Reception held Saturday for artists at library

The Honorary Teacher’s Sororities Alpha Delta Kappa and Delta Kappa Gamma are presenting the Warren County Women’s Fine Art and Heritage Craft Show in celebration of the Warren County Bicentennial and to honor the contributions of women artists in our community. The show is an officially sanctioned Warren County Bicentennial event.

The works will be on display at Magness Library during the month of April, and there will be a special artists reception from 2 to 4 p.m. tomorrow at the library where those attending can meet the artists and discuss their work.

Refreshments will be provided and local acoustic musician Tim Winton will be performing. The event is free.

The show will present a variety of arts and crafts, including baskets, quilts, ceramics, oil and acrylic paintings and photography.

Artist Mitzi Pierce, whose baskets, hand-carved spoons and utensils will be featured in the show, says it’s a wonderful chance for local women who are accomplished artists and craftspeople to shine.

‘I think it’s awesome they’re going to provide a showcase for their work,’ Pierce said. ‘We have a lot of really talented people in Warren County, and this is a great way for them to show what they can do. I think women have a lot to offer and their creativity is sometimes overlooked.’

Pierce says the arts are important to the community, and is particularly pleased many of the pieces on display will include a Warren County Bicentennial theme. Pierce feels creative arts like basket weaving and quilting help to keep the interest in handmade crafts alive and well in a society increasingly dominated by mass-produced merchandise.

‘I think it’s great because it connects you to your past,’ Pierce said. ‘As long as we keep our past alive, it helps us to move forward to our future while at the same time recognizing the importance of what came before and what our ancestors accomplished.’

Local artist and teacher Carol Neal, along with teacher and McMinnville Alderman Jimmy Haley, have been instrumental in putting the show together. Neal also feels it’s important to pay homage to our heritage.

‘Women used to have to make things for their families to survive,’ Neal said. ‘Baskets, rugs, quilts, and they put their hard work and creativity into it without realizing they were really creating works of art. We have some of those to show, both antique and current. These works are important. The Metropolitan Museum in New York City has featured the Gee’s Bend quilts from Alabama.

‘Our lives are so fast paced now it’s a luxury to have time to create things that were once made as a necessity,’ Neal said. ‘We have items that will only be shown at the reception because of their age and their rarity. So we encourage anyone who wants to see these creations to try and make it to the reception tomorrow.’

Artists in the show include Linda Bernhardt, Pat Bigbee, Carole Boyd, Melody Brock, Debbie Dunham, Chole Gillespie, Betty Bryan Haslan, Francis Locke, Brandie Mansfield, Carol Neal, Fairy Locke Newman, Mary Ann Noblin, Mitzi Pierce, Elsa Richter, Dorinda Watts and Ruby Wood

The Hearth & Home Quilt Guild will be presenting individual quilt hangings with Warren County Themes created especially for the Warren County Bicentennial.

Quilters include Jan Burke, Lena Jones, Carolyn Lance, Frances Ledford, Linda Lusk, Lena Jones, Peggie McColloch, Jewell Murphy, Reba Jo Newby, Dianne Page, Nila G. Patton, Betty Smith and Patsy Webb.

According to Neal many of the items in the show will be offered for sale by the artists.