Wanted: Visual artists in and around Asheville

Here’s the press release:

EMERGING WNC ARTISTS: WE WANT YOU!

WNC magazine and Asheville Area Arts Council

Host Competition for Undiscovered Talent, Deadline Dec. 1

November 10, 2008 – Asheville, NC – WNC magazine and the Asheville Area Arts Council are hosting the first-ever “On the Verge” competition, to recognize and explore undiscovered visual artists across the 23 counties of Western North Carolina. The deadline to apply is December 1, 2008.

Visual artists living in WNC magazine’s coverage region for at least one year, and working in all types of media may submit — from painters and potters to glassblowers and blacksmiths.

“Western North Carolina is rich with artists in nearly every medium and genre,” says WNC magazine editor Eric Seeger. “With ‘On the Verge,’ and in partnership with the Asheville Area Arts Council, we want to support new artists in developing their careers and opportunities.”

In addition to a public event previewing the exhibit in downtown Asheville, the winners will be offered a month-long gallery exhibit will feature the winning works at the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Front Gallery on Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville in May 2009, and all finalists will be featured in the May 2009 issue of WNC magazine. The artists will also be awarded an exclusive arts/business consultation with Wendy H. Outland of “Who Knows Art” (www.whoknowsart.biz).

Applicants can find more information, including eligibility criteria and entry guidelines, on WNC magazine’s website (www.wncmagazine.com). The competition is open to all artists who have not yet had a solo exhibition and have resided in WNC magazine’s coverage area for at least one year. Winners will be selected by a curator and panel of judges tapped from the regional arts community.

Submissions are being accepted now through December 1, 2008. All pertinent information can be found on www.wncmagazine.com. Look for the On the Verge logo on the right column on the homepage.