1984-2009
CIRCLE 10 ART GALLERY TURNS 25

As Oriental’s oldest Art Gallery, we have much to celebrate at our upcoming silver anniversary. The Gallery was founded in 1984, when a suitable place to hold a one-person show for Marlene Sykes could not be found in the town. Story has it that the feasibility of establishing an art gallery for Oriental grew out of the ideas of “a bunch of us who like to paint,” Beverly Ramsay said in an August 29th 1984 article in the Pamlico News. And given the fact that serious business deserves to be discussed in a serious setting, a fifth Anniversary press release revealed that a formative discussion at a cocktail party at Jena and Helga Colliers’ determined that it not only could be done but that it would be an important contribution to the community.

Recognizing that the time required to administer the business side of this idea would be difficult with continuing to produce quality work, the concept of a cooperative gallery surfaced. The cooperative concept meant that members would share the cost of the operation as well as collectively share the responsibilities of running the gallery as a business. Local artists received the idea with enthusiasm!  The founding members were: Marlene Sykes, Beverly Ramsay, Janet Adkins, Sharon Forman, Lib Lewis, Fran Saunders and Linda Kenworthy. Today, Janet Adkins remains the only founding member to still exhibit with Circle 10 on a full exhibiting status.

Circle 10 opened on Saturday, September 1, 1984, in an upstairs room at the “King’s Ransom,” a house on Broad Street.  The nickname was given to the house because the Kings who bought the old building had to pay a great deal of money to fix the house up. The name “Circle 10” was adopted for a two-fold reason: it was felt that a circle of ten artists would be able to support the cost of the gallery, and there was a circular architectural feature in the facility’s upstairs and hallway.

The mission of the gallery was to exhibit only “quality and original fine arts” and to form a circle of support for each other’s artistic progress.  “Within a year, the gallery was able to support the cost of a second room with workshops and guest exhibitors,” stated a 1989 press release. Artists were chosen by means of a jurying process.

Within five years, Marguerite Brennan Garrett, Dixie Bridge, Ellen Demko, Jean Dexter, Norma Hewett, Bobbi McIntosh, Terry McCotter, Betty White and Jill Lorenz had joined the gallery’s stable of artists.  Marguerite Brennan Garrett continues to exhibit as an honorary associate artist and her metal works are on display at the entrance of the gallery.  She is also an integral part of the upcoming birthday celebration for Circle 10.