Art on Green

“The world is but a canvas to our imagination.” —Henry David Thoreau.

Now that the Emanuel Arts Council is in downtown Swainsboro on North Green Street, we are looking forward to having our first ever Art Block Party on October 6th.

The event, organized by the EAC, is the first of its kind. It involves the participation of the art students of Swainsboro High School, Emanuel County Institute, and East Georgia State College. (David Emanuel Academy could not participate.) Art teachers Luci McNeely (SHS), Mark Lillquist (ECI), and Desmal Purcell (EGSC) will be facilitating the art projects in their respective schools.

We have been given permission to have the 100 block of Green Street closed from 4 to 7 p.m. in order to have this event. The artwork of all the students will hang outside for all to see. There will be a sidewalk chalk competition with cash prizes. Donald Jenkins will perform a few tunes, and we will have pizza and soft drinks for everyone. We have been fortunate to receive generous assistance from Advanced Metal Components, Mill Creek Foundation, Daniels Chevrolet, Hotset, Durden Banking Company, Citizens Bank, and Swainsboro Rotary Club. I have said this before: It takes a village to raise an arts council. And what a great village we have!

As executive director of the EAC, I can’t tell you how encouraging this is to see art being showcased in our community once again. The EAC has had a long and rich history of providing art outlets for our younger generation. We’ve had several bumps in the road over the years where those projects were sidelined due to unfortunate financial difficulties. I know many of you have wondered about where we have been for the last seven years; let me just say it’s been a tough journey, but we are moving forward. If not for the city of Swainsboro, the Downtown Development Authority, and the Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce, we wouldn’t even be here right now.

We moved into our present location in the Karrh Community Arts Center in December 2021. Since then, we have already had SIX art exhibitions featuring the artwork of Neil Kalmanson, the StillmoreRoots, EGSC art students, Kim Youmans, and Cal Avery. Each exhibition has steadily attracted more visitors than the last. Our latest show on September 15 featuring Cal Avery’s photographs brought in a record 166 people. We will cap off 2022 with an exhibition by artist Chris Mattingly, whose opening reception is on November 17th.

The Kalmanson Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cal Avery’s photographs will be on display until October 24. Please stay tuned to The Crossroads Chronicle and the Emanuel Arts Council’s Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on all our programming, especially the Art Block Party next month. Long live the Arts!