Rock School Arts Foundation showcases Regenbogen, Tenery, ArtMix
Visitors are encouraged to write poetry based on the artists' works
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Angela K. Copeland
Editor
Stephanie Tenery’s ‘Blue Moon (Lunar Eclipse).’
Bobby Regenbogen creates mixed media pieces.
‘Dancing Women with Birds’ by Linda Elksnin
‘Opening to the Hope Within’ by Toni Carlton.
‘Fields’ by Betty Powell
‘Stooges 3’ by Bob Powell Jr.
‘Sierra’s Cow’ by Lori Hill.
‘Seeking Sustenance’ by Patricia Leonard.
‘Guatemalan Market’ by Lydia de la Cerda.
‘Mysterious Ladder’ by Dorothy Maguire.
‘Two Models’ by Margaret Martine.
‘Spring’s Embrace’ by JoAnn Pippin.
‘Raccoons Dream’ by Rosa Dargan.
Rock School Arts Foundation will present exhibitions featuring Bobby Regenbogen, Stephanie Tenery, and ArtMix artists now through May 22 in its galleries inside the Old Rock School in Valdese.
An artists reception is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Sunday, April 26.
Works are available to view at rockschoolartgalleries.com.
ArtMix, a collective of Northwest North Carolina artists, has exhibited together for more than 20 years. The group’s work spans a range of media — including painting, pastel, fiber, clay, paper and photography — highlighting both individual styles and a shared commitment to creative practice.
Regenbogen, a Connecticut native who has lived in Hickory for 35 years, recently retired from a career in massage therapy that began in 1977.
Over the past decade, she has focused on needlework and collage, creating mixed-media pieces that pair hand-stitched textiles with her original haiku. Using vintage fabrics, she transforms materials from everyday use into layered works of art, often altering them through rusting and other processes. Her work is held in private collections from California to France.
Tenery, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, traces her early interest in art to regular visits to the Art Institute of Chicago.
After moving to North Carolina in the late 1960s, she developed a style shaped by the region’s color and landscape. She studied at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Fla., earning an associate degree in graphic arts, and shifted her focus to painting in 1985. Her work has earned awards in regional competitions and been featured in numerous solo exhibitions.
In 2002, she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant and has since contributed to programs supporting young and developmentally disabled artists. She is currently working on a series incorporating glass, metal and stone.
“To love art is to live art,” Tenery said.
THE ART OF WORDS
Rock School Arts Foundation is inviting poets to respond to the visual art with words during “The Art of Words,” an upcoming ekphrastic poetry reading.
Ekphrastic poetry — a form that dates back to ancient Greece — is written in response to a work of art. According to the Poetry Foundation, it traditionally describes or reflects on visual art, often translating imagery into language or offering an imaginative interpretation of the piece.
For this event, poets are encouraged to visit the foundation’s galleries and draw inspiration from current exhibitions.
Poets may submit one to three original works inspired by the exhibits. The submission deadline is May 18. Selected poets will read their work during a public event from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, May 24, inside the gallery.
Submissions may be emailed to rsaf1893@gmail.com or mailed to Rock School Arts Foundation, P.O. Box 837, Valdese, NC 28690. For more information, call 828-838-9806.
The May 24 reading is open to the public and will include light refreshments.
The Rock School Arts Foundation is housed in the Old Rock School in Valdese, 400 Main St. W. The galleries are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
