​Set for the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday is a global, once-a-year opportunity to support the organizations and causes you love…like artCentral!
 
What does artCentral have in common with the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the National Gallery in London and Crystal Bridges in Bentonville? Like these world renowned art destinations, artCentral strives to support art and artists and to stimulate appreciation for art’s power to enhance our cultural life.
 
While the Louvre, the Met, the National Gallery and Crystal Bridges claim deep and broad sources for funding, the sustainability of artCentral as our hometown, non-profit arts center is built on the donations of our local community—people like you. Your generosity makes artCentral possible.
 
Give4ART on #GivingTuesday, and…
 
You make a difference in the life of a child exploring the joy of self-expression.
 
You make a difference in the life of an artist raising a family while making art.
 
You make a difference in our community where we treasure our cultural traditions.

​Please mark your calendar today for #GivingTuesday. On November 30 go to the artCentral’s Facebook page (facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage) and click on the blue DONATE button. Easily, securely make your donation. When matched by Facebook your donation is worth two times as much!
 
Beginning at 7:00 a.m. CST on #GivingTuesday, Facebook will match donations on a first-come, first served basis until $8 million are matched.
 
The allotted $8 million sounds like a huge fund, but those dollars will be distributed globally to all eligible nonprofit organizations. There are many causes like artCentral hoping to receive a piece of Facebook’s $8 million pie.
 
Double your money! Set your alarm for 6:50 a.m. Be ready early to click DONATE. Your contribution made early in the day, has the best chance of being matched for the benefit of artCentral. Of course you can give anytime through #GivingTuesday. Not available to give on that day? Your gift any day will be greatly appreciated!
 
Whether you donate $5 or $400, every dollar you give makes a difference. Please help artCentral raise our goal of $2,000.00 for #GivingTuesday. Your gift will help double $2,000 into $4,000! Facebook covers all processing fees, so 100% of donations go directly to support artCentral.

​ Visit beautiful, historic Hyde House, December 3 and 4, 12:00-8:00 p.m., for artCentral’s magical HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, the p-i-e-c-e-d TOGETHER Exhibition, SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS 5x7 Silent Auction and the Amaryllis sale! For more information call (417) 358-4404 and visit www.artcentralcarthage.org.

​Holiday Boutique time is only two weeks away! Beautiful Hyde House, artCentral’s elegant American foursquare farmhouse home on the hill, is dressed and ready in her holiday best. Betsy Flanigan, artCentral’s board president, Sierra Hicks, artCentral’s student intern, and I have spent a sunny afternoon hanging swags and wreaths of greenery on the porches and doors. The Christmas tree is splendidly decorated with last ornaments placed by members of the board of directors. Soon twinkle lights will be glowing inside and out. We are all very excited for you to come and be dazzled by all the artful treasures you are sure to find.
 
Admission is free. The public is cordially invited. The green door of hospitality will be open for Holiday Boutique guests on December 3 and 4, Friday and Saturday, 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Closing Celebration will be Saturday evening, 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Mark your calendars for this must visit destination where scents of aromatic warmth and visual pleasure waft through every gallery downstairs and upstairs, too.
 
A host of artCentral artists have come together to create this winter wonderland to lift your spirit with inspiration, soothe your soul in the midst of the season’s rushing and satisfy your shopping needs with thoughtful, pocket-friendly choices for everyone on your gift list.
 
Again this year artCentral’s spectacular limited edition Scarlet Amaryllis imported from Amsterdam will be ready to purchase and bloom through the holidays and well into the New Year. At only $25.00 each, presented in sparkling crimson planters and garnished with lush green bows, these are perfect for decorating your home or office and for giving to family, friends, neighbors and business associates. All the proceeds are dedicated to serving our community through artCentral’s work on behalf of art and artists. Be sure to order the one or more you want. Place your reservation early at (417) 358-4404 or by email to artcentral@artcentralcarthage.org. All will be available for pick up during boutique hours.
 
In addition to the Amaryllis there will be a plethora of artful wonders waiting for you!
 
* In this year’s Boutique Pop-Up Shop original, hand-crafted selections by several artCentral artists will be available including a variety of stocking stuffers plus creations both whimsical and sophisticated.
 
* The magical Gallery Exhibition—“p-i-e-c-e-d TOGETHER”—features a retrospective of artworks by the multi-talented Jo Mueller as well as Lori Marble’s gloriously colorful abstract paintings which are available for purchase.
 
* Additionally, again this year in the SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction you will discover two galleries filled with original 5x7 canvases created by artCentral artists and donated as their fundraiser to support artCentral’s work. Bid and buy your favorites for your own collection or to share with special folks you know. Bidding closes December 4, Saturday, at 7:00 p.m.
 
Shop local! Between now and Holiday Boutique weekend visit artCentral during Weekend Gallery Hours, Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. made possible with the gracious support of Sharon and Lance Beshore and Old Missouri Bank. CDC protocols are practiced at Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth in Carthage. For more information call (417) 358-4404 and visit www.artcentralcarthage.org.

​​Again this year at the end of August I brought them in. The Amaryllis. I had purchased them last year in December at artCentral’s Holiday Boutique. After enjoying their blooming indoors through the holidays and into spring, I put them outside in a semi-sunny corner of the herb garden. When I lifted their pots out of their summer home, I pruned back their leaves and my husband carried them down to the basement. Tucked against the stone foundation and covered with a colorful, old serape, they have rested in dormancy for the last two months.

​Now is the time to bring last year’s Amaryllis upstairs to sit beside a sunny window, to freshen their home with a new blanket of Spanish moss and to start their watering. I will buy and bring home a new artCentral Amaryllis or two to join last year’s. Before we are even ready to open our presents, they will all be blooming.

​When did I start celebrating the holidays with scarlet Amaryllis? So long ago I cannot remember. I had them in University Park in Dallas and in NYC walkups in Chelsea and Greenwich Village and Carroll Gardens; in my remote wilderness rental beside the Little Buffalo River and as the resident artist/gardener on a large private property on top of Mount Sequoyah in the Ozark Highlands of Fayetteville, Arkansas. I had them in my wee Forest Street Cottage when I first came to Carthage, and now David and I share them in our big, old house we love to call Paradise.
 
The dramatic beauty of scarlet Amaryllis will fill and brighten any home, modest or grand, with winter radiance and good cheer. I can’t imagine the holidays without them! Thankfully, artCentral, now through December 4, is again offering elegantly stunning scarlet Amaryllis bulbs cultivated to bloom through the holidays. They are presented this year in festive crimson planters bedecked with forest green bows. Modestly priced at $25.00 each, they are perfect for decorating homes and gift giving for your family and friends and business colleagues, too. You may want to purchase more than one.
                                               
This year’s Amaryllis edition is limited, so put your order in soon at (417) 358-4404 or artcentral@artcentralcarthage.org. All proceeds are dedicated to artCentral’s work on behalf of the art and artists that enrich the cultural life of Carthage and our neighboring communities.
 
The genus name “Amaryllis” comes from the Greek word “amarysso”—an ancient female name that means “sparkling” or “to sparkle”. Greek mythology tells us that Amaryllis was a shepherdess who loved Alteo, a strong and handsome shepherd. He had a passion for flowers.
 
Looking into the symbolism of the Amaryllis we learn this flower signifies pastoral poetry as well as determination, exquisite beauty and pride.
 
During the 18th century, Amaryllis bulbs were labeled as lilies. Amaryllis in South Africa is the March lily; the belladonna or Jersey lily in the United Kingdom; and the Madonna lily in Italy. The Portuguese name for the Amaryllis means “St. Joseph’s Staff” in reference to the legend that the staff of St. Joseph burst into bloom as a sign of his selection as the spouse of the Virgin Mary.
 
The Amaryllis is said to be native to tropical regions of the Caribbean, Mexico and Cape Province in South Africa. Some botanists believe that Portuguese explorers probably first brought the Amaryllis bulb to Europe around the early 16th century. Today Holland is a major grower and exporter of the festively colored Amaryllis. The Amaryllis bulbs that are shipped to artCentral are from Amsterdam.
 
Shop local! Order your artCentral Amaryllis early, and before we begin our seasonal twirl, be sure to pause and give yourself a pre-holiday treat! Through December 4, visit Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth in Carthage and see how artCentral is celebrating this inspiring season with the gracious support of Sharon and Lance Beshore and Old Missouri Bank. Bid on and buy your favorite SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS. Spend time with “p-i-e-c-e-d TOGETHER”—the extraordinary mixed media exhibition by Lori Marble and Jo Mueller. Weekend Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols practiced at artCentral. For more information call (417) 358-4404 and visit www.artcentralcarthage.org.