Exotic Wooden Bowls
by Jack Anderson
Jan. 4, 2015 to Feb 28, 2015

Born in and raised on Tybee Island, off the coast of Georgia (directly adjacent to Hilton Head Isle and Daufuskie Isle), Jack Anderson began working with wood at a very early age. His mother still lives in the same house less than two blocks from the Historic Tybee Island lighthouse. Since childhood, he has enjoyed exploring the surrounding islands and marshes, including Daufuskie Island. At the age of eight, he was given a construction/woodworking tool kit; This was the beginning of his long career of woodworking and construction.

Being very comfortable on the beach and in the water, Jack later became a lifeguard at Myrtle Beach. He attended Coastal Carolina University, playing basketball while majoring in marketing.

He later met his future wife Mavis Eaton Anderson, at the University of South Carolina. They traveled a lot including a trip to India and some time living on a sailboat. They eventually settled down in Atlanta, GA. They had a total of four children, while Jack started his first official business, “The Wooden Peg”. It was a small business of selling custom furniture that was made of local woods and was characteristic by having rounded edges, linseed oil finishes, and rugged seamless dovetail and wooden peg construction. During this time, Jack began collecting and storing some of the “exotic” woods of the south, including large boards from Hickory Tubers and huge planks from the “second biggest pine in Georgia.

In order to make more money for his family, Jack began building custom homes for people. He took his woodworking and craftsmanship with him, often doing elaborate custom decks, cabinets and floor plans for clients. Over the years he built many custom and innovative homes including underground houses, houses on stilts on steep hills, and even one house now featured on MTV Cribs (a reality show of celebrity homes). Jack and his wife Mavis are and have always been avid art collectors. They have also supported three of their four children through art schools.

Dust, Drought and Dreams Gone Dry
Traveling Exhibit
Mar. 7, 2015 to April 15, 2015

"Dust, Drought and Dreams Gone Dry" features twenty colorful, illustrated panels about the Plains area before, during and after the Dust Bowl occurred.

The exhibit uses nineteenth and twentieth century images and quotations, memories of the Dust Bowl from oral histories and recent scholarly analysis.

Be sure to check one of Smyrna Library's many books and materials for further reading about The Dust Bowl.

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Pottery
by Pat Gresham
May 1, 2015 to June 30, 2015

My name is Pat Gresham and I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Scott, for 40 years. I have a great family, Zachary and his wife, Caroline, who are the parents of my adorable grandchildren, Henry and Hazel, and my son, Taylor, who lives in NC. Most of my life has been spent taking care of my family and later, my parents as they were aging. I found myself struggling in my mid-life after both of my parents had passed away and my children were grown and out of the house. My husband traveled with his job and I spent a lot of time alone, not sure what to do with myself. I was in my early 50s and in a pretty deep depression. My doctor encouraged me to find something to do with my hands; painting, pottery, etc. I had taken some painting classes earlier in life and thought I would try my hand at pottery. I loved my class and my teacher and it became very therapeutic for me as I was dealing with so many life changes.

There’s something very spiritual about taking a piece of clay and making it into something beautiful and useful. The clay has to be soft and workable and the potter knows how much pressure to put on the clay to get it centered on the wheel before the process begins. If the clay isn’t soft and workable and the potter isn’t patient in centering the clay the whole process is a frustrating struggle (very similar to life!) The creation is useless and fragile until it goes through the first fire which removes the impurities from the clay and gives it strength. There’s glazing to add beauty and strength, re-firing, and the result is a beautiful vessel. Each piece is unique and impossible to duplicate and is a prize creation of the potter.

Getting involved with pottery and adding a little studio in my home has been so rewarding and life affirming and keeps me centered in my own life. It has taught me many lessons and opened doors for me to share my pottery with others. I am thankful that I listened and found something creative to do with my time. When I’m not playing in my studio, I love spending time with my family, especially my adorable Henry and Hazel. My husband and I love to travel and we both enjoy photography. We love visiting the National and State Parks and plan to see as many as we can before we get too old to travel. If I had my way, we would be seeing the country in a little Airstream camper but for right now, I’m enjoying every aspect of my life and appreciate every day to the fullest!

Porcelain Paintings
by Mary Belle Cordell
July 1, 2015 to August 31, 2015

Mary Belle Cordell is a porcelain art teacher, certified by the World Organization of China painters. She has studied at the prestigious Penland School of Arts and Crafts, the Virginia Douglas School of Porcelain Art in N. Carolina, and with internationally known porcelain art teachers. She paints in many mediums but her first love is porcelain painting.

Mary Belle has a broad experience in teaching this fine art and is presently on the staff of the Boca Museum of Art the Art School. She attributes her successful professional life to a challenging teaching style and a passion for porcelain painting. Her commissions have included painting very large murals on tiles and designing the smallest porcelain boxes from Limoges, France.

As a tribute to her fine eye, the works of Mary Belle are in several prestigious private collections including the collection of best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark. A winner of many awards from regional South Florida art shows, Mary Belle continues to be nourished by her art and the passion it inspires in her teaching.

Old Smyrna
by Michael Terry & William Marchione
September 1, 2015 to September 30, 2015

A fantastic collection of "Old Smyrna" artifacts that date from the mid-1800s to the 1960s will be on display. The collection includes many old photos, very old pottery, books and political campaign items to name just a few of the unique items that will capture your attention.

Did you know Smyrna once had a very large legal liquor distillery? Yes, it did and a number of distillery-related artifacts will be shown for the first time at the library.

Additionally, the display gallery will feature a presentation on the Reed House and Raymond Reed. Don't miss this great collection of Smyrna memorabilia. Thanks to local historians Mike Terry and William Marchione for curating this exhibit.

Glass Inspirations
by Lori Schinelli
November 1, 2015 to January 3, 2016

A native of Brooklyn, Lori received her Bachelors degree in Nursing from the State University of New York. She dabbled in glass in the 1970s but left it to work as a nurse and raise her family.

Moving to Georgia in the 1990s, she resumed her artwork, studying painting, ceramics and sculpture at several southeast art centers before rediscovering glass in 2002.

She has since studied with prominent masters in the glass world at The Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington; The Corning Glass Museum Studio in Corning, New York; The Pittsburg Glass Center, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; and The Oatka Glass School, in Batavia New York. She has also received mentorship at the private studios of some of the masters,while maintaining a teaching studio in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Her work can be found in private collections across the US as well as in Brazil. She is currently represented at the Corning Museum of Glass Glass Market and Gallery in Corning New York, and The Gingerbread Square Gallery in Key West, Florida