(Editor’s Note: Columns often contain opinion)
Going to the mailbox isn’t always fun.
Bills, junk mail and political advertisements are all that seem to come to my house these days, but on Friday, I found something different – an opaque envelope with my name written in fuchsia marker and a pinata stamp.
The beginnings of fun.
Inside was an invitation – a real invite, not an email but a paper card and pieces of confetti as the cherry on top.
The invite is to Thursday’s season kickoff party for Westobou, which promises to be a fun night for an equally fun art exhibition called Magpie. While it’s probably too late to get a fun card, it’s not too late to become a Westobou member and gain entry to the party.
Members will get a sneak peek to Magpie which is scheduled for Sept. 4-Oct. 24.
“Magpie brings together the vibrant work of Athens-based artists Jaime Bull, Victoria Dugger, and Didi Dunphy. Through sculpture, material, and unexpected forms, the artists explore the playful possibilities of contemporary and experimental art,” according to a news release.
Check out Westobou’s website for more information and join the arts organization.
The exhibition opens to the public on First Friday, Sept. 4 with an artist talk at 5 p.m. followed by a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m.
If you’re downtown for First Friday, be sure to head over to the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art between 5 and 7 p.m. for the Sense of Place gallery reception and awards,
Works will be on display in the Main Gallery at GHIA from Sept. 4 to Oct. 9. This year’s selection was chosen by Michael Dickins, Director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts.
Featured artists includeLauren Adams, Michael Anderson, Lucy Leigh Bailey, Annemarie Baldauf, Janet Ballweg, Matt Mahbod Bazrafshan, Steven Bradbury, Anna Brady, Kirstyn Denney, Tracy Finn, Alex Foltz, Gregory Gibson, Brittany Gilbert, Don Gilmer, Grace Halverson, Travis Head, Paige Holzbauer, Melissa Huang, Alyson J Barton, Seunggyu Kim, Chase Lanier, Allen Lewis, Michael Lonchar, Sara Mays, Zechariah McGlamory, Amanda McGlamory, TJ McSherry, Angel Moreno, John Morris, Charles Mulford, Lake Newton, Michelle Oconis, Kate Hooray Osmond, Walt Padgett, Katie Ries, Craig Rouse, Shelby Scattergood, Egor Shokoladov, Mechele Shoneman, Norman Silva, Asya Dodina Slava Polishchuk, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Tatyana Solntseva, Bethany Springer, Tammy Stewart, Sara Tack, Nathan Taves, Catherine Walker, Mary Windley and Clint Zeagler.
A new exhibition opened at Augusta University’s Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art on Aug. 24.
Skipping The Splash: works by Taro Takizawa will be available through Oct. 2, and a reception is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 10. Takizawa will be at the reception.
“Working across printmaking, drawing, wall vinyl installation, and two-dimensional design, Takizawa combines traditional printmaking processes with contemporary approaches while exploring nature, memory, pattern, texture, and mark-making.
Takizawa is Assistant Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He holds a BFA in Studio Art/Printmaking from Central Michigan University and an MFA in Studio Art/Printmaking from Syracuse University,” according to the AU website.
The event is free and open to the public.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here
