Sunset River Gallery in Calabash, NC has set its calendar for 2026. The eclectic, 10,000 square-foot art-lover’s haven plans to feature two exhibits showcasing artists represented by the gallery, one show featuring gallery instructors and students, a four-woman show, one solo show, and at least one local art league exhibition. In addition, there will be several eight-week Artist Spotlight displays throughout the year.
The year’s first show is Distinctive Aesthetics: Exploring Four Artistic Narratives, which features the work of Kathleen V. Stuart, Kathleen Spicer, Michelle McKDavis, and Therese Bisceglia. Four friends, four artists, four wildly different approaches to their art, the common thread being that they each upend the concept of mixed media by using tools and materials to build layered pieces in a very unexpected fashion. The creative results reflect the out-of-the-box thinking of all four. Stuart works primarily with mixed media fabric. Bisceglia utilizes layered mixed media with encaustic. McKDavis works with oil on canvas, often adding embroidery. And Spicer creates work using cut out wood with layered oil paint. The show runs from Saturday, Feb. 7 through Saturday, March 14.
An invitational group 2D and 3D show, titled Quotables will feature text-inclusive art pieces. It opens Saturday, April 11 and runs through Saturday, May 16. Additional shows include the Waterway Art Association Spring Show (April 20 – 25); Small Works, from June 6 through July 19, an annual exhibit of pieces smaller than 12” x 16”; a Student/Instructor Show, from Saturday, Aug. 1 through Saturday, Sept. 5; and Wild Places, a one-woman show featuring work by oil painter Gail Black, which is scheduled from Saturday, Sept. 19 through Saturday Oct. 24.
Artist Spotlights for 2026 begin with Roseann Bellinger’s acrylic landscapes from Feb. 9 through April 11. Subsequent featured artists will be Ginny Lassiter, April 20 through June 20; Yuriy Petrov, June 29 through Aug. 29; and Clay Johnson, Sept. 7 through Nov. 21.
The gallery features two popular art markets every year. The 2026 Summer Art Market, which features three days of on-site pottery and painting demonstrations, will run from Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19. The Holiday Art Market, set for Nov. 13 -19, includes on-site artists, handmade ornaments, and seasonal arts in addition to a wide range of fine art and crafts by the gallery’s 125+ North and South Carolina artists.
About Sunset River Gallery
Located in coastal Brunswick County, NC, Sunset River Gallery caters to both area visitors and a growing local community of full-time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring works by over 100 fine regional artists including Chantal Tomiello, Janet Sessoms, and Clay Johnson, among others, the gallery is well known in the area for its selection of oil paintings; watermedia; pastels; photography; hand-blown, stained, and fused glass; pottery and clay sculpture; turned and carved wood; unique home décor items; and artisan jewelry.
There are two onsite kilns and six wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. The gallery also offers ongoing oil/acrylic and watercolor classes as well as workshops by regionally and nationally known instructors.
In 2022, Sunset River Gallery acquired Cordier Auctions, a premier auction house, which regularly holds estate and consignment auctions of fine and decorative art; coins, sterling, and fine jewelry; real estate; antiques, firearms and militaria, and more. Information about appraisal to auction can be obtained by emailing appraisal@sunsetrivergallery.com.
Sunset River Gallery is located at 10283 Beach Drive SW (NC179) in Calabash, NC. Telephone: 910.575.5999. Website: https://sunsetrivergallery.com . Regular gallery hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.