CVPA instructor, spouse to exhibit works at Montgomery art center
The Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center will feature the works of Radford artists Sidra Kaluszka (Virginia Tech '07/Radford University '10) and spouse Shaun C. Whiteside (Christopher Newport University '07/Radford University '11) for the months of January and February. Whiteside will be exhibiting recent paintings in acrylic, and Kaluszka will be showing recent watercolor paintings and ceramic wall hangings. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, January 10, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Sidra Kaluszka is a multifaceted artist who specializes in both ceramics and watercolors. She is heavily influenced by her appreciation for nature and natural light, as well as the ink paintings and nature philosophies of Zen Buddhists. Kaluszka graduated in 2010 with a double concentration MFA from Radford University, Virginia, where she was mentored by internationally renowned watercolorist Z.L. Feng, and earned the 2010-2011 Best Creative Thesis Award. In 2007 she received her BFA from Virginia Tech, where she studied with nationally known ceramicist David Crane.
Kaluszka was also recently chosen by Watercolor Artist magazine for their 2016 list of 'Ones to Watch.' Her work has been exhibited in Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, Colorado, Alaska, Rhode Island, Virginia and Japan. She was published in "500 Vases- Contemporary Expression of a Timeless Form," in 2010 and “500 Teapots vol. 2” in 2013. Kaluszka won Best in Show for the West Virginia Watercolor Society’s Aqueous 2017 National Juried Exhibition, as well as in the Southern Colorado Watercolor Society’s Aquarius National 2016, and First Place in 2D Art at Blacksburg's Art at the Market event in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Shaun C. Whiteside works with acrylic paint in a style most influenced by Abstract Expressionism, with an emphasis on the metaphysical and emotional realm, rather than on optical reality. Using several layers of thin glazes, partially washed away, he creates oppressively dense atmospheric environments, with biomorphic, liquid shapes within them. Whiteside graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Christopher Newport University in 2007, and received a Master of Fine Arts from Radford University in 2011, where he studied under Doctor Halide Salam. He is currently an adjunct instructor at Radford University.
Whiteside's work has been awarded First Place/Best in Show at the Bower Center for the Arts' “2016 Annual National Juried Exhibition,” the Lynchburg Art Club's 2015 “Water Ways” exhibition, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art's "New Waves 2013" exhibition, the Jacksonville Center for the Arts' “2013 Juried Show,” and at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center's "2010 Biennial Exhibition." Whiteside has had work published in several periodicals, including twice in the International Painting Annual (INPA), published by the Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was also a recipient of a 2011-2012 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship grant. Whiteside has exhibited from California to New York, as well as in Japan, and his works are in public and private collections from Arizona to New Jersey. Mr. Whiteside's works and upcoming exhibits can be seen on his website at www.scwhiteside.net.
The Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center, whose mission is “preserving history and presenting art,” is located at 300 South Pepper Street in Christiansburg, Virginia. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. They can be contacted at 540-382-5644 or at director@montgomerymuseum.org.