For the Love of the Lowcountry

Glynn Visual Arts celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2023 and will be using that opportunity to pay tribute to Lowcountry life. The community arts organization’s year-long celebration “Art of the Lowcountry” will include numerous events and activities that spotlight the natural beauty, charm and culture that are unique to the splendid Lowcountry setting of Coastal Georgia. They will be highlighting the region’s people as well, especially the artists and artisans who are inspired by and create within this magical place. What a wonderful muse it is!

What began with Bill Hendrix’s dream to create and teach art on the island back in the early 1950s has evolved from the “Island Art Center” in a ramshackle building by the airport to the vibrant non-profit community arts organization known as Glynn Visual Arts. Fittingly, it is still located near the airport, on Skylane Road, with a whimsical painted plane outside. Well-known local artist and former art instructor Betty Oliver is the Honorary Chair for Art of the Lowcountry. She has served GVA in many capacities over the years and is currently a Board of Directors Emeritus Member and Education Chair. Betty was quick to point out that when we discuss this 70th anniversary, many people don’t realize that Glynn Visual Arts is that very same arts organization that formed so many decades ago, because it underwent numerous name changes and moves throughout the years. Betty remembers it well from the beginning, as she was one of the children who took art lessons from Bill Hendrix in those days. She is thrilled to be a part of this celebration of GVA’s history and is so proud of what the organization offers to the community today.

Betty says that back in those early days, there wasn’t much else for kids to do on the island, other than county sports, so the art lessons were a fun way to pass the time on Saturday mornings. She says “I remember thinking that I would love to come back here and do this same thing. Create art. Teach it. It definitely shaped who I am and what I have done with my life. I think art is important in that way. It gives us a sense of a bigger, broader world. With Glynn Visual Arts, I wanted to get involved to be able to give that same opportunity to other children.” Betty is one of many of children who grew up on the island taking those Saturday morning art lessons and later in life followed their own artistic endeavors. Betty continued her study of art at The University of Georgia. After earning her B.A. in Art, M.A. in Art History, and a Ph.D. in Art Appreciation/Aesthetics, Betty served as Professor of Media Arts at what is now known as Kennesaw State. She’s an active member of many art societies and is a fabulous artist in her own right. We’re lucky to have so many talented artists like her still active in our local arts community and sharing their gifts.

“At GVA, our mission is to reach people through art; to speak to their souls as well as to their bodies, visually. Because schools can no longer provide art instruction, we need to create this interest and bring people in who don’t know that they need art. To reach the underserved in a way that contributes to their well-being but maybe in a way that they have never experienced and have had no access to.” Betty says, “Unfortunately, GVA is at a disadvantage because we have no governmental support and we’re often overlooked as a non-profit. We don’t have big grant money coming in. Many people think that we’re just another art gallery, but that’s a misconception. While we have several talented artists, GVA is not operated as a venue just for member artists to sell their works. Our Art Market and art sales pay to keep the lights on in the building! Classes and workshops and bringing art and artists here that generate interest and spark creativity is really what GVA is all about.”

Betty continues, “While there are many challenges, we all love it. The greatest thing about working at GVA is that they truly love what they’re doing and who they work with. I’m glad we can pay tribute to all the changes and growth and to the cultural gifts that make this region so special.”

GVA Executive Director Michelle Register, Marketing & Development Director Terri Evans, Board Members Kari Morris, Margie Harris, Myrna Scott Amos, and many others are busy bees working behind the scenes to get everything in place for an exciting year of events and to spread the word about the Art of the Lowcountry. They’ve shared some details with us about what we can expect to see as we move through the anniversary year.

One of the most distinct features of the Lowcountry is its alluring light. As they describe it, “Golden. Warm and welcoming, then shimmering as it spills into the day, followed by a dusky rose at days end. It is pleasantly predictable for painting.” According to our esteemed hosts, “This light and this landscape have long beckoned artists to this magical region of marshes, still rivers, graceful sea oats and live oaks draped with their wiry moss, at once clustered into molded curls, yet each distinctive from the other. The palmettos and palms await bursting with crowns of green, each slender blade casting its own sultry silhouette. And, of course, the ocean, ever present and never still.” Just look around at the number of artists who reside, either full or part-time, in and around our Golden Isles and you will agree that the muse is alive and well here.

Planned events will showcase the art of all things that reflect the Lowcountry life, “from the palette to the palate and beyond.” This will include art by local Lowcountry cultural influencers and the dramatic and distinct landscapes they have painted, as well as the storytellers, poets and writers who have shared their magical memories of Lowcountry life. Food will be offered from culinary artisans who have elevated what has been harvested from land and seas to delicious fare in a renowned art form celebrated around the world. No celebration of the Lowcountry would be complete without also recognizing its landscape and waters that invite the pursuit of leisure in year-round recreation and relaxation.

There will be opportunities to listen and learn from legendary Gullah Geechee experts who will share the customs unique to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. These traditions have had profound cultural influence on the visual, performing, and culinary arts and are deeply entwined with our roots here. GVA will celebrate the people and the families who have helped sustain this Lowcountry and the many artists who have documented and preserved the magnificent beauty of the Lowcountry of coastal Georgia. It is their hope that artists that may not have received popular attention or have been overlooked will now receive wider recognition.

Exciting monthly specialty workshops are planned that will focus on Lowcountry craft and art techniques like pluff mud pottery-making, basket sewing, and indigo fabric dyeing. There will be opportunities for plein air painting. Creative retreats on the barrier islands with Lowcountry guest speakers and artists will be offered, as well as artists’ retreat field trips. Some additional special anniversary year events planned include a VIP Sponsor Thank You celebration, a 70th Birthday Party at GVA in April, a GVA Member Family Day in the Fall, and a Halloween Family Night.

These special events will be in addition to GVA’s regular exhibitions of fine art that will take place during the year in the Portman Gallery, each month’s curated exhibit at the St. Simons Island Welcome Center, and the three juried art festivals held annually in Postell Park: April’s Art in the Park, Art Under the Oaks in September, and December’s Mistletoe Market.

GVA is striving to increase its presence at community events and to offer more opportunities for the community to interact with them. They do this by having booths or stations set up with artistic and creative activities at events like the Brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee and PorchFest. They also opened an Art Market at their location on Skylane Road and have started hosting an Open Air Market there as well, offering farm vendors and other artisan makers to sell their produce and products. GVA coordinates on-site art instruction at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia. They also hosts kids summer camps. They will soon be curating art displays that will be available for viewing at Hotel Simone. And don’t forget about the classes, workshops, art forums, and many other offerings presented at Glynn Visual Arts and the Pottery Studio!

One of the best ways that you can support GVA and help them celebrate this important anniversary is to attend the Art of the Lowcountry Gala signature fundraiser. This will be the shining jewel in the crown of the 70th anniversary events. The Art of the Lowcountry Gala will be held Saturday, March 4 at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center on St. Simons Island. The elegant evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will take guests from the palette to the palate. There will be live and silent auctions of incredible art, coastal excursions, and more. Three Little Birds will be serving up iconic Lowcountry cuisine that is sure to please the palate. The celebratory atmosphere will be enhanced by jazz music performed by the Phil Morrison Trio. A sketch artist will be present to capture the festivities as they unfold. Guests will delight in all things true to the Lowcountry life and proceeds from ticket sales will contribute to the enduring mission of Glynn Visual Arts.

In addition to the general tickets to the event, there are “Friends of GVA” tickets available. Art patrons who take advantage of this special offering will receive some exclusive surprises that are currently under wraps, as well as a copy of The Sapelo Collection,  a book/catalog of beautiful art prints of coastal scenes by local artists, originally published in 1997. It’s a beautiful keepsake piece. Elegant Island Living is proud to be a media sponsor of The Art of the Lowcountry and a partner of Glynn Visual Arts, and we urge you to join us in helping our community arts center and fine art gallery to continue enriching the cultural life of Glynn Country as they have done since 1953. Your contributions will allow them to expand and imprint their artistic impact throughout Glynn County and reach even further in the years to come. To purchase your tickets and learn more about planned events for this special 70th anniversary year, visit glynnvisualarts.org.