New Art Exhbit Opens at TC Arts: “CO-2 A Collaboration of Cooperatives”

The Transylvania Community Arts Council announces its fourth gallery exhibition of the year featuring artwork by two artists cooperatives: The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts from Hillsborough, NC and Number 7 Fine Arts & Crafts Cooperative of Brevard. The exhibition opens May 5 and runs thru May 30. The gallery is open Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Saturdays by appointment. The public is invited to a reception to meet the artists on Friday, May 23 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm as part of Brevard’s 4^th Friday Gallery Walks. 

This show features artwork by more than 35 North Carolina artists in many mediums including: wood, jewelry, glass, clay, fiber, acrylics, watercolors, oil, pastels, collage, mixed media, ceramics, enamel, photography, basketry, and textiles. All artists are members of an artist cooperative which is a gallery managed by member artists.

Members of the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts that will be on display at TC Arts include: Linda Carmel, Melissa York, Jude Lobe, Chris Graebner, Richard Knox, Lolette Guthrie, Susan Hope, Pringle Teetor, Howard Schroeder, Kimberly Wheaton, Heather Delisle, Katherine Nelson, Pat Lloyd, Amy Sindermann, and Ellie Reinhold. 

Members of Brevard’s Number 7 Fine Arts & Crafts Cooperative that will be on display at TC Arts include: Martha Towler, Sharyn Fogel, Christine Kosiba, Dick Albyn, Deda Parker, Julie Singdahlsen, Bonne Jean Bertlshofer, Ellen Riching Stinchcomb, Joe Bruneau, Amy Winston, Freddie Hart, Ann Vorus Parkhurst, Patricia Travis, Sonia Arnold, Linda Muir, Ina DeRuocco, Tom Atkins, Marcia Brennan, Dave Goldman, Carol Weeks, Barbara Hawk, Joy McGill, and Kay Speckman.  

The TC Arts Council Gallery is located at 349 S. Caldwell St. in Brevard. For more information call TC Arts at 828-884-2787. To see a complete calendar of events for TC Arts Council go to www.tcarts.org. TC Arts is a local non-profit organization with the mission: “To celebrate and nurture the creative spirit in Transylvania County.” To become a member of TC Arts call 884-2787.  

TC Arts Council and Local Artists Collaborate to Present

Spring Tour of Homes

Imagine a pastoral French countryside – rolling hills, fields of red poppies, clear blue skies. Chances are, there’s an artist at his easel in the foreground of your mental picture. “Plein air” artists (artists who paint outdoors) have a strong tradition in European and American art history. Their canvases are filled with light, color, and atmosphere.

Linda Sedgwick will be one of the plein air artists on the tour.

During the Transylvania Community Arts Council’s  Spring Tour of Homes, on Saturday May 17, tour goers will observe local plein air artists at work in many of the residences. “We’re really excited about this new aspect of the Tour of Homes,” says Michel Robertson, Assistant Director and tour coordinator.  “Spring is an ideal time for this venue because it provides a fresh opportunity to showcase some of our area’s finest talent. Artists will be on decks, in gardens – wherever the environment stirs their creative spirits.”

The Spring Tour of Homes takes place from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, May 17^th. The self-guided house tour includes homes in Connestee Falls, Straus Park and Deerlake Village in Brevard, and in the Stoneybrook area of Pisgah Forest.  Tickets for the Tour are $30 and include refreshments and demonstrations by master gardeners at the TCArts Community Arts Center at 349 S. Caldwell Street in Brevard. Sponsors for this event include: Cardinal Building – who built two of the homes, Lindsey Wireless, McCosh’s Flowers, and Maple Restaurant.

Nestled in a forest clearing, the home of Bruce and Monica Williams, with its background of natural laurel, rhododendrons and ferns is a perfect site for a plein air artist. An appealing arbor leads visitors to the back yard’s raised flowerbeds and patio, which invites guests to sit and revel in nature’s beauty. The home’s open floor plan lends itself to this couple’s casual lifestyle and love of the outdoors.

Mountain vistas will inspire other artists. On top of Jim Raines Mountain in Connestee Falls, the flat log house of Jay and Joe Roberts is situated on one and a half acres with more than 1,000 square feet of decks and porches offering skyline views. Across the street, Jim and Betty Stanley’s decks also present spectacular long-range views, through a canyon of green forest, which leads the eye to an amazing conclusion of sky and mountains. Voila! The perfect spot for an easel and canvas! Soft yellows and blues throughout Jack and Reed Parker’s 5,200 square foot Straus Park home echo the hues of sun and sky reflected in their broad mountain view. And the 180-degree panorama from the deck of Art and June Coye’s Deerlake Village home is every painter’s dream. “Each of these homes has a different orientation, so every view is unique,” says Robertson. “ Our artists have a phenomenal selection of vistas.”

For the plein air artist who enjoys painting nature’s water wonders, the enclosed deck and many windows across the back of Sam and Jane Glenn’s Connestee home offer spectacular scenes of Lake Ticoa. Every room of this 5-bedroom home presents wooded seclusion as well as deep lake views.

The Straus Park townhomes of Carlene Jerome and Kent and Cathy Heuser offer another kind of inspirational landscapes to participating artists. Large decks off the living rooms offer cozy retreats amidst a wooded view. “Sitting on these decks is like sitting in a treehouse,” says Robertson. “Although each condominium has a distinctive decorating style, a welcoming and restful tranquility is common to both. These decks provide a perfect sanctuary to paint, meditate … or sleep.”

At TC Arts on Saturday, Mossin Annie will present programs on Moss Gardens from 11 am - 2 pm and Master Gardener Gail Comer will present a free program on herb gardens starting at 9:30 am .

On Friday, May 16^th, the evening before Saturday’s Tour of Homes, the Arts Council will host the tour’s Kickoff Party at the home of Don and Rosie Moore. “This is an important part of the fundraiser, and a lot of fun besides,” says Robertson. The Moore’s 8,000 square foot home overlooks the lake at Straus Park. Guests will tour the home, enjoy wine and catered hors d’oeuvres from any of 3 decks, and relax at the fire pit by the lake. Tickets for the Kickoff Party are $50, $35 of which is tax deductible. For those wishing to participate in both the Kickoff Party and the next day’s Tour, a special discounted price offers tickets to both for $70 ($35 tax deductible).

Proceeds from this event support on-going TCArts programs, such as Arts-in Schools, artists residencies, Take Art to Heart, art classes for adults and children, summer art camp, Kids Art day, and gallery exhibits throughout the year, offered free of charge to the community. Tammy Hopkins, Executive Director of the Arts Council notes “Most residents are unaware that we offer more than 79 programs to this community annually. With the drastic drop in funding to arts organizations, we’re increasingly dependent upon community support through memberships and participation in events such as the Tour of Homes.”

To purchase tickets for this event, or learn more about the Transylvania Community Arts Council, call 828-884-2787, or stop by the Arts Council at 349 S. Caldwell Street in Brevard. TCArts is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.