This oil on canvas painting, titled ‘Four Square on Taco Sunday,’ by local artist Sarah Swanson will be part of the Celebrate Summer art show at LaGrange Art Museum. The show starts Aug. 28 and runs to Sept. 26.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2015/08/web1_WEB0816Art01.jpgThis oil on canvas painting, titled ‘Four Square on Taco Sunday,’ by local artist Sarah Swanson will be part of the Celebrate Summer art show at LaGrange Art Museum. The show starts Aug. 28 and runs to Sept. 26.

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This untitled work using acrylic paints on an old violin by artist Melinda Clair will be on display as part of the Celebrate Summer art show at LaGrange Art Museum. Local artists took 10 stringed instruments that were worn beyond repair from the Troup County School System and painted them to be sold at auction as part of a project to help raise money for LaGrange Symphony Orchestra programs.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2015/08/web1_WEB0816Art02.jpgThis untitled work using acrylic paints on an old violin by artist Melinda Clair will be on display as part of the Celebrate Summer art show at LaGrange Art Museum. Local artists took 10 stringed instruments that were worn beyond repair from the Troup County School System and painted them to be sold at auction as part of a project to help raise money for LaGrange Symphony Orchestra programs.

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This acrylic on canvas painting, ‘Bees,’ by local artist Steve Close will be on display as part of the Celebrate Summer art show Aug. 28–Sept. 26 at LaGrange Art Museum.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2015/08/web1_WEB0816Art03.jpgThis acrylic on canvas painting, ‘Bees,’ by local artist Steve Close will be on display as part of the Celebrate Summer art show Aug. 28–Sept. 26 at LaGrange Art Museum.

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This Inktense pencil and pastel on board drawing, ‘Nurse S. Butler,’ by local artist Sarah Swanson will be on display as part of the Celebrate Summer art show Aug. 28–Sept. 26 at LaGrange Art Museum.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2015/08/web1_WEB0816Art04.jpgThis Inktense pencil and pastel on board drawing, ‘Nurse S. Butler,’ by local artist Sarah Swanson will be on display as part of the Celebrate Summer art show Aug. 28–Sept. 26 at LaGrange Art Museum.

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LaGRANGE — LaGrange Art Museum is partnering with other area arts groups for its upcoming show, Celebrate Summer, set to begin near the end of the month.

Celebrate Summer is set to kick off on Aug. 28 with a public reception from 7 to 9 p.m. at LaGrange Art Museum, 112 Lafayette Parkway. The show will run at the museum through Sept. 26

Celebrate Summer will feature the art of Sarah Swanson, a local artist, and works by local members of the Visual Artists Alliance of LaGrange.

Swanson, a registered nurse at West Georgia Medical Center, graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree from Augusta State University in 2001, according to a museum press release. She focuses on figure drawing and portraits, but also creates abstracts, collages and paintings. She has portraits and commissions in local government, corporate and private collections, and has won awards at several regional art shows.

The stated mission of the Visual Artists Alliance of LaGrange, or VAAL, is to bring together LaGrange-area artists to form a more cohesive and supportive artist community, foster their activities and to amplify their visibility and voice in the wider community.

“The Celebrate Summer show will do just that, as it brings artists of varying abilities working in a variety of mediums together to give visibility to their work,” stated museum Executive Director Karen Anne Briggs in a release.

The annual show will enable art lovers to purchase works by local members of VAAL and Swanson to benefit the LaGrange Art Museum and VAAL.

Also on display will be some musical works of art. Local artists have painted and created visual art using violins and cellos that were beyond repair from years of use by Troup County school students.

The instruments will be auctioned Sept. 17 to raise money for the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra Guild’s youth programs — like the youth orchestra, strings project and summer camps — at its annual “My Favorite Things” luncheon. Chris and Pepper Hagebak of 809 Gallery came up with the idea to repurpose the worn-out instruments, and “Strings of my Heart; Music of my Soul,” a piece by Chris Hagebak, is the first slated for auction.

The painted instruments and auction is a joint project by LSO Guild, Troup County School System, LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and 809 Gallery. There will be 10 instruments for sale: seven violins, one youth cello and two cellos painted by local artists Gail Grice, Steve Close, Debbie Bruce, Melinda Claire, Chris Hagebak, Maddie Fix, Teri Codlin and Thea McElvy.

Proceeds from sales of artwork during the Celebrate Summer reception Aug. 28 will support the Campaign for Creative Learning, which goes toward paying for programs in the Center for Creative Learning, located at Lafayette Parkway and Morgan Street, next to the museum.

The CCL is setup for teaching and demonstrating various art forms. It features a kitchen for culinary work, event space, classrooms, art studios and a potters’ shop equipped with kilns, wheels and sinks. It is open for use by people of all ages along with local groups. The museum has classes and workshops planned at the CCL for fall.

“The art center is committed to being a vital partner in the educational and cultural life of West Georgia and East Alabama communities through the Center for Creative Learning and the LaGrange Art Museum,” stated Briggs in a press release. “The Center for Creative Learning provides arts leadership through a variety of arts education and community outreach initiatives. The museum promotes enjoyment and understanding of the visual arts through quality collections and exhibits.”

The Celebrate Summer show is sponsored by 3 Points Frame Shop, Higgins Funeral Home, Marketplace on Lafayette Square and Flooring America Mill Store.

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