Artist, Libba Tracy Hayburner
Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League at Black Mountain Center for the Arts
By Jessica Klarp
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts has had a long relationship with the members of the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League (SVFAL). For the past 13 years the Arts Center has hosted the bi-annual juried show in its Upper Gallery for the League. This year is no different.
On Friday, October 14, the SVFAL show will open with an artist’s reception from 6–8 p.m. at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts (BMCA) on West State Street. The show runs through November 22. Expect to see a wide variety of mediums submitted by some of SVFAL’s 200 members.
This year’s show will be juried by Bill Jameson of Saluda. Jameson has been a professional painter for the last 40 years, is a published author on painting, teaches workshops around the world and is represented in galleries throughout the South. He has judged numerous art shows including the South Carolina Water Media Society, the Texas Tri-State Exhibit and the Quinlan Arts Center Exhibit held in conjunction with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“When judging an exhibit, I look for excellence in execution of the medium,” Jameson says. “In all media, from painting to craft, I also look for balance. Drawing, color harmony and use of light and dark are also important in achieving balance, but there is another factor. It is the aesthetic quality, the sometimes undefined quality of a work that gives it a special beauty. It’s the piece that draws the eye from 30 feet across a room. I am always looking for that piece of work, no matter the medium.”
SVFAL gallery chair Barbara Frohmader says, “the Swannanoa Fine Arts League always looks forward to being hosted by Black Mountain Center for The Arts. It is an opportunity to collaborate and be visible to a broader audience. Black Mountain is a very artistically rich and diverse community. Any time both organizations can find ways to promote and support one another, we all benefit.”
SVFAL, established in 1967, has its headquarters and member studios in the Red House adjacent to the Monte Vista Hotel in Black Mountain. The organization has regular workshops and programs to benefit the further education of its members, all of whom are dedicated to artistic growth and excellence. BMCA has been in existence for the past 16 years and hosts special community events, ten exhibits annually, 28 classes a week, a community theater and a concert series.
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State Street. The Upper Gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the upcoming show, visit blackmountainarts.org or call 828.669.0930.
