Aiken Artists Guild presents another successful annual member show

Jun. 11—Artists from around Aiken have taken over the main gallery at the Aiken Center for the Arts for another successful Aiken Artists Guild Annual Member Show.

Members of the Aiken Artist Guild had the opportunity to submit two pieces of art for the exhibit. Each work is eligible for awards and for purchase at the Aiken Center for the Arts.

The art exhibit started on May 18 with a reception and is open every day at 10 a.m. through June 22.

"It's a good show," said the show director, Patricia Gericke.

Part of the proceeds also go towards supporting the Aiken Center for the Arts.

The guild has grown a lot since she joined three years ago, Gericke said.

"This year, we got a whole bunch of new members, which was great," she said.

For Caroline Gwinn, the executive director at the Aiken Center for the Arts, the show is a reflection of Aiken's growth.

"It may have grown in diversity because the guild has broadened and grown, just like our city," Gwinn said.

With the large number of pieces submitted each year, sacrifices must be made to fit all of the artwork into one space.

Originally, 142 pieces of art were submitted to the gallery but because of the limited space, 20 of those pieces had to be cut from the show, said Gericke.

The system that the guild uses is based on "A" and "B" submissions from members. All members get their "A" submissions featured but some end up having their "B" submissions cut from the show.

There are five categories that the pieces are split into, and the awards are given based on these categories. The categories are traditional, organic, figurative, scenic and contemporary.

Each category is given a first, second and third place award.

Awards are also given for Best in Show, Best Aiken Scene and the New Member Award. A new award, the Diversity in Media Arts award, was also introduced this year, Gericke said.

Then five honorable mentions are highlighted as well.

Gericke started preparing for the exhibition in December, when she started looking for a judge and preparing announcements.

Then in February, she sent out announcements to members of the guild. Usually, the cut-off to register is in May, but this year Gericke pushed the deadline up to April 15.

"I said, this is ridiculous to do it so close," she said.

Once all the pieces are submitted and organized, a judge comes in to pick which pieces make it into the exhibit. This process took up to six hours this year, Gericke said.

This exhibit is one of the biggest events of the year for the guild and gives artists the opportunity to have their work featured.

"This is the one time a year that the whole guild comes together and takes over the whole main gallery," Gwinn said. "And it's really fun"

During the year, a small portion of the gallery is dedicated to artists from the guild, with the pieces of art rotating every six weeks, Gwinn said

"It is amazing the talent that we have right here in Aiken, and it brings so many people out to see what's here," she said.