Artworks can be purchased in-person or online at https://exhibitions.artistscollectivespartanburg.org
Upstate artist Glen Miller won first place in the Artists Collective | Spartanburg sixth annual Juried Exhibition that showcased the diversity of works within a five-state region.
The Greenville, South Carolina, artist received a $2,500 prize for his painting “Appalachian Birdsong; Native Son #5.”
The work, along with 87 other works by 74 artists selected for the Juried Exhibition, will be on display through Saturday, Oct. 26, in the 2,000-square-foot Solomon Gallery at Artists Collective | Spartanburg facility at 578 W. Main St.
Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The works may be viewed at https://exhibitions.artistscollectivespartanburg.org/; some are available for purchase online or at the gallery.
Other honors presented at the Saturday, Sept. 21, awards ceremony:
- Second place ($1,000): Diana Farfan, Greenville, South Carolina, “A Folding Chair,” ceramic
- Third place ($500): Linda McCune, Greer, South Carolina, “Covid Series 1” and “Covid Series 2,” mixed media
- Julia Burnett Watercolor Award ($500): K. Dale Cochran, Easley, South Carolina, “Apple Day,” watercolor
Merit Awards ($250):
- Codyrose Bowden, Columbia, South Carolina, “Surreal Surface,” painting
- Fred Mead, Forest City, North Carolina, “Coronavirus Vaccine Vial Bowl,” glass
- Harry Boone, Atlanta, Georgia, “Entropy Series: Rotting Stumps,” painting
- Jean Capalbo, Columbia, South Carolina, “Just Looking,” mixed media
- Jim Malecky, Charleston, South Carolina, “The Track and the Sea,” sculpture
- Tom Dimond, Pendleton, South Carolina, “Tribune,” mixed media
“We are so pleased to have had so many artists submit their extraordinary works to this year’s Artists Collective | Spartanburg Juried Show,” Beth Regula, chair of the managing board of ACS, says. “An amazing 161 artists from all over the region – South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia – entered 411 works to the exhibition, to be considered by this year’s judge, C. Allen Coleman, an artist and the principal consultant for Al’s Fine Art & Musings in Greenville, South Carolina.”
Coleman was provided with images of the entries, from which he could select a limited number for the exhibit. He selected 88 works. “He only saw the images of the works, not the names or states of the artists,” Regula notes.
Once the selected pieces were hung in the gallery, Coleman viewed them in person and selected the award winners. “Still, with no names or states provided; his decision was based on the merit of the art alone,” she continues.
“The annual Juried Exhibition always brings beautiful, interesting and thought-provoking pieces to Spartanburg, and this year is no exception,” Regula adds. “We look forward every year to meeting artists from beyond the Artists Collective’s community. Being able to meet and talk with other artists broadens our knowledge of the art being made in our region.”
Coleman says he was “humbled” to be selected as the juror. “Looking at works of art representing our region is always a welcome challenge and a refreshing confirmation that a large sphere of art makers is fulfilling every imaginable realm of art making. I immediately found myself jumping from one eye-capturing image to another, and back again. The quantity of work was impressive as was the quality. To evaluate each piece and attempt to put some ordered status to a select few was a stimulating task.
“The works chosen were pieces that moved me while also fulfilling my appreciation for technical skill and a unique vision,” Coleman adds, “Beyond these pieces denoted for exhibition, I feel a desire to congratulate all the entrants; each an artist revealing their interest, their humor, their concern, their skill, and their evident passion. I wish for each of you success on whatever may be your chosen path of art making. I also thank the Artists Collective | Spartanburg for hosting this wonderful endeavor and continuing their admirable stride forward in our community, creating a welcoming home for the arts and the art lovers.”
Coleman himself is a seasoned creative professional with a diverse background and experience in business and the arts. With graduate and postgraduate degrees from Appalachian State University and New York University, Coleman, a native of Easley, South Carolina, has served in positions ranging from high school art instructor to university adjunct instructor. He was the director of the 80 Washington Square East Galleries and an associate at the André Emmerich Gallery in New York, New York.
Before his professional retirement, he was the 20-year director of the Pickens County Museum of Art & History as well as the Hagood Mill Historic Site & Folklife Center. In addition to the curation of more than 70 exhibitions, Coleman has administered approximately 200 exhibitions and has been involved in the mounting of over 400 exhibitions, performances and presentations. Coleman still pursues his first passion as an artist, a painter of his own quixotic interpretations.
Please visit our Exhibitions Portal to learn more and see the artworks that were selected this year.