Art Galleries

Visit the art galleries

BY JORDYN DANIELS

Witness the divine works of local artists through the many galleries the High Country has to offer.

ANVIL ARTS SCULPTURE GARDEN AND GALLERY

Hwy. 221 / 9600 Linville Falls Highway, Linville Falls (828) 765-6226 www.studiosculpture.com

Anvil Arts Sculpture Garden & Gallery: Art & Nature in a unique arts destination offering visitors the opportunity to experience sculpture in an outdoor garden area and in the interior gallery. Anvil Arts is also the working studio of sculptor Bill Brown. Explore, experience and collect sculptural works created by artists from the Southeast. Large outdoor sculpture and small scale sculpture in metal, glass, clay and stone, the gallery also features paintings on panel and canvas. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Other times call ahead or by appointment.

THE ART CELLAR

920 Shawneehaw Lane, Banner Elk (828) 898-5175 www.artcellaronline. com

The Art Cellar Gallery is celebrating its 30th season this year as a High Country Arts Destination in beautiful Banner Elk, NC. On display year-round is a wide range of original works from traditional to modern including paint, pottery, glass and more. With three floors and more than 50 artists represented, there is something for every collector and admirer. In the adjoining Frame Shop you can select the perfect frame for your artwork by choosing from thousands of moulding samples and taking advantage of museum-quality conservation materials.

The Art Cellar Gallery is open to visitors Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ASHE COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL

303 School Ave., West Jefferson (336) 846-2787 www.ashecountyarts.org

Ashe County Arts Council and Arts Center is located in a beautiful stone building constructed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. The Arts Center also boasts a gallery shop that sells the work of more than 100 artists and crafts artisans. The Ashe Arts Center is also the site of concerts, literary events, meetings, and rentals, and is even the polling place for West Jefferson.

BE ARTISTS GALLERY

The Historic Banner Elk School 185 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk (828) 898-6767 www.beartistsgallery.com

Join us to see our latest art, including paintings, photography, graphic arts, pottery, jewelry, metalworks, glassworks, fine furniture, wood carvings and fabric art. Simply stop by the gallery and call (or text) the number on the sign outside — we will promptly let you in. We will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and by appointment. You can schedule a private appointment by emailing art@ beartistsgallery.com, or calling (828) 898-6767. Please check our website at BEartistsgallery.com for scheduling updates and upcoming events.

BLOWING ROCK ART & HISTORY MUSEUM

159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock (828) 295-9099 www.blowingrockmuseum.org

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Visitors can visit the gallery’s website and follow @brmuseum on social media to view a variety of videos, artist interviews, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, art lessons geared toward youth and more. The gallery’s gift shop is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. BRAHM is a hub of artistry and entertainment in the heart of the High Country. The museum seeks to provide cultural enrichment to the High Country communities by promoting the arts and Southern Appalachian heritage and history through educational programs, exhibitions, activities and permanent collections. See a full list of gallery events online at www.blowingrockmuseum.org/calendar.

BLOWING ROCK FRAMEWORKS & GALLERY

7539 Valley Blvd., Blowing Rock (828) 295-0041 www.blowingrockgalleries.com On Instagram and Facebook: @brframeworks

Visit anytime Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and make sure to follow Blowing Rock Frameworks & Gallery on Facebook and Instagram (@ brframeworks) to stay up to date with brand new work that is on display.

BLUE RIDGE ARTISAN CENTER

201 W. Main St., Wilkesboro (336) 990-9500 www.blueridgeartisancenter.org

The Blue Ridge Artisan Center sends guests on a journey of discovery and adventure that defines the indomitable spirit of the people of northwest North Carolina, where art is created and music is made. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

BLUE RIDGE ARTSPACE

377 Shadowline Drive, Boone

(828) 264-1789 www.watauga-arts. com

The Blue Ridge ArtSpace is the main office for the Watauga Arts Council and is a community space for art-related groups to meet and practice, as well as a space for classes and instruction. For additional information, visit the Blue Ridge ArtSpace/Watauga County Arts Council’s website at www.wataugaarts.org, subscribe to its newsletter to receive monthly updates and follow their social media at Watauga-Arts on Facebook and Instagram.

BOLICK AND TRADITIONS POTTERY

1155 Main St., Blowing Rock (828) 295-6128 www.bolickandtraditionspottery.com

Located in Blowing Rock, the shop offers the largest selection of pottery on Main Street. Shop local and handmade. Shop owners Michael and Janet Calhoun of Traditions Pottery offers unique wares such as bacon cookers, microwave egg bowls, and French butter dishes. Michael’s Santa jugs and mugs are always a great gift. Bolick Pottery, Glenn and Lula Owens Bolick, are longtime potters of the High Country and continue to offer a large selection of functional pottery such as baking dishes, pitchers, and serving bowls. Their new snowman candle lanterns are great for the porch, or inside winter décor. Original Owens Pottery of Seagrove, NC is also represented. The Signature Owens Red Glaze is a beautiful color, and they offer candle holders, Rebekah Pitchers, and vases in this much desired glaze. Sue Salvaterra Pottery has large platters, in oval, and rectangular shapes, butter trays, and soup and cracker bowls. McWhirter Pottery offers a great mug selection including sgraffito “Blowing

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Rock” mugs. Millie Goodnight Pottery has nice mugs and large vases with her artistic flair added to each piece. Daisy Coffey is a great up-and-coming potter so look for her hand-built gnomes, rabbits, and other unique items. The shop offers lots of local and handmade items such as candles, soaps, jewelry, including polymer clay earrings by Marla Decubellis, plus charcuterie boards, and cutting boards. Open daily. Phone orders welcome.

CARLTON GALLERY

10360 Hwy. 105 S Banner Elk (828) 963-4288

Contemporary paintings by Debbie Arnold, Lori Hill, Mary Kamerer, Trena McNabb, and Vae Hamilton range from a 48 x 48 oil on canvas of Sunflowers to stylized trees, fruits, flowers, and imaginative animals. Kate Worm’s figurative paintings are in watercolor and gouache, while Marion Cloaninger’s figurative style is eye catching and inventive. Lisa Boardwine exhibits abstracts in oil and cold wax in her gorgeous color palette. Figurative paintings by the late Warren Dennis are “Ordinary People doing Ordinary Things” in his humorous signature style. This Autumn Group Exhibition showcases new sculptural clay vessels which are Saggar Fired with Horsehair and Soluble Metal Salts and Horsehair by Scott Stockdale. Molly Lithgo and Jim Rientjes have an eclectic collection of hand-painted vases, bowls, mugs, trays, butter dishes, spoon rests and soap dishes in a myriad of colors.

The gallery is located 10 miles south of Boone, 7 miles north of Linville or Banner Elk and 8 miles from Blowing Rock on NC 105 in the Grandfather Mountain community. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

CROSSNORE FINE ARTS GALLERY

205 Johnson Lane, Crossnore

(828) 733-3144 www.crossnore.org/ fine-arts-gallery

The Crossnore Fine Arts Gallery represents regional painters, sculptors and fine craft persons. A portion of all proceeds benefit the children of Crossnore Communities for Children. Gallery hours are from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CROWN GALLERY

1153 Main St., Blowing Rock (828) 818-0008 crowngalleryusa. com

Crown Gallery is proud to represent exceptional local, regional and nationally acclaimed artists, each offering a unique style. The gallery has been designed with a relaxed atmosphere to comfortably view the ever-changing collection. Gallery owners, James Selby Rue and Carolyn Crocker-Rue, bring many years of combined experience in the field of art to their roles as curators of original fine art by an exceptional roster of mid-career professional artists. James studied at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, The American Academy of Art in Chicago and received an MFA and business degree in Boston. He taught classes and owned a successful advertising and product design agency with offices in Chicago, Boston and Miami for more than 40 years. Carolyn is an oil painter specializing in the landscape. Her work has been consistently represented in national level galleries for the last 20-plus years and has earned a loyal following in North America, Mexico, Great Britain and Australia. Together they continue to develop innovative fine art products, such as the RUE Signature Wall Easel, that are used by artists around the world. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday.

DOE RIDGE POTTERY

585 W. King St. Unit D, Boone (828) 264-1127 www.doeridgepottery.homestead.com

The 6th Annual Mug Show will begin the first week in November, an invitational show of potters primarily from the northwestern region of North Carolina, hosted by Doe Ridge Pottery Gallery on West King Street and will run through Dec. 31. This is a great opportunity to see samples of a wide assortment of work from many different potters. Mugs will be for sale at the show and will provide a great opportunity to pick out an affordable unique piece of pottery for yourself or that special someone, a coworker, customer, family member.

When you buy handmade, you aren’t buying just a thing, you are buying a piece of someone’s heart, a bit of soul, a private moment from their creative life.

It is well known that people love their ceramic mugs, especially those handmade. The value of something made by an artist is hard to describe. Some enjoy the human connection they feel with the artist, others the sustainability of supporting and buying work from local craftsman. If you have never been to Doe Ridge Pottery Gallery, you are missing something special. This is the only gallery in the High Country that sells exclusively handmade pottery from a collection of artists from our region. Regular potters represent some of the best from Watauga, Avery, Ashe and Surry counties. You will find a wonderful selection of functional ware and display pieces including a beautiful collection of lamps and unique one of a kind hand-carved pieces by Bob Meier.

Doe Ridge Pottery supports a working studio on site where most days you will find folks in the back preparing work to put into our kilns. We hope you will make our Gallery one of your regular stops for purchasing gifts this season as well as adorning your own home with beautifully handmade local work.

As a side note, parking in downtown Boone is free every day after 5 p.m. and all day on Sundays.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m.

FLORENCE THOMAS ART SCHOOL AND GALLERY

10 S Jefferson Ave., West Jefferson (336) 846-3827 www.florenceartschool.org

Florence Thomas Art School is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday. In-person workshops in fine arts and heritage crafts are offered throughout the year. Visitors can see monthly art exhibits at the school. Featured exhibits have included works by members of the Open Studio program at Florence Thomas Art School. Open Studio is a membership program for area artists to use the workshop space at the school in downtown West Jefferson. Open Studio is non-instructional and informal with the intention of fostering creativity and connections in an atmosphere of conversation and freedom of expression. The Open Studio Exhibit is dedicated to Gary Poe, who was a wonderful member of the local community and attended Open Studio. Gary will be remembered for many things including being an educator and hosting the Old Time Bluegrass show. At the art school we enjoyed seeing Gary Poe’s drawings. He had excellent draftsmanship and would often come in, grab a book off the shelf, and draw something from a page he found interesting.

HANDS GALLERY

546 West King St., Boone 828-262-1970

Hands Gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We carry only local artists and represent close to 50 different professionals in wideranging media.

There is a chill in the air, and leaves will fall. Another autumn season has arrived in the high country. While it may be cold outside, you will always find it warm and inviting at Hands Gallery at 543 West King St. in downtown Boone. We have the finest selection of art and craft in the area. Everything

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you are looking for is under one roof. We have painting, pottery, fibers, woodwork and glass on display. Our cooperative gallery features about 50 different local artists, each with a unique vision and creativity. Start your holiday shopping now. We have you covered. See you soon at the store.

The long and the short of it is we cover you for the holidays. Please stop in and enjoy our store.

JONES HOUSE GALLERY

604 W. King St., Boone (828) 268-6280 www.joneshouse.org

When open, the Jones House Gallery hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

KING STREET ART COLLECTIVE

585 West King St., Boone (828) 964-7233 www.watauga-arts. org

Operated by the Watauga Arts Council, the King Street Art Collective located in downtown Boone is a new gallery and interactive art space that features changing exhibits and activities celebrating the arts. For an upcoming list of events check out the Watauga Arts Council website at www.wataugaarts.org, or following Watauga-Arts on Facebook and Instagram.

MAIN STREET GALLERY

Blowing Rock (828) 295-7839 mainstreetgalleryinbr.com

Main Street Gallery in Blowing Rock has been forced to close after 38 years in a prime location on Main Street as our building has sold. We are still together as a group and we can be reached at our website mainstreetgalleryinbr.com.

MARTIN HOUSE GALLERY

1098 Main St, Blowing Rock (336) 508-2828 martinhousegallery@gmail.com

Martin House Gallery, located in the historic Martin House on Main Street in Blowing Rock, is showcasing local, regional, and international artists. We are excited to be representing our featured artist, Hillary Scott, an academically trained landscape painter from northeast Massachusetts. Hillary has an affinity for marshes, seas, and skies, and she finds endless inspiration in the beautiful New England landscape. Hillary’s compositions are designed to evoke an emotional reaction from the viewer; she considers a visceral response from her audience an important measure of success for a painting. Though she considers herself a realist, the minute details of a place are secondary to the mood and lighting they capture. Since she began exhibiting her oil paintings, she has been accepted into numerous juried shows and won several awards. Her landscape paintings are in private collections worldwide.

Our gallery offers free local delivery and installation as well as after-hours showings. Visit the Martin House Gallery website to see featured artists and available work. Find us on Facebook and Instagram @martinhousegallery. Email us at martinhousegallery@ gmail.com. Please call for after-hours showings at (336) 508-2828.

RT MORGAN GALLERY

120 N. Jefferson Ave., West Jefferson (336) 246-3328/(336) 977-8972 www.rtmorgangallery.com

Enjoy fine art in a small town setting. Internationally known artist/ co-owner R.T. Morgan is very diverse with his art. On display are stainless steel sculptures and wall hangings for outdoors and interiors ranging from 2 to 12 feet, working and incorporating different materials and styles. R.T. is also an accomplished stone sculptor in alabaster, black alberene and marble. He is known for his colorful paintings of birches and local scenes from abstract to realistic. The gallery also houses a framing business in which Morgan frames all his work and serves the public. This year, R.T. is sharing his talent and knowledge of painting by giving painting lessons, limited to two people. Materials included. Call for an appointment to create your own work of art. R.T. and Camille are celebrating 34 years as professional artists. Commissions are accepted — “if we don’t have it, we can make it.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Wednesday and Sunday. Call for private viewings anytime. Visit the gallery’s Facebook at www.facebook. com/rtmorganartgallery.

SALLY NOONEY GALLERY

7143 NC 194, Banner Elk (828) 963-7347 www.sallynooney. com

Sally Nooney Gallery has reopened, and it is stocked with a limited supply of colorful, washable masks by tie-dye artist Laurie Hardin. The gallery is full of one-of-a-kind glass, paintings, jewelry and other treasures and Sally continues to create new items every day. Follow her Facebook page for new images and frequent updates. Further inquiries and commissions can be discussed by calling the gallery. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

STUDIO 140 AT SORRENTO’S

140 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk (828) 898-5214 www.facebook.com/ studio140

Studio 140 at Sorrento’s features large paintings by artist Kent Paulette. As they enter the gallery, visitors will see paintings of animals that once roamed the area such as elk and wolves. They might hear live music coming from the next room which is dedicated to pop art portraits of famous musicians. The upstairs gallery features Paulette’s paintings of dancing female figures and abstract mountain landscapes. The main gallery has a section dedicated to horses. A 6-foot-tall portrait of a horse with thick impasto texture hangs next to paintings of wild horses running free in a Cubist style. In another section, visitors will see local scenes from the Blue Ridge Parkway along with deer and bears. There’s also a gallery space dedicated to Paulette’s colorful op-art-inspired paintings based on geometric patterns. Paulette is a self-taught artist who uses uninhibited, energetic brushstrokes to create paintings that leap off the canvas, alive with color, texture and movement. His work can be viewed online at www.kentpaulette.com. Paulette also commissions custom pet portraits. The gallery is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

TURCHIN CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS

423 W. King St. Boone

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, located on King Street in Boone, has six galleries with changing contemporary art exhibitions and is the largest facility of its kind in the region. The Turchin Center is open Tuesday to Thursday & Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from noon to 8 p.m. Admission is free. For more information visit tcva.org or call (828) 262-3017.

In the Mezzanine Gallery is Nicole Pietrantoni’s exhibition, “Folded and Gathered,” consisting of vibrant printed accordion books on Japanese papers that expand to create large scale installations. Much of her work is informed by her time in beautiful but ecologically fragile landscapes. This exhibit is available until Feb. 4, 2023.

THE WILKES ART GALLERY

913 C Street, North Wilkesboro (336) 667-2841 Wilkesartgallery.org

The Wilkes Art Gallery is a nonprofit arts center that believes art enriches individuals and the community alike. WAG offers a variety of youth and adult classes, workshops and outreach projects. Gallery exhibitions rotate throughout the year including two juried exhibits and Youth Art Month. We are happy to host more than 50 local artist and craftsman in our gift shop. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.