Works by local artists help Sumter Senior Services to feed elderly

While many local residents sought hard-to-find traditional Thanksgiving foods, some members of the community lack the resources to purchase enough food to ease their hunger pangs during the holidays - or, indeed, at many times during the year.

With that in mind, as well as its mission to provide basic needs and comfort to Sumter's elderly, Sumter Senior Services has initiated a cooperative program with local artists to raise money for the senior population. Rebecca Sears, director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, solicited several artists to produce Christmas cards to be sold to support the project. Four artists' submissions were selected, printed and are ready for sale at $5 each; 100 percent of the price received will be used for services for seniors.

Sears said the designs of two new artists, Lisa Linder and Angela Clark, will join those of the late Ray Davenport and the late Rose Metz, Mary Tuggle and David Brown. Those wishing to purchase the original cards can "mix and match" them in any combination as long as they are available.

The cards include the artists' names and a brief biography and information about the project, as well as information about the sponsors. The purchaser will be acknowledged for his or her gift to Sumter Senior Services on behalf of the recipients.

For more information or to make a purchase, contact Sumter Senior Services, 119 S. Sumter St., or call (803) 773-5507.

THE ARTISTS

Rose Metz was one of the most popular artists in the state. She taught watercolor and drawing at the Sumter County Gallery of Art for many years. She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Fort Worth Museum of Western Art, the University of South Carolina, the Leroy Springs Art Workshops in Myrtle Beach and abroad in Peterborough, England, and at the Fortman Studios in Florence, Italy. Her work can be found in collections in the U.S., Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Ray Davenport attended the prestigious Pratt Institute, The Art School, Brooklyn, after serving in World War II. A charter member and past president of the Sumter Artists' Guild, the Guild of South Carolina Artists and the acquisitions committee, S.C. Art Commission, he is listed in Who's Who in American Art and was a member of the Allied Artists of America. Davenport was also a charter member with Excellence in the South Carolina Watercolor Society. His work is in the collections of the late President Ronald Reagan, Clemson University, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, South Carolina State Permanent Collection, the University of South Carolina Sumter and many U.S. residents.

David Brown is a retired physician and amateur artist. He said, "Although I have no formal art education, I am married to an artist, Linda, and I raised one, Lindsey. Therefore, I've had lots of constructive criticism from these two and my friend, Rose Metz."

Mary Tuggle began her interest in photography at 12 during a trip to Europe. After studying at the Southeast Center for Photography, she began a pet portrait business and has since begun shooting artistic photographs, many of which have been exhibited nationally and published in Photo Review and Black and White Magazine.

Angela Clark has been a working artist for more than 30 years. She won several awards, including The Governor's Award for South Carolina and the Judges Award for Coastal Carolina Fair in Charleston. She attended the Art Institute of Atlanta and the Portfolio Center. She has created several murals around S.C. and has sold artwork in Sumter and across the U.S.

Lisa Linder discovered markers in the second grade. Her parents gave her a lot of encouragement. She attended Columbia College and received a degree in Art Education.

Linder said, "I can't imagine a day without creating something. I paint in acrylics, as well as wood carving and pottery."