“Robin Nest,” ink and watercolor, Morgan Summerlin, Daniel High

Local artists honored at kickoff reception

COUNTY — Pickens County Youth Arts 2014 is now in full swing.

Saturday’s kickoff reception at the Pickens County Museum was attended by more than 800 proud parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, and, of course, the talented young artists that created the 994 works of art that are on display at the museum through March 27.

The cultural commission presented awards to artists in both high school and middle school divisions at the reception.

In the high school division, first place went to Daniel High School’s Morgan Summerlin for the ink and watercolor, “Robin Nest.” Pickens High School’s Kyle McManis took second place for the mixed media, “Past and Present,” while third-place honors went to Craig Stewart from Liberty High School for the fiber art piece, “Family Genes. Easley High School’s Laurie Lemere earned an honorable mention award for the watercolor, “Untitled Memorial.”

Director’s choice certificates in the high school division were presented to Callie Durham, Erika Gibbon, Kay Lawrence and Savannah Oddo from Daniel High; Bria Cutrer, Audrey Dangler, Emily Moss and Emilie White from Easley High; Karson Brown, Tyler Chapman, Rebekah Davis and Holly Gillespie from Liberty High; and Anna Alexander, Alexis Day, Dakota Gamble and Brianna Miles from Pickens High.

Pickens Middle School’s Tyler Jackson earned first place in the middle school division for the graphite drawing, “The Crow.” Second-place honors went to Noah Thomas from Liberty Middle School for the collage, “Bird on a Branch,” and Dacusville Middle School’s Rebecca White took third for the pen and ink drawing, “Tiger Eye.” A pair of honorable mention awards went to Gettys Middle School’s Lauren Lesley for the colored pencil drawing, “Infinity,” and to Edwards Middle School’s Lou Thompson for the graphite drawing, “Self Portrait.”

Directors choice certificate winners in the middle school division included Faith Bentley, Lexi Mathis and Walker Williams from Dacusville Middle School; Kayla Dickard, Gavin Gillespie and Sam Ogle from Edwards Middle School; Savanna Dyer, Kenta Ogwa and Kimi Rhodes from Gettys Middle School; Judith Martinez-Lopez, Clay Oliver and Amy Owen from Liberty Middle School; and Maddie Gambrell, Maggie Jordan and Caitlyn Murphy from Pickens Middle School.

In the elementary school division, all participating students were presented an award of participation by the museum and the participating schools.

In addition to the visual arts exhibition, which will be on display through March 27, the Pickens County Museum will also host a special “Evening of Music, Performance and Piggy Banks,” which will feature the creative talents of performing arts students from the School District of Pickens County on Thursday, March 20, from 5-7 p.m.. The evening will be capped off with a life auction of artist-created piggy banks.

Sponsored by the Easley Junior Women’s Club, “Project Piggy Bank” is a way to get the entire community involved in art. Piggy banks designed and decorated by local artists were displayed in area businesses during December. All money collected in those banks goes to provide scholarships for youth who would like to attend summer art camps and classes at the Pickens County Museum of Art and History. Now, those banks are on display at the museum so that others can enjoy the opportunity to contribute to the scholarship fund and acquire their favorite pigs for their own collections. All bids must be in by 6:30 p.m. on March 20.

A selection of other exhibits, concerts and performances will take place at a variety of locations throughout March. As the many schools are sponsoring events too numerous to detail, contact individual schools for programming information.

Pickens County Youth Arts 2014 is sponsored in part by Pickens Savings and Loan, South Carolina Bank and Trust, Earth Design, Inc. and Robinson Funeral Home, Crematory and Memorial Gardens. Officials also thank the Easley Junior Women’s Club for their sponsorship of the kickoff reception and for the Project Piggy Bank fundraiser. The Pickens County Museum of Art and History is funded in part by Pickens County, members and friends of the museum and a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Located at the corner of U.S. Highway 178 at 307 Johnson Street in Pickens, the museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed.

For more information, contact the museum at (864) 898-5963.