Winners named for Creative Visions arts pairing, exhibit

By Sophia Schade

More than 3,500 Sun City residents and guests attended and voted for their favorite Creative Visions entries this year.

Formerly known as Double Vision, this year, the 10th annual event provided more “oohs” and “aaahs” than ever before with the addition of four glass artists and a total of 108 entries of photographs, paintings and glass art.

Participating artists are members of the All About Art Club, the Sun City Photography Club, or the Glasscrafters Club. This year was the first time glass was included as a medium, and the work was spectacular.

Creative Visions started with a pairings event in September, where photographers and artists were paired in a blind drawing of names. The matched pair then collaborated through realistic, impressionistic or abstract art to create an artistic interpretation of the photographic work.

The exhibit of the collaborations was held Feb. 3-5 at Pinckney Hall, where all the paired works were on view and available for sale.

The Awards Ceremony was held Feb. 5 and featured a look back at Double

A special thank you to Linda Grady and Melanie Frank, co-chairs of the event. Not only did these two women work tirelessly to produce a jaw-dropping show, but they also raised $1,000 in donations from businesses in and around the community. We can’t forget the many volunteers (more than 450) representing all three clubs who were also instrumental in our success.

Those who attended Creative Visions were able to vote for their favorite Pairing as well as Best Artist, Best Photographer and Most Creative Interpretation.

The winners are:

Best in Show, 1st Place: Teresa Brandt, artist, and Tom Hanley, photographer.

Best in Show, 2nd Place: Anne Curran, glass artist, and Kathy Leonard, photographer.

Best in Show, 3rd Place: Linda Hilts, artist, and Mike Davis, photographer.

Most Creative Interpretation: Anne Curran and Kathy Leonard

Best in Show, Artwork: Anne Curran

Best in Show, Photographer: Tom Hanley

By David W. Smith CONTRIBUTOR

Lowcountry Environmental Action has been active as a Sun City group for several years. Our common concern is with the sustainability of the Earth as a habitable environment for human existence.

We are not overzealous activists. We believe in the environmental importance of trees, but don’t chain ourselves to them or lie down in the paths of bulldozers to protect them. Our primary mission is to educate and inspire actions in our neighbors and our community to help insure that our planet continues to be hospitable.

Our group has evolved from a 2019 Earth Day exhibit concerning Global Climate Change to the Environmental Action Group and recently to Lowcountry Environmental Action. Our new name better reflects our mission: educating and motivating residents of Sun City Hilton Head and surrounding communities, as well as working with local government leaders to promote sustainable practices. Our primary focus continues to be on the Sun City community. Along with our new name comes a new look with an updated logo, and a new website where we will regularly post environmental news updates, and action items you can use to help protect the environment while saving money.

Our group’s meetings are open to the community and feature speakers focusing upon timely environmental concerns and possible solutions. Recent topics have been regional development, the practicality of solar panels, and the importance of native plants. We are planning field trips to St. Phillips Island, Palmetto Bluff, and Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority to learn more about our surroundings.

Members with specific environmental concerns and those wanting to be more involved in our efforts join action teams. 4Rs suggests ways to Reduce, Replace, Reuse and Recycle single-use items to minimize waste. Land and Water focuses on sustaining nature. Solar educates on the viability of panels. Energy Conservation and Transportation studies and informs on energy-saving appliances and electric vehicles.

We are the driving force behind Sun City’s Earth Day event. Be sure to mark your calendars to visit the Pavilion on April 22 when a dozen clubs and 20 outside groups come together to share environmental news, solutions for addressing climate concerns, ecologically friendly landscaping practices, and money saving tips for energy conservation, renewable energy, and solid waste reduction.

We need your help! You might want to become actively involved in a team or to just attend meetings and take part in field trips. You might be too busy to do either but want to support our efforts. Please join today by visiting our website lcenvironment.org and clicking the “Join Us” button.

David W. Smith is a member of Lowcountry Environmental Action.