"Not Quite Spoleto"... Art Exhibit at Moultrie High School Class Reunion
The first ever "Not Quite Spoleto"...Art Exhibit was held during the 2008 Moultrie High School Class Reunion at the historic Sullivan's Island home of Gene West ("Most Talented" classmate and varsity football).
As Sparky Witte, Reunion Coordinator ("Wittiest" classmate, tract team member) Linda West, Gwen West Wilson and other classmates renewed old friendships,
memories of Virginia Fouche Bolton, art teacher to many present were discussed.
In her memory, on the opening day of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto, The "Not Quite Spoleto".. Art Exhibit was somewhat irreverently mounted to continue the tradition of showing fine art which she instilled.
A creative, sometimes hard driving teacher, Mrs. Bolton was an inspiration to her many students and a driving force for a lifetime of interest in the arts.
Classmates Kenny Barnes (MHS art club) and Dana Schneider (MHS band and Valedictorian, The High School of Charleston Class of '69) visit.
Kenny remembers the wildlife artwork he created and sold "back in the day". He told of the time Mrs. Bolton took him to meet Anne Worsham Richardson an accomplished Chas. painter and ornithologist, as an incentive to further his skills.
Mrs. Bolton organized an annual end of school sidewalk art show at Moultrie which provided her students with the opportunity to show and sell their student artwork.
The first Art Show I helped organize was a benefit to raise money for the Moultrie Art Club to visit the
National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. That trip was the first chance many of us had to see great national artistic masterpieces in person.
Mrs. Bolton later taught art at other local schools and became an accomplished professional artist with a successful gallery in Charleston. Her paintings and fine art prints are still in great demand. ()
Joe (MHS band) and Sally Mansfield look over old newspaper articles at the exhibit.
Left to rt. Sissy Kirchner Seyle ("Best All Around"classmate, class treasurer, Hall of Fame), Katherine (Kay) Muschick Schneider (exhibiting artist, art club), and Dottie Benton Frank (best selling author and art club secretary).
Karin Tharin Lyons (girl's tract team), Lara Seabough Northcutt (cheerleader), and Lynn Ward (artist, cheerleader) enjoying the evening.
Paintings by Kay Muschick Schneider were on display among memorabilia of past Moultrie HS Art Shows.
Memories of creating art in the past lead to plans for former classmates to get together to paint in the future.
Mrs. Bolton would be pleased.
A "Not Quite Spoleto"... Art Exhibit. Honoring the past. Facing the future.
If you have a memory or story about Mrs. Bolton to share It'd be great to hear about it here (click comments) .
6 comments:
More info about Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto Festival art can be found by clicking those titles in the "Art Categories" list at the rt of this page.
Lots going on. Enjoy!
I was having such a big time yacking with my friends, I didn't get to see the show. How 'bout a post with some of the artwork?
I guess Mrs. Bolton would give me my usual grade for this - incomplete...
You and me both Geechee Boy. Remember the weekly homework? 10 pages of drawings in our sketch books ea week? And she'd initial every pg to make sure - yeah lots of incompletes on those. I remember drawing lots of bottles, too.
Hi y'all,
I remember the sketchbook drawing too.
It was hard figuring out what to draw to fill those 10 pages up ea week. Usually I drew whatever I could find in school: cafeteria food, pencils, books, whatever.
The first thing Mrs. B had our class draw were bottles. First a line down the middle. The rest was easy-just draw ea side the same. She had so many different kinds of bottles in the art room for us to draw, she got the nickname "Bottles Bolton".
But I did learn how to draw from life- not an easy thing to do, even now.
Geechee Boy- I'll see about getting some of the paintings from the "show" on the blog. Thanks for asking.
Kay
Thanks Kay. Great Pics. Your are so industrious. I'm still trying to get my web pages to work correctly.
I do remember those sketch pages each week. I loved art class. It never lasted long enough.
May 24th will be here in a blink of an eye..See ya soon,
Lynn
I agree, art class was my fav. part of day. And Mrs. Bolton was right - it's important to keep sketching from life.
Good luck with your web pages. Let's get together and paint soon. The weather is great and I know just the spot...