Juried SC Artists Exhibition Opens Saturday

The Pickens County Cultural Commission is pleased to announce that the “Pickens County Museum’s Thirty-Fourth Annual Juried South Carolina Artist’s Exhibition” will open to the public with reception and awards ceremony on Saturday April 27, from 5 until 8 pm. The announcement and presentation of awards will take place at 7:00 pm. The competition was open to all artists working in any medium, 18 years of age or older and living in South Carolina. The exhibition will remain on view until June 13, 2013.

Kristen Watts, Director of Collections & Exhibitions for The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina served as juror for this year’s competition. Kristen has more than fifteen years of museum experience in areas of exhibition development and management, donor cultivation, collections care and management, and public speaking. A magna cum laude graduate of the College of Charleston, she also holds a Master of Arts in Public History and Master of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina at Columbia.

Watts spent the day of April 12 looking at, and contemplating 394 works of art representing 214 South Carolina artisans. The vast array of paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, ceramics, fiber and other mediums made for the difficult task of selecting works for, and eliminating works from, the final show. The impressive final selection of 112 works of art represents 100 individuals currently creating visual art in this state.

About the jury, Ms Watts said, “I was very honored to serve as the juror for the Pickens County Museum’s 34th Annual Juried South Carolina Artists Competition. The 394 pieces submitted showed the extraordinary range of talent in the area.  I was quite impressed by the diversity of media - painting, ceramics, turned wood, sculpture, printmaking, photography, jewelry, recycled materials - as well as broad range of styles from traditional landscape and portraiture to contemporary abstract paintings, photography, and sculpture.”

Watts continued, “It was difficult in face of this broad range of diverse talent to make final selections. However, it was very rewarding for me to see the talent of these artists, and I look forward to seeing more in the future.”

Thanks to the kind sponsorships of Pickens County & the Pickens County Cultural Commission along with the Hiott Printing Company, Greystone Industries, Mary Howe Benjamin, Roger Benjamin, Sherrill F. Benjamin, J. Connie & June Bowers, Doreen Heimlich, Larissa Heimlich, Philip & Gilda Hendricks, Wayne Kelley, John & Judy Rozelle and Mrs. Shirley Sarlin, cash and purchase awards will be presented at the April 27 opening reception. 

The Pickens County Museum of Art & History is funded in part by Pickens County, friends and members of the museum and a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

No matter where your individual taste in art may lead, you will find satisfaction in this exhibition. The variety of work represented is a generous reflection of the community of artists presently at work in South Carolina.

Located at the corner of Hwy. 178 at 307 Johnson Street in Pickens SC, the museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Admission is free but donations are welcomed. For more information call the museum at (864) 898-5963.

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