An Update

Remember that Jeremy Hughes opening reception at White Tiger we weren't sure about? Looks like it's tomorrow night at 6 p.m.

Art Around Athens

We'd thought the opening reception for White Tiger Gourmet's new art exhibition of paintings by ex-MFA student Jeremy Hughes wasn't until February 12, but the Athens Banner-Herald had a nice article yesterday that said it's tonight (Friday, February 5) at 6 p.m. You might as well try tonight, and if the reception's not going on, you could just pick up some dinner (White Tiger is primarily a restaurant) and return a week later. Hughes's work is a lot of fun, and if he's going to be there he has intelligent things to say about it.

Saturday, February 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the Athens-Clarke County Library will present "How to Properly Price Your Art," a $20 workshop by retired banker, finance and marketing man Lee Nelson.

And, of course, GMOA will hold Speakeasy at 7 p.m. It's been a long time coming and a lot of planning, but we are so excited about this event. It should be a unique and fun-filled evening, with tours of C.L. Morehead's art collection by GMOA curators, drinks, dancing, live music, a silent auction and more. We can't wait to see you there in your 1920s finery.

Art Around Athens

Hooray! We're back to highlighting local visual arts events in the Athens area and sometimes beyond, and there's some fun stuff going on this weekend, beginning with the opening reception on Friday (January 8) at 7 p.m. at the Lamar Dodd School of Art for the exhibition "New York Paintings, 2006-2009: Selected Works by James Herbert." Herbert is professor emeritus at the art school, where he taught until 2006, and currently resides in New York. The exhibition is in Gallery 101 at the Dodd and will run through February 3.


That same evening, beginning a bit earlier, a t 6 p.m., White Tiger Gourmet, at the corner of Boulevard and Hiawassee, will hold an opening reception for an exhibition of photography by brothers Rand and Hudson Lines titled "Morning Gravy." The exhibition runs through January 31. You can see some of the Lineses' work at their Web site, here.


On Saturday (January 9), from 7 to 9 p.m., ATHICA (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art) will hold an opening reception for its brand-new exhibition "Nurture: Video and Photography by Amy Jenkins," organized by Lizzie Zucker-Saltz. Here's some description from ATHICA's site:

This exhibit marks three firsts for ATHICA: it is our first focusing on the personal yet universal issues of parenting and breast-feeding, our first large-scale video-art exhibit, and our first full-run solo artist exhibition. The works are from Jenkins' "Cradle" series, in which the artist films herself and members of her family in order to reveal salient aspects of familial relationships. In the artist's words 'Visceral and emotional, these personal narratives offer a window into intimate life, where the commonplace becomes surprising and unexpected.' Poignant and humorous, these beautifully composed works are sure to appeal to families and art lovers alike.

The curator selected several pieces focusing on breastfeeding in order to focus the community on the significant mental and physical health benefits for mother and baby as well as create discourse around the issues of its suppression in visual culture (where bottle is king) and the ongoing legal battles surrounding public breastfeeding. One of Jenkins' works, a 19 minute video, "The Audrey Samsara," was subject to a censorship scandal in 2004, which guest essayist Mary Jessica Hammes explains is her exhibition catalog essay.

We are delighted to be debuting video works by Jenkins such as "Held," "Milky-Milk" and the recently completed "Audrey Superhero." "Tug," [above] a photograph in the format of a long horizontal strip, features the artist and her spouse pulling on opposing ends of a bright red rope, a now-grown Audrey by her mother’s side. The composition elegantly condenses contemporary parents’ struggles with sharing child-rearing responsibilities into a striking image rich with feminist issues. This is the artist's ' first solo exhibition south of Kentucky, which follows two decades of the New Hampshire-based artist's exhibitions at national and international museums and galleries.

ATHICA has many more events associated with the exhibition, a list of which can be seen on their Web site.

Finally, on Sunday (January 10) at 9:30 a.m., the Lyndon House Arts Center will host "An Approach to Design," a free lecture by Sabiha Mujtaba, artist and instructor at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta, about her custom wood furniture and art pieces. We don't have many more details than that, but it sounds interesting.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. We hope it's snowy!

Art Around Athens (and Beyond)

This weekend is another busy one for the art world in Athens!

Thursday, December 10, at the UGA Visual Arts Building, the Georgia Museum of Art will host a Holiday Shop and Book Sale in the lobby. The sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, the museum’s gift shop and the GMOA department of communications. The sale is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., December 10 and 11. Call 706.542.4662 for more information.

Friday, December 11, ATHICA will host the “Not So Silent Night” silent auction, with bidding on art, jewelry, weekend getaways, computer services and more. This is the second annual fundraiser for Clarke Central High School’s student publications, “Odyssey Newsmagazine” and “Iliad Literary Magazine,” so come out and support the students. The auction opens at 7 p.m. and will close at 9 p.m. and there is a suggested donation of $10. Visit www.athica.org for more information.

Also this weekend, Blue Tin Art Studio is hosting an art sale featuring affordable art by local artists Erin McIntosh, Sarah Seabolt, Denton Crawford, Craig Hawkins, Marie Porterfield and David Savino. The sale is Friday, December 10, from noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday, December 11, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, December 11, through Sunday, December 13, Good Dirt is hosting its Annual Holiday Pottery Sale. This is the 12th annual sale featuring functional pottery and ceramic sculpture from a wide selection of Athens-area studio potters. The sale will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Also, every Friday Good Dirt hosts a weekly “Try Clay” class from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and a “Family Try Clay” class on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for $20 per person. These are great ways to experiment with different types of art, so why not try something new? Call 706.355.3161 or visit www.gooddirt.net for more information.

Saturday, December 12, Crocker Pottery in Lula, Ga. (6345 W. County Line Rd.), is hosting its Christmas Kiln sale. This sale features over 150 pieces for freshly made pottery by Michael and other Crocker family members. There will be face jugs, "pigs," snake jugs, grape pots, ring jugs, Rebekah pitchers, miniatures and more with Meaders and other North Georgia pottery for sale! Contact 770.869.3160 for more information.

Also Saturday, White Tiger Gourmet is hosting a holiday art market from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be a variety of handmade jewelry from local artists and vintage items to choose from, along with some tasty treats from White Tiger. Visit their Facebook event page for more details.

Soup Studios (2140 S. Lumpkin Street) is hosting its annual holiday studio this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come and warm up with some hot apple cider and enjoy Soup Studios’ newest pieces. You can expect fun hats, clay and sterling jewelry, and an entire line of functional pottery. Call 706.340.1973 or visit www.soupstudios.com for more information.

Saturday as well, the Old Clarke County Jail (380 B Meigs Street) is hosting a free holiday open house. Charles Pinckney is opening up his studio to the public. You can find hand-crafted wearable sculpture, including earrings, pendants and bracelets, as well as unique furniture and decor. The open house is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 706.614.6115 or visit www.charlespinckney.com for more information.

Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, Carter Gillies Pottery (572 Nantahala Ave.) is hosting the Absolute Crockery! pottery sale. The sale features work by local potters including Geoff and Lisa Pickett, Jeff Bishoff, Jim Peckham, Julie Greene and Juana Gnecco. The sale is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 706.546.7235 or visit www.carterthepotter.etsy.com for more information.

Also Saturday and Sunday in Elberton, at 3558 Ruckersville Road, is the 24^th Annual Jeanne Mack Studio Open House, offering food, new friends, and plenty of great new art! Each year, Jeanne designs a new snowman print for everyone who attends as a gift of appreciation. When you buy art you’ll receive a gift, as well as if you bring cat food in support of Jeanne and Glenn’s cat rescue. The open house is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Call 706.283.5959 for directions and more information.

Sunday, December 13, Brick House Studio is hosting another Holiday Market from noon to 5 p.m. You can expect jewelry and various other handmade goods from local artists. Visit www.lamarwood.com for more information.

Art Around Athens (and Beyond)

There are plenty of different art related events going on in and around Athens this weekend. It’s a great time to get some holiday shopping done!

Friday:
Friday, December 4, from 2 to 9 p.m., the Chase Street Warehouses will host the First Friday Celebration and Holiday Market. Different shops and studios in the Railroad Arts District open their doors for the holiday market. You can expect unique handmade works, live music, coffee and cider and a wealth of holiday cheer! Visit www.railroadartdistrict.blogspot.com for more information.

As part of the sale, Trace Studio is hosting its own Holiday Show and Sale in the Railroad Arts District. The sale offers affordable, usable ceramic art by the Trace Studio Collective. You can find work from Annette Gates, Lauren Gallaspy, Jorire Berman, Rob Jackson, Mark Jordan and Andy Nasisse. The sale opens at 2 p.m. and will continue until 7 p.m. from December 4 to December 6. Call 706.549.6877 for more information.

The DeWitt Pottery Studio in Watkinsville is having a sale from December 4 to December 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The sale features functional stoneware and porcelain pottery. Call 706.769.5361 or visit www.dewittpottery.com for more information.

Marmalade Pottery (585 Barber Street, in the D.O.C. building) is also hosting a sale this weekend. The sale opens December 4 at 5 p.m. and will continue until 9 p.m., and December 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It features work by Maria Dondero and Tiffany Whitfield. Call 706.248.6899 for more information.

160 Tracy Street will host the closing reception for the exhibition "Six Hundred Seventy-Three Thousand, Nine Hundred Twenty Minutes” Friday as well, from 7 to 9 p.m. The exhibit features new work from UGA MFA sculpture candidates Doug Barton and Steven Abadie and is free. Visit www.abadieart.com for more information.

Flicker Theatre & Bar will host a free opening reception at 6:30 p.m. on Friday for an exhibition of shadowbox photographic collages by Alexei Gural. Visit www.myspace.com/flickerbar for more information.

The Lamar Dodd School of Art will hosts a free opening reception for “Exit Strategies,” an exhibition featuring the thesis work of BFA candidates in jewelry and metalworking, fabric design, ceramics, photography and sculpture. This reception begins at 7 p.m. and will end at 9 p.m. Visit www.art.uga.edu for more information.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates will host a free reception Friday at 6 p.m. for an exhibition featuring paintings and sculpture by local arts and art educator Leonard Piha. Call 706.353.6847 for more information.
Bendzunas Studio and Gallery will host an open house glass-blowing demonstration and holiday sale. The sale opens December 4 from 6 to 10 p.m. and continues Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 706.783.5869 or visit www.benzunasglass.com for more information.

Saturday:
December 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winterhawk Pottery (1101 Salem Road) is having an art sale featuring southeastern Native American art. Call 706.310.1893 or visit www.winterhawkpottery.com for more information.
At 1171 Freeman Creek Road, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be an art sale featuring stoneware and porcelain pottery, dinnerware, kitchen and tableware, garden pots and more from local artists. Call 706.769.8100 or visit www.pickettpottery.com for more information.

283 Bar in downtown Athens will host a holiday artists’ market Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring an assemblage of handmade works by local artists alongside your favorite holiday cocktails. The sale features jewelry, paintings, ceramics, paper crafts, wooden toys, ornaments and handmade bags. Call 706.208.1283 for more information.

Blue Bell Gallery hosts the Blue Bell Open House and holiday celebration featuring over 40 local artists' work. There will be clay, glass, stone and steel from Tina McCullough, Barbara Bendzunas, Tammy Nance, Duane Paxson, Michael Shetterly, Beverly Babb and more. Call 706.783.4665 or visit www.bluebellgallery.net for more information.

Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, December 6, noon to 5 p.m., downtown Athens hosts the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa. Pledge to stay out of the malls this holiday season and support your local businesses and artists! Quirky, raw and innovative arts from local and regional artists and crafters will be on sale and display in the parking lot that adjoins Agora at the corner of Clayton and Pulaski streets. Visit www.athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com for more information.

Saturday, December 5 through Sunday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Farmington Pottery (1790 Salem Road) is hosting a pottery and art show and sale. You can expect beautiful and unique art by potter Jeff Bishoff and various local artists.

Also Saturday from, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Morgan Pottery in Danielsville is hosting a pottery sale. Potter David Morgan will be showing and selling his own salt-glazed and gas-fired pottery. Call 706.540.3295 for more information.

Flinn Family Pottery (on Hull Rd.) will have a free studio open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 706.207.5923 for more information.

The same day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., R. Wood Pottery will hold its annual holiday studio sale featuring ceramic dinnerware and unique collectables. Call 706.613.8525 for more info.

Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation is hosting its 15th Annual Holiday Market. The market features 70 of the region's top artists and includes pottery, paintings, fiber art, stained and fused glass, jewelry, sculpture, photography, woodwork and more. A $3 donation is requested. Visit www.ocaf.com for more information.

Also Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Farmington Pottery will have a free pottery and art show and sale at 1790 Salem Road, featuring beautiful and unique work by potter Jeff Bishoff and various local artists.

Sunday:
Aurum Studio is hosting a free opening reception this Sunday, December 6 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for an exhibit featuring paintings by Christine Shockley-Gholson and John Gholson. Call 706.546.8826 for more information.

Also Sunday, Wolf Creek Pottery in Danielsville will host the opening reception for their Visionary Growth Gallery for "Our Way or No Way," an exhibit featuring new works by UGA Sculpture Professor Jim Buonaccorsi and painter David Barron. The reception is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is free. Call 706.363.0393 or visit www.visgrow.com for more information.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia will have a holiday open house on Sunday, from 2 to 5 p.m., which is free and open to the public. This year’s decorations celebrate birds in the garden with An Audubon Christmas. Musical entertainment includes performances by the Georgia Children’s Chorus, the Solstice Sisters and the Classic City Band, and there will be puppet shows in the children’s classroom at 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30. Mark Parsons Photography will be on hand to take photos of children (and adults) with Santa and Mrs. Claus for $10 each, payable to the photographer. The Garden Gift Shop will be open for your shopping pleasure, and you can purchase holiday treats in the newly renovated Gardenside Café.

Flagpole also has a great rundown of arts and crafts sales in the area, so check there too!

Art Around Athens (and farther...)

There is a ton of stuff going on this weekend, y'all, so you may have to pick and choose.



Today (Friday, Oct. 2), from 5 to 9 p.m., is a free open house in the Railroad Arts District of Athens, which has started a First Friday thing. Art and wares will be on display at the D.O.C. Building on Barber and the Chase Street Warehouses, around the corner from there, including works by Lou Kregel (the coordinator of all this), fused-glass jewelry by Annette Paskiewicz (see above), a hoop dance class at Canopy, and much more, including an art sale on the sidewalk in front of Mercury A.I.R. Click the link for a full list.



Just a little bit later (from 6 to 8 p.m.) and right nearby is an art opening at White Tiger for Casa de la Cultura, a pottery group for Latino women. The facebook page for the event says:

A brief history: Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture) was created in 2004 by a partnership of Casa de Amistad (a local non-profit that serves Latino families) and the Lyndon House to provide a creative outlet and an opportunity for support and friendship for Latino women. Since then, Casa de la Cultura has been offering free weekly clay workshops every Friday morning at the Lyndon House. Casa de la Cultura is an open group whose members are typically mothers of small children or women who work the late shift at the local poultry plants. Other members are our children, who join us while they are pre-schoolers and during the Summer months when they are out of school. We have also been lucky enough to have volunteer potters and non-potters offer all kinds of assistance: teaching workshops, providing technical help, giving rides to people, or just coming to make art with us. Our pots are sold in art sales around town. Artists are able to generate a small income by keeping 80% of the sale of their pieces. The other 20% goes to buy clay and glazes.

The exhibition closes with a Dia de los Muertos celebration Nov. 6.



From 6 to 9 p.m., a little farther away, is an opening reception at OCAF for two exhibitions: Profess, featuring work created by the art faculty from both the Oakwood and Oconee campuses at Gainesville State College, and Table’ de Art: Place Matters, an exhibition of placemats made in a variety of textile and fiber media produced by the Athens Fibercraft Guild. Mary Jessica Hammes had a great article in the Athens Banner-Herald about the latter yesterday. Both exhibitions run through Oct. 31.

Events start early on Saturday, with a Turning and Burning Day at Crocker Pottery in Lula, Ga., from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Click on the link for a map. This year will feature memorial exhibitions of works by Reggie and Anita Meaders, as well as a great selection of old and new pottery made by the Crocker family, many Meaders family pieces (from the ordinary to the very rare), unusual pieces by Bobby Ferguson and other Ferguson family members, and wares by Clint Alderman, Wayne Hewell, Roger Corn and other local potters. Michael Crocker, who sent out the email and has spoken at the museum's Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts, notes, "Many potters in the Gillsville/Lula area will be out displaying and selling their pottery on this day. Be sure to pick up a Folk Potters Trail Map while here so you can easily find them."



It's also time for the R. Wood Studio fall sale, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., which you can find out more about here.

And, that evening, in Macon, Ken Burns will be in town for the opening of an exhibition of the works of William Segal, which the Georgia Museum of Art hopes to have at some point. The Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences doesn't have a lot of detail about the opening or the exhibition on its Web site, but here is a link to Segal's obituary, which explains some of what his work is about.

Art Around Athens

Tonight (Friday, Sept. 11) from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center is a free opening reception for the exhibition Reflections on Water, Earth & Sky, featuring photography by Lucinda Bunnen. The exhibition will run through Oct. 31. Bunnen has been a photographer since 1970 and her work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Pushkin Museum, the Smithsonian Institution and the High Museum.

Also tonight, from 5 to 7 p.m., in the Circle Gallery of the UGA College of Environmental Design is an opening reception for the exhibition Across the Spectrum, which showcases the award-winning work of students and alumni.



Tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 12) is the first UGA home football game of the season, but there's also a jewelry show and sale of pieces by Kenneth Kase at White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates from 6 to 9 p.m. Kenneth is one of our occasional preparators when we need help and has worked in the Museum Shop as well. His jewelry consists of hand-hammered antiqued brass with vintage uncirculated Czech glass beads.



Remember to mark your calendars for Thursdays artist's reception in Atlanta at the Papermaking Museum for The South in Black in White!

Art Around Athens

On Friday, September 4:

The Lamar Dodd School of Art will hold a reception for the 2009 Printmaking Invitational, “Divergent Impressions.” The reception is free and lasts from 7 to 9 p.m. Artists featured include Sarah Bryant (right image), Leslie Mutchler, Matthew Sugarman and Jason Urban (left image). The exhibition will be on display through September 17 in Gallery 307 at the art school. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/3wDvka.

The Next to Last Recession-Proof Art and Music Show will have an opening reception at White Tiger Gourmet Food and Chocolates from 6 to 9 p.m. This show is presented by the 2010 Next to Last Festival. Visitors will be able to listen and purchase the compilation of music “Next to Last Songs.” Featured art includes photographs by Todd Diedrich and Will Donaldson and drawings and prints by Heather Kohlberger. There will be acoustic performances by Theo Hilton of Nana Grizol and Colby Carter of Mouser. Admission and refreshments are free.

Artist Eric Simmons will have an opening reception for his paintings at Flicker Theatre and Bar at 6 p.m. For more information call 706.540.0206.


On Saturday and Sunday, September 5-6:

As part of the Perspectives Georgia Pottery Invitational, the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host a two-day workshop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The potters running these workshops are Katy McDougal (left image) on Saturday and Jennifer Graff (right image) on Sunday. The cost to participate is $65 for one day and $125 for both days. Breakfast and lunch are included in the price. To register, or for additional information, visit: http://bit.ly/Erqag or contact Cindy Farley at info@ocaf.com or 706.769.4565.

Art Around Athens

Eek! We meant to put this up earlier today, but hopefully some of you will still see it. The wonderful Michael Lachowski has an art opening tonight at White Tiger on Hiawassee at Boulevard from 7 to 9 p.m. It's free, and it looks like a lot of fun.