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Vernon Grant's Santas

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Center for the Arts | Dalton Gallery
121 E. Main St. Rock Hill, SC

EXHIBITION

November 30 - December 21

RECEPTION

Thursday, November 30
5 - 7 PM

Center for the Arts hours during ChristmasVille 2023

Thursday, November 30

9 AM - 7 PM

Friday, December 1

9 AM - 2 PM

Saturday, December 2

10 AM - 6 PM

Sunday, December 3

12 PM - 5 PM

DALTON and PERIMETER GALLERIES and
TOM S. GETTYS CENTER COURTROOM GALLERY

Renowned illustrator and creator of Kellogg’s® Snap!® Crackle!® Pop!®, Vernon Grant built his reputation on his signature gnomes, jolly Santas and his whimsical approach to illustration. Along with Grant’s favorite subject, Santa Claus, this year’s ChristmasVille exhibit will feature skiers, snowmen and winter scenes that graced the covers of some of America’s most popular magazines of the times.

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of the Vernon Grant at the Center for the Arts and Tom S. Gettys Center Courtroom Gallery. Twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks, and whimsical winter scenes await around every corner. Vernon Grant's Santas are not just an exhibition; they're a sleigh ride through the artistry of the holiday season!

  • DALTON GALLERY  |  Chairman's Choice and Scenes of Winter

  • PERIMETER GALLERY  |  Magazine Covers featuring winter works of Vernon Grant

  • TOM S. GETTYS CENTER COURTROOM GALLERY  |  People's Choice

Rock Hill's ChristmasVille festival celebrates the magical art of Vernon Grant with festive holiday decorations, Santa, and gnomes. Vernon Grant's Santas serve as the centerpiece of the exhibits at the Center for the Arts through ChristmasVille and the holiday season. Each year, the chair of the festival selects 12 of Grant’s Santas to display as Chairman’s Choice in the Dalton Gallery. Visitors are invited to vote for their favorite Chairman’s Choice Santa during the 4-day festival with the winning image serving as the featured Santa for the following year’s event. The People’s Choice display showcases the winning images selected by festivalgoers since 2009.

VERNON GRANT

Born in Nebraska in 1902, Vernon Grant was the son of a blacksmith with a pioneering spirit. Everything the Grants needed they made themselves. Young Vernon made some of his toys from clay from the riverbanks. These sculpted figures he modeled were forerunners of the colorful, winsome gnomes that would later launch his career as an illustrator.

 

Grant enjoyed drawing Santa Claus more than any other subject. Through hundreds of whimsical and memorable magazine covers, advertisements and card illustrations from the 1920s through the 1970s, he created a national treasure of holiday seasonal art.

 

Visit our galleries to capture the artistry of Vernon Grant and view his hallmark collection of Santa Claus, gnomes and scenes of the holiday season.

ABOUT THE IMAGE

Mommy Kissing Santa Claus was a Christmas card created by Vernon Grant for the Museum of York County. It was selected as the People's Choice during ChristmasVille in 2022.

ChristmasVille at the Center for the Arts

Visit ChristmasVilleRockHill.com for complete details and for a schedule of all events.

EDMUND D. LEWANDOWSKI CLASSROOM GALLERY

York County High School Art Show

EXHIBITION | December 1 - 21, 2023
RECEPTION | Thursday, November 30, 2023 | 
5 - 7 PM

The York County High Schools Art Show is a celebration of imagination, a testament to the power of creativity, and an opportunity to support and encourage the artistic voices of tomorrow. This annual high school art exhibition is curated by the art teachers teaching in York School District 1, Clover School District 2, Rock Hill School District 3, and Fort Mill School District 4Cash prizes are awarded for Best of Show | In memory of Sandra Schug Stevens, Artist & Educator, and First, Second, and Third Places. Honorable Mentions are also awarded.
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
Catawba Ridge High School | Clover High School | Fort Mill High School
Nation Ford High School | Northwestern High School | Rock Hill High School
South Pointe High School
AWARDS

Best of Show | Self-Portrait by Anna Elder

Rock Hill High School | Teacher: Ashley Beard

Medium: oil pastel

First Place | Reflections of Red & Green by Katie Cullison

Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Kelli Passmore

Medium: colored pencil

Second Place | On the Mend by Marley Roy

Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Margie O’Shea

Medium: ceramics/mixed media

Third Place | Impala by Stephanie Stokes

Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Estes

Medium: oil

Honorable Mention | Skull Still-Life by Sadie Bridges

South Pointe High School | Teacher: Christopher Ulrich

Medium: charcoal

Honorable Mention | Self-Portrait by Ethan Sellers Soto

Catawba Ridge High School | Teacher: Kate Quinn

Medium: oil pastel

Herb Dumaresq Memorial Award | Beetle by Ava Griffin

Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Estes

Medium: acrylic

 

JURORS

Todd Baxter  |  Brad Sabelli  |  J. Michael Simpson

Sponsored by Catawba River Art Guild.
Coordinated and hosted by Arts Council of York County in partnership with Catawba River Art Guild.

WINNERS • WINNERS  WINNERS • WINNERS 

Rock Hill High School | Teacher: Ashley Beard
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Kelli Passmore
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Margie O’Shea
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Estes
South Pointe High School | Teacher: Christopher Ulrich
Catawba Ridge High School | Teacher: Kate Quinn
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Estes
YCHS
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For private viewings, call
(803) 328-2787

For inquiries, contact:
Devann Gardner
Gallery Manager

dgardner@yorkcountyarts.org

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