NEW DIRECTOR

Rebekah Henry will take over as the director of the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art on July 6, filling the position that has been vacant since the fall. Ms. Henry, who has been the marketing and membership manager for the Augusta Museum of History for two years, reports that she is excited about making a transition into the visual arts side of Augusta's cultural scene.

AIKEN AWARDS

Columbia County artist Caroline Swanson won best in show for her painting River Island on Location at the Aiken Artist Guild's annual member show at the Aiken Center for the Arts. The show includes 87 works by 78 artists.

MORE HONORS

Frances Wells received a cash award for her mixed watermedia painting The Day Begins: Dawn , at the 48th national competitive exhibition, Watercolor USA 2009, at the Springfield Art Museum in Missouri. A work by Caroline Swanson , Sunflowers in a Vase , will be in an exchange exhibit between the Watercolor USA Honor Society and the Japan Watercolor Federation. The first part of the exchange is at the Springfield Art Museum as part of Watercolor USA. The second part will be in April 2010 at the National Art Center in Tokyo.

ARTS MEET

The Greater Augusta Arts Council's annual meeting and awards party will be at 6:30 p.m. June 18 at the City Club on Broad Street. The event will feature music by Davis Wilson Hill and heavy hors d'oeuvres. Tickets cost $20, and reservations are needed by Friday. See www.augustaarts.com.

The 2009 Arts Awards winners are: Brian Rust , individual artist; SRP Federal Credit Union , sponsor; Angela Hillesland , volunteer; Austin Rhodes , media; and Audrey Crosby , arts professional. The president's award will be given to the trustees of the Academy of Richmond County for their work with the Porter Fleming Foundation grants and the Westobou Festival.

Farewell show

The current exhibit at the Fire House Gallery in Louisville, Ga., is a farewell show for Daniel Rekshan , the gallery's 2008-2009 resident intern-manager. A native of Marquette, Mich., he is a 2008 graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis, Md. The exhibit features work that he created during his residency in Louisville. For a look at some of his paintings of the Georgia countryside, see danielsimagination.com.

Louise Keith Claussen has been involved with Augusta's arts community for over 35 years. Contact her at keith.claussen@morris.com. There's more Artside news at blogs.augusta.com.