Arts Center hosts Arts League's bi-annual juried show

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts has had a long relationship with the members of the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League. For the past 13 years, the arts center has hosted the bi-annual juried show in its Upper Gallery for the League. This year is no different.

On Friday, Oct. 14, from 6-8 p.m., the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League show opens at the center with an artists reception. The show runs through Nov. 18. Expect to see a wide variety of media submitted by some of the 200 league members. The exhibition in the upper gallery is free and open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

This year’s show is juried by Bill Jameson of Saluda. Jameson has been a professional painter for the last 40 years. A published author on painting, he teaches workshops around the world and is represented in galleries throughout the South. He has judged numerous art shows including the South Carolina Water Media Society, the Texas Tri-State Exhibit and the Quinlan Arts Center Exhibit, held in conjunction with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

"When judging an exhibit, I look for excellence in execution of the medium,” Jameson said. “In all media, from painting to craft, I also look for balance. A work of art can be beautifully executed but weak in composition which, to me, is the single most important factor. Drawing, color harmony, use of light and dark are also important in achieving balance, but there is another factor. It is the aesthetic quality, the sometimes undefined quality of a work that gives it a special beauty. It's the piece that draws the eye from 30 feet across a room. I am always looking for that piece of work no matter the medium."

“The Swannanoa Fine Arts League always looks forward to being hosted by Black Mountain Center for The Arts," league gallery chair Barbara Frohmader said. "It is an opportunity to collaborate and be visible to a broader audience. In my opinion, Black Mountain is a very artistically rich and diverse community. Any time both organizations can find ways to promote and support one another, we all benefit.”

The Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League, established in 1967, has its headquarters and member studios in the Red House Studios and Gallery adjacent to the Monte Vista Hotel in Black Mountain. The league has regular workshops and programs to benefit its members.

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St., has existed for the past 16 years. It hosts 10 gallery shows annually, as well as special community events, a community theater, a concert series and 28 classes each week, For more about the upcoming show, visit BlackMountainArts.org or call 669-0930.