Sumter Artists' Guild Winners Show and Pathfinders - Sumter County High School Seniors begin March 14 with reception

Sumter County Gallery of Art is excited to present the annual Sumter Artists' Guild Winners Show and the second-annual Pathfinders - Sumter County High School Seniors from March 14 to April 11 at the gallery, 200 Hasel St. The opening reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 14.

Sumter County Gallery of Art continues its now-annual art exhibition featuring the work of high school seniors with serious artistic talent. The exhibition will include work from the three Sumter School District high schools: Sumter, Crestwood and Lakewood, as well as Wilson Hall. SCGA Curator and Assistant Director Eric Lachance works closely with art teachers throughout Sumter to coordinate all aspects of the Pathfinders exhibition.

"It is our hope to inspire Sumter's young artists by giving them the experience of a formal group exhibition. We thank the Sumter Artists' Guild for their generosity in sharing space with these young artists but also for sharing their expertise and experience," said Lachance.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the students for first, second and third place and three honorable mentions. Three of the Sumter Artists' Guild winners are judging the senior artwork this year - another great example of "cross pollination."

SGA Executive Director Karen Watson and Lachance envision a salon-style presentation and atmosphere where younger artists can talk to and learn from the professional artists of the Sumter Artists' Guild. Watson predicts the Sumter community and families will turn out to see their favorite local artists as well as see their child's work hung in an exhibition gallery.

The annual Sumter Artists' Guild Winners Show is the perfect way to celebrate spring after an unusually frigid winter! The judge for the 2024 Sumter Artists' Guild Exhibition was multi-talented actor, storyteller, director and teaching artist Darion McCloud. The winners' exhibition features the work of Best in Show winner, Cesar Beltran; first-place winner, Sylvia Pickell; second-place winner, Lisa Melton; and third-place winner, Carole Shoemaker Swartz. The three honorable mention winners are Denise L. Greer, Carolita Cantrell and Erin Duffie, and Peoples' Choice winner is Trisha King. All of these excellent artists are hard at work on new pieces that promise a high-quality Sumter Artists' Guild Winners Show.

The opening reception for these exhibitions is also an Inspire! Festival event. The gallery welcomes back Heart n' Soul, a jazz quartet from Columbia. The Inspire! Festival was organized five years ago by friends of Roger Ackerman to benefit Sumter Museum, Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter Little Theatre, the Rotary Club CART fund and Sumter School District.

Please join the guild artists and student artists for the opening reception. This year, as last year, the presenting sponsor is Sumter Art Association, a long-serving group of art appreciators who are very excited about the opportunity we are affording young artists, and longtime arts reviewer Jane Collins. The flowers are courtesy of Azalea Garden Club and the Council of Garden Clubs of Sumter. We are grateful for the continued support of Williams-Brice-Edwards Charitable Trust, Sumter County Government and South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.