4th Annual Art with Heart Fine Arts and Crafts Show Highlights Art and Giving

Janet McGregor Dunn, Sandy Holcomb, Vicki Turner, Clenette Todd and Cathy Spitz
show a sampling of their art on location at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church.

Over 30 fine artists and crafters from across the state will be sharing their talents on February 7th and 8th in Peachtree City. Juried members of the Fine Arts and Crafts Entrepreneurs (FAACE) group will be giving demonstrations and selling stained glass, paintings, ceramics, fiber art, wood and other beautiful pieces.

Art with Heart is the perfect place to pick up a unique Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other, family member or friend.

The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday evening. Food, beverages, music and art are on the agenda during the drop-in reception from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. There is no charge to attend the reception although a voluntary donation of $5 to the church is requested.

Saturday the show is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no charge to come see the fabulous art.

Art with Heart will benefit The Children’s Village at Christian City through voluntary donations from artists and attendees and a silent art auction.

Christian City has been caring for abandoned and abused children in a family centered residential setting since 1965. Over 1,000 children have called Christian City “home.” If you would like to learn more about The Children’s Village or are interested in sponsoring a child, please call Heidi Becker at 770-703-2636 or visit www.christiancity.org.

FAACE meets at St. Andrews on a quarterly basis at St. Andrews in the Pines and holds a number of art shows and workshops in the area. Upcoming workshops and speaker topics include social media, photographing artwork, and the ins and outs of websites.

St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church is located at 316 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree City, GA 30269. For more information on Art with Heart or FAACE please call Janet McGregor Dunn at 404-290-3638, email Noel at noelmer7@yahoo.com.

Metro Market Atlanta Open!

I spent the day at the new Metro Market Atlanta on Piedmont Road in Buckhead today. They're just getting started on this new venture to bring a European style market to the Buckhead area. It's located in the old Buckhead Design Center, just off I-85 (www.metromarketatlanta.com for directions and more info).

It's a great location and it offers a wide variety of products ranging from art to books to purses to food and produce! The building is very eye-catching and there's plenty of parking in the front and back.

They're still looking for high quality vendors to fill a few of the empty spots. Currently they have pottery, paintings, leather work, clothing (very neat original works in two spots), an author, purses, cheese (excellent cheese, I bought some after sampling), jewelry, hand-crafted dolls, organic and fresh produce, garden tools and products, and much, much more.

There is a huge area set aside for children. The murals on the wall are inviting and fun! You'll see the kid's area in the slide show I'm including on here.

I talked to a number of vendors and many are repeats. Some took a space for the entire month, others are just there for one or more weekends. Everyone seemed so extraordinarily helpful and pleasant! It was a rather pleasant atmosphere.

In addition to my cheese (swiss, ginger cheese and a pepper crusted gouda), I came home with a unique pair of earrings. There's also a booth with hand-crafted jeweled thing-a-ma-bobs to hold your hair. I should know what they're called, but it's after 11 p.m. and I'm too pooped to go look it up! It's on the slide show...

Kim Painter Chesney has some wonderful works of "realistic impressionism" and encaustics (an ancient technique incorporating wax and oils). She has been featured in Flourish Art Magazine and has won awards for her work.

Other artists include Vickie Martin (mixed media and collage), Ben Happens (unusual and unique leather purses and other items), Keli's Kreations (very nice clothing), Diamonds & Pearls Couture ('clothes that make you feel like a diamond, by Elle, fashion designer), Castle Gate Designs (jewelry), Hummingbird Hollow Pottery and many others.

I chowed down on a four-cheese calzone from Buckhead Italian Market and Restaurant for lunch. Later I sinned with a decadent chocolate brownie. I saw some tempting salads and pizza, too.

If you're passing through Atlanta this weekend, or any weekend through the end of June, zip off onto Piedmont and stop in for a visit! Even if you're not interested in the art (shame, shame if you're not!) you can grab some stellar cheese, some veggies or consider buying one of Diana Black's books. Every weekend there are new vendors and new things to check out.

It won't be long before the new Market is full and with the change out of artists and vendors each week it'll be like a new venture every time you visit!

I'll be going back to the Metro Market again and will be adding more photos... plus I'm going to have a spinach calzone, buy a painting and maybe try the baklava!

- jmd

One Day Only Spotlight Exhibit at MudFire Gallery

Chris Baumann
Stacey Stanhope
September 26, 2009
Reception from 3pm - 6pm

MudFire Gallery hosts Chris & Stacey in the next installment of our Spotlight series of short and sweet shows in our exhibit room.

These studio partners from northwest Georgia create high quality, soda-fired, functional pottery with distinctive drawings. They use the same materials and firing process to realize their unique visions.

Stacey's work features scenes from rural America including horses, farms, houses, tractors, landscapes, and farm animals. Her drawings are noteworthy for strong compositions, hints of energetic abstraction, and a nostalgic block printing aesthetic.

Chris creates both abstract and representational designs, with rhythmic pointillism complementing bold two-tone elements. Chris has also been developing a new body of work that is much looser and spontaneous both in form and surface.

We are excited to host them for a Spotlight on their latest creations. Be sure to stop by, see the work, and meet the artists!

One day only: Saturday, September 26, from 3-6pm.

MudFire Clayworks Location and Hours
175 Laredo Drive, Decatur, GA 30030

Regular Gallery Hours
Open Noon to 8:00 pm
Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday
Open Studio Hours
Monday-Thursday-Friday, Noon to 10pm
Saturday-Sunday, Noon to 8pm
maps and directions
Please call us with questions at 404-377-8033
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Georgia's Largest Pottery Exhibit Promotes Education

Michael Schmidt, an associate professor in the Department of Art, will join 50 of the state’s finest potters during Georgia’s largest annual pottery exhibition and sale from August 28 to September 16. The 7th Annual Perspectives 2009: Georgia Pottery Invitational at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville, Ga., raises money to promote cultural art and support craft artists.

More than 6,000 pottery enthusiasts from across the country are expected to attend the fundraising event, which kicked off with a preview sale and opening gala reception on Friday, Aug. 28. The three-week event, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, will also feature educational exhibitions, workshops, free weekend pottery demonstrations and studio tours.

The OCAF is a non-profit organization established to promote artistic endeavors and to provide art education opportunities for residents of Northeast Georgia. Proceeds from the annual sale will benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, an organization committed to supporting professional artists through career-strengthening programs, emergency relief support and advocacy.

Go to OCAF’s Web site at http://www.perspectives09.myocaf.com/ for directions and other details. To schedule a group tour, call 707-769-4565 or e-mail info@ocaf.com. Locally, Schmidt may be reached at 229-249-4913 or mschmidt@valdosta.edu .

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Discover Creative Georgia

Locally produced crafts, arts and performances showcase communities across the state

Get to the heart of Georgia’s communities through their creative cultures and indigenous arts. Discover the people and places that make communities unique: potters, artists, theatres and galleries that allow visitors to take home a piece of Georgia.

Travel to northeast Georgia to experience a tradition that has been around for more than 100 years of handmade pottery. The Northeast Georgia Folk Pottery Museum in Sautee and the Mark of the Potter in nearby Clarkesville will shed some light on this fascinating folk tradition that has served both functional and artistic purposes over generations. Both locations sell pottery, detail the tradition’s history and feature one-of-a-kind “face jugs” handmade pieces that don eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears and curious facial expressions. Learn to make your own pottery at Etowah River Pottery in Dahlonega, or discover gourd-inspired pottery at The Gourd Place, also in Sautee. Also, don’t miss the Hambidge Fifth Annual Georgia Pottery Show near Clayton, where more than 30 Georgia potters will have their work on display until Sept. 8.

Blue Ridge also offers a variety of places for arts enthusiast to visit. Turning Leaf Wood Art and Twigs to Furniture carry decorative and functional handmade wooden pieces made by local artisans, and Fishbone Studio features mosaic work from local artist Betty Wassmer. Another must-see is the ironwork of blacksmith John Beatie on display at the Beatie Blacksmith Gallery in Mineral Bluff. Also, be sure to check out a performance at the Blue Ridge Community Theater, which has “The Fantasticks” and “A Christmas Carol” among its scheduled performances for 2009.

For other community theater productions in Georgia, visit the Winder Cultural Arts Center in Winder for comedies “The Curious Savage” and “Bus Stop” in 2009 or the Waycross Area Community Theatre in Waycross, which is performing “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Sound of Music” in the coming year. The Tater Patch Players in Jasper will perform the musical comedy “Smoke on the Mountain,” which follows a family of gospel singers during the Depression of the 1930s. Theaters across the state also tell Georgia-crafted stories. Georgia’s Official Folk Life Play, “Swamp Gravy”, for example, offers a newly written story performed each year in Colquitt based on real life stories of community members. The latest production of Swamp Gravy is scheduled for October. The middle Georgia town of Lyons also recounts local history every year in its production of “Tales from the Altamaha,” based on the writings of a local attorney and businessman, Col. Thomas Ross Sharpe, who lived there between the 1940s and 1960s. The productions are held in the spring at the Blue Marquee Theater in Lyons.

West of Lyons in Buena Vista is another essential visit for Georgia arts lovers: Pasaquan, a seven-acre arts site that includes six major structures, concrete sculptures and painted walls designed by eccentric Georgia-born artist Eddie Owens Martin. A visit will detail the artist’s vision and his relationship with the South and spirituality. Another inspirational arts site is Paradise Gardens, a four-acre property designed by Southern Baptist minister and folk artist Howard Finster. The site includes Mr. Finster’s gardens, a museum, a folk art chapel and the Finster Folk Art Gallery.

Several Atlanta hotels introduce visitors to the work of Georgia artists. The St. Regis Hotel and the W Atlanta-Buckhead hotel, both in Buckhead, exhibit works from local artists and photographers. The Whitlock Inn in Marietta and the recently remodeled Georgian Terrace in Midtown also showcase pieces by local artists and scenes of local events. Paintings in the restaurant of the Georgian Terrace, for example, commemorate the premiere gala of “Gone With the Wind,” which was held at the hotel in 1939.

Visiting local galleries is another great way to see Georgia-made art. The Seen Gallery in Decatur recently featured Georgia artist James Dean, who has garnered a following for his paintings of “Pete the Cat,” a little blue cat depicted in a variety of scenes. The Joseph House Art Gallery in Columbus also features work from local artists including watercolors, oil paintings and art glass. Gallery RFD in Swainsboro is a non-profit that encourages business development through the arts and features exhibitions from local artists. The Soda Shop Gallery in Sylvania and The Gallery in Savannah also showcase Georgia-made work. Not far from Savannah is another arts must-see that chronicles the cultural history of African-Americans along the Georgia Coast, the Ogechee Kunda Cultural Center in Riceboro. A living museum that carries local and African art, the center profiles the history and arts of Gullah culture in Georgia.

Georgia’s museums, theaters, hotels and galleries tell the story of a rich history and culture through the arts. Learn from local artists in towns and communities across Georgia. Plan your next arts-inspired trip at www.exploregeorgia.org.
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