Let's talk SMAC!
Finally, a reprieve from the heat and anticipation for cooler nights and all the fall glory that entails. Whether your cup of tea is horror or Mickey Mouse as a wizard, it's a month of play, magic and make believe. As artists, it's the perfect time to embrace the magic of the season and play without guilt. We can try new mediums and techniques, or we can push the envelope with our primary mediums, creating fantastical worlds that stretch the boundaries of reality. October is definitely a magical month to explore your "what ifs," dream and play. You could even take it a step further and make art in costume, taking on a whole different persona.
So, this is my challenge to you this month-- to take this month to explore something new, to play in your studio space and let yourself flow with the season. No one has to see your playful art. This is just good for your soul. But if you would like to share some of it send it to me at PLAY. I'll see what I can do to add some pieces that are sent to me in the newsletter. And if you want to turn your play into something new, we have a new painting class this month. Peggy Dyke joins us for the first time with a wonderful acrylic class, called Freedom Run, to get you started in painting. Read more about it below.
We have new members to celebrate this month. Join me in welcoming Melissa Ford, Jenny Green, Lilly Snyder, and Sherryl Walker. Welcome, welcome, welcome. We are so glad you joined. Members renewing are Gary Baker and the Tenille Blair-Neff family. We appreciate you all.
Thank you all for being a part of SMAC. We can't do this without you! So now it's time to grab a cup of coffee, sit back and let's talk SMAC!
--Lynnette Horn
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At a Glance...
"3x3" Post-It Note Art Show"
Fundraiser Event
October 6-28
Earlybird Opening
October 6, 5-6 p.m.
Opening Reception for Exhibit
October 6, 6-9 p.m.
Artist Call: Photography
Deadline: October 11
SMAC Artist Alley
October 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Figure Drawing (18+)
October 20, 7-9 p.m.
"Freedom Run" Acylic
Painting Class with
Peggy Dyke
October 24, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Cosplay Figure Drawing
October 24, 7-9 p.m.
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Facebook Page for Class or Event Additions
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Olivia brought Play Back into Art
If you were fortunate to catch Olivia Stephen's art show in September, then I know you left with a smile on your face. The whole exhibit was simply fun and whimsical--a perfect springboard into October's challenge to play. Olivia even incorporated video games into her show. As usual, opening night attendance was great, with lots of friends and family, along with locals and the usual suspects. And sales were a great boon, too. I think Olivia's exhibit just might have triggered my desire to get us playing this month. So often we get stuck in turning art into a business that we forget why we moved into art in the first place. Thanks, Olivia, for bringing back my focus on the fun of it all.
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SMAC to host Art Show and Fundraiser Event
The Post-It Note: 3”x3” Show returns to the gallery for the fourth year at the Southern Missouri Arts Connection (SMAC) Art Center at 7 Downing Street, Hollister. This event is not only a show to see great art from many regional and local artists, but also a fundraiser to support SMAC’s efforts to keep the arts alive and well within the Hollister/Branson community. The exhibit will run during the month of October. Opening gallery night and reception will be Friday, October 6, 6-9 p.m. Both viewing of the exhibit and attending the reception are free and open to the public. The Vintage Paris Coffee kiosk will also be on hand for opening night. New this year, Early Access, 5-6 p.m., is available for $10.
This miniature show will boast an eclectic mix of mini masterpieces. “Each year area artists push their boundaries to bring something new and exciting to this show,” SMAC President Tenille said, “to up the standards and creativity of the year prior.” There should be something for every taste, created with different mediums, styles and substrates—from a variety of papers, wood panels and mini canvases, some even on Post-It Notes. “You can be assured since this is in October, there will be a lot of Halloween inspired art, too,” Tenille added.
Each piece will be sold for only $5. It is a rare opportunity to purchase a piece of artwork from a favorite local or regional artist for less than a happy meal.
“The first night is special,” Tenille said. “There is electricity and excitement in the air as people rush to snatch their favorites off the walls before someone else does.” Once an item is purchased the buyer takes it home that night. There is no waiting until the end of the month, like at other shows. And all pieces are sold on a first-come basis. “And we are making it better with Early Access, allowing you first pick of all the amazing art.” Even with art flying out the door the first night, there will still be plenty of art yet to be seen and had throughout the month.
In addition, each month during their exhibits, SMAC highlights one of the many local non-profit organizations that serves the area. This month SMAC is drawing attention to Faith Community Health, a Christian faith-based charitable clinic offering income-based health services in Branson.
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Photographer Call Deadline looms
Experience the Art of Photography in a whole new way through our exhibition, where we showcase the endless possibilities of this powerful medium as a separate art form. We welcome area photographers to submit their most striking and thought-provoking images in either black and white or color, whether your approach is classic or innovative. From images that are easily understood to those that carry more obscure meanings, we encourage you to explore your creative side and a part of this unique and dynamic exhibition.
Please email images of your submission to SMAC Gallery Committee at info@smac-art.org by October 11. Your photography may be used for promoting the exhibit. We will only accept files submitted in JPG/JPEG not exceeding 5MB. We suggest you compress you image to 7 or 8 in Photoshop or Elements and sRGB color space is recommended, whether black and white or color. Also be sure to save your reduced files with name different from your original, so you don't lose the original high resolution.
By submitting images, you are agreeing that the work is your own and you own all rights to the images. You take full responsibility for the content of all images, including the likeness of recognizable individuals. We recognize the legitimate use of work by others incorporated into your image, but the final image must be essentially your own. Human controlled digital editing is acceptable, but the use of artificial intelligence is prohibited.
If notified of acceptance, your work must be dropped off at the SMAC Art Center October 28, between 5-8 p.m. Your work must be framed and ready to hang. The exhibit will run from November 3-25, with an opening reception on November 3, 6-9.
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Freedom Run Painting Workshop
Who in the Ozarks doesn’t love horses? That is why we are so excited to welcome Peggy Dyke to our stable of art teachers. Her first class at SMAC is called Freedom Run will be on October 24, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. You will capture the emotion of a horse running free across an Ozark meadow. With Peggy’s step-by-step instruction you will be able to master this painting in just three hours using a quick wet-on-wet technique. This lesson is suitable for beginner and intermediate artists alike, so don’t be intimidated. Even if you have never picked up a paintbrush, by the end of the session you will have a finished painting suitable to hang in your home. The class is $50 per person, which covers everything you will need. Thanks to a generous grant from the City of Hollister Parks and Recreation Department, Hollister residents only pay half ($25). Sign up online at www.smac-art.org.
About the Instructor: Peggy has been an art instructor for more than 30 years, teaching acrylics, oils and graphite drawing. She loves sharing her passion and knowledge for art with others. Her own art has a unique western style, depicting animals, Native American life and cowboys. When Peggy isn’t painting or teaching, she is raising and training horses on her and her husband’s ranch in Nixa.
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Join a Fun Night of Drawing Cosplayers
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The next Cosplay Figure Drawing event will be October 24, 7-9 p.m. It is always the fourth Tuesday of the month, unless notified of a cancelation. If improving your drawing skills is on your to-do list, this event is for you. Each session, a model comes dressed in a different cosplay costume. Poses are timed, starting off with short periods in the beginning to get you warmed up, then, poses gradually get longer so that you have time to focus on details. Of course, you don't need to be a gamer or a comic fan or cosplayer yourself to enjoy Cosplay Figure Drawing. It's a perfect way to learn to draw clothed figures in a plethora of poses. This past month a friend of Mary Evelyn Tucker's, Amy, came to pose as a WiiFit Instructor. There were eight drawing enthusiasts who attended. I wonder which character will show up this month.
Practicing drawing with a live model also creates muscle memory so that your skills improve and helps your mind translate three dimensional objects into two dimensional representations. This can't be learned by practicing from photos. This family-friendly drawing event is perfect for all ages, though we ask that children be supervised by an adult. It's also a safe zone, where you can explore drawing without feeling intimidated by more experienced artists. Everyone who wants to learn how to draw has to start somewhere, even if it is stick figures. What better way than in a safe, encouraging environment. I hope you'll join us. A $10 donation to help cover the cost of the model is encouraged but not required.
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Meet our New Artist in Resident
As most of you know, Valerie Clark was awarded the 2023/24 artist residency at SMAC. This is the second year we have been fortunate to have an artist-in-residence thanks to grants from Springfield Regional Arts Council and Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Her residency started at the beginning of September, so I gave her a couple of weeks to settle in before I approached her for an interview.
Valerie grew up in Millington, Tennessee. "I always enjoyed painting and drawing," she said, "really anything creative, even cake decorating." She was always encouraged to follow her artistic bent, so she enrolled in College of the Ozarks to pursue it.
"During my second semester I took my first clay class and fell in love with it," Valerie said. She continued exploring clay with a passion and worked at the clay studio as part of her tuition work. In the spring of 2023, she graduated with a Bachelor of Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics and painting. "After graduating, I didn't want to teach in the public schools, but to carve out a career in fine art," she explained.
She always knew SMAC existed, but Valerie hadn't visited until last May. "I like all that is available at the center and hope to get other C of O students and graduates involved," she said.
She is excited to be the new artist in residence. "I want to use this year to explore painting," she said. "Right now, I'm struggling to learn figurative painting." But she also wants to experiment in all the painting genres and subject matter to find her footing. Finding a narrative for her work is very important. "I'm still figuring out what I want to say," she said. "Then, of course, the best mode to express." That's what this year as artist-in-residence will be about. At this point, she knows she likes a lot of texture and strong paint values and is curious where that will lead her.
Valerie will be "exploring" at the art center every Monday and Wednesday afternoons. She also is the manager of Table Rock Coffee Roasters. "My work schedule fits perfectly with my studio time," she said. When she is not working or creating, she enjoys cooking, baking and reading.
We on the SMAC board are so very excited to have Valerie become an integral part of the SMAC Art Center for this year and look forward to all she creates
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