Tag Archives: North Carolina

Gallery will feature Nostalgic Highway, watercolors by Richard Staat

Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC will host a nostalgic auto-themed exhibition of works by watercolor artist Richard Staat. The show, titled “Nostalgia Highway: Take a Ride With Richard Staat,” opens Oct. 1 and runs through Oct. 31.


Old McDonald Had a Farm, artist Richard Staat, watercolor, image size 28 x 36 inches

Award-winning artist Richard “Dick” Staat has been exhibiting his work at Sunset River Marketplace for almost 20 years. He graduated from Ohio State University with a BFA degree.  He worked for years as a commercial artist before moving to Oak Island, NC where he paints in his studio almost every day.


Sunday Drive, artist Richard Staat, watercolor, 27 x 37 inches

Staat is a signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina. He also belongs to the Central Ohio Watercolor Society, the Associated Artists or Southport and the Oak Island Art Guide. Staat has won national, statewide and local exhibition awards for his watercolors.


Tin Lizzie, artist Richard Staat, watercolor, image size 20 x 26 inches

Gallery owner Ginny Lassiter said, “Dick Staat is a storyteller with his paintbrush. His pieces are much loved and sought after. These paintings featuring vintage and antique cars are sure to appeal to local car clubs and aficionados. We hope to see you all at the gallery.”

According to the artist, “I have been interested in old cars and trucks since my high school days. The fun of driving a car with a manual transmission and stick shift while you’re listening to 50s tunes on the radio … you can’t beat it.”

He goes on to say, “Many of my friends had old cars, which they restored and repainted. I paint old cars with watercolor because I enjoy the happy memories they gave me. I like to compose a painting as if I’m telling a story with the car as the main actor.”

Located in coastal Brunswick County, Sunset River Marketplace caters to both tourists and a growing local community of full time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring work by approximately 150 North and South Carolina artists, the eclectic gallery is well known in the area for its collection of oil paintings, watermedia, pastels, photography, hand-blown glass, fused glass, pottery and clay sculptures, turned and carved wood, unique home décor items and artisan jewelry.

There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. Art classes are currently being offered on a limited basis. Call the gallery for details.

Special Covid 19 Notice: To meet North Carolina State mandates, Sunset River Marketplace requires that patrons wear face coverings and requires the use of hand sanitizer plus six-foot social distancing between gallery visitors and at the cash register.  The gallery staff conducts thorough cleaning of surfaces upon opening and closing and during the day and has placed complimentary hand sanitizer throughout the gallery for visitor use.

The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467.  Hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the website at www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com. Daily updates are available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Gallery Announces Final Jeffcoat Pottery Firing Sale






Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, NC has announced a special sale
of Jeffcoat Pottery pieces following the death of long time potter Joe
Jeffcoat, gallery owner Ginny Lassiter has announced.


“Joe and his wife, Tonda, have been part of the Sunset River family
almost from day one, “ Ginny says. “We’re heartbroken that Joe has
passed. Everybody loved him. And their traditional wheel-thrown
pottery with surface carving has been immensely popular here at the
gallery.”


Joe Jeffcoat died on June 8 following complications from a fall and
resulting surgery. At the time of his death Joe and Tonda were in the
midst of readying for their 400th pottery firing, Tonda says, “As we
completed our 39 th , then 399th firings, Joe kept saying, ‘We need to do
something to celebrate 400.’ We were going to each make some special
pottery – Joe, me, the kids. So when Joe passed away, we did create
some family pieces in addition to the work for the gallery. And every
single piece in this firing – over 250 of them – is marked 400F. All but
the family pieces will be available at Sunset River Marketplace in
Calabash.”


The Jeffcoats have combined their talents and love of clay in the creation
of functional pottery since 1974. Tonda, an art educator and Joe, a
retired banker, graduated from Atlantic Christian College and continued
their study of pottery in the first ceramic class at Wilson Technical
Institute in Wilson, NC. Additional study with Lanny Pelletier, Hiroshi
Sueyoshi and Frank Byrd provided the critical fundamentals that
allowed them to develop their own personal style. Joe often credited
their association and friendship with Dan Finch at Finch Pottery in
Bailey, NC, as playing a major role in their continued growth as potters.
After retiring in 2005, they moved to Little River, SC and opened Jeffcoat
Pottery just outside of Calabash, NC. Often the pair would collaborate,
with Joe throwing forms on the wheel and Tonda carving the surface of
each.

Beginning Monday, Sept. 7, the collection of 400F-marked pottery will
be on display and available for sale at Sunset River Marketplace.
According to Ginny Lassiter, collectors are already visiting the gallery to
purchase the Jeffcoats’ current inventory, and she expects work from
the final firing to sell out quickly.


Sunset River Marketplace showcases work by approximately 150 North
and South Carolina artists, and houses some 10,000 square feet of oils,
acrylics, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, art glass, fabric art, pottery,
sculpture, turned and carved wood and artisan-created jewelry.
Due to state mandates and Covid 19 restrictions, masks or face
coverings are required.

The gallery continues to host Coffee With the Authors, a series of presentations by local and regional authors. Social distancing is maintained. Sunset River Marketplace is located at 10283
Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467. Hours are Monday – Saturday, 11
a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the
website at www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com. Daily updates are
available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Coffee With the Authors

Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC will feature author Bobby Hunt as part of its ongoing Coffee With the Authors series
Thursday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon . Hunt has co-authored They Call Me Panda along with his son Matt Hunt.  The book is a humorous story of a father and son bonding over months as they hiked the legendary Appalachian Trail, a 2,200-mile torturous path winding through 13 states from Georgia to Main. It is the true tale of the characters they met, the wildlife they encountered and mishaps that befell them. This novel took them years in the making between bouts of wine, beer, disagreements, erroneous recall and arguments.

This event is free, but due to the Covid 19 pandemic, seating is limited so chairs can be placed at six-foot intervals. Call 910.575.5999 to hold your spot. Coffee and tea will be served.


Wildlife photographer Gary W. Baird

From Friday, July 3 through Saturday, August 1, Sunset River Marketplace will present Baird’s Birds, an exhibition of wildlife photography by Carolina Shores, NC artist Gary W. Baird. The public is invited on opening day from 4 to 7 p.m. to meet the artist and view the exhibition for the first time.


tricolor Heron photographed by Gary W. Baird

Baird, an avid backpacker, first became interested in photography during his teenage years in California and Colorado. He carried his first camera through the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains. Baird’s work has been featured in assorted publications and books. He was honored in the Audubon Society Photo contest where his work earned a spot in the Top 100 out of more than 8,000 entries. Locally, his photographs have earned a Grand Prize, Photography Division at Sunset Visions and Best Wildlife in Coastal Carolina Exhibit and Fort Fisher Aquarium


Eagle Launch photographed by Gary W. Baird

Painted Bunting photographed by Gary W. Baird

Sunset River Marketplace showcases work by approximately 150 North and South Carolina artists, and houses some 10,000 square feet of oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, art glass, fabric art, pottery, sculpture, turned and carved wood and artisan-created jewelry.

There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. Art classes are currently being offered on a limit basis. Call the gallery for details.

The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467.  Hours are Monday – Saturday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com.

Special Covid 19 Notice: To meet North Carolina State mandates, Sunset River Marketplace requests that patrons wear face coverings and requires the use of hand sanitizer plus six-foot social distancing between gallery visitors and at the cash register.  The gallery staff conducts thorough cleaning of surfaces upon opening and closing and during the day and has placed complementary hand sanitizer throughout the gallery for visitor use.

GivingTuesdayNow

Tuesday, May 5, has been designated as #GivingTuesdayNow as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

The Museum of Coastal Carolina in Ocean Isle Beach and Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach are closed to the public until May 15. This is the time of year that school groups, Family Day admissions, Golf Cart Raffle ticket sales and Wine Fest keep the organization afloat as a nonprofit.

You can call in donations and memberships and buy golf cart raffle tickets by credit card between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily to 910-579-1016.

The Ocean Isle Museum Foundation, Inc. (OIMF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation that supports the Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium.

GivingTuesday is a groundbreaking global generosity movement whose regularly scheduled day is Dec. 1.

The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Admission to the museum is free for members. Ingram Planetarium is located at 7625 High Market St. in Sunset Beach, NC.

For more information about the Museum of Coastal Carolina or Ingram Planetarium, visit www.museumplanetarium.org or like us on Facebook.

Museum and Planetarium Seeking Volunteers

Although everyone is currently practicing social distancing, we look forward to this summer, when we hope to see families and guests once again fill the museum and planetarium with sounds of delight and enjoyment.


To help welcome back visitors, the Ocean Isle Museum Foundation Inc. will need volunteers at the Museum of Coastal Carolina in Ocean Isle and Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach. Volunteers help us run front desks, greet visitors, provide customer service in gift shops, help monitor the museum’s Touch Tank area and many other tasks. Volunteers supervise visitors and answer questions about the marine animals in the tank.


While we welcome volunteers of all ages, we invite college students, especially those interested in natural science or astronomy, to apply to become volunteers. All volunteers receive training, and a staff member is always on duty to help. Volunteers may sign up for as few or as many hours as they wish and for whatever days they wish. Flexible hours, amazing
coworkers, and interacting with the public in a fun and educational way make volunteering an appealing opportunity.


Anyone interested in volunteer opportunities can contact Harold Wainman at vol.cord@museumplanetarium.org or call (910) 579-1016 once we are open.


The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Ingram Planetarium is located at 7625 High Market Street in Sunset Beach.

Admission is free for members, active duty military and disabled veterans plus up to one guest (must include military ID cardholder). Non-member all-day admission at the museum or per show admission is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, $7.50 for children (3-12) and free for age 2 and under.

Rescheduled Wine Fest Featuring Online Auction

Wine Fest, the annual benefit of the Ocean Isle Museum Foundation Inc., was originally set for April 25, but has been postponed until June 28. This event, which features live and silent auctions, wine tasting, delicious “lite bites” from local restaurants and other exciting activities, is the premier fundraiser for the Museum of Coastal Carolina in Ocean Isle Beach and Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach.


The foundation is hosting an online auction ahead of the actual event.

Visit the link to see and bid on unique, one-of-a-kind items.
The bidding closes on April 30.

Wine Fest is rescheduled for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 28 at the museum.

Reservations are $50 per person and can be purchased in advance by calling 910-579-1016 (leave a message) or visiting the website at www.museumplanetarium.org. Or download the reservation form and
mail it.

In addition, anyone interested in a Wine Fest sponsorship or auction donation can download forms for those.

Laser Genesis Features Early Music of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel

Laser Genesis, Ingram Planetarium’s third and final new laser show of the year, offers an exciting trip back to the 80s.

Visitors will experience the early music of 80s icons Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins in this laser-filled tour of Genesis, featuring the band’s catchiest hits, including Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, In the Air Tonight and Abacab, the song that catapulted the band to the top of the Billboards.

Laser Genesis will premier Saturday, March 28, at 7 p.m., and will repeat on Saturday, April 11. The April 11 program will be followed by another new laser show, Laser Queen, at 8 p.m.

Planetarium visitors can also see Elton John: Rocket Man the Laser Show at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7; at 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, April 13 and 15; and at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 18, following the 7 p.m. show, Classic Rock Night. The final laser show before the summer season will be 80s Night at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 16.

Laser Genesis is brought to Ingram Planetarium in part from support of Audio Visual Imagineering, a leader in laser entertainment since 1978.

Tickets may be purchased in advance the day of event beginning at 10:30 a.m. Pre-purchasing tickets is recommended. Please arrive 15 minutes early, as no late admittance is allowed for safety reasons.

Admission is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors 62+, and $7.50 for children 3 to 12. Members and children 2 and under are free. Tickets can be reserved the day of event beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Ingram Planetarium is located at 7625 High Market St. in Sunset Beach.

For more information, call 910-575-0033, visit www.museumplanetarium.org or like us on Facebook.com/IngramPlanetarium.

Gallery brings Dennis Hetzel to Coffee With the Authors

Author Dennis Hetzel is set to speak at Sunset River Marketplace on Thursday, March 12 from 10 – 11 a.m. as part of the gallery’s ongoing Coffee With the Authors series.

Hetzel is the author of two award-winning novels, “Killing the Curse” and “Season of Lies.” Both books blend the worlds of politics and sports. In Killing the Curse, the Cubs are positioned to win the World Series for the first time since 1908. No one wants the Cubs to win more than Luke Murphy, president of the U.S. and lifelong fan. Leading the chorus of disbelievers is Murphy’s boyhood friend, Bob Walters, a radio sports talk show host who built ratings by being “the man Cub fans love to hate.” Add to the mix, a crazed fan and an attack on the father of the Boston pitcher, and an escalating threat that could destroy the president’s career and kill hundreds of innocent people. Everything comes to a head as game seven unfolds. In “Season of Lies,” baseball season and a presidential campaign that could be pulled out of today’s headlines come to a climax in one fateful October. Hetzel again features sports, politics, thrilling action and memorable characters in a story you won’t forget.

Hetzel began his career as a weekly newspaper sports editor and became an award-winning reporter, editor and newspaper publisher before retiring in 2019 as executive director of the Ohio News Media Association. He also taught journalism at Penn State in State College, PA and Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

He is a resident of Holden Beach where his company Fresh Angle Communications provides writing, editing, marketing and government relations consulting.

This gallery event is free, but seating is limited so reservations are necessary. Call Sunset River Marketplace at 910.575.5999 to hold your spot. The gallery is located at 10283 Beach Drive SW (NC 179) in Calabash, NC. Website is: www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com.

Sunset River to Present Group Show of Abstract Works

Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC will present Abstraction, a group show of abstract works from Wednesday, March 4 through Saturday, April 4. The program includes a free painting demonstration by gallery owner and artist Ginny Lassiter on Saturday, March 14 from 1 to 3 p.m.


Oceanic 30501, artist Joe DiGiulio, acrylic 30×30

Lassiter works most often in acrylic, creating abstracted landscapes and expressionist pieces.  She graduated from East Carolina University with a major in art and an emphasis in Interior Design. The Ocean Isle Beach resident has always been a creative soul. She’s a potter, she paints, she sketches and she designs fabrics.


Ginny Lassiter
photo credit Louis Aliotta

Other artists featured in the exhibition include Tim Patton, Sterling Edwards, Joe DiGiulio, Roseann Bellinger, Adrienne Watts, and Roberta Rotunda. Lassiter said, “I love the energy of these artists. Sterling Edwards was one of my early influences and I still try to take his workshop when he comes to town.”


Meet Me There, artist Roseann Bellinger, acrylic 30×24

Sunset River Marketplace showcases work by approximately 150 North and South Carolina artists, and houses some 10,000 square feet of oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, art glass, fabric art, pottery, sculpture, turned and carved wood and artisan-created jewelry.


Not All Is Known, artist Roberta Rotunda, acrylic 30×40

There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by students in the ongoing pottery classes offered by the gallery. There are realistic and abstract art classes as well as workshops by nationally and regionally known artists. During select months, the gallery hosts Coffee With the Authors, a series of presentations by local and regional authors.  The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467.  Hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the website at www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com. Daily updates are available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Discovery at Ingram Planetarium

Ingram Planetarium will bring two exciting science programs focused on the inner workings of astronomy to its theater in March this year.

The first program will be at 7 p.m. March 7. This celebration of International Day of Planetariums will explore how planetariums changed astronomy education forever in the mid 20th Century. It will also take a look at how planetariums were pioneers in early laser technology at the height of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Age.

Join Jack Dunn, planetarium veteran and laser enthusiast, as he gives his lived account of the birth of the dome theater in this free program. Then visitors can stick around for an encore showing of Elton John’s Rocket Man, Ingram’s spring laser show at 8 p.m.

Cost for Rocket Man is general admission.

On Pi Day, March 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can enjoy free Pi-themed activities in the Paul Dennis Science Hall during the day and then check out the 7 p.m. premiere of Seeing: A Photons Journey Through Space, narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Viewers can learn all about optics of astronomy in this new film. The show will be followed by an in-depth look at the history of telescopes by planetarium educator Alan Brown.

Cost for Seeing: A Photons Journey Through Space is general admission.   

General admission to the planetarium theater is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors 62+, and $7.50 for children 3 to 12. Members and children 2 and under are free.

For more information, call 910-575-0033, visit www.museumplanetarium.org, or like us on Facebook.com/IngramPlanetarium.