Lyon College Kresge Gallery features work of Georgia artist
BATESVILLE, Arkansas – The Lyon College Kresge Gallery will showcase the work of mixed media ceramic artist Kimberly Riner, visual arts director for the Averitt Center for the Arts in Statesboro, Georgia, from Tuesday, Aug. 22, through Friday, Sept. 22, in the historic Alphin Humanities Building on the Lyon College campus, 2300 Highland Rd., Batesville.
There will be a reception and artist talk on Thursday, Sept. 21, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
In “Fleeting Time,” Riner recreates the vanitas genre – a genre that flourished in the Netherlands in the late 16th and early 17th centuries as a metaphor for the meaninglessness of earthly life and transient nature of earthly goods and pursuits. Translated from the Latin word meaning vanity, hallmarks of this artistic genre include depicting symbols associated with death and the futility of earthly pleasures. Employing classical iconography, such as skulls, timepieces, fruit and flowers in contemporary fashion, Riner comments on 21st century vanitas to allude to the transient and cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth.
Riner received her Master of Fine Arts from Georgia Southern University in 3D art with an emphasis in ceramics. She currently holds faculty positions at Georgia Souther
n University and Ogeechee Technical College.
Riner is actively involved in growing the art scene in the Statesboro area where she has worked with ArtsFest, Summer Studios and Creative Art Studio. Most recently, she opened the Averitt Center’s new visual arts facility: The Roxie Remley Center for Fine Arts.
Her artwork has been exhibited both nationally and internationally and is held in private collections. Exhibition venues include Mason City, Iowa; Atlanta, Georgia; North Charleston, South Carolina; Lake City, South Carolina; Fort Myers, Florida; and Sheffield, England, UK.
Riner lives in Statesboro with her husband, Richard, and twin daughters, Olivia and Alannah.
Kresge Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Admission is free.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.