The main gallery at Aiken Center for the Arts will share a collection of works by the finest equine artists in the country from Oct. 27 to Dec. 2.
The American Academy of Equine Art (AAEA) Juried Exhibition will feature 76 pieces of artwork by 49 artists from across the nation.
There will be a free reception on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 6-8 p.m. to celebrate the artists.
The AAEA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1980 with the goal of assembling the finest equine artists in the country to exhibit together, share creative ideas and, eventually, to establish a teaching organization modeled after the Royal Academy in England.
The mission of the AAEA is to “nurture, advise, educate and promote those artists interested in the representation of the equine subject.”
The AAEA is dedicated to promoting and sharing representational art that celebrates the horse in sport and life. It also offers hands-on instruction from practicing equine artists with a goal of fostering artistic excellence in the genre. Today, the AAEA’s exhibitions showcase artists from all over North America and are viewed by collectors and dealers alike as a source for the best in contemporary equine art. Many of the Academy’s Signature and Juried members are among the most accomplished equine painters and sculptors working today.
Alongside the main gallery, the Aiken Artist Guild Gallery showcases works by members throughout each exhibition at Aiken Center for the Arts. This exhibition features Deidre Hayes who takes inspiration from trees, water, forests, old buildings and farms and captures them in watercolor, acrylic, or ink; Eddie Huff, who uses Tupelo and Basswood to carve various types of songbirds by hand; and Melinda Welker, who uses South Carolina’s sprawling live oaks, active marshes and natural bird rookeries as a muse for her wildlife and nature photography.
In addition, the Brooks Gallery will feature equine artwork by students from Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School. There will be a separate reception on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 5:30-7 p.m. to hear music by the Oakwood-Windsor Elementary chorus and view artwork by third, fourth and fifth grade students.
Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, the Aiken Center for the Arts is located in the heart of downtown Aiken at 122 Laurens St. S.W.
For more information, call 803-641-9094 or visit aikencenterforthearts.org.
This content was originally published here.