“I moved to England at an early age and grew up surrounded by the history, beauty and art of the U.K. After working in many media I fell in love with jewelry making and a jeweler! We had our own business in Camden Lock in London prior to moving back to the U.S.

I have been making jewelry for over 20 years. The natural beauty, color and healing properties of stones inspire me. My jewelry is silver with precious and semi precious stones.

I hope you enjoy my one of a kind jewelry with the beauty and positive energy of these stones.”

--Julie Scott

Joyce Cole is January's Museum Shop Artist of the Month

Cole says:

"Being born in New York City allowed me to be part of the 1960's art world. I was known for my paintings of large scale geometric shapes and grids. Over these forms, I employed a spray technique which created soft impressionistic overlays. At that time there were no other artists using my spray method with hard edge geometric grid forms. My paintings are shown in various galleries and Museums.

Presently I am continuing to use hard edge geometric shapes which are influenced by the Bauhaus and the Suprematists. In particular of interest to me are the artists Kandinsky and El Lissitsky.

To quote the art critic Peter Frank:

"Joyce Cole has always been, first and foremost, a Colorist. Irrespective of her mode of choice at any moment, no matter how severely abstract, gaily figurative or intricately between. Cole still employs a palette which glows like a pre-storm sunset - warm and iridescent - or like a blue streetlight at night - deep and tenebrous. Joyce Cole must have taste buds and hair follicles receptive to color to paint like this."

The Asheville Art Museum is proud to spotlight the Docents at the Museum! Docents volunteer their time to create inspiring and creative experiences for groups of all ages who come through the Museum. They give tours that help visitors learn about art, collecting, and the Asheville Art Museum. The Docents are continually learning more about art through trips to artist studios, art landmarks, and other artistic outings.

The Asheville Art Museum docents are one of the essential faces and voices of the Musuem in the community and the Museum thanks each of them for their inspiring energy, their strong dedication, and their rigourous passion for art, the Museum and Asheville.

To learn more about becoming a Docent, click here!

Image credit: Asheville Art Museum Docents 2009

Exploring the Permanent Collection with a Work of the Week

THIS WEEK: February 8 - 14, 2010

Sulton Rogers, Untitled Pregnant Woman in Red Dress,

nd, carved and painted wood, 13 x 5 x 6.5 inches, Asheville Art Museum Collection, Museum Purchase, 2006.11.01.32

 Sulton Rogers, Untitled Man with Pink Shirt and Green Pants,

nd, carved and painted wood, 12.5 x 4 x 6 inches, Asheville Art Museum Collection, Museum Purchase, 2006.11.02.32

In our last week on sculpture, these two figures needed to be paired together to give you a taste of the uniqueness of Sulton Rogers. An Outsider Artist, Sulton Rogers was taught wood carving by his father when he was 13. His first name is often misspelled as "Sultan." Rogers' woodcarvings are best described as fanciful, grotesque and occasionally erotic.

Outsider artists generally lack any formal training and borrow heavily from styles throughout the history of art. Their works can be childlike and spontaneous in appearance. They also typically create detailed flat spaces using bright colors. Outsider Art and Sculpture are collecting focal points for the Museum. These sculptures are currently on display in the Museum's exhibition Looking Forward: New Works and New Directions for the Permanent Collection, which is in its LAST week at the Asheville Art Museum. Come in this week to see these works!

For more information on this artist and these works, Untitled Pregnant Woman in Red Dress and Untitled Man with Pink Shirt and Green Pants , visit our Permanent Collection online!

Celebrate 60! Raffle Winners

Congratulations to the following winners of the Celebrate 60! Raffle! We thank everyone who participated for their support of the Asheville Art Museum and for helping us to celebrate 60 and strong!

Hot Glass: Sherwin Meeker

Pampered Luxury: Delphia Lamberson

NYC Art Seen: Ladene and Russell Newton

Feast for the Senses: Terry Finder

Caribbean Escape: Eric Cox

Mexican Idyll: Marianne Elrick Manley

Art Exploration: Robert Sauer

Position Available~Development Manager
Asheville Art Museum
2 S. Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
www.ashevilleart.org

Title:  Development Manager
Available:  March 1, 2010
Position Reports To:  Executive Director
Position is: Full Time

Position Description: 
The Development Manager is responsible for the corporate, foundation and government fundraising efforts to maximize contributed income to support the Museum’s operations, exhibitions, educational programs and special events. The Development manager works closely with all staff and volunteers.

Primary Responsibilities / Essential Functions:
The primary responsibilities and essential functions of the job include:

• Write and direct all grant proposals and maintain relationships with government, corporate and foundation funding sources.
• Obtain and manage government grants including federal, state and local sources.
• Assist with development of annual fund appeals and acknowledgment.  
• Identify and acquire sponsorships from individuals and businesses for exhibitions and educational programs.
• Understand and communicate regarding the operating budget.
• Research and identify prospects for institutional support. 
• Gather broad anecdotal and statistical data and report qualitative and quantitative results. Work with staff to build and monitor budgets, and report on grant expenditures.
• Acquire sponsorship and participate in planning and implementation of special events including the Asheville Wine Auction & Gala Dinner, A Taste of Art & Wine, loft tours, etc.
• Assist the Executive Director with Board and Committees as required.
• Collaborate with Development staff to keep accurate donor records including profiles, gift records, acknowledgments and correspondence.
• Collaborate with Development staff to structure specific membership programs including corporate members, etc.
• Maintain a budget and records for the Development department. 
  
•  Interact with the arts community and civic bodies and donors as an advocate for the arts and the Museum.
• Travel to other locations by foot and/or by car is sometimes required. 
  
  
  Education and Experience and Skills: 
  Minimum of five years fundraising experience, significant success in grant writing and ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Minimum of an undergraduate degree is required. Knowledge and excellent ability to work with all typical computer programs is essential. The Development Manager should possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work collegially with donors, volunteers and staff. 
  
  Organization:
  The Asheville Art Museum is an active, inspiring organization located in the center of a vibrant city of approximately 70,000 in the beautiful Western North Carolina Mountains.  The Museum collects American Art beginning in the 20^th century, with a focus on art of significance to the Southeast.  The Museum’s facility will soon be doubling in size with a newly renovated and expanded contemporary building located in the center of Asheville. This growing organization, incorporated in 1948 by area artists, serves the Asheville urban area and is the only art museum serving the 23 counties that make up Western North Carolina (with a total population exceeding one million). Accredited by the AAM, the Museum has a full-time staff of 13 and a number of part-time and contract positions. The Museum is an equal opportunity employer. This is a full- time position with benefits. 
  
  Please send resumé, cover letter, references, salary history and several writing samples demonstrating successful grant writing to: Development Manager Search, PO Box 1717, Asheville, NC 28802 or 2 South Pack Square, Asheville, NC 28801 or email to Development Manager Search at rlynchmaass@ashevilleart.org. Equal opportunity employer.