Southwest Georgia College Art Exhibition opens Friday

ALBANY — Area art lovers will get a chance to see work from some of south Georgia’s brightest up-and-coming artists as the annual Southwest Georgia College Art Exhibition opens this week at the Albany Area Arts Council’s Carnegie Library headquarters.

This year’s exhibition, which opens Friday and runs through Nov. 25, marks the 13th year of the college arts show, which was created to give area art students a chance to show their work in a juried exhibit while also networking with other college art students and teachers from southern Georgia.

Art students from Albany State University, Darton State College and Valdosta Stave University contributed to the exhibition and are presenting 75 pieces in a variety of different media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics and graphics. Local artist Ray Pierotti will serve as judge.

According to Albany Area Arts Council Executive Director Nicole Williams, in addition to exposing art lovers to the talents of area college students, the exhibition is a chance for the artists to gain experience, meet other artists and potentially sell some of their creations.

Williams’ husband, ASU associate fine arts professor Charles “Chazz” Williams, said the college art exhibit was created to make sure students got important practical experience that will help them continue to develop as artists.

“We came up with this show to give students the opportunity to exhibit their artwork and have hands-on experience with professional practices,” he said. “It is a learning show, basically, which is very educational for the students.”

Abby Bellard, an assistant professor of fine arts at Darton, added that in addition to the practical experience the students get from showing work, it also helps inspire and encourage them and their future work.

“It’s just so important for these students,” Bellard said. “For them to go to the show and get an idea of what other artists’ work looks like and to see their work hanging there, they’re grinning from ear to ear. It encourages them to stick with it, and it encourages them to say ‘I can do that, I can try a little harder.’”

The exhibition, which also serves as the Arts Council’s monthly exhibit for November, will open Friday with a small reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public, and visitors will have a chance to meet some of the artists and area art teachers.

Additionally, the reception will include the presentation of the juried awards, which the Williamses said will be given in different categories.

During its run, visitors can view the exhibition during the Arts Council’s regular hours, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays.

The Albany Area Arts Council is located at 215 N. Jackson Street. To learn more about the Arts Council, call (229) 439-ARTS (2787) or visit www.albanyartscouncil.org.