"Fox" by Bella Ledbetter, Boiling Springs Elementary, 2nd Grade, Painting

Over 700 children in kindergarten through 12th grade entered the annual Cleveland County Student Art Competition and Exhibit. The exhibit opened with a reception to honor all participants and their teachers on April 23, at the Arts Council, 111 S. Washington St. The reception was free and open to everyone. Cash prizes totaling $1,235 was awarded to the winners. The exhibit will run through May 20, at the Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 5:30 and Saturday, 10:00 - 2:00. For more information call the Arts Council at 704-484-2787 or visit website at www.ccartscouncil.org.
In conjunction with the "Student Art Competition" opening reception, an Art Walk took place in Uptown Shelby. Fifteen Uptown businesses hosted a variety of local artists for demonstrations, exhibits, music and other special events.
The Art Walk included a spectrum of visual arts - including photography, paintings, basket weaving, drawing, mosaics, pottery and live music.
Participating venues and artists included: Allen Griffin Pottery - pottery demonstration by Susan Jones; Buffalo Creek Gallery -Art by Gardner-Webb students; Cleveland County Arts Council - Student Art; Dragonfly Wine Market - Basket Weaving demonstration by Lynn Eskridge & music by New Plowed Ground; Lily Bean Micro-Roasted Coffee - Morgan Rice Coffee House Paintings; Newt's Pub Burgers - Marc Stowe Photography and Luke Edwards music; Peace Avenue - Charly White and Josh Humphries Paintings; RollOver Pets - Paintings by Shelly Brown; Ricky Anderson Digital Comic Book and music by Judy and Ken Cook; Miss Molly's Boutique - Robin Anderson sketching; Cleveland County Chamber Patio - Drum Circle with Justin Harper; Victorian Rose - Photography by Gardner-Webb students; Hip-O-Kat Retro and Vintage (music) Smoke on the Square - paintings by Doug Pruett; Child Care Connections - Preschool art along S. Lafayette St.; The Swamp Fox Trading Company - Mixed Media by Stephanie Elam; The Art Walk is free and open to the public, with festivities taking place between 5:30 - 8:30pm.
The Uptown Art Walk is a partnership between Uptown Shelby Association and Cleveland County Arts Council to draw people to Uptown and encourage new audiences for the arts in our area.
For more information call the Arts Council at 704-484-2787 or visit website at www.ccartscouncil.org. - Photos Provided by Cleveland County Arts Council