Recent News

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12/04/2009

2009 Griffith/Reyburn Lowcountry Artist of the Year, Bernadette Cali to exhibit works

Click here to view pictures from Friday's event (uploaded to Facebook):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129506&id=39473042762&saved#/album.php?aid=129506&id=39473042762&ref=mf


Charleston, S.C. ñ November 30, 2009: Coastal Community Foundation will host an opening reception for ìBack in the Saddle Again,î an exhibit featuring the artwork of Bernadette Cali, local Charleston artist and 2009 Michael Griffith & Donna Reyburn Lowcountry Artist of the Year named by the Community Foundation. The reception will be held this Friday, December 4th from 5:30pm-8:00pm at the Charleston Library Society at 164 King Street, Charleston.

Cali is the recipient of the 2009 Griffith/Reyburn Lowcountry Artist Grant. Grant funding is distributed annually to support the work of Charleston County visual artists through the Griffith/Reyburn Lowcountry Artist Award Fund of Coastal Community Foundation.

ìThe goal is to start my next important phase, new subject matter, new media. As I explore my elder-artist years (the most important years) I want to confront my subconscious, explore issues of space, and get serious.î says Cali explaining how her new work is just the start to a longer term goal of re-entering the art world after an eight-year hiatus.

About the Funding Source:
Donna Reyburn and Mike Griffith established the Griffith/Reyburn Lowcountry Artist Award Fund of Coastal Community Foundation in 2003 to support the work of visual artists who are creating art that reflects Lowcountry culture. Each year applications are accepted from Charleston County residents. The financial award ($5,000) is intended to support the artist during creation of a work of art which will then be the personal property of the artist, to keep, show or sell at his or her discretion.

About the Artist:
Bernadette Cali is a local artist who has long held a romance with the sea island landscape and culture.

Born in New Jersey in 1952 she grew up in a rural dairy farm setting approximately 20 miles outside of New York City. After studying at Rutgers University and a year in Italy she longed to leave the hustle of the metropolitan area. A trip to West Africa left her ripe for a love of the South Carolina sea islands when in 1977 she became a resident of Wadmalaw Island. There she found the same elegant hospitality of places such as Ghana and Sierra Leone.

She has, for many years, devoted herself to capturing the vanishing lifestyle of her friends and neighbors in art and stories. There are now 20 limited edition prints in the series as well as numerous original works which may be seen on line in her web gallery at www.caliarts.com.