COLUMN: Arts Center announces winners of Southern Arts Invitational

Published 2:58 pm Thursday, September 24, 2020

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County Arts Center would like to thank the community, patrons and artists that participated in our first annual Southern Arts Invitational. This juried exhibit provided artists working in all mediums with an opportunity to showcase their artwork and compete for up to $1,500 in awards. We were overwhelmed with the support and creativity from the artists for this new exhibition. Each piece carries a uniqueness throughout our galleries and showcases the talents of many local and regional artists. That being said, it was very difficult for our juror to make a decision with so many fine works. 

Our juror this year was Angie L. Barry, who has been the Curator of Exhibitions & Collections at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum in Quincy, Florida, since 2008. As curator, she develops exhibitions of contemporary artists of local, regional, and national scope; has helped establish the museum’s first permanent collection and collection policies and oversees the acquisitions and care of the collection. In 2016, Angie worked as part of the team to secure first time accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums for Gadsden Arts. She has a Bachelor’s in Art History and a Master’s in Arts Administration from Florida State University. Angie lives in Tallahassee with her husband and 2 young sons.

Her choices were based on the following elements of artistic expression:

1. Creativity and originality of the depicted theme.
2. Quality of artistic composition and overall design.
3. Overall impression of the artwork.

Selections for awards were based on a juried review, which was conducted without knowledge of the artists’ identity, title, or price of work based on the criteria listed above. The winners are as followed:

First Place – Save Me the Red Chair by Mary Vanlandingham.

Second Place – Keeping in the Good Luck by Scott Marini.

Third Place – Autumn Dreams and I by Mary Wicks.

Honorable Mentions:

• Redpole by Jean Eaton Gay.

• Sunchaser by Dave Richards.

• War Cry by Lawrence Tobe.

• Sinker Dogwood by Carl Turnage.

Thank you again for everyone who participated in making the Southern Arts Invitational possible! We look forward to hosting this annual exhibition next year and expanding it for years to come. An online exhibit will be posted on our website in the coming weeks for those who wish to view it online at colquittcountyarts.com and linked on our social media pages. 

The Southern Arts Invitational will be exhibited until the end of day on October 30, 2020. In addition, the Colquitt County Arts Center will still be following CDC guidelines in regards to sanitation, masks, and social distancing. For more information on these exhibits, summer camps, or any programs at Colquitt County Arts Center please come by our office at 401 7^th Ave SW, Moultrie, GA 21768, give us a call at 229-985-1922, or visit us on the web at www.colquittcountyarts.org.