshop focused on the “big hitters” in art history. Instructor Connie Wells has prepared a take-home handout that will allow attendees to take notes in class as well as retain the information afterwards. Wells said the goal of this class is to “give everyone a sense of wonder at the art that changed how we see [art] and the artists that showed us how to see in a new way. I also hope to unlock the door to the mystery that we all see [art] differently and how we look at art is a treasure in itself. No secret code, learned handshake, or amount of education can alter this mystery.” Art History in a Nutshell will take place on Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 23, from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., at the Turner Center Art Annex, 601 N. Patterson St. For more information, including cost, call 229-247-2787. Registration is also available at turnercenter.org under “Upcoming Classes” on the main homepage.

The Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission (LVAC) is proud to announce the appointment of five new board members who will each serve a three-year term, beginning in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

Joining an existing Board of Directors comprised of 30 members are (pictured in front row, from left) Roni King Strickland, Jennifer Powell, Nancy McGee, Cheryl Oliver and Allen Lehmann. Also pictured in second row is LVAC Board President Jeani Synyard and Turner Center Executive Director Sementha Mathews.

“We are excited to have these talented, like-minded individuals on our team, officially,” said Synyard. “These key players have been instrumental in the growth of the Turner Center and we have no doubt they will continue being strong advocates for us and the arts community.”

The LVAC also said farewell to Rev. Peter Ingeman (pictured with Synyard, LVAC Board President), but he will only be missed at monthly board meetings. Rev. & Mrs. Ingeman continue to be influential, treasured members and volunteers of the Turner Center.

For more information about the Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission and the Turner Center for the Arts, please visit turnercenter.org, call us at 229-247-2787 or visit us at 527 N. Patterson St.

A complete list of board members can be found here.

The Turner Center for the Arts announces it’s final week of summer classes with sessions dedicated to youth ages 13 and up. Sizzlin’ Summer Sessions is a single week of t-shirt design and screen-printing classes, smartphone photography and a modern craft class teaching processes for jewelry making, macramé and other hands-on crafts. Students and parents are encouraged to take advantage of the “buy two sessions, get the third free” promotion, which will allow students to bring their lunches and spend their day at the center. More information including pricing can be found at turnercenter.org, by calling 229-247-2787 or by visiting 527 N. Patterson St.

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