By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
The Beaufort County Arts Council unveils a new show Thursday, and it’s a first for the community.
The Graphic Art Exhibit features work from the art and design departments at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, according to Joey Toler, executive director of the Beaufort County Arts Council.
The show includes mixed-media prints, lithographs, etchings, screen prints, letterpress, woodcuts, graphic design and book arts.
“This is our first exhibit focusing on graphic arts,” Toler said. “It includes faculty work, alumni work and graduate-student work.”
Approximately 40 pieces are featured in the show, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional work. The idea for the show came from the graphic arts/mixed-media category of the annual BCAC Fine Arts Show.
“Over the years, I’ve gotten to know a lot more about art, and I’ve met some very interesting graphic artists,” Toler said.
Those artists include Anne Brennan, who, as a graduate student at East Carolina University, was the juror for the Fine Arts Show in 2007. A piece by Brennan is included in the new show.
Joining forces with Toler in organizing the show are Michael Ehlbeck and Matthew Egan of ECU and Ned Irvine of UNC-W.
“I raised the idea with them and they liked it,” Toler said. “They’ve been invaluable in putting this show together.”
The Graphic Art Exhibit could pave the way for more shows in the future, Toler added.
“It really is a unique partnership for us,” he said. “I’d like to see us do more exhibits with ECU because they have such a remarkable school of art and design there. Also, it’s a unique collaboration between the two universities, one that doesn’t happen very often.”
The new exhibit also exposes local residents to a different art form, according to Toler.
“Our real goal of doing this is to introduce a new kind of medium to Beaufort County and our arts patrons here,” he said. “It’s different, it’s unique, it’s a little bit provocative. It’s going to make for a very strong exhibit.”
The Graphic Art Exhibit officially opens to the public with a reception Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Washington Civic Center Gallery. Paul Cyr, executive chef at ECU, will cater the event, and special musical entertainment will be provided by Chris Nappi.
The show will run through Oct. 13. Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is occasionally closed for private functions; call 252-946-2504 to confirm hours of operation.