Artists, performers and patrons make for a crowded calendar

It occurs to me that it has been a whole quarter-century since I last wrote about the arts in The Augusta Chronicle.  I’m trying not to dwell on that. As I launch this blog/column (note 21^st century terminology, which reminds me that my first column was written on an upright Royal typewriter), it is with appreciation for those in the visual arts/ fine arts/ cultural community who sometimes without many resources and often without much acclaim, bring great creative energy to enhance our lives. What you’ll find here is a  personal collection of cultural arts highlights – notes about arts people doing interesting things, important exhibits, patrons, performances, and maybe a bit of the behind-the-scenes work it takes to make magic when the doors open, the paint dries, the curtain rises, or the pages roll off the press. So here we go.

Artist Philip Morsberger is back at work in his Augusta studio after opening his 50-year retrospective at the Miami University Art Museum in Oxford, Ohio, where he taught from 1959 to 1968. Last fall, a solo exhibit of his early work at the Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah prompted the Miami University museum to take that entire show. They added 20 or 30 later works to illustrate the scope of the artist’s career to date. Half a dozen Augusta collectors agreed to lend paintings for the show, which runs through mid-June.

Philip and his wife, Mary Ann, were in Ohio for the opening, where she reports they were treated like royalty and were surprised to see Morsberger banners on light posts surrounding the museum. Mary Ann brought back one of the banners, and says she will unfurl it upon request. Their daughter Wendy and son Robert, from Massachusetts and New York respectively, joined them for the opening. A group of his students from the ‘60s also showed up, and his lecture drew an overflow crowd.

Augusta/North Augusta artist Ed Rice, widely known for his precise paintings of architectural subjects, is working on a commission from the Greenville County (S.C.) Museum to create four paintings based on architectural details of landmark buildings in the Greenville area. Currently on his easel is a full-sized detail of a gable on an Episcopal church that dates from the 1840s, showing brickwork and carpenter gothic elements.

He’s also gearing up for a solo show later this month, and he’s among the eclectic group of “great Augustans” spotlighted by Rick Brown in the latest issue of Charleston-based magazine Garden & Gun, along with David Foster, Frenchie Bush, Coco Rubio, Bryan Haltermann and Matthew Buzzell.

March starts out with a pair of back-to-back arts fundraisers. First up is the Art Factory’s “Celebrating the Artist,” Thursday (March 6) from 6 to 9 p.m. at the currently-under-renovation 19^th century Sutherland Mill on the canal. Party-goers can bid on original artwork inspired by recycled materials and contributed by more than 50 local artists. Dress is “construction site casual,” so leave the high heels at home. There will be live music, libations and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The Art Factory’s mission is to provide programs for children and adults who have little or no access to the arts. www.artfactoryinc.org

Friday night is the 15^th annual Morris Museum of Art Gala, this year honoring realist painter John Baeder. He’s famous for his depiction of roadside architecture, better known as the classic American diner. The evening begins with cocktails in the galleries at 6:30 and continues under the gala tent at 8 p.m. Co-chairs Molly McDowell and Braye Boardman have given the black-tie party a different format and a new way to participate. Instead of the seated dinner of the past few years, there will be multiple stations with “upscale diner-style fare,” dancing, and a silent auction. Also new this year is an online auction, with items up for early bidding at www.morrismuseumauction.cmarket.com.    

John Baeder will be in town for the gala. His exhibit, organized by the Morris and entitled “Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats along the Way,” ends its Augusta run after Sunday, March 9, and then goes to museums in Charleston, Asheville and Nashville.

Disclaimer: Yes, I was once the director of the Morris Museum of Art, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give it a lot of undue attention or avoid mentioning it for fear of giving it undue attention. When it comes to the MMA, I hope I don’t have tunnel-vision. I do have some bifocals, but that’s another matter entirely.

Crowded calendar: The Art Factory’s fundraiser was moved this year from its previous early-May date, and inadvertently bumped with the Morris gala, always the first Friday in March. Both organizations report brisk ticket sales, however.   

In truth, Augusta’s arts community is so extensive and prolific that it is no longer possible for any organization to have a time slot all to itself. At the most recent Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society performance, Alan Drake noted in his pre-concert remarks that they were competing with 16 other entertainment opportunities that night. Still, there was a respectable crowd of several hundred in attendance.

Friday, the HJCMS presents the Moscow-based Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, performing music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Dvorak, Bach and Rossini. The main event begins at 8 p.m. in the Maxwell Performing Arts Theater at ASU, and there’s a bonus performance by the Greater Augusta Youth Orchestra at 7:15 as a warm-up.  

This time, they’re competing with the MMA Gala and First Friday, among other things.

The Augusta Ballet’s fifth annual black-tie Gala is scheduled for March 28, with a performance featuring Ballet Stars of New York at the Imperial Theatre with live orchestra accompaniment, followed by a patron-level cocktail reception at the Augusta Museum of History.  Dickey Boardman and Marilyn Wangsnes are co-chairs. More on that later.

Sacred Heart Cultural Center’s Garden Festival will be April 25-27, with the patrons’ preview party on the 24^th. More on that later, too. But first, Sacred Heart opens a new “Coffee Series” this week. Drop by Wednesday (March 5) at 10:30 a.m. to hear the Augusta Symphony Woodwind Trio (Kelly Odell, Taylor Massey and Jian Huang) and enjoy a mid-morning coffee break.  It’s free.
 
GOLDEN OLDIE

The Augusta Symphony Guild is celebrating its 50^th anniversary with a party featuring political comedian Dave Werner, March 15^th at Richmond on Greene. The guild, composed of 100 women as active members and several dozen associate, senior, honorary and non-resident members, is one of four support groups for the symphony. Over the past 50 years, the guild has contributed substantial funding to the orchestra, primarily through the annual Symphony Cotillion debutante ball.