The Fripp Island Art Guild hosts first juried exhibit
Oil painting by Deborah Stroud
The Fripp Island Art Guild, a new nonprofit established in 2025 with more than 70 artists, will host an art show, Reflections of Fripp, on Sunday, June 7, from 10 am to 6 pm at the Fripp Island Community Centre, 225 Tarpon Blvd.
Featuring more than 30 member artists working across painting, ceramics, jewelry, and mixed media, the show highlights the rich creative spirit of the Lowcountry. A VIP Preview Night on June 6, sponsored by SeaIslandStay, offers sponsors and donors early access to shop the exhibition, with complimentary wine served. Presented by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group, the event celebrates art, community, and coastal living.
According to Guild Vice President Kari Cornwell, its founders Joan Barnes and Deborah Stroud were among a group of island residents who painted together en plein aire. When they decided to put some feelers out about making the group more “official,” they had a great response, and the Fripp Island Art Guild was born.
Now 70 members strong, the Guild enjoys plenty of crossover membership with other area
Fine Art Jewelry by Janet Berkeley
arts organizations, including the Beaufort Art Association and local galleries like Atelier Off Bay and Thibaut Gallery.
And they’ve hit the ground running. Reflections of Fripp will be the organization’s third exhibit – they had a Pledge the Pink show in
October and a Holiday show in December – but this will be their first juried exhibit.
Handbuilt Ceramic Sculpture by Venaye McGlashan
The Guild has also initiated a Legacy Gift Program, featuring A Bench of Memories. According to a Guild spokesperson, “Neighbors and friends have come together to honor loved ones by sponsoring engraved plaques that will be permanently placed on a commemorative park bench. Each plaque tells a quiet story of remembrance, gratitude, or love, creating a shared space where art and memory intersect.”
The first Legacy Gift Bench has been generously donated by Chris Hollingsworth of Tropic Aire Patio Gallery in support of the Fripp Island Art Guild Legacy Gift Program. For more information, visit https://frippislandartguild.org/legacy
The upcoming exhibit, Reflections of Fripp, will feature Lowcountry landscapes, laser engraved dinnerware, resin jewelry, mixed media art, fine art jewelry in sterling silver, gold, and bronze, handcrafted journals and cards, fine ceramics and raku pottery, a student art showcase, live painting demonstrations through the day, and oyster-themed art contest, and more.
The exhibit is open to residents and visitors alike, from 10 am – 6 pm, on Sunday, June 7. Gate passes to attend the exhibit may be requested https://frippislandartguild.org
