Galleries A and B of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts are alive with the creative musings of 16 artists, all recipients of the 2010-11 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Awards. This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, withfunding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition at the Turchin Center runs April 6 – July 28, 2012.

“These fellowships are vitally important as they support and nurture great art and artists across the state,” said Hank Foreman, Director and Chief Curator for the Turchin Center and Associate Vice Chancellor for University Communications and Cultural Affairs. “The exhibition provides an excellent opportunity for communities to participate in the arts. I think our patrons will find it engaging on many levels,” he said.

The NCAC established the artist fellowship initiative in 1980 to recognize artists for their essential roles as catalysts of innovation, creativity and stimulating dialogue in their communities. Artist contributions in the creative industries account for more than 5 percent of employment statewide.

Nancy Trovillion, NCAC’s acting director, says the program provides financial support for artists during crucial points in their careers, and the opportunity to deepen their work and explore new territory. “One of the greatest and most enduring public services an artist can perform is the creation of new work,” she said. “In this regard, the fellowships are a symbol of the state’s recognition of the value of having artists in our communities.”

Over the past 32 years, more than 500 artists have been recognized as fellows. Currently, 18fellowships of $10,000 are awarded annually. The program operates on a two-year cycle: choreographers and visual arts, crafts, film and video artists are represented in the 2010-11 cycle. This fall songwriters, composers and writers of othergenres will begin the application process for the 2012-13 cycle.

The works of the artists selected as fellows this year comprise an exhibition of metal and wood sculpture, furniture, photography, film, videography and the visual arts and crafts.

Jeff Pettus, NCAC senior program director for artists and organizations, says he is “struck by the level of commitment these individuals make to their crafts.”

“They all have stretched as artists in unique ways. And in doing so they’ve fashioned compelling realities that have the power to take us places we’ve never been before,” he said.

Meet the 2010-11 NCAC Artist Fellows

Elizabeth Brim says her metal sculptures – high heels, pillows, a ballerina’s tutu – “poke fun at what is expected of a Southern woman of my generation.”

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Phoebe Brush’s video “SPITTY,” features a father/daughter team and their subversive and politically charged ditties.

Painter Kirk Fanelly creates comical snapshots of everyday life with paint and collage. His spare, graphic style reveals narratives that unfold gradually.

Gail Fredell, a pioneer in the women’s studio furniture-making movement, specializes in finely crafted architectural tables and benches grounded in a minimalist aesthetic.

Painter and installation artist Maja Godlewska’s work explores phenomena that seem permanent, yet are subject to change and evolution, such as clouds, icebergs and weather patterns.

“I regard the camera as a tool for excavation,” says filmmaker Christopher Holmes. His films explore issues of history, environment and class, and feature people struggling to make sense of the world.

Photographer Mark Iwinski’s work re-envisions vanished landscapes by superimposing transparencies of old photographs over those of modern locations – simultaneously revealing past and present.

Installation artist Young Kim uses materials such as salt and red clay combine to create portraits that are meditations on time, memory and the human condition.

The politically charged content of Anne Lemanski’s sculptural portraits – formed with copper rod armature and artificial sinew – represent her view of the worlds’ inconsistencies and hypocrisies.

Mixed media artist Nava Lubelski combines painting and sculpture with embroidery, lace and paper cutting to examine ideas of repair and redemption – for instance, embroidery over stains on a tablecloth.

“My life’s work is to invite everyone to see a visual comedy in the makings of my hands,” says multi-media artist Sean Pace. “My creations involve many ideas. In each is a vein of sardonic humor.”

Susan Harbage Page’s photographs of possessions left behind by immigrants crossing the U.S./Mexico border document the losses and relics of transition.

Fiber artist Vita Plume creates ghostly distortions of visual and cultural identity by merging weavings and dye patterns with portraits on a digital Jacquard loom.

The traditions of daily life in ceramist Shoko Teruyama’s native Japan inspire her hand-built bowls, vases and other precious objects. Her work is alive with movement and color.

Sculptor Bob Trotman’s wooden people – often posed falling, sinking or at the moment of some impending transition – evoke both humor and anxiety.

“My goal always is to hit ‘the sweet spot’ – where parts are in exquisite relation to one another,” says assemblage artist Linda Vista. She creates small sculptures from the stuff of flea markets, antique malls and junkyards.

To learn more about the NCAC exhibition, visit:  http://tcva.org/exhibitions/520

About the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts presents exhibition, education and collection programs that support Appalachian State University’s role as a key regional educational, cultural and economic resource.

The Turchin Center is located at 423 West King St., in Boone. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m.,Tues.-Thurs. and Saturday, and Noon-8 p.m., Friday. The Center is closed Sunday and Monday, and observes all university holidays. There is no admission charge, although donations are gratefully accepted.

Foradditional details about the Turchin Center, becoming a donor, the upcoming exhibitions, to be added to the mailing list or to schedule a tour, please call (828) 262-3017 or visit www.tcva.org. You can also follow the Turchin Center on Facebook and Twitter @TurchinCenter.

Sponsors
The Turchin Center receives critical support from a group of outstanding media sponsors that are dedicated to promoting the arts in our region, including: The Mountain Times, Watauga Democrat, the High Country Press, the Winston-Salem Journal, WNC Magazine, Charter Media, Mountain Television Network, Mix 102.3, Oldies 100.7, WFDD 88.5, WDAV 89.9, WETS 89.5 and WASURocks 90.5FM.

The High Country Host is a regional travel promotion organization.  For more information on accommodations, attractions, dining or shopping in the area please visit www.mountainsofnc.com or call 800-438-7500.

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