Paintings by Sally Donovan of Aiken, S.C., go on display this week at Sacred Heart Cultural Center's Art Hall, with an opening reception scheduled Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Donovan received her first oil painting set at the age of 12 along with her first lesson from her aunt. She attended the Arts Students League and worked in the art department of a greeting card company in New York City until life led her in a different direction.
Following her retirement in 1995, she studied with Ralph Stone Jacobs and began painting still-lifes and landscapes. After relocating to Aiken, she continued instruction under Al Beyer at USC Aiken. Her art has been selected for juried shows, has been exhibited in many galleries both north and south, and can be found in collections from California to Florida. She is a member of the Aiken Artists Guild.
The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art will open its fourth annual Spring Artists' Market and Festival March 19 with a wine and cheese reception from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by a full week of activities. The opening reception will preview an exhibition and sale of works by the institute's member artists. Works will remain on view and available for purchase through March 26.
Saturday, March 20, there will be a free festival, with children's activities, hands-on art projects and artist demonstrations. The GHIA will be open free to the public all next week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Also opening Friday, March 19 will be an exhibit of the work of Chad Cole in the Creel-Harison Community Gallery at GHIA. An Augusta resident, Mr. Cole says he is influenced by the "literature, mythologies and psychological underpinnings of Southern Gothic." His work responds to classic Southern literature, landscape and architecture.
Speaking of Southern literature, the 35th annual Sandhills Writers Conference is scheduled March 18-20 at Augusta State University. American Book Award recipient Kimiko Hahn kicks off the conference with a keynote address at 11 a.m. March 18 in ASU's Galloway Hall.
The Conference also features Georgia authors Joshilyn Jackson (novelist) and Nathaniel Lachenmeyer (childrens literature), California-based non-fiction author and poet David Starkey, New York City literary agent, Brandi Bowles, and poet Robert Parham. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Caroline Aiken will also perform during the literary celebration.
In addition, there will be fiction, children's literature, and poetry craft sessions, an authors reading and book signing, and a talk by Bowles, Why You Need An Agent. There will also be a special guest appearance by Parham, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at ASU and editor of the Southern Poetry Review, the prestigious national magazine now celebrating its 50th year of publication.
Part of the celebration marks the publication of Don't Leave Hungry, an anthology of poetry first published in the magazine. Parham, along with Hahn, Starkey and Jackson, will be the featured readers at the 3 p.m. Reading-of-Writers on Friday, March 19, in Galloway Hall. Conference registration is open until March 18. For details, call 706-737-1636, e-mail akellman@aug.edu, or visit the conference website at www.sandhills.aug.edu.
Having survived its 18th annual gala and a jam-packed re-opening weekend, the Morris Museum of Art is offering a week of free admission before getting back to business as usual. On March 19, the Art at Lunch series returns with Atlanta fine art and antiques dealer Spalding Nix discussing the history of painting in Georgia, and focusing on several artists in the Morris collection. Lunch will be by A Catered Affair, and paid reservations are due by March 17. 706-828-3867.
Sunday, March 21, there will be two free events at the museum. Jewelry designer Norris Boardman Nelson will have a trunk show from noon to 4 p.m., and at 2 p.m., Augusta State University professors Christine Crookall, cello, and Martin David Jones, piano, will be featured in the Music at the Morris series.
The Art Factory fundraiser, Celebrating the Artist, is this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Old Government House on Telfair Street. There will be a live auction of works by Kath Girdler-Engler and Lillie Morris, a silent auction of works by numerous Augusta-area artists, as well as some good food and good music. For more information call 706-731-0008 or e-mail info@artfactoryinc.org.
Member Benefits: Several upcoming members-only events serve to underscore the fact that our membership support of cultural organizations brings benefits beyond just a tax deduction. The Greater Augusta Arts Council has begun organizing monthly "meet-ups" that are open to the public for a few months, but become members-only after June. The March event is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Le Chat Noir, for an open rehearsal of the theater's Schrodinger's Cat improvisational group. The GAAC is also planning an art database website for its artist members. There's more information at www.augustaarts.org
Among the member-benefits at the Morris Museum of Art is a series of private tours of artists' studios. This Sunday artist Lucy Weigle will open her studio for the tour. Members need to register through the museum ahead of time. And, at the Augusta Museum of History, members will get a special preview of the newest exhibit honoring the tradition of golf in our area. That event will be March 18 from 5:30 to 7:30, and the exhibit will open to the public the following day. 706-722-8454.
Fun while it lasted: When arts writer Jeffrey Day got downsized from The State newspaper a year ago, he started a lively, entertaining and informative blog called Carolina Culture, highlighting arts events and issues not just in Columbia, but in other areas of South Carolina as well. The bad news is that financial reality has forced him to abandon the blog and get a real job. The good news is that he is working at the Arts Institute at the University of South Carolina, and hopes to continue writing for various publications. Sure will miss the blog though, Jeffrey.
