COLORS Annual Exhibition Continues at Spartanburg Art Museum through August 15th

Coming of the heels of its 20th Anniversary, the Spartanburg Art Museum currently has over 50 vibrant works on exhibition created during this past school year by COLORS program participants, ages six through fourteen.

COLORS is an outreach program of the Spartanburg Art Museum providing underserved youth a creative outlet by working with artists during the after school hours in a safe and supportive environment. The program serves thousands of students annually and was active at seven outreach sites throughout Spartanburg County during the 2013-2014 school year. Many COLORS students continue pursuing the arts after their time in the program, and a number have successfully pursued arts-related careers. This summer the Chapman Cultural Center COLORS Studio is open to underserved youth ages 6-18 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:00-6:00 pm. The COLORS Studio is located on the 2nd floor of the Montgomery Building (east wing) at the Chapman Cultural Center.

“COLORS received a very generous donation from an anonymous supporter this spring to insure our services are available to area youth at Chapman”, said Kathy Wofford Zimmerli, the COLORS Program Director. “This has been a terrific year for the program as we moved from serving three outreach sites in October 2013, to serving seven sites by January 2014. We have amazing instructors who are extremely dedicated to the children they see each week and even though we serve hundreds of youth, we know their names and hugs are not an uncommon way to end our work day with them.”

The exhibition features over 50 works representing a number of expressive styles and media, which reflect the diverse artistic training and exposure COLORS students receive. Pastels, watercolor, collage, pencil, and tempera are among some of the media featured in the show, which includes both abstract and representational pieces. This family-friendly exhibition also features an interactive drawing space for children and an artist’s studio-inspired photo booth, complete with props.

In addition to individual works by COLORS students, this year’s exhibition also features five larger-scale collaborative paintings that were commissioned by The Arts Partnership. Each piece is based on a local Spartanburg landmark or flag done in the style of a specific well known artist, including a Warhol-inspired Beacon scene and a Pollock-inspired Palmetto flag. Under the guidance of COLORS Director Kathy Wofford, students from different outreach sites worked together on each piece, while learning about the history and style of their particular artist. After the exhibition, the pieces will be on display in the East Wing conference room in the Montgomery Building at the Chapman Cultural Center.

“Working as a COLORS instructor myself, this exhibition is one of my annual favorites,” said Casey Rigby, the Exhibitions Coordinator at SAM. “It provides our students an opportunity to view their works within an actual museum context and serves to further encourage children in their pursuit of the arts. Many students have not had the opportunity to visit a museum before, let alone have the chance to exhibit their artwork in one. This exhibition also illustrates to our students that their community is interested and vested in the success of the COLORS program and its students.”

The COLORS Annual Exhibition is on view at the Spartanburg Art Museum through August 15, 2014. Museum hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 1-5pm. For more information regarding this exhibition or the COLORS program in general, please contact (864)582-7616 or visit: www.spartanburgartmuseum.org.