News

The Turner Center for the Arts will host the Dabbit Trio for a Music in the Park Summer Concert, on Friday, August 14, from 7-9 p.m., in the Art Park located at 605 N. Patterson Street.

Sponsored by IPG, Inc.- Architects & Planners, the Dabbit Trio plays a mix of local favorites and all-time classic party music. Read More

The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts will host a Gallery Opening Reception on Monday, August 3, featuring several local artists from Valdosta and Tallahassee. Artworks from the following are on display for the community to enjoy: Jill Bright’s collection of oil paintings titled, “Bright”; a photography collection from Thomas Phillips titled, “Lux et umbra: Monochrome Musings of a Middle-Aged Medic”; Javon Longieliere’s photography collection capturing “Hometown Heroes: A Valdosta, Georgia Story”; and Tallahassee artist Lucrezia Bieler’s artwork titled, “Cutting Nature.”

The Turner Center’s permanent European porcelain collection is also on display in the Howard Gallery.

The Center staff is committed to adhering to necessary procedures to maintain a clean and safe experience, which includes several self-sanitizing stations located throughout the galleries. Opening Gallery Reception attendees are required to wear a mask, or one may be purchased for $5 from the reception desk. In addition, non-contact temperature checks will be taken at the door.

The free gallery opening reception on August 3 is from 5 to 7 p.m. All exhibits will remain open for the public’s enjoyment through Wednesday, September 16, 2020. For more information, call 229-247-2787.

The Turner Center for the Arts has delayed the opening of the 2020-2021 Presenter Series, which for over 50 years has featured three to five national touring shows annually for performing arts enthusiasts in Valdosta, Lowndes County and across the region. Concerns for the overall health and safety of patrons on account of COVID-19 have created obstacles to hosting the quality performances for which the Turner Center has become known.

The global health crisis forced Broadway to shut its doors through the end of 2020, and the majority of performing arts companies across the nation have followed suit. Due to the communal nature of performing art events, the Turner Center will wait until it can safely host large crowds again at the Mathis City Auditorium.

“The Presenter Series Committee is working hard to schedule a great season to kick off the year 2021, and we are extremely grateful to the patience and understanding of our season ticket holders,” said Executive Director Sementha Mathews. “No one is exempt from the conditions we are experiencing here and around the world. We look forward to resuming these large cultural events and the new Presenter Series season when it is safe to do so.”

To stay informed about the Presenter Series and all other Turner Center programs, visit www.turnercenter.org to sign up for the E-newsletter, or call 229-247-2787 (ARTS).

The Center for the Arts (CAG) Guild welcomed four new board members and elected officers for the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year, which begins July 1, 2020. CAG is intensely involved in supporting the interest in and rendering services to the advancement of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts as the region’s art center hub.

At their May 5 meeting, the following individuals were elected as board officers for the new fiscal year: Jane Burgsteiner, president; Helen Tucker, past-president; Rosemary Brannen, recording secretary; Linda Grondahl, corresponding secretary; and Margaret Mittiga, treasurer.

The board also unanimously voted four new members to the board: Rena Barclay, Peggy Chitty, Jeneane Grimsley, and Krekoria Ward.

The CAG is currently accepting new members. Membership dues are $25 annually, and lifetime memberships are $500. All members participate in supporting the Center with art activities, gallery opening receptions, and fundraisers—such as the Food & Wine Classic—throughout the year.

On Oct. 5-7, 2020, the CAG will host a Gogh Green fundraiser at the Turner Center. The event will sell recycled art to help raise funds for Center programs. Individuals interested in donating their art works for the cause may email Jane Burgsteiner at jane01@bellsouth.net.

For more information about CAG, Gogh Green or to become a member, call the Center at 229-247-2787 or visit www.turnercenter.org.

 The Valdosta Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) will host their next monthly meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2020, at 11:30 a.m. In order to practice social distancing, this public meeting will be held in the Josette’s Gallery of the Turner Center for the Arts, located at 527 N. Patterson Street. It is requested that each attendee wears a mask.

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.

PAAC meets on the third Thursday of each month, and meetings are open to the public. For more information about the PAAC, call 229-247-2787.

Painting, drawing and creating art are some of the best ways to cope with the quarantine blues. While doors are temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Turner Center for the Arts is taking the benefits of creativity out into the community. Read More