Artist Steve McBrayer, a past People's Favorite in the annual Sequatchie County Friends of the Library Art Show, will show a piece organizers say is "certain to delight children and adults alike, a colorful wooden sculpture of an octopus."The Sequatchie County Friends of the Library's annual art exhibition, 'Art & the Library," is set for May 2-5.
The exhibition, featuring works by local and regional artists, will open with a reception on May 2 from 6-8 p.m. CDT at the Dunlap City Training Center, adjacent to city hall and the library near the corner of Cherry Street and Rankin Avenue.
"The reception and the show are free, and everyone is welcome to visit and see the impressive array of work produced by very talented community members," said Nina Hunt, one of the library's "friends" and an organizer of the event. Light refreshments will be provided.
"Although the show is part of Valley Fest, you will not need a Valley Fest wristband or entry ticket to visit the art show," Hunt said. Dunlap's 2019 Valley Fest festival runs April 30-May 5, and is held downtown at 287 Pine St.
Hunt says the exhibition each year shows off a surprising level of talent.
"Forty-nine local artists will present works in several categories," she said. Categories include painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, fiber, wood working and sculpture. Many of the artists are inspired by the beauty of the Sequatchie Valley, Hunt said, "and their reverence for that beauty is evident in their work."
Jane Indyk, on the Friends Art Committee, hangs the exhibition every year, with the help of Linda Green Johnson, another committee member.
"I see the individual pieces as the artists submit them, but it's only when we have them all arranged for viewing I am struck by how lucky we are to have so many talented people willing and eager to share their work with us all," Indyk said.
Johnson said preparation for the exhibit is a "labor of love."
"It takes a lot of work to make this show happen every year, but when we are finished, the end result is always so satisfying," she said.
The exhibition will begin with a reception in the Dunlap Training Center from 6-8 p.m. CDT on May 2 with the exhibit continuing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 3, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. May 4 and from noon to 4 p.m. on May 5.