MYRTLE BEACH, SC.-The University of South Carolina Department of Art’s Studio Ceramics Program is an internationally recognized course of undergraduate and graduate study which has grown into a state-of-the-art research center for the ceramic arts.

Under the leadership of Professor Virginia Scotchie, who has headed the program since 1992, the program has produced numerous arts professionals renowned in the creative world or through prestigious university positions.

Celebrating the accomplishments of this outstanding program, the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum will host University of South Carolina Ceramics: Past & Present, 1992-2007, a collection of works by past and present USC faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, on exhibit from Oct. 28 through Jan. 6, 2008.

An opening reception will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, with a Gallery Talks beginning at 6:00, to be given by Professor Scotchie. In addition, some of the other artists exhibiting in the show will be available to meet guests and talk about their work. The reception is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours for the exhibit are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

The exhibition will feature 46 works by 23 artists in a range of styles including the functional, figurative and abstract and in media including glazed ceramics, porcelain, stoneware and clay among others.

USC’s Studio Ceramics program has not only produced a large number of gifted artists in the field but has also acted as a seminal force for inspiration in the ceramic art form. In 2001 department established an exchange program with Tainan National University for the Arts in Tainan, Taiwan, for the MFA students in ceramics. This year a second exchange was initiated with Australia National University of the Art in Canberra, Australia.

The exhibit runs concurrently with Springmaid Beach Watermedia Masters II: A Faculty Exhibition also opening Oct. 30.

The Art Museum is located across from Springmaid Pier at 3100 S. Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach. Admission to the Museum is free, but donations are welcome. For further information, call 843-238-2510 or visit www.MyrtleBeachArtMuseum.org.

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is a wholly nonprofit institution located across from Springmaid Pier at 3100 South Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. Components of Museum programs are funded in part by support from the City of Myrtle Beach, the Horry County Council and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.