Shaping up to be a great show

Two exciting new exhibits will grace the walls of the Newport Visual Arts Center beginning this Saturday, Feb. 4, and continuing through March 25.

An opening reception from 2 to 5 pm this Saturday will feature artists, music and demonstrations.

In addition to being among the first to view and purchase art pieces, reception guests can enjoy a wheel throwing demonstration by Rasa Clay Works and music by guitarist and vocalist Mike Tolle. They will also have the opportunity to speak with artist Arlon Gilliland, whose “Celebrating Artistic Diversity” exhibit is currently on display in the third-floor gallery through Feb. 25.

Meanwhile, the Runyan Gallery will host the first exhibit exclusively for Oregon Coast Council for the Arts members, who were each invited to submit up to two pieces for display. The show will feature a fresh and eclectic mix of materials and styles, and all pieces will be original works of art created within the past three years, and which have not previously been exhibited at the center.

In the COVAS Showcase, “Enduring Esthetic” features pieces from Rasa Clay Works. Based in Yachats, Rasa is a ceramic studio exploring new techniques and featuring work that is almost exclusively functional, with enchantingly functional, wheel-thrown pieces finished with raw earthen glazes. In their collective statement, the artists mention they “love how pottery is an easily accessible and relatively inexpensive art form that can be used in our daily lives, bringing beauty and a profound pleasure of interacting with something made by human hands for human living.”

The Newport Visual Arts Center is located at 777 NW Beach Drive and is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to coastarts.org or call 541-265-6540.