​After weeks and weeks of anticipation artCentral’s HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE CELEBRATION WEEKEND, underwritten by OLD MISSOURI BANK, is finally here with Hyde House open for your shopping pleasure December 2 and 3, Friday and Saturday, 12:00 noon until 8:00 p.m. at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage.

​The HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE gala CLOSING CELEBRATION will take place Saturday, December 3, 5:00-8:00 p.m., with holiday sweets and savories and libations, too. The SILENT AUCTION bidding concludes at 7:00 p.m.
 
Beautiful, historic Hyde House is shining at her most elegant! While the towering holly trees stand brightly festooned with their seasonal red berries their twinkle lights sparkle all way round! On stair and porch railings accented with scarlet velvet bows, swags and wreaths of winter greenery are twinkling, too, ready to welcome you inside to artCentral’s magical galleries abundantly filled with exquisite artist-created gifting and decorating items for your family and friends and colleagues.

​All proceeds are dedicated to artCentral’s work.

​Four regional artists are featured in this year’s HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE!
 
DEBBIE BARNETT first learned the love of making art in her family and now brings us her exquisite mandala paintings created with emotions and passion that shine through in brilliant colors and intricate designs.
 
KRISTIN GIRARD, borrowing inspiration from the natural world she cherishes, has created stunning copper jewelry using her electroforming method and incorporating sterling silver or beads or precious stones into her uniquely collectible jewelry.
 
BRENDA HAYES, the popular artist found on weekends at the Joplin Empire Market, offers us one-of-a-kind handmade journals, whimsical hats and scarves, delightfully intimate paintings and decorative treasures made with bits of the old lovingly upcycled with pieces of the new.
 
JANE MCCAULLEY is the imaginative creator of a world of beautiful, sparkling glass art that is sure to bring joy to any and every environment—homes and offices—and the gifting season. Her ornaments and standing glass works are irresistibly original!
 
You will be charmed by the artistically original jewelry accessories created by guest artist MARILYN YORK of Kansas City, as you discover my own art prints and cards along with artful selections from many other artCentral artists.
 
With fifty-four contributing artists donating their studio-made SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS, this year’s SILENT AUCTION, dancing on the walls of the Foyer and Parlor Galleries, is truly amazing! Come find the 5x7 creations that speak to your heart, and place your beginning bids (most start at $10.00) or claim a really special one for the pocket friendly “Buy Now” bid.
 
Shop Local! Do make artCentral’s HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE CELEBRATION WEEKEND your destination! The beauty and wonder you will find in artCentral’s peaceful and serene Hyde House will be gentle on your pocketbook as you fill your heart with pleasure while you support your hometown nonprofit arts center.

The SILENT AUCTION and HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE will be open for viewing, bidding and shopping December, 2 and 3, Friday and Saturday, 12:00-8:00 p.m. (Auction bidding concludes Saturday evening, December 3, at 7:00 p.m.) The gala CLOSING CELEBRATION will take place December 3, 5:00-8:00 p.m., with holiday sweets and savories and libations, too.

Though Hyde House will be closed for Thanksgiving weekend, you can call (417) 358-4404 to schedule a visit by appointment for Friday or Saturday, November 25 or 26, 12-5 p.m.!
 
Any day, any time, 24/7 when you check out the BOUTIQUE online you can see and place your bids on the AUCTION works, at facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos_albums and artcentralcarthage.org.
 
All the 5x7 Auction creations are ideal for gifting to family, friends or colleagues or for beginning or adding to your personal collection.

​Each of the almost sixty artist-made SILENT AUCTION contributions is truly amazing, and so are the artists who have created them. In support of artCentral’s work on behalf of the art and artists that enrich the cultural life of Carthage and our neighboring communities, each artist has generously given time and talent to make these stunning works available for your choosing
 
The list of amazing contributing artists is impressive. Many are familiar. Some are famous. Others are new and just emerging. All are artists who are offering their best! All merit your attention. We are grateful for each and every one: Sally Armstrong, Joan Banks, Deborah Barnett, Andrew Batcheller, Pat Baxter, Eric Beezley, Karolee Blanchard, April Brunner-Davis, Sydney Byers, Cheryl Church, Ginger Copeland, Jill Cornett, Kristin Girard, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, David Greenwood-Mathé, Al Gritten, Brenda Hayes, Stacy Heydt, Sierra Joy Hicks, Barbara Hicklin, Nina Johnston, Beth Kang, Janice Kinman, Melody Knowles, Helen Kunze, Linda Mae Kyger, Lori Marble, Jane McCaulley, Jesse McCormick, Connie Miller, Margie Moss, Janice Myers, Mary L. Parks, Sandra Parrill, Curt Penland, Tyla Marie Raredon, Debbie Reed, Richard Reed, Emily Rose, Brenda Molesworth Sageng, Debbie Southard, Kathleen Studebaker, Bev Sturgis, Kerry Sturgis, Linda Teeter, Andy Thomas, Angela Thomas, Clint Thornton, Mary L. Thornton, Lora Waring and Marilyn York.
 
Besides the Silent Auction, the artCentral HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE includes the gift boutique showcasing four regional featured artists—Deborah Barnett, Kristin Girard, Brenda Hayes and Jane McCaulley—and a plethora of artist-made shopping selections. Additionally the annual Limited Edition Amaryllis Fundraiser is underway.

​You have amazing power to make our community truly art-full! Donate Tuesday or donate today!

​​The scarlet amaryllis bulbs have arrived—imported from Amsterdam and swaddled in Mother Nature’s very best papery thin wrappers, they are filled with life and beauty waiting to be born and bring an accent of beauty in a home or office or business.

For today these treasures are all in residence at the greenhouse next door in the expert care of nurseryman Carlos Lopez. He is vigilantly watching over them and timing their radiant emergence to be blooming perfectly for the holiday season. How serenely elegant they look with their very first hints of tender green leaves and buds silently peeking out of their soft beds of Spanish moss.
​
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. 

​Have you reserved your purchase of one Amaryllis or more? At $30.00 each, every amaryllis comes embellished with a tastefully festive bow and a set of simple care instructions. 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.
 
Shop local! Shop at artCentral and support your hometown arts center! Place your order today by phone to (417) 358-4404 or text to (417) 825-0706 or email to artcentral@artcentralcarthage.org.
 
Do not delay! These treasures will sell out quickly for this year’s limited edition amaryllis beauties are presented in clay planters handmade by artCentral artist board member Cheryl Church (2022 Missouri High School Art Teacher of the Year) with assistance from one of her high school art students and Fred Minert, Carthage Junior High art teacher.
 
Each artistically unique planter in this harmonious choir is lusciously bathed in a beautiful, oh-so-soft lichen-tinted matte glaze. Each is simply exquisite! I would love to purchase a dozen to take home and give to family and friends, but instead I will graciously claim only two and leave the rest for you. 
The 2022 artCentral HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE includes the Amaryllis Fundraiser as well as the gift boutique featuring a plethora of artist-made shopping selections plus the SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction. All are underwritten with the gracious support of Old Missouri Bank and are available for your viewing, purchasing and bidding in Hyde House, 1110 East Thirteenth Street, during weekend gallery hours, Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m., as well as online 24/7 every day at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos_albums and artcentralcarthage.org.
 
For the Thanksgiving weekend gallery hours, artCentral will be closed except for visits scheduled by appointment at (417) 358-4404.
 
Do come and shop local at Hyde House. Find the 5x7 Silent Auction creations that speak to your heart, and place your beginning bids (most start at $10.00) or claim a really special canvas for an affordable “Buy Now” bid.
 
When you visit the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE  and place your Amaryllis order you are sure to feel the holiday spirit of giving and gifting has a home in your heart. With artCentral in your heart please make your donation on Giving Tuesday, November 29 by phone to (417) 358-4404, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/ or at https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/give4art-fund.html.

​magic into any room whether backlit or set before a window. Hung as sun catchers or displayed on shelves, her quartet of latticed branches celebrates the changing beauty of our four Ozark seasons.
 
Jane’s HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE collections also offer glass mosaics for your walls as a lovely bouquet of red tulips and a summer tree in full regalia and patch works of vibrant shapes or threads.
 
Jane has cultivated her talents for fused glass work over the fifteen years of her encore career practicing her passion in her home studio where she does all her designing and assembling and firing in her kilns. Quoting James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above," Jane tells us she believes her artistic talents are gifts from God. I have personally have been inspired by Jane’s sharing her gifts in her workshops that I have enjoyed in company with other students and on my own while making jewelry I love to wear and nightlights that shine each evening in my home.

​Jane is a remarkable and very popular teacher at artCentral’s summer artCamp for Youth. No surprise, for in her first career she spent thirty-five years teaching art to children and was named the Outstanding Educator of the Year by the Art Education Association of Indiana.
 
Beyond artCentral Jane’s splendid glass creations can be found at Local Color Art Gallery and Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin. She has also offered or is offering her art at Neosho National Fish Hatchery Visitors Center, Webb City Farmers Market where she is a frequent displaying artist, Silver Dollar City during their Fall Festival, Cecil Floyd Craft Show, as well as on her Etsy site and in her home studio.   
 
Do come see and shop Jane McCaulley’s sparkling and joyful artful glass creations at the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE along with the plethora of giftable art of three other Featured Artists—Debbie Barnett, Kristin Gerard and Brenda Hayes—and all the SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction donations made by artCentral artists!
 
Come find the 5x7 Silent Auction creations that speak to your heart, and place your beginning bids (most start at $10.00) or claim a really special one for an affordable “Buy Now” bid.

week after week Mary saved a copy of the Sunday Times to share with me. I blessed her then for helping me feel connected to the great big world I had left behind when I drove my paneled truck south out of Manhattan.

I bless Mary now for calling me every day so we can say, “Good morning! How ya doin’? You got this one girl! I love you!” Bless her for being the top fan of my Facebook page and the top fan of artCentral’s page, too. I always know Mary is cheering for me and for the art and artists of artCentral! She responds to all my posts with a beautiful red heart of love and often a positive encouragement or appreciative comment. Sometimes she asks a question like, “Have all the maple leaf necklaces in the Holiday Boutique been sold? I sure would like to have one!” 

While borrowing ample inspiration from the natural world she cherishes, she usually makes all the elements from the pendant to the chain and even the clasp. ​With her electroforming method—a process that chemically deposits copper on an object and “plates” it in the metallic substance—she frequently incorporates sterling silver or beads or precious stones.
 
Kristin is not afraid to try new ideas! When interviewed by Savanah Mandeville for Show Me the Ozarks magazine, Kristin mused, “A lot of what I do and the different techniques I use are about just going for it and being fearless. Most of my pieces are affordable and meant for everyday wear, so I like to think the most valuable thing about them isn’t expensive materials but the vision and imagination behind each piece.”

​Do come see and shop Kristin’s artful gifts from Mother Nature at the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE along with the plethora of giftable art of three other Featured Artists—Debbie Barnett, Brenda Hayes and Jane McCaulley—and all the SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction donations made by artCentral artists!
 
Come find the 5x7 Silent Auction creations that speak to your heart, and place your beginning bids (most start at $10.00) or claim a really special one for the pocket friendly “Buy Now” bid.
 
The 2022 artCentral HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, underwritten with the gracious support of Old Missouri Bank, is available for viewing, purchasing and bidding in Hyde House during weekend gallery hours, Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m., as well as online 24/7 every day at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos_albums and artcentralcarthage.org.

She finds her art in the ephemera many people throw away—junk mail, packing paper, food boxes.  These cast-aways combined with a little glue and paint and love make wonderful junk journals. So do old sweaters that have served their first purposes then with Brenda’s magic are cut apart and handcrafted back into useable, yet whimsical articles of clothing or accessory. 

 For this year’s BOUTIQUE Brenda has a diverse plethora of pocket-friendly offerings—one-of-a-kind fiber earrings decorated with tiny buttons and beads and wee embellishments; handmade greeting cards for the holidays and many, many other occasions; exquisitely unique journals imbued with Brenda’s book-making skills; charming warm hats and winter scarves lovingly assembled from remnants of upcycled sweaters; jolly little snow folks made with vintage flea market treasures; and joyful floral paintings in an array of intimate sizes to brighten any corner or wall.

​Brenda first caught my attention a number of years ago when I was new to the art world of southwest Missouri. We were both showing our creations at an Art Walk in Joplin. At first sight I fell in love with her and her imaginative art-makings. Fast forward to today and I am still enjoying my initial Brenda enchantment as chill days arrive bringing sweata-weatha which has me going to my closet to select an old favorite—one of four upcycled Brenda sweata-dressas put together with the nimble fingers of the fiber magician that she is. (I even have a hat that pairs perfectly with one of these and another hat that I received for a February birthday and still wear all through every winter.)

​As a small girl child creating was Brenda’s first language while she grew up in her artistic family. Her dad is a professional woodcarver. Her mom, a painter, paints the carvings.  Having the blessing of beginnings nurtured by art-loving role models, Brenda has spent most of her adult life making art and fearlessly trying her hands at new expressions. Today she will take on any alluring artistic challenge that catches her fancy. She is always looking for that next creative adventure. “Mixed” is her favorite media. Color and texture are her go-to inspirations. Brenda has acquired several looms and loves the creative process of experimenting with yarn.
 
Do come see and choose your own the holiday delights à la Brenda Hayes available at the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE along with the bounty of giftable art created by three other Featured Artists—Debbie Barnett, Kristin Gerard and Jane McCaulley—and all the SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction donations made by artCentral artists!
 
Come find the 5x7 Silent Auction creations that speak to your heart, and place your beginning bids (most start at $10.00) or claim a really special one for the pocket friendly “Buy Now” bid.
 
The 2022 artCentral HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, underwritten with the gracious support of Old Missouri Bank, is available for viewing, purchasing and bidding in Hyde House during weekend gallery hours, Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m., as well as online 24/7 every day at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos_albums and artcentralcarthage.org.