TODAY‘S HOURS: 10am to 5pm

Burroughs-Chapin Art Museum to Kick off 2018 with Four New Exhibits

Burroughs-Chapin Art Museum to Kick off 2018 with Four New Exhibits
by Kristyn Winch, Visit! Page 13, 19

From digital paintings to shadowboxed souvenirs and Southern art to 3D works, the Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach will have it all on display this month.

On Jan 2, William H. Miller | What You See Is What You Get, a collection of abstract paintings in both traditional and non-traditional media, opens at the museum.

One of Miller’s favorite mediusm is digital paitning. “He creates almost daily digitial pieces on his iPhone,” said museum curator, Liz Miller.

Miller lives in Myrtle Beach and is a full0time artist and member of the Art Museum’s Board of Trustees. He owns and operates William H. Miller Studios & Fine Art, located at 714 Main St. in downtown Myrtle Beach.

“He says his paintings aren’t fully complete until the visitor sess it and interacts with it,” Miller said.

While his exhibit is at the museum, Miller will be teaching classes at the museum through the KidsArt program and for adults as well. “We are so excited about having his exhibit here,” Miller said.

Visit whimdesigns.com to learn more about hte artist and his work.

Also on Jan 2, the museum opens Depth: 3D Works from the Museum’s Collection. This smaller exhibit features a variety of pieces signifying both physical depth in terms of dimension and profound depth of thought, according to Miller.

The exhibit will include pieces by Illinois-based wood-turner Binh Pho, who passed away in 2017. Museum goers may remember viewing his exhibit The Shadow of the Turning in 2014.

On Jan 11, the museum opens Steven Bleicher: The Kings Highway. Bleicher is a digital art professor at Coastal Carolina University. The pieces in his exhibit highlight his travel along Route 66 and the Kings Highway, which stretches from across the East Coast from Florida to Maine.

Pieces in this exhibition will focus on Florida, Georgia and Norht and South Carolina.

The works include photo realistic graphite drawings which the artist has paired with maps, souvenirs and found objects.

On Jan 16, the museum unveils Collection Connections: A Visual Exploration of Southern Heritage, a permanent exhibit which will be housed in the upstairs gallery.

“We’ve selected 37 pieces from our collection to tell not only the story of our area but of the region,” said Pat Goodwin, the museum’s Executive Director. “We’ve got a really wonderful assortment of artists and works.”

The pieces in Collection Connections include art by Jonathan Green, Dixie Dugan and Myrtle Beach photographer Jack Thompson as well as antique maps, fabric quilts and more.

The Museum worked with local schools to build connections with English language arts and social studies curriculum.

“Teachers can bring their students in and connect them to the visual arts,” Goodwin said. “Every visitor who comes in has an opportunity to learn.”

The museum will offer docent tours for all exhibits throughout the winter and spring and will host artists’ talks for the Miller and Bleicher openings. Goodwin said the museum staff keeps patrons in mind when planning exhibitions and programming. “We are always thinking of what it is that the public wants to see,” she said. “We want to make it a learning experience. If they want to dig a little deeper, we’re providing the opportunity to do that. We have a myriad of things to make the experience richer.”

On Jan 27, the museum will host Art en Blanc, a 20th anniversary celebration of the Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum.

The gala will be held form 7-10 pm at the Langston Home at Plantation Point, a stop on the museum’s tour of homes in 2017.

Tickets are $150 per person for this party, which will feature live music, live art, a silent auction and more.

On Feb 25, the museum will host its annual Collectors Event from 5-7 pm at the Collectors’ Cafe and Gallery.

The $150 ticket gets you and a guest into the party where each ticket-holder can take home a work of art valued at $150 or more. “We invite the artists to attend the event and continue the dialogue. They get a lot of good exposure,” Goodwin said.

The museum’s 18th Annual Spring Tour of Homes will be held on March 10. “Its a wonderful opportunity for people to see five or six really special homes,” Goodwin said. Tickets for the tour are $45 per person.

The museum will be opening the Lineta Pritchard Pottery Studio in early 2018, which will house six pottery wheels and a kiln and be open for classes of all ages.

“Lineta was a very instrumental in getting the museum open,” Goodwin said. “This is one of the first times we’re adding to the museum’s footprint.”

Admission to the Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is always free. “I think its really important to keep art free and accessible,” Goodwin said. “It has never impeded us from doing what we want to do.”

Goodwin said the museum has great appeal to residents and tourists. “Most people come back,” she said. “They love to tell us what they saw last time and what they saw that they loved today.”

“This is a hidden gem in Myrtle Beach,” Miller said.

The museum is at 3100 S. Ocean Blvd and is open six days a week. Visit MyrtleBeachArtmuseum.org or call 843.238.2510 or more information.

THE FRANKLIN G. BURROUGHS-SIMEON B. CHAPIN ART MUSEUM IN MYRTLE BEACH

Myrtle Beach’s Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum strives to be one of the finest visual arts museums in the Carolinas. With 11 galleries that change throughout the year, Myrtle Beach’s only art museum offers exhibitions featuring paintings, textiles, sculpture, photography, video, ceramics, assemblage, collage and more. A visit to the Art Museum’s exhibitions can be enhanced by its lively programming, including artist receptions, tours, lectures, workshops and classes for both adults and children.