The First Gallery Hop of the Year

Hello all, my name is Taylor Hayes and I am interning with Associated Artists for the month of January. I’m a junior at Salem College studying Arts Management and Not-for-Profit Management. One of the first receptions I was able to attend here at AAWS was the first Gallery Hop of 2012 this past Friday. With the gallery being right here on Fourth Street, the foot traffic was steady and quite diverse. We had a lot going on in the gallery with a pastel demonstration by Bill Gramley and music by Nia Franklin. I’ve been to many Gallery Hops here in Winston and I was happy to experience my first with Associated Artists!

Bill Gramley doing a pastel demonstration.

            Bill Gramley did a great demonstration and showed me how to create a pear from start to finish with chalk pastels. He tends to work on dark paper and begins with the darkest colors, slowly bringing in the lights to create more drama in the scene. Once he finished he said, “Now it’s your turn!” I was a little nervous because I’ve never used chalk pastels before but I enjoyed the opportunity to test out a new medium. I enjoyed the texture of the pastels and the ability to smooth it out or leave it rough. I also enjoy the amount of pigment that comes from the chalks, making the piece very saturated. My pear turned out pretty good and I hope to experiment with pastels more in the near future. Bill and I had a very nice conversation about the Sidewalk Art Show in Roanoke, VA. Roanoke happens to be the place where he sold his first work of art as well as my hometown.

The pear I created using chalk pastels with tips from Bill Gramley!

Nia Franklin is a 19 year old musician from Winston-Salem currently attending East Carolina University for a degree in music. She plays the piano and sings her own music. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance and thought she adapted well to the Gallery Hop experience. The weather was nice so we kept the door open to welcome passers-by off the street—I think many people were drawn into the gallery solely from hearing Nia’s music from the street. I told Nia that I look forward to buying her CD in the future! I hope she performs at another Associated Artists event very soon.

Nia Franklin playing the piano for visitors.

All in all the first gallery hop was quite a success! I’m looking forward to many more events with Associated Artists. 

Input/Output: The Art of Visual Data Making

AAWS & Forsyth Futures team up to present an innovative exhibition!


Associated Artists and Forsyth Futures have received an Innovative Project Grant from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County to present Input/Output: The Art of Visual Data Making. Forsyth County artists will use creative data visualization to illuminate significant issues facing Winston-Salem/Forsyth County residents. The resulting juried exhibition will be on view in the AAWS Gallery in June and July 2012, and will then travel to two other venues.

Creative data visualization is the use of creative means, such as drawing, to explain data in a way that is easy to understand. Increasingly, creative data visualization is used to convey statistics and analysis. Artistic images can make data more accessible to the public, show that it is more than just numbers, and fuel community conversations.

Forsyth County artists are invited to submit artwork interpreting one or more of the top 10 issues residents face, according to Forsyth Futures’ recent Making Progress Report. This report addresses Forsyth County residents’ economic self-sufficiency, engagement in their community, educational success, mental and physical health, and safety. Artists are invited to attend one of two Community Conversations in the AAWS Gallery (Tuesday, February 7, 5:30 – 6:30 pm and Saturday, February 11, 11am - 12 pm), during which Forsyth Futures staff will distribute and discuss the Making Progress Report and AAWS staff will describe the artistic data visualization process and answer questions about the competition and exhibition opportunity. The prospectus will be posted soon on the AAWS website.

This project was made possible, in part, with funding by The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

Now Showing in the AAWS Gallery: "Winter Showcase"

This festive exhibition, on view through January 6, features beautiful artwork perfect for holiday giving! The AAWS Gift Shop showcases a variety of unique arts and crafts by AAWS members. Both the exhibition and Gift Shop offer works that fit every budget!

Be sure to tell your friends and family members that they can find beautiful and unique gifts handcrafted by local artists at AAWS.

Nick Bragg Discusses Upcoming AAWS Trip to Santa Fe tonight , 6 - 8 pm!

AAWS is planning a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 21-25, 2012! Nick Bragg, former Executive Director of Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and expert on all things Santa Fe, will give a free talk at the AAWS Gallery on this delightful arts mecca. Please join us to learn more about the city and the details of the trip. Festive beverages will be served.

Winter Showcase Opening Reception Friday!

Join us for the opening reception, Friday, December 2, 5 - 8 pm. Kent Dunn will perform acoustic folk music, 6 - 8 pm.


This festive exhibition features beautiful artwork perfect for holiday giving. Be sure to tell your friends and family members that they can find beautiful and unique gifts handcrafted by local artists at AAWS. The exhibition is on view through January 6.

Travel to Santa Fe with AAWS!

AAWS is planning a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 21 - 25, 2012!

Nick Bragg, former Executive Director of Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and expert on all things Santa Fe, will give a free talk at the AAWS Gallery on this delightful arts mecca. Please join us on Tuesday, December 6, 6 - 8 pm, to learn more about the city and the details of the trip. Festive beverages will be served.

Twelve Years of Travels to the High Sierra of Ecuador by Ramelle Pulitzer

Thursday, November 17 at 6 PM in the Associated Artists Gallery.
Ramelle Pulitzer has followed many footsteps on multiple tours of Ecuador: from Frederic Church to Charles Darwin; and from Alexander von Humboldt to Simon Bolivar. "Following Footsteps: Twelve Years of Travel to the High Sierra of Ecuador" will highlight her travels among the dramatic South American vistas immortalized on canvas by such art historical luminaries as Frederic Church. Pulitzer is the Director of New View Tours, and is a past Executive Director of AAWS.


Join us for this lively discourse on travel, art and history! The event is part of Six Days in November.