WAC Gallery Information for July 2007

Watauga Arts Council July gallery exhibits in the Jones House Community Center in downtown Boone feature the work of a talented young photographer and a group of local children art students.

In the downstairs Mazie Jones Gallery, a recent Appalachian State University graduate, Isaac Wingfield, presents his photographic exhibit titled “Portraiture.”

“Relationships drive my photography—not only relationships with my subjects, but also with the viewers. I find capturing the essence of people to be both challenging and rewarding. I am primarily a photographer, but I am constantly seeking new ways to approach my work, particularly with the written word,” Wingfield said.

At the age of sixteen he started his venture into photography when he purchased his first camera. After going through high school as a self-taught photographer, he came to Appalachian State to study Technical Photography just after being awarded a Silver Portfolio Award in the National Scholastic Art Awards his senior year of high school.

Since graduating in December of 2006, he has continued working at Appalachian State. He is planning to move to New York City this year to work full-time in the photography industry.

In the upstairs Open Door Gallery is the exhibit of a group of young artists. The “Art Mart Academy Youth Art Show” features the art of  artists whose ages range from five to 17 years old.   Art Mart Academy opened in October of 2000 and recently expanded to the new 1,400 square foot teaching studio in November of 2006. From the beginning the emphasis has been on exposing adults and children to the enjoyment of the process of creating Fine Art.  Using the principles and elements of Art, the students develop their critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. John W. Bond, teacher and owner of the Academy, stresses to the students that Art is a process of revision. Art can only be created when the student takes ownership of his or her work and does not rely on specific instructions or "how to" steps. During the development of an Artist, one should be more concerned with exploration and the building of Artistic knowledge rather than on the product. Bond strives to share the shear enjoyment of self reliance and individuality essential to making Art. He lets the students know, "I am beside you, but this is your journey."
  John W. Bond, who also teaches adult classes, received his Art Education degree from Appalachian State in 1993, and ever since has been teaching and serving the community. ( He is also on the Board of the Watauga County Arts Council and coaches soccer and basketball for Watauga County Parks and Recreation.)

Both these exhibits are on display from Tuesday, July 3 through Friday, July 27. The galleries are open Tuesday – Thursday noon-5 p.m.,Thursday 7:30-10:30 p.m., and Friday noon -6:30 p.m. The gallery reception to welcome these new exhibits is Friday, July 6 from 6:30-8 p.m. in conjunction with the Downtown Boone Art Crawl.

For information on commissioning portraits or other work contact Isaac Wingfield at isaac@iwingfield.com or 828.406.0629. Check out his website at www.iwingfield.com. For information about Art Mart Academy contact John Bond at bondtheartmart@aol.com or 828.264.3135. For information about the Watauga Arts Council galleries contact Jenny Schrum at jenny@watauga-arts.org or 828.264.1789.