(Posted Jan. 5, 2016)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
For the third straight year, the London Visual Arts Guild (LVAG) is kicking off its exhibit schedule with an open call to artists and writers of all ages and locales.
Anyone is welcome to submit artwork, poems and essays to the Community Show, set for Feb. 2-26 at Gallery On High, 5 E. High St., London. Submissions can be dropped off at the gallery between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Jan. 21-22. Other drop-off arrangements can be made by calling Sandy Fox, guild president, at (937) 207-7400.
“We’ve had a nice variety in the past—some essays and poems, lots of paintings, watercolors, and photos. Each year, we get more,” Fox said.
People’s choice awards will be presented in three categories: photography, mixed media, and poems/essays. Each winner receives a $25 gift card and an LVAG membership. This year’s theme is “Madison Memories.” Submissions do not need to follow the theme.
Fox said she is excited about not only the Community Show, but the 2017 exhibit schedule as a whole. The lineup features a mixture of solo and group shows, with some changes in format from years past.
“We’re looking forward to this year,” she said.
New to the schedule is a Founders Show, set for March 2-April 2, showcasing artwork by individuals who established the Arts Guild in 2008. The show is inspired by Jim Keen, a founding member who passed away in 2016.
“Jim did a lot of work for the Guild in getting it started. He really dedicated a lot of time and expense in keeping us going,” Fox said.
Also new this year is a second open community show focused on work by writers and illustrators, set for Nov. 2-19. Submission guidelines will be shared closer to the exhibit dates. This show replaces the guild’s month-long silent auction, traditionally held in November. Instead, the group is planning a one-day silent auction benefit for Sept. 29, likely to include a meal.
Rounding out the year is a new theme for the annual members’ holiday gift show. “Winter Wonderland” runs Nov. 27-Dec. 23. All works will have a Christmas or winter vibe, filling the gallery with holiday spirit.
To learn more about the London Visual Arts Guild, go to http://londonvisualartsguild.org/. Gallery On High is closed in January, but will reopen in February. Regular hours are Thursdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The guild also operates Studio 7 at 7 E. High St., holding classes for all ages, as well as offering studio space and time for area artists.
LVAG 2017 Exhibit Schedule
Sponsored by the London Visual Arts Guild, the following shows will be held at Gallery On High, 5 E. High St., London.
• Community Show: “Madison Memories” – Feb. 2-26
• Founders Show: Work by LVAG founding members – March 2-April 2
• Bob Rogers (London resident): Multi-media – April 6-30
• Tanya Slabaugh (Area college student): Photography – May 4-28
• Kay Majka (London resident): Flowers and landscapes in oil – June 1-July 2
• Linda Bradley (Former London resident now living in Waymart, Pa.): “From London to Waymart” Photography – July 6-30
• Members Show: “Jazz and Whatever” – Aug. 3-27
• Bob Rea (London resident): “Somewhere Else” Photography – Aug. 31-Sept. 24
• Silent Auction Benefit – Sept. 29
• Don Swenson (South Charleston resident): “The West Then and Now” Mixed media – Oct. 5-29
• Writers and Illustrators: Open to the community show – Nov. 2-19
• Winter Wonderland: Members’ holiday gift show – Nov. 27-Dec.23
