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Lenoir Celebrates Art All Month Long

Lenoir Celebrates Art

KISS Pots. Photo by Richard Wright

A Pop art exhibit and a festival celebrating artists and craft beers are among this month’s happenings at Caldwell Arts Council (CAC) in Lenoir.

The exhibit, POP!, features the work of four artists and will be on display May 5–27. An opening reception to welcome artists, hosted by Foothills Performing Arts, will be held Friday, May 5, from 5–7 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

“The artwork will include fun, lighthearted and colorful pop art as well as artwork with a deep and dark nature or history,” says CAC executive director Adrienne Roellgen. “This unusual combination will spark questions and curiosities of human spirit, modern culture and artists’ intentions.”

Participating artists from around the state are Michelle Johnson Fairchild, Christopher Fowler, Mary Margaret Myers and Richard Wright.

Lenoir Celebrates Art

Michelle Fairchild

Fairchild’s work has grown out of her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse. “My paintings have been described as bold and powerful, composed of brushstrokes filled with vibrant color and courage on giant canvases,” she says, “art that speaks with a mighty voice. I describe them as full of life!”

Fowler is an expressionistic figurative painter whose style has been described as “reminiscent of the Southern gothic literary period,” drawing on the darker sides of human nature that breed poverty, alienation and violence.

“I work in the area between order and chaos,” says Myers. “My paintings are color puzzles. I don’t know the solutions until they show up.”

A potter, Wright says the exhibit was a way to challenge himself with detailed work that was also light in theme. “Pop culture can have really interesting messages the artist wants to convey. I focused on what I thought would be a great way to spend some time with the whole family.”

The 3rd Annual Hues and Brews Artist and Craft Beer Celebration, a street festival, will be held Saturday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., in Lenoir’s historic downtown. This fundraiser for CAC will feature juried art, regional brews, food vendors, live music and children’s activities.

The Caldwell Arts Council is located at 601 College Avenue SW in Lenoir. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more, call 828.754.2486 or visit caldwellarts.com. For information about the festival or to purchase advance tickets, visit huesandbrews.org.

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