Two local art groups with a rich tradition in Tryon are joining together in August to have a gallery show at Tryon Arts and Crafts School.
Tryon Painters and Sculptors was formed in 1968 with 20 members and incorporated in 1972. The group has now grown to more than 130 members, with its own gallery and studios.
Tryon Arts and Crafts was started more than 50 years ago by a small group of people interested in crafts. They established a center to practice, demonstrate, teach and promote the art of handcrafts. That organization has grown to more than 250 members, and operates as a full time craft school, with gallery and gift shop.

For many years, both organizations worked out of studios at Tryon Fine Arts Center, but pressure for additional space led both to relocate. Tryon Arts and Crafts School moved to its current location in the old Tryon Middle School at Harmon Field in 2006. In 2011, Tryon Painters and Sculptors moved to 26 Maple Street in downtown Tryon.

The Fusion show showcases the talents of members of Tryon Arts and Crafts School and Tryon Painters and Sculptors. Penny Kessler, a member of both organizations, is exhibiting a fused glass piece featuring poppies, an excellent representation of her figurative interest in painting, translated to the mercurial craft of fused glass.
A forged iron lamp with a fused glass shade made by Tryon Arts and Crafts member Walt Myers combines Myers’ skills in iron forging with his exploration into fused glass. Tryon Painters and Sculptors will have a strong showing of their members’ work, from realistic to abstract. Patricia Novella’s piece “Inner Flow” is representative of her work in mixed media.
The Fusion show opens Friday, Aug. 24, with an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. at the gallery at Tryon Arts and Crafts School at 373 Harmon Field Road in Tryon. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet many of the artists and view the art, while enjoying light refreshments. The event is free and open to the public; all are welcome to attend.
– article submitted by Tryon Arts and Crafts