GroundHawg’s DayLEXINGTON ó On Feb. 2, Uptown Lexington Inc. will continue a community tradition with the celebration of GroundHawg’s Day.
At 7:20 a.m., just past sunrise, the public is invited to join in the celebration at The Square in Historic Uptown Lexington, at the intersection of Center Street and Main Street-where the barbecue heritage all began in Lexington.
Lexington’s own miniature pot-bellied pig and weather prophet, known as Li’l Bit, will come out of her Uptown home, North Main Gift & Avon Shop, to see if she can spot her shadow.
Throughout the day in Uptown Lexington, many of the merchants will be celebrating GroundHawg’s Day by offering winter or spring specials. Some of the Uptown restaurants will be offering GroundHawg’s Day specials in celebration of the event. Chip Holton, Lexington resident and artist, drew the artwork of “Lil Bit” that is featured on all publicity materials for the event.
For more information about GroundHawg’s Day, contact Uptown Lexington Inc. at 336-249-0383.
Gallery crawl
MOORESVILLEó The February Downtown Mooresville Gallery Crawl and the Mooresville Artists Guild’s Depot reception will be held Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Original art will be displayed and available for purchase at Depot Fine Arts Gallery, The Garden Party, 202 North Main Ltd., “Cotton” Ketchie’s Landmark Galleries, Tropical Connections, Four Corners Gallery and Framing, Old World Arts, Ye Olde Mantel, Soirée, and The Prickly Pear.
There is no charge for this event, and many other local businesses also remain open for the gallery crawl.
The Depot’s February featured gallery artists are oil painter and instructor Manny Rashet, pastel award-winning artist Mary Setzer and pastel and watercolorist Aleksandra Schwendener. The show will remain on display through Feb. 24.
The Depot Fine Arts Gallery is located at 103 W. Center Ave., Mooresville.
For more information visit www.mooresvilleartistguild.com.
Smithsonian exhibit
WINSTON-SALEM ó Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents “Ancestry & Innovation: African American Art from the American Folk Art Museum,” beginning with an opening reception Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. The reception is open to the general public and will include a performance by the singing ensemble, University Men of Winston-Salem State University, refreshments and entrance to the exhibition and the main floor of the historic house.
Ancestry & Innovation features quilts, paintings, works on paper and sculpture by contemporary self-taught African-American artists from the rural South and the urban North. The art is taken from the American Folk Art Museum’s rich holdings and was organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). It will be on display at Reynolda House from Feb. 2-April 13 before continuing on a five-city national tour through 2009.
For more information visit www.reynoldahouse.org.
Local artist wins
WINSTON-SALEM ó Salisbury artist Don Moore was a winner in a tiered level competition held recently by Associated Artists of Winston-Salem for an art collection for the Hanes Foundation.
In December, 60 artists applied. Thirty were selected, given 60″x60″ canvases and a deadline of Jan. 16. Choice of media, subject and style were left to the artist.
Moore won the second place purchase award for his work that contains almost hidden ink drawings of cotton picking, tractors, trucks and bales of cotton.
Winning paintings become part of the permanent collection that will decorate the new Hanes corporate headquarters.
Miniatures show
Fine Frame Gallery, 105 S. Main St., is hosting a miniatures show called “Give a Little Art With Some Love.”
A reception for the show will be held 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 14.
Artists are invited to drop off one piece, 5″x7″ or smaller, between 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 11.
For more information call 704-647-0340.
Bridge fundraiser
The Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Guild is sponsoring a lunch and an afternoon of bridge and fellowship to benefit the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 21 at 11:30 a.m. at the Forest Glen Clubhouse. Guild members Pat Featherston and Diana Potts are hosting.
Bridge players including novices to masters, individuals or foursomes are welcome to attend this event that will also celebrate the 323rd birthday of composer George Frideric Handel. Price per person is $30 and reservations are required by Feb. 14.
For more information contact Fern Albracht, 704-633-0926, Bethany Fortner 704-636-0224 or Salisburyguild@bellsouth.net.
Arts education
RALEIGH ó ARTS North Carolina announces the appointment of a Legislative Joint Select Committee on Arts Education. The Committee consists of 16 members, eight appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate and eight appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Committee will study the current status of arts education in North Carolina and evaluate the impact of requiring one credit in arts education for graduation from a North Carolina public high school.
For more information, visit www.artsnc.org.