Over forty artists from around the region will vie for top honors and over $2000 in cash prizes in the 19th Annual Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild Juried Exhibition, opening Thursday, April 28, at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Michael Craig Smith, Watermelon Waterfall, 2014, oil, 40″ x 30,” Rebecca R. Bryan Best in Show Award, WACG 18th Annual Juried Art Exhibition.
A reception (free and open to the public) will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with the awards presentation beginning at 6:15. The exhibit continues through May 26, with gallery hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. (Shortened hours may apply during some weekends in May. Call the museum to verify open hours.)
Seventy-five two-dimensional and three-dimensional works were selected for jurying. Works selected for display include oil, watercolor and mixed media paintings; photographs; and an array of craft items, such as batiks and other fiber arts. With creations from artists throughout the Carolinas, the show is a perennially popular event with locals and visitors. A large percentage of the works on display will also be available for purchase.
Judge and juror for this year’s competition is Jim Arendt, professional artist and assistant professor and gallery director at Coastal Carolina University. Arendt’s work has been exhibited internationally and was recently featured in the museum’s 2015 exhibition Indigo: Works in Denim by Jim Arendt. He is regionally renowned for winning the $50,000 top prize at the first Art Fields (Lake City, SC) juried art competition in 2013.
At the opening reception for this exhibition, Arendt will provide insight on how the works were selected for inclusion in the exhibit and will participate in the awards ceremony.
Cash awards to be given include the $800 Rebecca R. Bryan Best in Show Award, as well as first, second and third place awards of $500, $275 and $100, respectively. An additional 10 works will also be selected for honorable mentions.
Admission to the museum is free, but donations are welcome. For further information, call 843-238-2510 or visit www.myrtlebeachartmuseum.org.