50 Years of Artistry: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Present, Shaping the Future”

The exhibition “50 Years of Artistry: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Present, Shaping the Future” focuses on the following artists, past and present, who have significantly shaped the ARTSCENTER and its growing community: Luna Lee Ray, Jeghetto, Jacques Menache, Claire Kiester, Jane Filer, Stacy-Ann Searle, Jody Nash, Cliff Haac, Jason Abide, Jennifer Austin, Molly Cronenwett, and Barbara Tyroler. This group-style gallery will be featured in the Sweet Bay Gallery and the Theater Gallery along with a mural collection of the ARTSCENTER’s historical archives.

WE’VE POSTPONED THE OPENING DUE TO HURRICANE DEBBY! Join us for the opening reception of “50 Years of Artistry: Honoring the Past Embracing the Present, Shaping the Future” on August 23 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The ARTSCENTER in Carrboro. This once-in-a-lifetime event will be complete with live marionette performances in the theater, live piano and snacks and wine!

About the artists

A woman with long dark hair and a black top smiles at the camera in an art gallery, with paintings and ceramic bowls displayed on the walls and other people viewing the artwork in the background.

Luna Lee Ray is an artist from Queens, NY. She is a founding member of Frank Gallery in Carrboro, NC, and has been an instructor here at The ARTSCENTER since 2001, teaching watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media classes.

A person wearing large black glasses and a leather apron manipulates a marionette puppet above a table, with a striped toy animal lying in front of them. The background is dark and the scene is warmly lit.

Jeghetto is a visual artist and puppeteer who works in the box office of the ARTSCENTER.

A painted portrait of a bearded man in a green shirt is set against a yellow background, surrounded by abstract, colorful shapes both inside and attached to a square, metallic frame.

Jacques Menache founded the ARTSCENTER in Carrboro in 1974, after graduating with an MFA from UNC the year prior. Jacques currently lives in Carrboro with his partner Joanne Ivey, also an artist.

A young woman with curly brown hair smiles while standing behind blue and purple netting outdoors on a sunny day, with green grass and trees in the background.

Claire Kiester is a fiber artist, printmaker, and public artist from Chapel Hill, NC.  Claire’s experience with the ARTSCENTER began in Elementary School when she attended the summer camp program.

A woman with curly hair, wearing glasses and a brown top, stands smiling next to a large colorful painting of a whimsical landscape with trees, houses, and a bright sky. Bookshelves are visible in the background.

Jane Filer is an artist from San Jose, California. In 2006, Jane retired after teaching painting and drawing for 21 years at The ARTSCENTER. In her honor, the classroom was officially named, “The Jane Filer Studio”. 

A person with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a blue, black, and white patterned shirt, smiles in front of a brown, abstract background.

Stacy-Ann Topjian Searle is a landscape artist who uses pen and ink to create detailed drawings in black and white. Stacey-Ann joined the ARTSCENTER in the fall of 2022, where she offered instruction in still life drawing, pen and ink drawing, nature sketching, and introduction to colored pencils.

A woman with long brown hair and glasses smiles while painting a landscape on a canvas in an art studio. She holds a pastel in her hand and stands near an easel labeled MEEDEN.

Jody Nash is a multimedia artist and the co-chair of the Smelt Gallery in Pittsboro. Jody teaches basket-making and soft pastels at the ARTSCENTER, as well as the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts.

A man with glasses and a bald head stands in front of a cityscape with tall buildings during daylight, wearing a blue shirt.

Cliff Haac is an award-winning photographer, based in Carrboro, NC. His work has been featured in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and Atlanta’s High Museum.

A woman with curly gray hair stands in an art gallery, wearing a blue shirt and brown jacket. She is in front of two framed abstract artworks on a light-colored wall.

Barbara Tyroler is a photographic image-maker producing collaborative multi-media art projects that address social and cultural issues.

Older woman with short, curly gray hair, wearing round sunglasses, a black shirt, and a black jacket, standing outside in front of a brick wall and metal fence, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Joanne Ivey is an artist originally from Northwestern Pennsylvania, who now lives in North Carolina. Ivey works in paper-Mache and other mediums with very saturated colors.

Jason Abide has been learning and making pottery since about 2002. His first experience with pottery was at Delta State University, in Cleveland, Mississippi. He learned an appreciation for well-made pottery through a fascination with the process for making it, particularly the potter’s wheel.

Jennifer Austin She was born in Boone, raised in the foothills, and moved to the Chapel Hill area with her husband in 1993. She has made her home in Mebane, NC, since 1998. She began her journey in stained glass at the former Stained Glass Art Design in Durham, NC, in 1995, where she studied the Tiffany Method as well as design and traditional leaded construction. Her work is in private collections across the country. Hundreds have attended her classes and workshops since she opened her studio, “The Kaleidoscope”, to students in the fall of 2000. She has been an instructor for The ArtsCenter since 2001. She has a degree in fine arts and has studied stained glass restoration, traditional glass painting, metalsmithing, enameling, printmaking on glass, glass lampworking, warm glass, and glass blowing.

Molly Cronenwett is a teacher, artist, and mother who lives in Hillsborough. After growing up in Michigan and New Hampshire, she moved to NC for graduate school in Art History at UNC-Chapel Hill and then a second BA in Art Education from NCCU. Since migrating south, Molly has taught art and art history to all ages—from preschoolers to adults. As a ceramics teacher, Molly’s instructional focus is on technical skills and the creation of functional pottery, but her background in art history offers students a deeper understanding of the elements and principles of design, visual analysis, and a catalog of successful imagery and ideas. She wants her students to realize that they are part of an enormous global community of artists—past and present—from whom they can gain inspiration. Instagram:@cronenwett_pottery.

About the ARTSCENTER

The ARTSCENTER, located in Carrboro, NC, is a vibrant community arts center dedicated to providing high-quality arts experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds. With its diverse programming, The ARTSCENTER strives to be a catalyst for artistic expression, education, and inspiration.