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Visual Arts Programming at An Appalachian Summer Festival Features Art from South Africa in July

June 20, 2014. An Appalachian Summer Festival is celebrating 30 years of bringing the best in music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film to the mountains of North Carolina this July. In partnership with the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (TCVA), the festival showcases the visual arts through exhibitions, workshops, artist lectures, Family Day and the 28th annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Walk.

Summer Exhibition Celebration

On Friday, July 11, from 6-10 p.m., the TCVA is celebrating summer and the new exhibition: TWENTY: Contemporary Art from South Africa. With live music and a chance to meet some of the artists, the public is invited to take a tour through the six galleries at the center. Featured exhibitions:

  • TWENTY: Opening July 11, this exhibition celebrates the 20th year of South Africa’s democracy. Depicting a slice of South African life through contemporary art, this exhibition explores issues of social conditions like land issues and HIV/AIDS and juxtaposes these with positive aspects including the Mandela years and the influence of traditional craft on contemporary South African art.
  • Ivan Fortushniak-In Christ Alone: Heavily influenced by early Modern American Art of the 19th century, the motivation behind Ivan Fortushniak’s recent work is his belief of the dire state of man and the human need for what the Gospel offers.
  • Legacy, Tradition, Reinventions: Penland Resident Artists: Penland School of Crafts, located just 45 miles from the Turchin Center, is one of the most unique artistic educational facilities in the nation. This exhibition houses works created by current participants of the school’s resident artist program.

Workshops

Workshops at the Turchin Center offer the opportunity for participants to learn a new technique or hone an existing skill. Below are the workshops offered during An Appalachian Summer Festival.

  • Action Figures (ages 6-11) – July 3
  • Salt Glazing – June 30, July 2 and 5
  • Self-Reflection (ages 12-16) – June 30, July 3
  • Plein Air Painting – July 12
  • Kid’s Art Week (ages 7-12) – July 14-18
  • Discovering Your Inner Artist – July 21-25

Lunch and Learn Lecture Series

The Lunch and Learn Lecture Series are interactive and informative lectures that give an insider’s look at the festival programming and beyond from experts in the field. Lunch and Learns are held every Wednesday throughout July from 12-1 p.m. in the TCVA Lecture Hall. These are free events; just bring a bagged lunch to enjoy during the lecture.

  • July 2 – Twenty with Hank Foreman
  • July 9 – Give My Regards to Broadway with Keith Martin
  • July 16 – Penland Resident Artist David Eichelberger
  • July 23 – Education Takes the Stage with Christy Chenausky

TCVA Family Day

Family Day is held on Saturday, July 12 from 1-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Themed entirely around the new exhibition, TWENTY, TCVA Family Day celebrates the culture of Africa through art activities. Discover how children live, work and play in South Africa. Admission is free to this event.

Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Walk

The walk will take place on Saturday, July 26 at 10 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. The Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and exhibition is a national, juried competition to showcase the bast of large-scale, contemporary American sculptures on the campus of Appalachian State University. Join competition juror Wayne Trapp and the sculpture artists on an outdoor tour of the 10 selected pieces from the 28th Rosen Sculpture Competition. The tour begins and ends at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, followed by light refreshments and an announcement of the top three sculptures at an award ceremony.

About An Appalachian Summer Festival

An Appalachian Summer Festival is presented annually in July by the university’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs. Beginning as a small chamber music series founded by festival patrons Arnold and Muriel Rosen, the festival is now one of the nation’s most highly regarded, multidisciplinary art festivals. The festival has been named one of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society. True to a university-based arts festival, educational opportunities including lectures and chances to meet artists, artistic directors, competition jurors and other experts have always been an important component of festival programming.