Art blooms in Burke

Art lovers in Burke County have plenty to see in August as new exhibits at Morganton’s City Hall and Valdese’s Old Rock School showcase a variety of paintings, photographs, and mixed media masterpieces. Most of the works in both collections are available for purchase.

OPEN ART COMPETITION

The Rock School Arts Foundation recently hosted its 38th Annual Open Art Competition, a contest that draws artists from across the region. Participants delivered their works to the Old Rock School in Valdese in late July, then Mary Anne Redding, senior curator at the Turchin Center for Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, selected this year’s winners.

According to Sharon Bowman, executive director of the foundation, she selects a different expert to judge each year’s contest, and consequently, each brings a different point of view to the job.

“They’re all so different,” she said. “They each look at art so differently.”

Bowman noted that this year’s first place winner of the $500 prize was a 10-by-12-inch mixed media piece.

“It just goes to show you that something enormous is not what always grabs our attention,” she said. “Something small and very well done can draw you right in.”

Guests who visit the galleries today (Saturday, Aug. 9) during the Waldensian Festival will have a chance to make their opinions known. The People’s Choice Award will be presented to the artist whose work receives the most votes on festival day.

The exhibit will hang in the Rock School Arts Foundation’s galleries, located on the second floor of the Old Rock School in Valdese, through Aug. 29. There is no charge for admission. The entire collection can be viewed online at rockschoolartgalleries.com.

ART IN THE HALL

The City of Morganton’s latest Art in the Hall exhibit features the work of Morganton artist Abby Warburton.

She said she recently started a business, “Abby Warburton Art,” in order to share her passion for art with others. According to Warburton, her pieces take inspiration from everyday life, places, and experiences and amplify the beauty she sees in the world.

Through her use of watercolor, pointillism, or custom art, Warburton says her goal is to bring fun and joy into a space. Her work will hang at City Hall until the end of September. The exhibit is available for public viewing during regular business hours, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.