We are pleased to annouce the upcoming Charleston Artist Guild 2026 Lowcountry Tri-State Juried Fine Arts Exhibition . This year’s event will be presented in a hybrid format, with the online exhibition running April 18–25 and the in‑person celebration on April 25 at Hobcaw Brewery in Mt. Pleasant.
Lowcountry Tri-State Juried Fine Arts Exhibition Prospectus and Call for Entries
Artists participating in the in‑person exhibition should bring their artwork for hanging between 5:00–6:00 PM. The reception will follow from 6:00–8:00 PM, with the awards ceremony at 7:00 PM. Artists should plan to take their work home at the conclusion of the event.
Because CAG did not have budgeted funds for an in‑person event this year, several board members generously contributed personally to make this gathering possible. In that spirit, we ask everyone to help by bringing a dish to share. Alcoholic beverages may be purchased directly from Hobcaw Brewery—please drink responsibly and ensure safe transportation if you choose to partake.
We are honored to have two distinguished judges reviewing the online submissions this year:
Painting Judge: Silvia Belviso Blair
Silvia Belviso Blair, born in Bari, Italy, in 1979, is an accomplished artist with extensive training and international exhibition experience. After earning her art teaching diploma from the “De Nittis” Art School in Bari, she expanded her practice through a decade of study with Italian master Peppino Signorile at the “Ippogrifo” studio, where she explored a wide range of expressive techniques. She further specialized in airbrush painting in Florence and Rome, later collaborating with the Italian Airbrush Association.
Silvia has worked as a painter, teacher, and organizer of national art exhibitions and has continued to refine her photorealistic techniques since 2014 at the Blair School of Art in South Carolina with Dru Blair. She is currently an art instructor and co‑owner at the Blair Center for the Arts in Charleston, SC, and is represented by Dare Gallery and Sandpiper Gallery.
Photography Judge: John Herrel
John Herrel is an award‑winning fine art photographer celebrated for his striking landscape, nature, wildlife, and automotive images. After a multifaceted career in engineering, corporate management, and entrepreneurship, he now devotes himself fully to the creation of compelling photographic works inspired by both familiar and remote natural environments.
Based in Elgin, South Carolina, John is an influential leader in the photography community. He has served as Past President of the American Society of Photographers, Treasurer and Chairman of Photographic Competition for the Professional Photographers of South Carolina, and PPA Councilor. His long-standing commitment to image competition, education, and artistic excellence—paired with his broad experience across photographic genres—makes him a thoughtful and highly capable judge for this year’s exhibition.
We look forward to celebrating the creativity, dedication, and talent of our members through this special exhibition. Thank you for your continued support of the Charleston Artist Guild and for helping us foster a vibrant and welcoming artistic community. We hope you will join us—both online and in person—for an inspiring showcase of fine art created across the Lowcountry and beyond.
Warm regards,
Nancy DeMore
Director of Exhibits
CAG Events Calendar
Our next Book Club Meeting is Monday, March 23 at 2:30 at Charleston County Library Downtown Branch, 68 Calhoun St.
Our March book will be Mona's Eyes; A Novel by Thomas Schlesser
A New York Times Bestseller and Barnes & Noble 2025 Book of the Year, “Mona’s Eyes is a heartfelt, enlightening journey across five centuries of Western art history… Thomas Schlesser’s sensational debut novel is at once a moving book about the beauty of life and a deeply touching story about the special bond between a girl and her grandfather…Ten-year-old Mona and her beloved grandfather have only fifty-two Wednesdays to visit fifty-two works of art and commit to memory “all that is beautiful in the world” before Mona loses her sight forever. The girl’s grandfather, Henry, may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty…” Excerpt from Amazon Description
Mark your calendars that the April meeting will be held at the Gibbes Museum of Art on our usual day and time and we will tour the Rodin exhibit together and discuss the book You Must Change Your Life after our tour.
Please RSVP to Paula Borgstedt, paulasb@comcast.net
Call for Entry and Prospectus
Our next Sketch Club Meeting is Monday, April 13 at Hampton Park, 30 Mary Murray Drive, Charleston We will meet at Hampton Park (30 Mary Murray Drive) at the gazebo. There is a parking lot so we don't have to worry about looking for street parking. Bring your sketch book, pencils, and anything else you use to sketch. Maybe bring some sunscreen and bug spray as well! After sketching, we will be heading over to Park & Grove for lunch if you choose to join us. Please RSVP to Debbie at danielsdesigns@gmail.com
Our next Sketch Club Meeting is
Monday, April 13 at Hampton Park,
30 Mary Murray Drive, Charleston
We will meet at Hampton Park (30 Mary Murray Drive) at the gazebo. There is a parking lot so we don't have to worry about looking for street parking. Bring your sketch book, pencils, and anything else you use to sketch. Maybe bring some sunscreen and bug spray as well! After sketching, we will be heading over to Park & Grove for lunch if you choose to join us.
CAG Members Meeting - April 14th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Join us at the Charleston County Main Library on Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston for our April CAG Members' meeting. Rana Jordahl will be our guest speaker.
Rana Jordahl is a distinguished, award-winning artist and a full-time professional oil painter since establishing her studio in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2002. Working in a style she describes as Contemporary Impressionism, she blends representation with expressive abstraction to capture both the beauty and personality of her subjects.
Jordahl's passion lies especially with painting animals. Her subjects are a mix of muses: nostalgic mainstays from her Midwest upbringing, such as character rich cows and chickens, combine with the vibrant biodiversity of the Lowcountry - including coastal shorebirds like herons, white egrets, ibises, and roseate spoonbills. Her paintings have a narrative spirit and reflect a deep affection for both wildlife and place.
The artist is inspired by the infinite possibilities within each subject: the kinetic energy of a bird's wings in flight, the subtle cast of light in a still life, or the sparkling motion of water.
Juried selected art will be available online April 18-25, 2026
Prospectus and Call for Entries
Saturday, April 25th, 6–8pm. Awards at 7pm. Art drop off and hanging is from 5–6 pm. Hobcaw Brewery496 Long Point RdMt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Potluck, please bring a dish to share. Alcohol for purchase at Hobcaw Brewery. Friends and Family welcome.
Our next Book Club Meeting is Monday, April 27
at 2:30 at the Gibbes Museum of Art.
April Book Selection: You Must Change Your Life by Rachel Corbett
Join us for a special April meeting at the Gibbes Museum of Art on Monday, April 27th at 2:30 PM. We'll begin with a self-guided tour of the museum's current exhibition, Rodin: All the Truth of Nature, before regrouping in Studio #1 to discuss our book of the month — You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin by Rachel Corbett, winner of the 2016 Marfield Prize.
Parking is available in nearby garages on Queen Street and Cumberland Street. Admission is free for Gibbes Members; non-members will pay the standard museum admission fee.
More information
https://www.gibbesmuseum.org/exhibitions/rodin-all-the-truth-of-nature-/148
About the book: “In 1902, Rainer Maria Rilke—then a struggling poet in Germany—went to Paris to research and write a short book about the sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two were almost polar opposites: Rilke in his twenties, delicate and unknown; Rodin in his sixties, carnal and revered. Yet they fell into an instantaneous friendship. Transporting readers to early twentieth-century Paris, Rachel Corbett’s You Must Change Your Life is a vibrant portrait of Rilke and Rodin and their circle, revealing how deeply Rodin’s ideas about art and creativity influenced Rilke’s classic Letters to a Young Poet.” Excerpt from Amazon Description
Charleston Artist Guild
160 East Bay Street, Suite 102
Charleston, SC 29401
Guild Office Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9am-5pm Other times by appointment
Gallery Hours: Monday - Sunday 11am- 5pm
P. O. Box 21086
Charleston, SC 29413
Phone: (843) 722-2425
Email: info@charlestonartistguild.com
