By Hunter Jones
From June 1-23, the North Central Louisiana Arts Council is hosting its 35th Annual Peach Art Exhibit at the Lincoln Parish Events Center.
Laura Hunt Miller is the brains behind the operation and said she is excited to see all of the new artists and amateurs bring in their work.
“Their unique points of view, choices of mediums, and their own excitement about exhibiting their work, sometimes for the first time, is really wonderful to see,” Miller said.
Though the categories have changed over the years, this is the first year the exhibit will move its winners to the of the show downtown to be a part of the Peach Festival as well. This means the show will be on display simultaneously at the Historic Fire Station and the Library for the Peach Festival weekend but still allow artists to submit and pick-up their artwork at the Library Events Center.
Miller explained how their biggest turnouts have had about 200 pieces, but while coming out of COVID-19 she expects about 100 to 150 submissions for this year and at least 20 entries in each category.
IN 2020, the exhibit was moved downtown due to COVID and had the artworks displayed outside but through the windows of business. This was an innovative way to keep the annual exhibit going and have all artists feel equal instead of side-by-side their competitors.
In 2021, Miller also explained how they moved the exhibit to the fire station and then the Library Events Center as they had fewer submissions than the previous years.
“They were trying to balance putting the art out there for everyone to enjoy, and the ongoing COVID restraints,” Miller said. “As NCLAC was not sure the event would even occur, the categories and awards were scaled back as well. It was still fun to see, but we are glad people will be able to get together again to really enjoy the show and celebrate our local artists in person.”
There are nine categories that range from youth, teen and adult categories. All have cash prizes for placement with youth at $75 for best in show, teen at $150 for best in show and adult at $300 for best in show. The adult categories also range from drawings, paintings, photography and 3-D/ mixed media.
NCLAC asks people to submit their work on May 26 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Library Events Center. There is a $10 entry fee for the young adults and teen categories and a $15 entry fee for all adult categories. NCLAC members get a $5 discount for each category entered.
NCLAC would also like to thank Lincoln Parish Library, the City of Ruston, and their sponsors for making this show possible.
“Our sponsors, Century Next Bank, Ponchatoulas, The Peach 99.3, Fine Line Supply Co., The Children’s Shoppe, Durrett Law & Title LLC, and Garden Baby have provided us with the funds to reward our artists for all their hard work, and allow us to improve the all-around quality of the show,” Miller said.
The show is free to come and view at the Library Events Center, and there will be no charge to view the winning pieces on display at the Historic Fire Station the day of the Peach Festival.
For the rules and schedule please see the 2022 entry form which can be found on http://www.nclac.org/peach-art-exhibit. For more info call the NCLAC office at 318-255-1449 or email info@nclac.org.
