Every year, a new round of winners is chosen to grace the mellowed, brick walls of Washington Civic Center’s gallery; each October, the best of the best evidenced by brightly colored ribbons. Each Fine Arts Show — a 50-year-old Washington tradition — the works chosen and why are at the discretion of one person, the juror.

This year’s juror for the Beaufort County Arts Council’s Fine Arts Show is Michael Drought, director of East Carolina University’s School of Art and Design. Friday at 7 p.m., Drought will take artists and art lovers on a tour of the Fine Arts Show, taking questions from the group and elaborating on his choices for watercolors, three-dimensional pieces, oils and acrylics, graphics and mixed media categories, as well as several specific awards, including Best in Show and the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation Award, given to the best entry expressing the river as a valuable asset. The public is invited to attend the critique, and it usually draws a crowd, according to Joey Toler, executive director of the arts council.

“I’d say the majority of them are artists and not just artists who have work in the show, but many of them do,” Toler said. “It’s very informal. People ask questions and it gives artists the opportunity to have him comment specifically on their work.”

The juror’s critique is a rather recent addition to the long history of BCAC’s Fine Arts Show, but whether it’s an event scheduled with the show’s opening weekend often depends on the availability of the juror.

Drought juried 51, out of a total of 254 entries into the show. But there is one award that remains to be chosen — the Dr. William E. Kidd People’s Choice Award, which will be selected by vote. Any visitor to the exhibit Thursday, Friday and Saturday can vote and votes will be tallied Saturday.

When the first People’s Choice award was selected last year, all entries to the show were up for the award. This year, however, arts council officials decided to change the parameters. Now, only works that have not already been juried into the show qualify.

“Voting ends at 4 p.m. Saturday. Then we’ll count the ballots and take that painting to join the juried work,” Toler said.

The exhibit opens to the public today and all entries can be seen today, Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The juried works will continue to be on display in the civic center gallery until Dec. 12.

 

Juried work for the 50^th annual Fine Arts Show

Presented by the Beaufort County Arts Council

 

BOLD

Italics

Regular

 

Best In Show

Frances M. and William R. Roberson Jr. Award

“Cloudy Calm” by Cynthia Bickley-Green, Greenville

 

Best Entry from Beaufort County

Margaret Hodges Hackney Award

“Birds of a Feather” by Pat Holscher, Washington

 

Best Entry for Abstract Work

Creative Illusions Award

“C. Maxwell in July” by Cynthia Bickley-Green, Greenville

 

Best Landscape in Watercolor

Richard W. Tripp Award

“Portside” by Jeffrey A. Jakub, Washington

 

Best Entry that Expresses the River as a Valuable Asset

Pamlico-Tar River Foundation Award

“Marsh in Autumn II” by Karen Lee Crenshaw, Jacksonville

 

The Young Ones Award

Best Entry from an emerging artist age 35 and under, given by Richard and Judy Young

“The Watermelon Deliverer” by Shenavery Cherry, Greenville

 

Pottery Award

Irene Glover Forbes Award

“Secution” by Carolyn Sleeper, Washington

 

Textile Award

Franke K. Rumley Award

“Swimming Upstream” by Debby McCullough, Winterville

 

The Garden World

Washington Garden Club Members’ Memorial Award, given by the Washington Garden Club

“Goose Creek Climber” by Ranae Rogerson, Goldsboro

 

The People Prize

Best Entry in any media depicting a person or people, given by Harold and Louise Lane

“’A’ is for Armadillo” by Catherine Walker, Greenville

 

East Carolina Wildfowl Guild Award

Best entry depicting Eastern North Carolina Wildlife

“Pamlico Havens” by Norlina Kelly, Washington

 

 

Graphics/Open Mixed

 

First Place

Isabel Farrell, Washington — “ADHD”

Second Place

Jean Dexter, Oriental — “Pond Bottom”

Third Place

Jane Lawrence, Greenville —  “Of Spirit So Quiet”

Honorable Mentions

Annette W. Brooks, Greenville —  “Balanced”

Tom Grubb, Washington —  “Celestial Navigation”

 

Oils and Acrylics

First Place

Terry Rosenfelder, Wilmington —  “Island Reflections”

Second Place

Don Miller, Blounts Creek —  “West Main River Lights”

Third Place

Karen Lee Crenshaw, Jacksonville —  “Marsh in Autumn II”

Honorable Mentions

Norm Robins, New Bern —  “Work & Play”

Dorothy McLennan, Scotland Neck —  “Beaver”

Elizabeth Darrow, Wilmington —  “She’s Calling Us”

Catherine Walker, Greenville —  “She Flew in Her Dreams to the Sky”

Katirie Leach, Washington —  “Why?”

Dion Burroughs, Williamston —  “The Antique Roses”

Dodi Groesser, Grimesland —  “Finally Fall”

Erskine Spruill, Greenville —  “Washington Waterfront”

Gary Woolard, Washington —  “Sunrise on Main Street”

Shenavery Cherry, Greenville —  “Artist Mike Bennett”

Brenda Behr, Goldsboro —  “Girl with Grapefruit & Tutu”

 

Three-dimensional

First Place
Alexis Joyner, Elizabeth City —  “Prayer Warriors”

Second Place

Victoria Sexton, Greenville —  “Bird Brain”

Third Place

Carter L. Deaton, Bath —  “Handcrafted Natural Edge Maple Burl Bowl”

Honorable Mentions

Scott Bradley, Washington —  “Maple & Wenge” and “Maple & Blackwood”

Diane Lee, Washington —  “Lizzie the Lizard”

Annette W. Brooks, Greenville —  “Here Comes the Sun”

Carter L. Deaton, Bath —  “Handcrafted Spalted Maple Vase”

Alexis Joyner, Elizabeth City —  “Hope Eternal”

Dottie Anne Walker, Washington —  “Topper”

 

Watercolors

First Place

Carol Mann, Chocowinity —  “Crimson Gold”

Second Place

Jeffrey Jakub, Washington —  “Pamlico Plumage”

Third Place

Jeffrey Jakub, Washington —  “Breakfast for One”

Honorable Mentions

Punam Madhok, Greenville —  “After a Textile from Madhya Pradesh, India”

Shawn Watters, Washington —  “Rock Candy”

Dwight Stone, Wilson — “Good Morning Atlantic Beach”

Dwight Stone, Wilson — “Derelicts by the Pond”

Cora Mae Pipkin, Stacy — “Invigorated Vine”

Gale Champion, Washington —  “Butterfly Net”

Punam Madhok, Greenville —  “After a Textile from Rajasthan, India”

Pat Holscher, Washington —  “Posing Pelicans”

Isabel Farrell, Washington —  “Bee’s BBQ Rd”