Beginning Feb. 4, the heart of Myrtle Beach art and culture will be revealed in a yearlong celebration commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum.
Officials and supporters of the museum gathered there Tuesday to announce what will be a series of festivities rooted in reflection, rejoicing, renewing and reviving of art and all the beauty and community it entails.
This year, they said, is a huge year for the art museum as it celebrates its past, honors its present and forays into its future with continued high hopes and expectations.
“We will be celebrating our 15th anniversary,” said Sue Hudgins, chairwoman of the board of trustees, “15 years of amazing exhibitions, innovative and renowned artists and a hundred-plus arts, events and education for our community.”
The anniversary is being called the “Year of Art,” with its theme being “I (Heart) Art.”
A new logo, created by LHWH Advertising & Public Relations in Myrtle Beach, was also unveiled. Instead of a rendering of the building, it is now a bevy of rich rainbow-colored sea oats bending in the wind.
“Its vibrant colors and modern look capture the lively nature of the art museum,” Hudgins said.
Lineta Pritchard, chair of the “I (Heart) Art” celebration and past chairwoman of the board, recalled the museum’s birth, growing pains and impact.
“Since we opened in 1997, it’s been a fabulous run,” Pritchard said. “We have confronted some obstacles along the way, but we believe we’ve accomplished the goal established by our founders – to provide a perfect setting for bringing world class art to Myrtle Beach.”
Event highlights include the “I (Heart) Art” Collector’s Party – an occasion Sunday, February 26 that will allow novice and seasoned art collectors to buy original art at bargain prices – and “Marching to the Arts Beat,” which will be a presentation of about 80 works created by area children held Sunday, March 4.
Longtime museum supporter and contributor, Barbara Burgess, a resident of Seabrook Island, is most excited about the collector’s party event.
“This museum has done a good job of including artists of all religious, races and ethnicities,” Burgess said. “You don’t come into this museum and look at a lot of [artwork created by] dead, white Germans.”
The museum’s excellence in showcasing a diversity of artists and the kindness of its staff are among the reasons Burgess chose the museum as a permanent home to her collection.
“I choose this museum because of the friendliness,” Burgess said. “People in the arts are not always upfront with you. You look for people you can trust.”
Since its inception in 1997, she and her husband, John Dinkelspiel, have donated 53 pieces of their collection by 14 different artists. The majority of the donations, 22 pieces, is work created by Jonathan Green – a native of Gardens Corner, a Beaufort County community, he has established a reputation as one of the world’s finest Gullah artists.
“This museum loves Jonathan Green as much as I do, and that is hard to do,” Burgess said.
Burgess said the treasures of the art museum are abundant and astounding.
“To me, a life without art would be like isolation,” she said. “It would be like being in jail.”
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