Plan to view Piedmont Arts’ current exhibits, featuring work by regional artists Scott Eagle, Gerry Bannan, John Christian and Terry Mitchell, before they close on Saturday, March 3.
“We’ve had a wonderful reception to these exhibits,” Interim Executive Director Heidi Pinkston said. “Nearly 1,000 guests have visited the museum since they opened in January. If you haven’t had a chance to visit Piedmont Arts, please make a date to view these exhibits before they’re gone. ”
Before the close of the exhibits, Piedmont Arts will host Art @ Happy Hour on Thursday, March 1, from 5 to 7 p.m.
“Art @ Happy Hour is the last event before these exhibits close,” said Pinkston. “It’s a great opportunity to get a close-up look at the works on display and hear first-hand from the artists about their creative inspiration and process.”
Art @ Happy Hour is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to enjoy drinks and light snacks while they explore the galleries.
About the Exhibits
In Psychodrama, Scott Eagle explores psychological turmoil and his own introspective struggles.
“I am an object and image maker,” said Eagle. “I use objects and imagery in the same way that writers use words or musicians use sound, as a communicative medium. More specifically, I use images to represent ideas and issues that I am dealing with in my day to day life.”
Eagle serves as the assistant director of the School of Art and Design, director of graduate studies and associate professor of painting and drawing at East Carolina University. His paintings and illustrations have been exhibited and reproduced internationally. Publications featuring his work include, The Oxford American, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Juxtapoz and numerous books. He was selected by Creative Quarterly Magazine as one of their top 100 creatives for 2013.
In Vita Brevis, Gerry Bannan creates a feast for the eyes with his lushly sensuous series of large-scale drawings, hearkening back to 16th and 17th century Northern European still life genre painting.
“My goal is to arrest the viewer with wonder and draw them near through curiosity,” said Bannan. “I want to slow the viewer down and slow down the entire art experience. Time is needed for imagery to penetrate the mind where connections are forged and significance of meaning can be derived.”
Bannan earned a BFA in printmaking from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute. After several years living in Brooklyn, New York, he moved to Roanoke, where he currently lives. He has been a professor of fine art at Patrick Henry Community College since 1994.
Works by woodturner Terry Mitchell are on display in the Box Mezzanine Gallery. A native of Henry County, Mitchell is locally and regionally renowned for his fine, exotic wood pieces created using natural bark edges and unusual forms. He works out of Studio 107 in Uptown Martinsville.
Fiber arts and paintings by local artist and Patrick Henry Community College Adjunct Professor John Christian are on display in the Lynwood Artists Gallery.
Piedmont Arts is located at 215 Starling Avenue, Martinsville. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission is free.
