Pines & Palms holding “Bloom into Art” members art show

Published 3:28 pm Saturday, February 18, 2023

It’s only February and already the trees are in bloom. Well, that’s not all that’s blooming!

Pines & Palms is holding its first annual “Bloom into Art” members’ art show starting Feb. 19 and running through March 31. The event will be held at the Thomas County Public Library at 201 Madison St.

The opening reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Attendees at the event will be able to indulge in plenty of chocolate goodies while enjoying music by James Banks on the keyboard and finding a new work of art to take home.

Pines & Palms Director Sandi Shaw said: “We’re really excited to present 52 works of art representing a wide array of mediums, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, fabric arts and photography. With more than 20 artists exhibiting from as far away as Sarasota, Hernando Beach, Apalachicola and Jacksonville in Florida as well as talented local creative talent, the show is smashing.”

The artists compete for a coveted first-place prize of $1,000, a second-place prize of $300 and a third-place prize of $100. 

“We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to show these pieces at the library,” Sandi said, “because it appeals to, and attracts, such a diverse audience.”

Judging the work will be Peggy Brady, former executive director of the Tallahassee-based Council on Culture and the Arts (COCA) for 25 years. 

In addition to the art show, the event will feature art historian Ann Albritton, retired Professor of Modern Art at the Ringling College of Art and Design, who will talk about how fast art is changing in this modern era.

All 52 works of art will be displayed and sold both at the show and online at the organization’s website pinesandpalms.org through the end of March.  

An expanded footprint on the internet was made possible by a $6,000 grant from the Georgia Council of the Arts.  It enabled Pines & Palms to increase its presence on social media platforms, sell work on the internet and attract more people to its classes, events and studio spaces. The funding also has allowed Pines & Palms to deliver arts education to the public by working with a contractor with the know-how to reach and keep new audiences. 

“We have no paid employees so our donors, grants, events, membership dues and sales are what keep us alive,” Sandi said.

In past years, the annual membership show “Fall into Art” was held in late summer/early fall. However, due to that time slot’s close proximity to, and the fast-growing success of, the annual High Cotton Plein Air Paint Out, the decision was made to rename the members’ show and move it to February /March. 

For more information, log in to pinesandpalms.org.