Art on the Island: Pawleys Island art group invites public to view 6th annual summer exhibit
For people who enjoy art and the beach, a local event featuring more than 150 pieces of artwork with a “Pawleys” theme is a perfect combination.
The Waccamaw Neck Arts Alliance, which totals about 60 members from our local area, is hosting its 6th annual Summer Art Show. It is being held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily in the Old Town Hall building just off the North Causeway to the island and will continue through Saturday, September 5.
The WNAA is dedicated to supporting local artists, promoting artistic excellence, and enriching the community through the arts. It provides a platform for artists to connect, showcase their work, and access exclusive opportunities that help them thrive in their creative endeavors.
“We welcome the public to view and purchase artwork by our award-winning members,” said Vida Miller, founder of the WNAA. “From first-place winners in Art Fields to first place winners in local and regional shows, our artists have received recognition from many national art associations.”
The finale for the art show, which is called a “Art on the Island: Sip and See”, will be an evening event on Friday, Sept. 4, from 5-8 p.m. Many of the WNAA artists will set up on the marsh side of the building and of course we will have our work inside as well. Refreshments will be served.
“We held a Sip and See event about two weeks ago and we had so much fun,” Miller said. “We didn’t know what to expect, but we had about 80 people attend the event, so we decided to have another one at the end of the exhibit.”
The current show at Pawleys Island Old Town Hall includes about 150 paintings in oil, acrylic, pastel and mixed media, photography, pottery, and books by local member authors.
Artwork with a ‘Pawleys’ theme
“The work consists primarily of original pieces with a ‘Pawleys’ theme, which was a request by the Old Town Hall Board,” Miller said. “Our group was happy to accommodate this request as the area has so much subject matter to choose from.”
This is the group’s sixth summer show in partnership with the Town of Pawleys Island and a portion of every sale goes back to the Town for the upkeep of the Old Town Hall.
“We also have a selection of smaller items and prints that are perfect for gift giving and collecting,” Miller said. “We value the opportunity to partner with the Town and consider the building to be the perfect gallery setting for our members’ work.”
Upcoming shows at Old Town Hall will be in November and the Annual Show at the Rice Museum will be in November as well. The WNAA also has a Spring Show around Easter each year.
The perfect gallery setting
Miller said the show began shortly after the New Town Hall was completed and the Town appointed a Board of Directors to manage the Old Town Hall. The Chairman of the Board, George Raftelis, orginally from Georgetown, approached our group regarding having some type of display or event in the old building. After a presentation to Town Council about the WNAA group, its first summer show was held in 2020.
“Our artists love that old building and after Hurricane Ian – which came much worse than expected, so many volunteered to help clean the building and we had a great time doing it,” Miller said. “The building took four feet of water and had a layer of pluff mud on the floor, so I emailed all of the artists and the next morning, we had 12 members show up with power washers, cleaning supplies, wet vacs, etc. and by noon, the building was cleaned inside and out and later we had the inside repainted.”
A new WNAA member
Susan Walters, originally from Massachusettes, is a new artist in the group. She said she joined WNAA because of the shows at the little building on the island and this is her first summer show exhibiting her work.
“Six years ago, my husband and I stayed on Pawleys Island for the first time and while riding bikes, we saw the art show in the Old Town Hall,” Walters said. “I said then that if we ever moved here, I wanted to be in that show, and now here I am. I can’t tell you how fulfilling that is.”
Specializing in print making, Walters has been working to master a technique called “jelly printing,” which involves printing on top of a painting that serves as the background. She uses acrylic paint and gelatin to create the prints using her hands, not a press.
“For the pieces I have in the show, I was channeling Pawleys Island and every beach I’ve ever been to,” Walters said. “Because we all want to go somewhere, and for me, I want to go to the beach.”
For more information about the Waccamaw Neck Art Alliance, click here to visit the group’s website.
By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce