We are thankful and fortunate to live in a vibrant, growing community which values its art and artists. Your Creative Connection joins a variety of artful venues offering a diverse array of creative opportunities and exhibitions. Here are just a few of our favorite NC artful destinations:
Visual Art Exchange (VAE): Established by artists in 1980, VAE is "a hub for a diverse network of artists, a venue for artists to advance their careers, and a voice to influence positive change for the creative community". VAE, the creative incubator, is Raleigh's longest running private, non-profit visual arts organization. Frequent, cutting edge exhibitions, SPARKcon (a yearly, citywide art extravaganza), and the Ignite Creativity Summit are just a sampling of what VAE offers.
Street art at SPARKcon 2017. (photo: ssimmerman)
North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA): The North Carolina Museum of Art serves the people of North Carolina and all visitors as a premier destination for compelling encounters with art, and its vision is to "enrich lives through the power and wonder of art." No visit to the Triangle area art venues is complete without a tour of NCMA. From its newly expanded African Gallery in the East Building to the light-filled expanses of the West Building, the Museum offers something for every artistic taste. Add in special exhibitions, sculptures in the Museum Park, and films in the outdoor amphitheater, and you get a full spectrum creative work across centuries and disciplines.
Jaume Plensa, Awilda & Irma, 2014, stainless steel, H. 157.5 x W. 157.5 x D. 118 in. each, © J2017 Jaume Plensa, Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York.
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University: "promotes engagement with the visual arts for the Duke and Durham communities. The museum is dedicated to presenting innovative and accessible collections, exhibitions, publications and programs that stimulate intellectual discourse, enrich individual lives and generate new knowledge. Drawing on the resources of a leading research university, the museum serves as a laboratory for interdisciplinary approaches." We love its thought-provoking special exhibitions, as well as its commissioned works, such as "Shadow and Light," shown below.
Shadow and Light, by Odili Donald Odita, Nasher Museum, Durham, NC.
And, while not a 'destination' per se, we are immensely thankful for the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild (CMMAG): If not for the Guild, we wouldn't have met! Founded in 2002 by mixed media artist Jeanne Rhea, the CMMAG mission is to: advance the education of mixed media arts via meetings, workshops and exhibitions; encourage personal and professional development of member artists; explore techniques in a wide variety of media; develop opportunities for member artists to show their work to the public; and promote mixed media work to galleries, museums and the public. We have both served as Guild President, and credit working on Guild programs and special projects as the catalyst for the idea of Your Creative Connection.
CanvaSynergy II by twenty five members of CMMAG, 2016
If you're a mixed media artist interested in joining us for our Haw River, NC Retreat in October of 2018, sign up for our Newsletter, so you'll be the first to know the details, including getting first crack at registration when it opens later this month. We'd love to have you join us for what promises to be a wonder-filled artful experience!
Wishing you a creative day,
~Michelle
