“The vibrance of the local arts in and around the Upstate has always enhanced families’ decisions to own property or live at The Reserve,” comments Mike Agee, the community’s director of marketing. “Our owners and our management team recognize the importance of supporting the arts, and hosting a local artist through our Artist in Residence program, as well as this year, coming alongside ARTISPHERE in a significant way, are ways that we can do our fair share to promote the arts as a company and as a community.”
2010 Artist in Residence John Smith
“We are delighted to welcome John Smith of Hendersonville this year’s Artist in Residence. He captures the magic of the mountains through his photography, and we love the fact that he’s self-taught from an early age, and that he is willing to share his gift with not only our owners and their families, but to the community-at-large around The Reserve. We hope his personal classes and gallery showing at our own Hill House will draw a great crowd during his stay with us,” added Kathryn Coleman-Gravely, Executive Director of The Reserve at Lake Keowee Community Foundation.
Smith will be in residence at The Reserve April 7th-11th. His work will be displayed in the Hill House Gallery, located at 534 Pine Gove Church Road in Sunset, S.C., from March 1 to April 29. The Hill House Gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, call (864) 481-4010 or email Kathryn Coleman-Gravely at kgravely@reservekeowee.com. Foundation-sponsored events and classes are open to the public.
Now in its third year, The Reserve’s Artist in Residence program allows The Reserve to share the natural beauty of its community with artists so that they may experience a peaceful retreat that gives them outreach opportunities and time for reflection and inspiration. The program is funded by The Reserve’s Community Foundation and includes a visit to The Reserve, classes and field trips open to owners and the public, and other community outreach initiatives in and around the property. The Arts are one of four focus areas around which the Community Foundation was founded in 2008.
“My goal is to capture the beauty and majesty of the Southern Appalachian Mountains so that everyone can know what it is like to live in the splendor of this region’s four distinct seasons,” explains The Reserve’s 2010 Artist in Residence photographer John Smith.
John Smith taught himself how to shoot and develop photographs at the age of 14, after trying to take images of the moon by placing a camera over his home-built telescope. After high school, Smith took his love of photography to work for General Electric Company, and for twelve years, photographed the lighting fixtures made at the plant as well as the installations of indoor and outdoor GE lighting. He went on to own his own photo labs and for 24 years, served the amateur and professional photographers in and around Hendersonville. Smith began shooting landscapes as a hobby in the early 1980s but has been more intensely focused since 1999. In 2008, Smith sold the retail side of his photo labs and is completing his first full year of focusing exclusively on his art.
“I feel I have a unique ability to see light,” Smith answers when asked about the distinction of his work. “My passion comes from a love of light and how it reflects and complements the scene. I hope to share with others how weather interacts to create moods in the photographs – post-storm is especially nice. And how, often, cloudy weather brings out color in a photograph, just as if you used a giant umbrella in a studio lighting situation.”
John Smith’s work is represented by Wickwire fineart/folkart (Hendersonville, N.C.), Blackbird Frame and Art (Asheville, N.C.), Mary Praytor Gallery (Greenville, S.C.) and LaCota Cove (Jasper, Ga.). For more information on John Smith, see his web site at www.johnsmithphotography.net.
ARTISPHERE Weekend Getaway
The Reserve will be a Collector-level sponsor of ARTISPHERE, Greenville’s Arts Weekend taking place May 7-9th. Valued at $2,500, The Reserve’s sponsorship will include partnering with ARTISPHERE to create and promote a two-night, three-day weekend at The Reserve, complete with overnight accommodations, on-site activities, two weekend VIP hospitality passes to enjoy ARTISPHERE and a $1,000 gift certificate to spend on art at ARTISPHERE. The “ARTISPHERE Getaway Weekend” contest kicked off on February 2nd on the ARTISPHERE web site – www.ARTISPHERE.us - and will be promoted through advertising in local media and tourist publications in key drive-to markets that include Charlotte and Atlanta. Anyone can register to win through 11:59pm EST April 29. The winner’s name will be drawn on Friday April 30th.
The Reserve will also give away a second getaway weekend in the VIP hospitality area at ARTISPHERE, including a special prize from John Smith, The Reserve’s 2010 Artist in Residence, and the opportunity to participate in one of his upcoming classes at The Reserve.
“We are excited to come together with The Reserve at Lake Keowee to promote the arts in this unique way,” said Kerry Murphy, the festival’s Executive Director. “This getaway weekend is a first for ARTISPHERE, and it dovetails so nicely into The Reserve community’s existing Artist-in-Residence program that we feel sure this contest will get a high response from our web site visitors and those who plan to join us for ARTISPHERE this spring.”
About ARTISPHERE
ARTISPHERE is an annual signature event for Greenville, SC, showcasing the arts, reflecting the area's international flair, and maximizing existing arts programs by providing a diverse menu of experiences that center around the arts visual and performing and Greenville's multi-cultural offerings to appeal to visitors from throughout the world, as well as citizens throughout the region. ARTISPHERE is committed to celebrating the arts and Greenville’s rich international and multi-cultural flair by providing a high-quality event that attracts, entertains, educates, inspires, and enriches a diverse audience and thus brings the community together through the arts. ARTISPHERE is presented by Carolina First. To learn more, visit www.ARTISPHERE.us.
About The Reserve at Lake Keowee’s Community Foundation
The Reserve at Lake Keowee Community Foundation is a non-profit organization created to enhance the quality of life at The Reserve and in the local area while fulfilling a sense of community and philanthropy here for The Reserve’s members. The Foundation sponsors regular cultural events including concerts, plays, lectures, and an annual art festival. The Foundation is funded and supported by a transfer fee of ¼ of 1% of every sale, provided in perpetuity, within The Reserve. The Foundation has four major functions: 1. Environment: to promote environmental stewardship and provide a greater understanding and appreciation of the area’s natural resources. 2. Education: to provide educational and enrichment programs for Reserve property owners and the surrounding community. 3. Arts: to promote cultural initiatives for property owners and the surrounding community, with both visual and performing arts. 4.Outreach: to assist charitable organizations and facilitate property owner volunteerism in Pickens County and surrounding communities. For more information about The Reserve’s Community Foundation, see www.reserveatlakekeowee.com or call (864) 481-4010.
About The Reserve at Lake Keowee
With a membership of more than 550 families from 30 different states, The Reserve at Lake Keowee is an award-winning lake, mountain and golf community stretching across 3,900 acres, including 30 miles of shoreline on Lake Keowee, in South Carolina’s storied Blue Ridge Mountains. Created by Greenwood Communities and Resorts, The Reserve offers more than $100 million in completed, family-friendly amenities, including a 200-slip Marina, Village Center complete with Guest House, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and more than 1,400 acres of parks, preserves, trails and green space. Home sites, complete with club membership, begin in the $150,000s. For more information, contact The Reserve at www.reserveatlakekeowee.com , (877) 922-LAKE (5253), or read The Reserve’s blog at www.LifeOnKeowee.com.
