Events Calendar

Bob Ray (b. 1952) works in a variety of media, including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and even correspondence and performance. Born in Warrensburg, Missouri, just east of Kansas City, he now lives with his wife in the small town of Washington in eastern North Carolina.

Guest-curated by Mark Sloan, Bob Ray: Suit Yourself features a selection of the artist’s most recent paintings and drawings. Inspired by the Abstract Expressionist painters, Ray also draws from the Dada and Fluxus movements. Each of Ray’s artworks offers evidence of its own evolution. Erasures, false starts, notes, scribbles, overpainting, and tentative asides are visible on the layered surfaces. The artist incorporates household substances into his work, including housepaint, tar, masking tape, coffee, butter, tea, and collaged fragments of previous works.

Ray was the recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in 2015, and he has had recent shows at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina; Lump Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina; and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

The GCMA has published an exhibition catalog of Ray’s works that includes a commissioned collaboration with California poet Allison Benis White, which will be available for purchase.

Bring your littles to the front steps of M. Judson for our bi-weekly story time! Enjoy some wonderful picture books read aloud to the crowd by our very own booksellers, and children will even get a sweet treat to go.

The Johnson Collection presents Art of the Athlete at TJC Gallery, located at 154 West Main Street in downtown Spartanburg. TJC Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to 4 PM, with free admission. This exhibition celebrates the twin expressions of human excellence—art and athletics—each requiring creativity, elegance, and mastery of form. Just as art can reflect as well as shape the culture around it, sports provide powerful community bonds and a sense of identity. Art of the Athlete highlights the artistry inherent in athleticism and showcases the many dynamic connections between art and sport.
On display are artworks showing the remarkable breadth of the world of sport, spanning not only familiar professional forms such as baseball and football but also fishing, hunting, and racing. In certain cases, the connection between art and athletics can be quite personal and literal, as in the case of Ernie Barnes, who not only played in the National Football League himself, but became the official artist of both the NFL and the 1984 Olympic Games.

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Head on out to the ballgame at Fifth Third Park. Spartanburg is taking on Rome. Game starts at 4:35pm Star Wars Night.

Eat, drink and be merry! Join us this Saturday (and every Saturday) from 7pm to 10pm as we host live local talent! The talent in our beautiful city is incredible, so come out for dinner and live music. Saturday, February 3rd we will have the acoustic sounds of Katie D. Check out our website for a list of all artists that will be playing!

Gunter Theatre
Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 pm

PROGRAM

Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major
Henri Casadesus: Concerto in C minor in the Style of J.C. Bach for Viola and Strings
Camargo Guarnieri: Concerto para cordas e percussão
Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite

GUEST

Kathryn Dey, Principal Viola

Garden Jubilee, one of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina, will be held on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Memorial Day weekend. With nearly 200 plant and craft vendors lining Main Street, the Historic downtown will be transformed into a garden wonderland. 

Local and regional nurseries, orchards and crafters will offer a wide variety of plants and handmade delights and gardening experts will be on hand to share the latest gardening tips and techniques. 

Bob Ray (b. 1952) works in a variety of media, including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and even correspondence and performance. Born in Warrensburg, Missouri, just east of Kansas City, he now lives with his wife in the small town of Washington in eastern North Carolina.

Guest-curated by Mark Sloan, Bob Ray: Suit Yourself features a selection of the artist’s most recent paintings and drawings. Inspired by the Abstract Expressionist painters, Ray also draws from the Dada and Fluxus movements. Each of Ray’s artworks offers evidence of its own evolution. Erasures, false starts, notes, scribbles, overpainting, and tentative asides are visible on the layered surfaces. The artist incorporates household substances into his work, including housepaint, tar, masking tape, coffee, butter, tea, and collaged fragments of previous works.

Ray was the recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in 2015, and he has had recent shows at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina; Lump Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina; and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

The GCMA has published an exhibition catalog of Ray’s works that includes a commissioned collaboration with California poet Allison Benis White, which will be available for purchase.

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Head on out to the ballgame at Fifth Third Park. Spartanburg is taking on Rome. Game starts at 2:05pm.

Gunter Theatre
Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 pm

PROGRAM

Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major
Henri Casadesus: Concerto in C minor in the Style of J.C. Bach for Viola and Strings
Camargo Guarnieri: Concerto para cordas e percussão
Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite

GUEST

Kathryn Dey, Principal Viola

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Let’s dive deep into lavender!  Participants will learn about the history of this plant, discover how it’s used to promote relaxation and wellness, and make their own DIY lavender products to take home.  We will make bath salts, pillow sprays, and tea blends to bring relaxation home!

Tuesday May 27, 2025, 2:00-4:00. $25.00/$21 for Friends of Bullington Gardens.