The Carthage Community Foundation 2019 pictured here.
The Carthage Community Foundation 2020—Jeff Williams, President; Stephanie Howard, Vice President; Delores Honey, Secretary/Treasurer; Jessica Andrews Adams; Amy Cole; Andrew Jordan; Danny Lambeth; Kate Lasley; Kristi Montague; John Nicholas; Jose Palma; Eric Putnam; Bill Putnam Jr., Advisory Board Member; Stan Schmidt, Advisory Board Member; and Heather Goff Collier, Foundation Coordinator

        Following a cold snap, at high noon on a recent day that felt like a gift of Indian Summer, Betsy Flanigan, artCentral’s board president, and I sat masked and distanced—two guests among many spaced and scattered at picnic tables beneath a Memorial Park pavilion. On behalf of artCentral, Betsy and I were at this fall awards luncheon to receive for artCentral a Carthage Community Foundation grant of $2,500. This grant from the Foundation, designated to help artCentral with operational expenses as we meet the economic challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, will make a tremendous stopgap difference!
 
        Each year, spring and autumn, the Carthage Community Foundation awards grants to several non-profits working in their unique ways to make our hometown a better place for all of us. This autumn the Foundation awarded $34,075 to sixteen groups—each dollar a gift as inspiring as the brilliant leaves we see painting our town, the Maple Leaf City of America.

because donations are down for a lot of agencies due to COVID. That is something we changed and certainly something we saw throughout the process. A lot of our local agencies needed the help this year.”

​​     The Carthage Community Foundation, with their meaningful demonstration of creative flexibility, adapted their typical giving parameters to help in the ways most needed and thus relieve the stress many non-profits are experiencing.
 
        Without the Foundation’s aid the pandemic’s increased challenges could be insurmountable. Because of the Carthage Community Foundation’s foresight and dedication to making a difference, artCentral will be better able to respond positively to the downturn caused by the pandemic and to continue to offer uplifting art and opportunities to all of our community as we support the artists that are at the heart of our mission to serve.
 
        For the Carthage Community Foundation’s important and very timely assistance, I and artCentral’s board of directors and all who believe in the importance of our hometown non-profit arts center are deeply grateful. This awarded grant is like those welcome Indian Summer gifts that come to us in the days when summer’s bounty wanes, and yet Mother Nature provides us with an amazing surge of beauty and abundance to carry us through our oncoming winter.  
 
        According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in 1792, true Indian Summer falls within a stretch of warm days that follow a spell of cold weather or a good hard frost and come before a first snowfall. By the Almanac’s official definition, this period must occur between St. Martin’s Day (November 11) and November 20.
 
        During the days of Indian Summer temperatures swing dramatically between the warm days when the atmosphere is hazy or smoky and nights that are clear and chilly. Long before November’s St. Martin’s Day, we southwest Missourians can experience one or more curious chills followed by warm weather spells that we are prone to think of as the Indian Summers of our part of the world—those times when we hustle to pull our sweaters out of storage and spread another quilt on the bed as gardens unpack their last favors and the leafy canopy above us celebrates with the splendor of an artist’s palette.
 
        In this most unusual pandemic year, with the help of the Carthage Community Foundation, artCentral is able to open the gallery doors of Hyde House with Indian Summer experiences that will warm your hearts and lift your spirits to carry you through winter into spring.
 
        Additionally assisted by the gracious underwriting of Old Missouri Bank, two marvelous collections are now on exhibition—the INA NIDAY & MARY DATUM | TWO FRIENDS | OIL PAINTINGS and the SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction Fundraiser—are available for your viewing, bidding and holiday shopping through December 5, at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. Weekend Gallery Hours are each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols practiced. Face masks, social distancing and sign in are required for everyone entering Hyde House. For additional information call (417) 358-4404.

A PEACEFUL, EASY EVENING     ​

​I am deeply appreciative of the gracious support of Old Missouri Bank, the underwriter for this evening and for the two marvelous collections now on exhibition—the INA NIDAY & MARY DATUM | TWO FRIENDS | OIL PAINTINGS and the SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction Fundraiser.
 
This was artCentral’s first “live” outing on Facebook! I am happy to say the evening was a terrifically peaceful, easy and happy success in a setting I consider to be among the most serene in Carthage. This elegant, 1890’s foursquare American farmhouse, bequeathed by Katherine Hyde, always to be used to exhibit and promote art and artists, is a true sanctuary and a haven on any day, but especially during days when the world outside seems to grow too noisy and disarrayed for too long.

​A full moon rose high and clear over Hyde House hill on the early October evening of artCentral’s two online OPENING CELEBRATIONS for the two amazing collections installed throughout the galleries, downstairs and upstairs, too. With the moon arrived my co-hosts for the evening’s broadcast—David Greenwood-Mathé, dedicated artist and artCentral’s prepitor (art handler), and Jason Shelfer, board member and sculptor creator of the SCULPTUAL SPECTACULAR now installed in artCentral’s sculpture garden. Betsy Flanigan, artCentral’s board of directors president, was in the house, as well, to facilitate the flow of comments and requests coming via cyberspace to artCentral.

Sally Armstrong, Jane Ballard, Joan Banks, Andrew Batcheller, Eric Beezley, Diana Bray, Aurelia Burr, Landon Cawyer, Stephanie Cawyer, Mary Datum, April Davis-Brunner, Nancy Dymott, Cynthia Greene, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, David Greenwood-Mathé, Al Gritten, Cindy Head, Steve Head, Diane Heisner, Barbara Hicklin, Nina Johnston, Janice Kinman, Helen Kunze, Lori Marble, Koral Martin, Jane McCaulley, Nicole Meyer-Foresman, Connie Miller, Dustin Miller, Janice Myers, Ina Niday, Mary L. Parks, Sandra Parrill, Tyla Marie Raredon, Chris Reed, Debbie Reed, Emily Rose, Brenda Sageng, Debbie Southard, Lisa Teerlink, Linda Teeter, Andy Thomas, Dan Trogdon, Jordy Vulpine, Lora Waring and Bonnie Young.                                                                                         
David and Jason and I certainly were happy celebrating artCentral’s artists and engaging with our viewers in a meaningful, artful conversation that left us high-fiving and congratulating ourselves with “We did pretty well!” Of course there was a gaff here and there—we missed a couple of cues and we kept chatting when we were supposed to be backstage staying silent: but, hey, we are working a learning curve here. We will review the video, tweak our missteps and up our skills to be enthusiastically ready to party big time when the closing celebrations and final bidding come around on December 5th.
 
Come see for yourself what these fabulously creative souls have made. There is pocket-friendly art here for everyone! Give yourself a peaceful, easy outing filled with inspiring beauty. Visit artCentral, October 2 through December 5, in Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. View, shop and place your Silent Auction bids. Weekend Gallery Hours are each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols practiced. Face masks, social distancing and sign in are required for everyone entering Hyde House. 

there is a plethora of colorfully painted winged ones adorning the gallery walls throughout Hyde House.

​Watching over artCentral’s curiously variegated aviary is a very wise owl perched on the foyer wall. This wise watchman of the feathered world is looking out from the handsome logo of Old Missouri Bank. Old Missouri Bank is the gracious underwriter for the two marvelous collections now on exhibition—INA NIDAY & MARY DATUM | TWO FRIENDS | OIL PAINTINGS and SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction Fundraiser.

​​How appropriate that the owl stands as a symbol for Old Missouri Bank and for Lonnie Heckmaster, artCentral’s great friend. 

​Since before recorded history owls have been attributed with wisdom. In Greek and Roman mythology, owls were associated with education, intellect and magic, perhaps because of their wide eyes, solemn expression and ability to see through darkness. The goddess Athena was believed to control wisdom and darkness. Her symbol was the owl. From the “The Iliad” and the Bible through thousands of years owls have been portrayed as sage and wise. Early Christian texts used the owl as a metaphor for Jesus, who appeared in the darkness of sin and showed humans the way to salvation.

Some Native American tribes understand the owl as a symbol of bravery and protection. In contemporary Western culture, owls are synonymous with wisdom and knowledge. The wise owl is found in childhood stories like "Winnie the Pooh" and serves as college mascots like the Temple Owls. Owls in reading spectacles are often seen on signs for libraries and bookstores. Cartoon owls wearing caps and gowns appear on graduation cards.

When I was still relatively new to southwestern Missouri, I heard tell of a particular local owl. While being courted by my now husband David, he enchanted me with the story of the Prosperity Owl, shrouded in mystery and said to be in residence on a back road between Carthage and Joplin. Fact or fiction, I could not know for certain, until sure enough one afternoon going for an evening out in Joplin, we saw this beautiful, large legendary bird sitting calmly erect and attentive on a fence post very near the old, two-story red brick schoolhouse on Prosperity Avenue. The majestic head serenely watched our approach. The wings did not ruffle or flap. The body did not rise up in flight. As we pulled over to the roadside and David turned off the engine, we watched to make sure we were not seeing an apparition. The owl’s eyes never left us—just cast a steady gaze. When we drove on, I turned to look over my shoulder. Still the Prosperity Owl sat watching, watching, watching until we made the corner, and we lost sight of one another.

I am so very happy Lonnie Heckmaster keeps artCentral in his sights. I am so thankful the graciousness of Old Missouri Bank is making possible the Silent Auction Fundraiser and Ina’s and Mary’s stunning exhibition. The underwriting of Old Missouri Bank is supporting forty-nine artCentral artists as they show and share their creations that have the power to give wings to the spirits and hearts of all of us.

Visit artCentral, October 2-December 5, and see all the birds and so much more in Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. View, shop and place your Silent Auction bids. Weekend Gallery Hours are each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols practiced. Face masks, social distancing and sign in are required for everyone entering Hyde House. Please help us keep each other safe and healthy and wise as owls!

​Finally the long anticipated day has arrived! All the artCentral galleries are fabulously filled with amazing art! Hyde House is vibrating with excitement! Friday, 2 October 2020, is the day for two OPENING CELEBRATIONS.

At high noon at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage artCentral’s vibrant green door will open to reveal two collections of totally enchanting art. Be the first to come and see and savor these two visual feasts presented in INA NIDAY & MARY DATUM | TWO FRIENDS | OIL PAININGS and SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction Fundraiser.

About dusk on October 2nd the really big celebrations begin! From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. artCentral’s Curator and Prepitor, Alice Lynn and David Greenwood-Mathé, will be joined by artCentral board member and artist, Jason Shelfer. Live on Facebook at ArtCentralCarthage from the galleries of Hyde House they will give you a tour of the both Ina and Mary’s exhibition and the Silent Auction, as well.

Ina Niday’s and Mary Datum’s collection showcases more than one hundred beautiful paintings created in oil. All are available for purchase the night of the Opening Celebration. You can call or comment in the live stream anytime during the online tour. The entire collection, including Ina’s vintage tin ornaments and gift cards, can be previewed beforehand or during the Opening Celebration at artCentral’s website (https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/events.html) and artCentral’s Facebook page (ArtCentralCarthage) where you will find all the images in two photo albums.

The SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction features fifty artCentral artist-created 5x7 canvases which they have donated to help raise funds to support artCentral’s work for art and artists. Many opening bids are set at a pocket-friendly ten dollars. First bids may be placed when the gallery opens on Friday, 2 October, at noon.

Each work is unique and special. They include images of flowers and barns and landscapes; a gathering of shawl-wrapped women, an assortment of birds and a mermaid with her consort; a collection of embellished hearts and a tell-tale heart; a colorful dog and a colorful frog; a mellow-faced calf, a feline in the wild and an artistic mouse; a looping biplane and a famous artist; and a photo printed on metal of a sunrise that will take your breath away. There are a pair of hand wrought dangling silver earrings and abstracts both textured and whimsical, too. There is a Dan Trogdon original cartoon that will certainly tickle your funny bone. Several canvases offer images inspired by the holiday season.

Again for this 2020 Silent Auction Fundraiser native son and local artist hero, Andy Thomas, has somehow found the time to create yet another exquisite intimate donation. “Freedom” is the title of this watercolor painting masterfully rendered as is every work that comes out of Andy’s studio. Strutting as though high-stepping across the picture plane, back dropped with a lush green forest, a singular turkey is colorfully, brilliantly painted with Andy’s signature panache.

Knowing about Andy’s current, ambitious undertaking, the new mural honoring famous Carthaginians that will soon brighten the historic downtown square, I felt quite timid when I first reached out to Andy’s wife and agent, Dina Thomas. As always Dina graciously listened as I pitched my request for Andy to make a donation this year as he has so generously done in past years for past fundraisers. I held my breath and missed a wink or two of sleep as I awaited Andy’s response. Thankfully, his answer, “Yes,” was quickly forthcoming. Now I can relax: a masterwork is once again in Hyde House waiting for you to carry home. The opening bid is set at $300.00. The “Buy Now” bid is $1,800.00. Will you be the fortunate patron who snatches up this prize?

Be sure to tune in October 2 at 6:00 p.m. for the two Opening Celebrations where you can view all the art in real time, ask questions, begin your bidding and make initial purchases. Tune in at the end of the Exhibition and Auction on Saturday, December 5, to view the art, shop and purchase your favorites and place your winning bids!
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October 2-December 5, Weekend Gallery Hours are each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols practiced at artCentral. Face masks and social distancing are required for everyone entering Hyde House. Please help us keep each other safe and healthy and ready for the coming celebrations!

TWO FRIENDS + SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS fundraising silent auction are waiting in the wings at artCentral! Mark your calendars now for the Opening Celebration on Friday, October 2, 2020, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Prepare to be amazed by a plethora of brand new art that will dazzle your eyes and please you immensely! Mark your calendars, too, to remember the Closing Celebration on December 5, 2020, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
 
For the festive season of celebrations just ahead artCentral has gathered two extraordinary collections for your holiday viewing and early shopping, your hopeful bidding and happy purchasing at Hyde House from October 2 through December 5, 2020. As artwork is being delivered, excitement and anticipation are wafting through the galleries.
 
In the meantime, the outdoor drive through SCULPTURAL SPECTACULAR by Jason Shelfer is still enchanting visitors to the campus, while the 2020 MEMBERSHIP EXHIBITION remains on display and waiting for your visit.  Awards recipients have been named. Come see for yourself at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage through September 19. Right and left, artworks are being chosen to take home at the exhibition’s close. Do not let your favorite get away! Weekend Gallery Hours are each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols being practiced. Face masks and social distancing are required for everyone entering Hyde House. Please help us keep each other safe and healthy and ready for the coming celebrations!
 
Both the Opening and Closing Celebrations will be held virtually via FACEBOOK LIVE on artCentral’s facebook page. As artCentral’s Executive Director-Curator with my husband David, artCentral’s Prepitor (art handler) we will be serving as your online tour guides, personal shoppers and auctioneers. Tune in October 2 for the Opening where you can get a close up of all the art in real time, ask questions, begin your bidding and make initial purchases while you meet some of the artists and special guests. Tune in at the end of the Exhibition and Auction on Saturday, December 5 to view the art, shop, purchase your 2 FRIENDS favorites and place your winning bids!
 
Who are the TWO FRIENDS about to be introduced at Hyde House? They are two life-long artists and long-time soul mates drawn together by their love for art making and for painting in oils. While Ina Niday and Mary Datum work in many sizes and paint many subjects, in their coming artCentral exhibition their creations will be mostly giftable, pocket-friendly intimate canvases along with a collection of Ina’s notecards and holiday decoratives. Many will be exquisite still lifes and landscapes, with a charming pet portrait or two from Mary. All will be displayed Parisian Salon style in the Chandelier and Members Galleries. Ina’s and Mary’s 2 FRIENDS is a genuine treasure trove to explore, and still there are many other works to tickle your fancy as well! The demi-creations in artCentral’s SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS will greet you in the foyer and front galleries when you first arrive!
 
For your selection the SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS fundraising silent auction showcases more than sixty 5”x 7” artworks created and donated by artCentral Artists. All proceeds are dedicated to artCentral’s work to support art and artists in our greater community.
 
Beginning October 2, you can view online all the art in TWO FRIENDS + SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS where you will be able to digitally make your purchases and place your early bids. Visit artCentral’s website at https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/events.html and artCentral’s Facebook page at ArtCentralCarthage to see all the images in two photo albums.   
 
Quite possibly you will find artCentral to be your one-stop shopping venue to fulfill all your gifting on your holiday shopping list! To ensure you get your first choices, come early to Hyde House early or visit remotely from the comfort of your home or office. Make your selection and your payment to claim one or more of Ina’s and Mary’s beautiful 2 FRIENDS paintings. Bid often during the online SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS silent auction and at the finale! Thank you for supporting artCentral artists!
 
 With the board of directors and all the members and artists of artCentral, I do hope you will join us for the opening and grand finale at the conclusion of this most unusual year. Your participation will help us sustain artCentral’s crucial mission to promote the arts and artists that lift our spirits and soothe our souls every day and especially now as together we find our paths through challenging times.

​In these curious times fraught with uncertainties, good drama is happening at artCentral!
​
Give Carthage Day on September 1, 2020, was an amazing production and a huge success benefiting artCentral and many other non-profits. Under the sponsorship of the Carthage Community Foundation and the leadership of Heather Collier, foundation coordinator, and with the generous giving of community supporters like yourself, funds were raised to help keep artCentral vital and program strong. I send out a special thank you to board president, Betsy Flanigan; board members Maddie Capps and Wendi Douglas; Brad Douglas, videographer extraordinaire; founding artCentral director Sandy Higgins; and former artCamper and now intern Brady Cloud for contributing their time and talents to help create our vigorous online campaign.

The curtain is up and visual dramatic arts are happening at Hyde House with the 2020 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP EXHIBITION fully staged and waiting for your visit. Awards recipients have been named. Each is a show stopper! Come see for yourself at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage through September 19. Weekend Gallery Hours are each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. CDC protocols are practiced at artCentral. Face masks and social distancing are required for everyone entering Hyde House. Please help us keep each other safe and healthy!

While we are still sheltering as much as possible, domestic drama occasionally unfolds in the home I share with my husband and family of furries and feathers—the old 1890’s house we affectionately call Paradise! A few days ago, before the rains came, the evening had grown quite late. After my artCentral day working remotely at the computer in my home office, I went outside to catch up on all the weed eating—edging our brick sidewalks, flower beds and along the curb and tiding up the puppy yard around our Aussie’s agility course.

Just as I finished my husband David arrived with a week’s supplies purchased at our local big box and waiting to be sanitized and put away as darkness descended. By the time we finished a quick dinner and our daily garden watering and I got upstairs to draw a bath and David went back out to collect eggs, the sun had long since set and the chickens had already gone to roost.
​
I was ready, like the chickie babes, for a good night’s sleep. I waited for David to come back inside and report on their egg-laying successes. I waited some more. He seemed to take forever! When he finally came in, instead of eggs to show off, he brought a story filled with dramatic antics.

​I scooped up Coquette all sleepy and compliant. I put her down to nestle with the others. With all the girls safely inside, I double locked the door to the palace, and then I fetched the battery lantern and the long stick with the gripping tongs. When I came back and held the light high, I spied the intruder crouched down and pressed hard against the fence of the chicken yard. I had him cornered! But he bolted! Under the fence and up into the monkey tree he climbed, then down the other side of the fence and into the front yard. I chased after him. He got away! I don’t know where he is, but I’m going to catch him. I set the live trap—left the door open with an apple inside. Possums love apples. I will get this critter!”

David did get that critter! Carried that possum far, far away. Relocated our visitor way out in the country! Finally shutting our eyes, we rested well knowing our girls were safe. Of course, David is resetting the live trap in case any family or relations come snooping about in these curious times of uncertainties!
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Good drama continues happening at artCentral while we are keeping everyone healthy and safe at Hyde House! Though critter drama may still be lurking in Paradise, with a little extra vigilance we feel confident we can keep our girls secure and safe, too!

This is a terrific time for celebration of artCentral! We are so blessed and fortunate to have our very own hometown arts center! Please lend your support to keep artCentral vital. Make your online donation on GIVE CARTHAGE DAY, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, or anytime at https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/give-4art-fund.html. Every gift makes a difference! No gift is too small.

On a summery day the silvery burst on the lawn’s green grass grabs your attention before you ever turn up the drive toward Hyde House. Like a magnificent firework of sparkling lines exuberantly exploding outward, Jason Shelfer’s newest installation for his outdoor SCULPTURAL SPECTACULAR exhibition is a celebration supreme! The arrival of this and two more of his recent creations is perfect serendipity, for this is indeed a time for celebration!

The 2020 Annual Membership Exhibition is open in Hyde House and waiting to awe you from the moment you walk through artCentral’s green door of hospitality. Oh, do come soon! Throughout this elegant, foursquare American farmhouse, walls and pedestals and shelves are filled with fifty wondrous artworks by some of our region’s most gifted artists. They will lift you up and make you laugh; confound you and inspire you; cause you to speculate and to hunger for answers; soothe you and make you wish for more. All artworks in the Membership Exhibition are available for purchase.

The generous underwriter for this fine collection is McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation for which artCental is immensely grateful. The Jurors for this exceptional exhibition are Beth Simmons, Director of McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation, and Reita Walker Miller, award-winning artist from Little Rock, Arkansas. They have selected four outstanding works to be awarded Underwriter, Gold, Silver and Bronze cash prizes for excellence. Additionally two Honorable Mentions have been named.

Juror Reita Walker Miller writes, “I found the 50 entries to be diverse in media, subject matter and technical ability. I applaud each artist for their creativity and their willingness to share their work with their community and beyond. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in artCentral’s mission to serve your community through art and artists. The urge to create is strong in many of us, and to have a community that supports art and artists is vital to cultural enrichment for everyone.” Yes! This is a time for celebration with the announcement of these gifted, award-receiving artists, their artworks and comments offered by the Jurors:
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UNDERWRITER: Andrew Batcheller, “The Sermon of the Dictator on the Mount (We Don't Deserve Love)”, Oil on Linen, 49”x74”: Expansive and intimate, too. Like a story told to be understood, yet mysterious and intriguing. Who or what is the black bunny? The complex composition is balanced like a diptych fully unfolded. The application of almost garish pigments is masterful.

GOLD: Dan McWilliams, “Last Dance”, Oil, 16”x20”: Strong composition and use of light compels the viewer to move through each section of this painting. The artist’s expert use of color sets the mood. A high level of technical ability reinforces the theme throughout.

SILVER: Mary L. Parks, “CALM COOL CONNECTED”, Acrylic and Mixed Media, 11”x14”: The choice of colors and consistent application add to the overall calm of this work. The simple framing does not distract from the movement within the artwork.
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BRONZE: Dustin Miller, “Joe’s Baby”, Charcoal, 22”x27”: The scale and simplicity of composition and presentation add strength to an already strong subject. Technical ability is very evident and the urge to over emphasize detail was resisted. The resulting understated drawing is serene and powerful.

HONORABLE MENTION: Linda Teeter, “Spirit + Sphere + Balance”, Archival Print, 26”x32”: Beautiful and simple, straightforward with expert lighting and presentation. Less is more.

HONORABLE MENTION: Jordy Vulpine, “Spirit of Michelle”, Charcoal, 9”x12”: The viewer is challenged to interpret the narrative through the individual objects. An intriguing idea and composition that could be developed more on a larger scale.

You may virtually preview and review all the artworks in the exhibit by visiting artCentral’s website at https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/2020-annual-membership-exhibition-21-aug-19-sep.html. Also, on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ArtcentralCarthage/photos/?ref=page_internal
you will find the entire exhibit’s fine art showcased in a photo album.
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This is definitely a time for celebration! Hyde House and the Annual Membership Exhibition are open and waiting for your visit at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage from August 21 through September 19 with Weekend Gallery Hours each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. CDC protocols are practiced at artCentral. Face masks and social distancing are required for everyone entering Hyde House. Please help us keep each other safe and healthy!

Recognizing this collection is exceptional, David and I wanted to make this installation our best ever. For four evenings, after David returned from his day job, we headed over to the gallery to work late. Getting Hyde House ready for your visits we prepped walls and swept floors and polished window panes. Mostly we considered and discussed and stood back to view possible arrangements and combinations as we hung art to create conversations of texture and color and harmony. The results are very pleasing. You must come see for yourself!

Each time I leave Hyde House and return I am filled with warm feelings of satisfaction and pride for artCentral’s 2020 Annual Membership Exhibition is elegant and provocative, inspiring and fun, beautiful and revelatory, quiet and well-spoken and filled with positive energy—all made and brought to us by the great talents that live and move among us. We are blessed to be in the company of these remarkable creative spirits:

Jane Ballard, Joan Banks, Andrew W. Batcheller, Eric Beezley, Karolee Blanchard, Diana Bray, Jim Bray, Maddie Capps, Landon Cawyer and Stephanie Cawyer;

April Davis-Brunner, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, David Greenwood-Mathé, Al Gritten, Carol Hammerbacher, Cindy Head, Steve Head, Barbara Hicklin, Nina Johnston and Janice Kinman;

Helen Kunze, Philip Ledbetter, Christina Lorenzen, Lori Marble, Koral Martin, Jesse McCormick, Dan McWilliams, Nicole Meyer-Foresman, Connie Miller and Dianne Miller;

Dustin Miller, Jim Miller, Margie Moss, Janice Myers, Mary L. Parks, Sandra Parrill, Tyla Raredon, Debbie Reed, Rich Reed and Donna Roberts;

Emily Rose, Brenda M. Sageng, Debbie Southard, Kerry Sturgis, Linda Teeter, Dan Trogdon, Jordy Vulpine, Elizabeth Wallsmith, Lora Waring and Bonnie Young.

Two distinguished Jurors have stepped up to the difficult tasks of selecting recipients to receive cash awards for the outstanding works of art. The Underwriter Award will be given by Beth Simmons, Director of the McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation, patron of artists, an avid collector of art and a longtime supporter of artCentral.

Reita Walker Miller of Little Rock, Arkansas, will name recipients of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards. Reita is a member of American Watercolor Society, New York; National Watercolor Society, California; Watercolor USA Honor Society, Missouri; and Mid-Southern Watercolorists, Arkansas. A painter for over forty years, her work is in over three hundred private, corporate and museum collections including the Arkansas Arts Center, Springfield Arts Museum (Missouri), Arts and Science Museum (Pine Bluff, Arkansas), Hendrix College and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital permanent collection.

You may virtually preview and review all the artworks in the exhibit by visiting artCentral’s website at https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/2020-annual-membership-exhibition-21-aug-19-sep.html.

Also, on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ArtcentralCarthage/photos/?ref=page_internal you will find the entire exhibit’s fine art showcased in a photo album.

This Annual Membership Exhibition will be open and waiting for your real time visit beginning at noon on Friday, August 21, 2020, at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. The exhibition continues August 21 through September 19 with Weekend Gallery Hours each Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.

I will be at Hyde House to greet you every Friday. Volunteer gallery docents will be present on Saturdays. We are all eager to welcome you to artCentral and to assist you in any way we can to enjoy artCentral’s home in elegant, historic Hyde House as you discover the outstanding art on display here.

CDC protocols are practiced at artcentral. Face masks and social distancing are required for everyone entering Hyde House. Please help us keep each other safe and healthy!
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All artworks in the Membership Exhibition are available for purchase beginning at noon, Friday, August 21. Please support artCentral's Member Artists! Make your choice and secure your selection by contacting me, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, Exhibition Curator, at (417) 358-4404 or artcentral@artcentralcarthage.org.

​Older Naked Lady beauties have been at home at artCentral for quite some time. Annually they magically appear in the circular flower bed beside the back patio. This month they are providing a lovely setting for the Heron—one of the sixteen works installed in Jason Shelfer’s SCULPTURAL SPECTACULAR exhibition underwritten by Schmidt CPAS & Advisors.

Board Member and exhibiting artist Jason Shelfer tells us: “Each year my Mom asks me what I want for Christmas, and I try to make my responses an equal mix of constructive and audacious.

The sewing machine Christmas launched my textile creations...and these sculptures are the result of my Lincoln Arc Welder Christmas. Once I had begun creating pieces from the objects I had on hand (and displaying them in my yard), friends began to give me metal. I could not do most of these without my dear friends slash patrons, particularly, the Ball Family! They have opened up their farm to be artistically plundered on numerous occasions.”

Do come on over to 1110 East Thirteenth Street and see for yourself the art made of Jason’s foraging. Admission is free!

When you arrive at artCentral the first sculpture you will view is Red I-Beams. Entering the campus and traveling counterclockwise around the circular drive, stop at the front porch stairs and pick up a site map from the red-topped information box.

In the island’s center you will find Thorax, A Tempest of Wheels, Alea iacta est (The die has been cast), Pyramidal Duo and Interstitial. Off to the right is the Heron knee deep in Naked Ladies then the ethereal blue Celeste Chairs. The mash up of Bike Lanes stands before the Great Wall. Continuing around next come Window Screens #1, Orange Steel Tube, Tractor Parts, Window Screens #2, Gray Mobius Wire, The Angelus by Millet via Dali and Cerchi per Nostro Circolo (Circles for Our Circle).

Sculptural Spectacular is a fine example of artCentral’s mission to offer grand art in our small town. All of artCentral’s exhibitions and events at Hyde House and through community outreach programs are made possible with the support of art lovers like you. Please show you gratitude for all that artCentral gives to enrich the quality of life and culture in greater Carthage.
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September 1 is Give Carthage Day sponsored by the Carthage Community Foundation. This is a perfect opportunity to make your donation to artCentral’s Give4Art! Fund. Your contributions make a difference! I can just imagine all artCentral’s Naked Ladies standing even taller and more beautiful as they nod their appreciation in your direction!