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Sementha Mathews

FREE Gallery Opening Reception Sept 16

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Featured artists are from Valdosta and Jacksonville

The Turner Center for the Arts will host the fine arts collections of Sean Hurley, Kristy Hughes, Jenny Hager & D. Lance Vickery, as well as the literary works of author Cheryl Carvajal, in a free Gallery Opening Reception on Monday, Sept. 16, from 5-7 p.m. The event will take place at the Turner Center galleries, located at 527 N. Patterson Street.

This gallery opening is unique in that it features two married couples extremely talented in their specialties.

Hurley and Hughes are members of the art faculty at Valdosta State University.

Hurley is an illustrator and print maker, whose drawings and prints examine the world with an unwavering eye for certainty and detail. Hurley’s work is well known among printmakers especially throughout the northeast, and they can be found in dozens of private collections as well as the collections of the Boston Athenaeum, the University of New Hampshire Museum of Art, and the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. His work is regularly exhibited in New York by Ebo Gallery and at The Old Print Shop, and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at Piscataqua Fine Arts.

Hughes is an abstract expressionist mixed-media artist who creates colorful collaged paintings about the human experience of knowing and not knowing. In her work, Hughes navigates between the contradictions of internal and external experience, paying attention to moments of simultaneity. Her work has been shown across the US, at venues in Brooklyn, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Indianapolis and has been published in Friend of the Artist, Burnaway, Cut Me Up Magazine, Execute Magazine, among others.

Vickery and Hager teach sculpture at the University of North Florida.

Vickery’s work balances between formalist sculpture and aesthetics and conceptual considerations of materials. He utilizes the tension between interiority and exteriority, both metaphorically and physically, in his works. These ideas manifest themselves in the process, materials and concepts. The pieces are rich in surface, texture and color, while visceral and physical in the process by which they were created.

Hager is a mixed-media and installation artist, whose artwork “Wings” was publicly displayed in Smith Park, in Valdosta, for the past year. Hager is interested in a variety of processes and materials, and finds inspiration in dreams, objects from her childhood, gadgets, sea life and other curiosities. She is also very interested in collaboration; the spirit of community is important in both her teaching practice and in her own work. Hager’s work has been exhibited across the country and recently in the Cymru Ironstone Castle Exhibition in Wales, the Pedvale Open-Air Art Museum in Latvia and Il Giardino di Daniel Spoerri in Seggiano, Italy. Hager created Sculpture Walk and UNF Seaside Sculpture Park, both in Jacksonville, Fla.; and she and Vickery created a sculpture on the Campus Program at UNF, among other projects.

Most Turner Center Gallery Opening Receptions also feature local authors and book-signing opportunities. The Sept. 16 reception is no exception and will feature the writings of Cheryl Carvajal, English teacher at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and wife of Valdosta State University President Richard Carvajal. Her books are available for purchase on the night of the event and are also available in the Turner Center Gift Shop. At the event, Carvajal will help the Turner Center launch a new writing program for youth called, Young Writers League, that will be led by Carvajal on Saturday mornings at the center, beginning on Oct. 12.

The East African Artifacts and the Fine European Porcelain collections—both permanent collections of the Turner Center—will be displayed in the Tillman and Howard Galleries respectively at the event.

“The Turner Center is proud to host and support the inspired works of these local artists at the free Sept. 16 Gallery Opening Reception,” said Executive Director Sementha Mathews. “Free admission to the Turner Center is made possible by the continued generous support of local members and donors. We invite the public to experience the fine art displayed at this community event, while using the opportunity to also become more familiar with everything your arts center has to offer for patrons of all ages.”

The gallery offerings will remain on display through Oct. 30 at the Turner Center. For more information on the upcoming Gallery Opening Reception or other services offered by the Turner Center for the Arts, call 229-247-2787 or visit www.turnercenter.org.

PAAC Meets February 21 at Airport for Public Art Unveiling

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The Valdosta Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) will meet on Thursday, February 21, 2019, at Noon, at the Valdosta Regional Airport. The meeting will take place in the airport conference room located in the airport’s main terminal.

Following the business meeting, the PAAC will host a Mural Unveiling Reception in the baggage claim area of the airport, at 1 p.m. The mural, painted by local artist Ethan Abbott, features various iconic events and people within each letter of the word “Valdosta.” It’s the first major piece of public art at the Valdosta Regional Airport, and it will warmly welcome visitors and returning community members to the area when they retrieve their luggage.

The PAAC, funded by the City of Valdosta, commissioned Abbott to paint the mural that celebrates life in the city. He is Valdosta homegrown, a graduate of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College in graphic arts, a member of the Regional Artists Community, and his works can be seen in various restaurants, businesses and homes across the community.

“This is one of 15 public art pieces that has been placed within the City Central Arts District (CCAD) as well as other community locations for people’s enjoyment and appreciation,” said Bruce Smith, PAAC Chair. “Our committee is pleased to unveil the mural at the airport, which will extend the warm South Georgia welcome that people have come to expect from Valdosta and that will also let our guests know that we are a thriving arts community. We invite the community to celebrate along with us at this Feb. 21 event.”

The mural at the airport also features a hashtag—a user-generated social media tag which makes it possible for people to post and find similarly-themed photos and content in one location using #ArtsValdosta. The committee hopes people will be inspired to take a photo of themselves in front of the airport mural, as well as any other art locations in the community, and then post them to the social media site.

The purpose of PAAC is to further the purchase, creation and appreciation of public art for its aesthetic value to the community. The PAAC also encourages the preservation and protection of works of public art which play a vital role in the economic development of the community. 

For more information about the PAAC, call 229-247-2787.

PAAC Meets Jan. 17

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PAAC Meets January 17

The Valdosta Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) will meet on Thursday, January 17, 2019, at 11:30 a.m. The regularly-scheduled meeting will take place in the second-floor board room of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, located at 527 N. Patterson Street.

The purpose of PAAC is to further the purchase, creation and appreciation of public art for its aesthetic value to the community. The PAAC also encourages the preservation and protection of works of public art which play a vital role in the economic development of the community.

For more information about the PAAC, call 229-247-2787.

Hurricane Michael’s Impact on Turner Center Activities

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The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 10, for the safety of our staff and patrons and due to the weather-related event caused by Hurricane Michael. The center will resume normal business hours on Thursday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m., unless otherwise announced.

Classes—

All classes and workshops held at the Turner Center for the Arts on Wednesday, Oct. 10 and Thursday, Oct. 11 are cancelled. These include:

  • Yoga
  • Photography & Photo Editing
  • Dean Little’s Painting Class
  • Boys & Girls’ Club Art Exploration
  • Hal & Jill Project Guitar Classes

Presenter Series—

The Choir of Man is scheduled to take place at Mathis Auditorium on Thursday, with a pre-show dinner at 6 p.m. and the show at 7:30 p.m. We are staying up-to-date with the weather reports, and any changes or cancellations will be announced on the center’s website  at www.turnercenter.org and on our social media sites.

Turner Center Kicks Off National Arts & Humanities Month with ARToberfest, Oct. 6

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Nearly two dozen local artists will be featured at ARToberfest 2018, this Saturday, October 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be held at the Turner Center for the Arts and the surrounding campus on N. Patterson and Webster Streets and will kick off National Arts & Humanities Month in the community.

Spanning three facilities, two large parking lots and a multi-use green space, the Turner Center will bring back the ARToberfest tradition that was celebrated nearly 20 years ago—when the Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission was located in the N. Patterson Street building that currently houses the Valdosta State University Bursary.

The main purpose of the festival is to celebrate the talent of local and regional artists and their contribution to our culture and community. Fine art will be displayed and sold on site under the cool tree canopy along the north perimeter of the center’s property. The event also features two artist demonstrations:  Angela Crance will demonstrate an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint project from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and Ethan Abbott will demonstrate a live portrait painting from noon to 2 p.m.

In addition, the center’s three facilities will host various activities beginning with the Ribbon Cutting & Open House of the Annex, at 601 N. Patterson Street, at 10 a.m. The Chamber of Commerce will recognize the renovations and building improvements to the first floor of the former Valdosta Optical building, which now provides additional classrooms and services for the Turner Center’s youth art program.

From 10 a.m. to noon, a youth pottery class will take place at the Hudson Potter Studio for those who register by Friday, Oct. 5. The main building at 527 N. Patterson Street will feature the 50-year collection of Ron Zaccari, whose work is also for sale on site.

At the concession stand, festival attendees may purchase a Sunset Farm Foods sausage dog, chips and a drink for $5, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  During this time, attendees may eat and be entertained by the instructors and students of the Hal & Jill Project, a guitar instructional program of the center.

“We are particularly excited to host this event on October 6, as it also marks the two-year anniversary of the Valdosta City Council’s Resolution that created the City Center Arts District (CCAD) and acknowledges the district as an incubator for art business, art creation and economic development in the art industry,” said Executive Director Sementha Mathews. “October is also National Arts and Humanities Month, and the Turner Center plans to make this an annual event that brings the community together each October to celebrate the important role that the arts play in our culture and community.

Attendees may visit the Information Booth at Saturday’s event for a list of upcoming art classes and events, as well as a festival schedule of events. For more information, contact the Turner Center at 229-247-2787, visit www.turnercenter.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PAAC Meets September 20

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PAAC Meets September 20

The Valdosta Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) will meet on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 11:30 a.m. The regularly-scheduled meeting will take place in the second-floor board room of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, located at 527 N. Patterson Street.

The purpose of PAAC is to further the purchase, creation and appreciation of public art for its aesthetic value to the community. The PAAC also encourages the preservation and protection of works of public art which play a vital role in the economic development of the community.

For more information about the PAAC, call 229-247-2787.

Turner Center Brings Back ARToberfest Tradition

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The Turner Center for the Arts, in partnership with the City Center Arts District (CCAD) and the newly-created Regional Artist Community (RAC), will host ARToberfest 2018 on Saturday, October 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the art center’s campus at N. Patterson and Webster Streets.

In their current campus that spans three facilities, two large parking lots and a multi-use green space, the Turner Center seeks to bring back the ARToberfest tradition that was celebrated nearly 20 years ago—when the Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission was located in the N. Patterson Street building that currently houses the Valdosta State University Bursary.

“We are particularly excited to host this event on October 6, as it also marks the two-year anniversary of the Valdosta City Council’s Resolution that created the CCAD and acknowledges the district as an incubator for art business, art creation and economic development in the art industry,” said Executive Director Sementha Mathews.

The combined efforts of the CCAD and RAC, as well as the participation of more than 20 regional artists who have already signed up as event vendors, is to celebrate fine arts and the creators of fine arts in our community.

“We are so proud of the artists that work with us here at the center,” said Debi Davis, Art Education Administrator. “Our goal with ARToberfest and the Regional Artist Community is to better promote and support regional artists by giving them a platform to be recognized at the center and in the community.”

ARToberfest 2018 will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly-renovated Annex, located at 601 N. Patterson Street. Over the past two months, the first floor of the former Valdosta Optical building has been transformed into two large classroom spaces to meet the expanding needs of the center.

Following the ribbon-cutting and open-house of the Annex at 10 a.m., the festival will feature a variety of fine arts for sale by regional artists, several artist demonstrations, and entertainment. Attendees may also purchase lunch on site, which includes sausage dogs provided by Sunset Farm Foods.

Regional artists may continue to register for membership in the RAC, as well as a booth at the event. For more information, contact the Turner Center at 229-247-2787, visit www.turnercenter.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ron Zaccari’s Fine Art Fills Turner Center Galleries

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The Turner Center for the Arts will host the fine arts collection of Ron Zaccari in a free Gallery Opening Reception on Monday, Sept. 17, from 5-7 p.m., marking the first time that a solo artist has been featured in all five rotating galleries at the Turner Center.

“Faces. Vases. Places. A Retrospective” will showcase Zaccari’s art work from 1968 to 2018 and include numerous works from private collections in the northeast and southeast United States.

Zaccari is esteemed for his professional career as a public school art teacher, art professor and higher education administrator, including presidential appointments at West Liberty State University, West Virginian and Valdosta State University. He has juried prestigious art competitions throughout his career and has received numerous awards from juried exhibitions.

After a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis and hiatus, Zaccari testifies that the work completed over the past two year “saved my life.” He artistically coupled this personal experience with his superb ingenuity to create a unique and extraordinary collection for others to appreciate.

Zaccari will discuss his lifetime of creating art at a Gallery Talk, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 6-7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public and includes light refreshments.

“We are extremely grateful to Zac for allowing us to host his prestigious collection of fine art for six weeks in five of our galleries at the Turner Center,” said Executive Director Sementha Mathews. “This is an once-in-a-lifetime collection of his work on display in one location for us to appreciate and celebrate. It is yet another testament to how incredibly blessed we are to have such impeccable, artistic talent in our community.”

The public is invited to experience Zaccari’s collection over the six-week gallery opening, from Sept. 17 through Oct. 31. For more information on the upcoming gallery opening or other services offered by the Turner Center for the Arts, please call 229-247-2787 or visit turnercenter.org.

Julie Smith named Turner Center’s 2018 Art Instructor of the Year

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The Turner Center for the Arts held its first Instructor of the Year Reception on Monday afternoon. The center employs more than 20 art instructors throughout the year.

Ceramics instructor Julie Smith has been an instructor at the center since 2014, teaching four to five classes weekly including throwing and hand-building pottery classes, empty bowls program, and ceramics on the road, as well as other specialty classes and workshops throughout the year. Hundreds of students across the city and region have benefited from her passion and talent.

Smith has been aptly named as the center’s 2018 Art Instructor of the Year.

“The Turner Center gave me the opportunity to resume pottery in an environment that I would have never thought I could. I started doing this for high school credit , and now here I am doing it for a living. Had it not been for the center, I’d still be wondering how to fire my pottery, instead, I’m sharing that knowledge with fellow artists every day,” said Smith.

Smith completed a degree in art in 1980 and went on to complete her masters in her minor study, archaeology. After nearly 33 years, Smith decided to give pottery another try and purchased a used potter’s wheel that she says is still in her den. She sat down to the wheel with a lump of clay from Hobby Lobby and in her own words: “…here I am. It’s like riding a bike, it doesn’t go away, thank goodness!”

At the reception, Executive Director Sementha Mathews publicly thanked the teachers and instructors for their time and dedication to the Turner Center for the Arts. For information about classes and events, contact the center at 229-247-2787 or visit turnercenter.org.

Turner Center Receives GCA Grant to Promote Southern Blues Culture

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Exhibit to be Featured in a Gallery Opening Reception, on July 30

The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts is the recipient of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) project grant to raise awareness of blues musicians and their music that have shaped our unique American culture. The cultural collection will be a featured exhibit in the free Gallery Opening Reception held at the Turner Center on July 30, from 5-7 p.m.

The regional arts center was one of 132 organizations throughout the state who were collectively awarded more than $1 million in funding, and one of 36 organizations to receive a project grant, which includes appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts for fiscal year 2019.

The $6,200 grant, which was matched by the Price-Campbell Foundation, will fund a We are the Music Makers! photography exhibit in the Turner Center’s Sallie & Harmon Boyette Gallery. The 30-panel interactive exhibit features photographs taken over the past 20 years by Music Maker Founder Timothy Duffy. Exhibit attendees will be able to use their smart phones to access We are the Music Makers! audio and video clips that draw attention to the southern musical traditions of the blues.

The grant will also fund the Music Maker Blues Review concert on August 11, at 8 p.m., at the Turner Center. The Music Maker Blues Review is an all-star band of veteran musicians who have worked with Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Clarence Carter, to name a few. This lineup of performers will include Georgia natives Eddie Tigner, Albert White, and the “Empress of Atlanta Blues” Sandra Hall. A limited amount of tickets will be sold for this event, which will also take place in the center’s Boyette Gallery.

Both of these exquisite events are the productions of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports, promotes and sustains American culture music by partnering directly with the artists who make it. Their photography exhibit and musical performances have been revered across the nation for drawing attention to an important aspect of our culture and for the financial assistance they provide for struggling blues artists—of which most are over age 55 and earn less than $18,000 annually.

“We are proud to bring these high-quality and educational experiences to our communities,” said Turner Center Executive Director Sementha Mathews. “We invite those in our immediate and surrounding communities to enjoy the music that has made us. We thank the Georgia Council for the Arts and the Price-Campbell Foundation for their financial support and for helping us make this exceptional event a reality for the people we serve.”

The July 30 Gallery Opening Reception takes place at the Turner Center’s main facility, located at 527 N. Patterson Street, in Valdosta, and will also include a collection of Katie Dobson Cundiff’s visual impressions, the Empty Bowl “Fight Against Hunger” fundraiser, artwork by the Southern Artists’ League, the East African Artifacts and Fine European Porcelain collections.

For more information, call the Turner Center for the Arts at 229-247-2787 or visit turnercenter.org.