Summer regional show highlights Franklin Square Gallery season

Ceramic artists, painters, and sculptors from throughout the Carolinas are showcased in Southport’s Franklin Square Gallery’s highlight of the season, the Summer Regional Show. Regional artists have been invited to join gallery members and submit their latest work for judging, and the selected art comprises this juried exhibition that runs from June 18-July 14.
“I’ve seen 20 summer shows at Franklin Square Gallery, and I believe it gets better every year,” noted chairperson Joyce Grazetti. “I can’t wait to see what our talented artists submit this year.” Many of the well-known guest artists submit their new work each year, but new talent often makes its first appearance in the gallery circuit in this open invitation to be juried into a large, regional show.
The artists are vying for a range of prizes from honorable mention to best of show, in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional categories.
Carrie Burns Brown of Greenville, S.C., an experimental water media artist, national juror, and instructor at the Greenville Museum and Springmaid, will judge the 2-D work. Cynthia Bringle, designated a North Carolina Living Treasure now working in Penland, is the 3-D judge. Award winners will be announced at a reception for the artists and the public from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 19.
More than 100 exhibiting members of The Associated Artists of Southport, the organization that manages this cooperative gallery, will also have artwork on display in the pottery rooms and upstairs Art Loft.
Patrons look forward to another traditional part of the Summer Show, the July 4 raffle. The Associated Artists have contributed a selection of framed paintings and ceramic art, and these items are also on exhibit. The public is invited to buy raffle tickets and a drawing will take place at 5 p.m. July 4. Ticket holders need not be present to win. These proceeds will go to the maintenance of the historic building that houses this nonprofit community gallery.
The Franklin Square Gallery is located in historic downtown Southport directly behind Franklin Square Park. A former schoolhouse and town hall, the building is a tourist attraction in itself. It is open to the public daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, call 457-5450 or visit its website at www.franklinsquaregallery.com.