Winter Solstice is here—that shortest day/longest night of the year when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun. The Winter Solstice Feast of Yule in pre-Christian Scandinavia lasted for twelve days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and introduced the custom of burning a Yule log. In Britain, Celtic priests known as Druids would cut mistletoe that grew on the oak trees and give their prunings as blessings.
For me Winter Solstice brings artCentral’s blessed Midwinter pause—a wee winter break—to reflect on the art-full, joy-filled highlights of the year we’re completing and to appreciate those who have supported artCentral’s many successes in 2019.
January – Artist and artCentral member Lowell Davis was named as the Chamber of Commerce “Artist of the Year”. Our local artist hero and artCentral member Andy Thomas presented his own original sculpture-enhanced oil painting honoring Lowell. Recently Lowell was inducted into the Hall of Carthage Heroes.
February-March – Hyde House galleries were filled with mixed media works created by a plethora of members of the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition for their exciting “Arti Gras” exhibition. KOKA Art Gallery and Cherry’s Custom Framing and Fine Art Gallery provided the exhibition underwriting.
April – The first Art.A.Fair Carthage took place on the historic square. Aspiring young artists painted plant-a-posie flower pots to take home with a set of complimentary paints.
April-May – Connie Miller’s bright, uplifting portraits were displayed at artCentral in “Conversations in Color” underwritten by Schmidt Associates, P.C.
May’s Give Carthage Day sponsored by The Carthage Community Foundation brought community online-giving support for artCentral’s GIVE4ART fund. Special recognition was given to artCentral with the Spirit Award from Revel Boutique for best use of social media.
June-July – With underwriting support by McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation, the Annual Membership Exhibition opened with an outdoor awards presentation on a perfect picnic evening. Member artist Andrew Batcheller of Joplin took top honors.
July brought the “All Creatures Great and Small” theme to artCamp attended by 70 youth with generous support by individual scholarship donors, as well as community supporters including the Helen S. Boylan Foundation, Carthage Council on the Arts, Carthage Rotary Club, Crackpot Pottery and Art Studio, Ruth I. Kolpin Foundation, Leggett & Platt, Incorporated, and S&S COMPUTERS.
August-September – “All Creatures Great and Small” was also the theme for the impressive exhibition presented by the Four State Photography Enthusiasts generously underwritten by Central Pet Care.
October-November – Jodie Sutton filled artCentral with 112 stunning “Encaustic Autumn Landscapes”. Sirloin Stockade provided the underwriting.
December – Eighteen talented artists created a beautiful Holiday Boutique shopping experience; Sixty-six artCentral artists donated their original 5×7 canvases for the fundraising Silent Auction; and the Board of Directors were honored at their Annual Christmas Luncheon.
Throughout the year artCentral’s satellite galleries at The Carthage Public Library and The Atrium at Sirloin Stockade were filled with works from JRAC’s “Arti Gras”, “Conversations in Color” and Membership exhibits, as well as two cameo exhibitions of florals and trains presented by artCentral board of directors secretary and photographer-artist Jane Ballard of Joplin.
After our Exhibition and Event packed year working full steam on behalf of art and artists, I am ready for a rest! Winter Solstice is the perfect beginning! I’m going to paint, swim laps, train and play with our puppies and spend evenings by our yule fire with artCentral’s hardworking prepitor, my dear artist husband David.
