Art by VGCC Instructor Selected for State Display
Each year, North Carolina Community College System president Martin Lancaster selects artwork submitted by the various schools in the system to display at the Caswell Building (the system’s headquarters) in Raleigh for the next year. This year, a painting called “Boats,” by Vance-Granville Community College art instructor Lelia C. Brigham of Henderson, was selected for display.
Brigham has been a part-time art instructor for VGCC since the fall of 1969, when she was one of the first three instructors hired by what was then Vance County Technical Institute. Works by Brigham have been featured in the community college system art exhibit in the past. Her art has won numerous awards and has been recognized by the Contemporary Southern Art Festival, among other art shows. Brigham helped found the Kerr Lake Art Society and has organized its annual art show, in addition to the “Autumn Arts” shows at VGCC. The Winston-Salem native has been drawing and painting since childhood and was trained at the Ringling School of Art in Florida.
Brigham said that “Boats,” a monochromatic acrylic painting, was inspired by a winter trip she took to the North Carolina coast. Brigham’s painting was one of 143 pieces of art that were selected from thousands of submissions.
On March 25, the eleventh N.C. Community College Art Exhibit opened with a reception honoring the artists whose work is on display. For the first time, all 58 community colleges are represented by the 143 pieces of art displayed at the Caswell Building (200 West Jones Street). Lancaster, who is retiring this year, created the exhibit after he assumed leadership of the Community College System in 1997. The exhibit includes quilts, prints, pottery, photography, paintings, drawings, iron sculptures, baskets, stained glass and mixed media.
The art exhibition, housed on the six floors of the Caswell Building, runs from early spring through December each year. The Caswell Building is a working office building, so anyone wishing to see the artwork should call Chancy Kapp at 919-807-6962 or Peggy Beach at 919-807-6964 to arrange a tour.
Above: The painting pictured above, “Boats” by Lelia Brigham of Henderson, will be displayed in the Caswell Building in Raleigh, headquarters of the North Carolina Community College System, throughout 2008. (VGCC Photo)
