Organizers of The Society of Bluffton Artists have postponed the 27th Annual Judged Show for July. The decision to reschedule the non-profit art organization’s flagship event of the year was made out of an abundance of caution to prevent the spread of COVID-19, said Sheila Johnson, SOBA event chairperson. 

“We’re looking forward to seeing the versatile work of the Lowcountry arts community this summer,” Johnson said. 

Winners will be awarded first, second and third place cash awards in the following categories: acrylic, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, watercolor or 3D. 

Registration is required by completing a registration form available at the gallery, located at 6 Church Street in Old Town Bluffton or by registering online at http://bit.ly/27thjudgedshow. Artists who registered prior to the rescheduled date do not need to re-register. 

The registration deadline is June 25. Registration and a full list of rules are available online at http://bit.ly/27thjudgedshow. 

The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $45 for non SOBA members. The deadline for dropping off your art is from 9-11 a.m. July 5 at the Center for Creative Arts, located next door to the SOBA gallery at 8 Church Street. No entries will be accepted after 11 a.m. 

The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from July 5-August 1 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 5-7 p.m. July 7. These events are free to attend and open to the public.  Artists can pick up unsold artwork at the end of the show from 9-11 a.m. August 2 at the SOBA gallery. 

The judge for the show is David Rankin. Rankin’s award-winning watercolors are in public and private art collections in the U.S., India, and China, have been featured in more than 150 museum exhibitions, and are included in the North Light’s series, Splash: The Best of Watercolor, and Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing, and in numerous art magazines.