The Wilmington Art Association has two major exhibits each year. The first is in the Spring, and takes place at the Hannah Block Community Arts Center in Downtown Wilmington, NC.
Over 100 North Carolina and national artists present fine paintings and 3D art creations at the WAA Annual Juried Spring Art Show and Sale. The event is open to the public to view and buy art. This Official Art Show of the North Carolina Azalea Festival, hosted by the Wilmington Art Association, is a long-standing tradition with the North Carolina Azalea Festival.
If you are an artist that is interested in submitting work for the Spring Juried Art Show and Sale by the WAA please go to www.wilmingtonart.org for more information or email springshow@wilmingtonart.org
The 2023 WAA Art Show will feature art by about 225 artists, and take place at Hannah Block Building USO/ Community Arts Center, 120 S Second St, Wilmington, NC 28401
Hours are from April 8 to April 16, 2023. Hours: Sat. April 8nd: 10am – 5pm; Sun. April 9th – Sat. April 15th: 10am – 5pm (evening hours TBD); Sun April 16th: 10am – 4pm.
The second major WAA exhibit is in the Fall at the New Hanover County Arboretum.
Presented by Friends of the New Hanover County Arboretum and the Wilmington Art Association, this year’s Art in the Arboretum is celebrating its 28th year of offering for sale artwork from local and regional artists. In 2022, this familiar and loved art show and fundraiser was re-imagined and became actually two shows in one. The traditional gallery show featuring original works of paintings in many mediums, photography, textiles, and specialized art techniques was, as always, a favorite. The outdoor portion of the show took on a more festival atmosphere with artists striking their own tents or setting up around the main buildings and filled their space with wonderful art fashioned by their own hands.
About our Juror
The WAA is pleased to have Ginny Lassiter as the 2023 Juror/Judge for the show. A native of Wilson, NC, Ginny Lassiter has always been a creative soul. She’s a potter, she paints, she sketches, and she designs fabrics. She graduated from East Carolina University, majoring in art with an emphasis in design. In 2002 she opened Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, NC, a large gallery catering to both locals and visitors to the coastal Carolinas. She sold the gallery in June of 2022. Lassiter has created a sophisticated body of work. Her paintings, often textural and almost always abstract, are primarily expressionist in nature, sometimes influenced by architectural structures, forms and spaces.
“I love the process of painting abstracts,” she says. “By focusing on shape, color and line, I’m able to step outside of the ‘real world’ and representational imagery, but still generate interest from the viewer. It’s my hope that each of my paintings draws the viewer in and brings about an emotional response.”
The WAA is excited to be one of the first live events of this year’s Azalea Festival. Wilmington and its surrounding communities are home to many very accomplished and award-winning artists, and this show provides local residents and visitors a wonderful opportunity to see a great variety of high-quality artwork.
The event will include:
• Free admission
• Display of over 200 high-quality 2-D and 3-D works of art
• WAA “Art Ambassadors” available to answer questions or assist in any way needed
Monetary prizes: Best in Show $1,000
2-D 1st in Class $400 2-D 2nd in Class $250 2-D 3rd in Class $150
3-D 1st in Class $400 3-D 2nd in Class $250 3-D 3rd in Class $150
Other Awards:
The Queen’s Award, People’s Choice, Honorable Mentions, and Donor Awards
Sale of exhibited art
Sale of bin work art
Portions of the sale proceeds will support programs of the Wilmington Art Association
