Community, regional, and national artists have until Wednesday, Dec. 23, to enter DrawProject, an annual drawing invitational exhibition that raises funds for Valdosta State University Department of Art students. Fifty submissions will be selected and framed for the event.
 
Hosted by the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts and sponsored by Classic Art & Frame Co., Guardian Bank, and Bush Wealth Management, DrawProject benefits two scholarships.
 
The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts Scholarship is awarded annually to support a VSU junior art, design, or art education major for meritorious production in the classroom and a commitment to service within the community. The Danielle B. Harmon Student Merit Scholarship recognizes departmental majors for superior classroom performance. Before her death in 2010, she was an associate professor in the VSU Department of Art.
 
“The DrawProject charity exhibition event is rooted in the support of the many community sponsors, donors, patrons, and artists who, year after year, give so generously of their time, talent, and financial resources,” said Michael T. Schmidt, head of VSU’s Department of Art. “Because of the strong community support for the DrawProject, we continue to make a long-lasting impact on our students, which is apparent each time a scholarship is awarded to a bright, hardworking, and dedicated VSU student-artist.”
 
DrawProject’s opening reception and auction will be held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11, at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, located at 527 N. Patterson St. The exhibit will remain on display through Wednesday, Feb. 24.
 
Sales of artworks are through bids. All works begin with a minimum bid of $40. Those that reach bids of $80 or more will be closed at 7 p.m. the evening of the reception. Those that receive a bid of $150 or more will be offered during a live auction near the conclusion of the reception.
 
Works that do not reach $80 in bids during the reception will remain open to bidding until they either reach the $80 mark or the show closes in February.
 
DrawProject is the brainchild of Jamie Harmon, former curator of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.