Creative Elements

The 2024 Beacon Art Show!

Welcome to

The Beacon Art Show

OUR HISTORY

On Easter Sunday 2008 we celebrated the first San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church (SLO UMC) Beacon Art Show as part of the Grand Opening of the church’s newly rebuilt structure. History leading up to this inaugural event began on Easter Sunday 2001 when a 5:00 am fire — the work of an arsonist – consumed the former 39-year-old church building.

The 2008 bell tower rising at the top of Fredericks Street hill (reminiscent of the 1911 church bell tower design pictured) was the inspiration for naming the art exhibit “Beacon Art Show”. This annual show attracts visual artists from the Central Coast as well as statewide – showcasing their drawings, paintings and fabric art as well as three dimensional crafts and sculpture. To further its commitment to artistic creation, the show committee decided early on to connect purchasers directly with artists with the church receiving absolutely no gallery commission (which can often amount to more than 50% of the purchase price). Beacon Art Show is indeed SLO UMC’s gift to the community.

The 16th Beacon Art Show will open on the first Friday evening in March 2024 with a reception and presentation of awards. Welcome to the return of the in-person annual Beacon Art Show.

“Artwork helps me retain the good times and to unravel and understand the not-so-great times.”

Glynis Tinglof, Two time BEACON Best in Show Artist
San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church
San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church
Download the 2025 Beacon Arts Show application

2024 Judges

Rosey Rosenthal, Margaret Korisheli and Rev. Mark Sturgess are the Beacon Art Show’s 2024 jurors. Rosey, Margaret and Mark awarded six merit prizes to the best show entries: one each at $400, $350, $250, and three at $150.
Rosey Rosenthal
Rosey RosenthalIntaglio + Relief Printmaker
I changed my life from a New York City advertising art director to a Californian artist printmaker nearly fifty years ago. Here on the Central Coast, with my artist wife Barbara, I opened Granada Arts Printmaking Studio in Los Osos, where we have printed and sold original prints throughout the USA. For a year we were printmakers-in-residence for the Fundación Rodriguez-Acosta in Granada, Spain, then returned to open the San Luis Artists Gallery in the Creamery. We were founding members of the Central Coast Printmakers in 1981, opened Art is for Everyone Gallery in Baywood and have been on the Board of Directors for the San Luis Art Center and San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. Our gallery is in Studios on the Park in Paso Robles and I am pleased to be a part of our county art community.
Margaret Korisheli
Margaret Korisheli Sculptor + Teacher
Margaret Korisheli is a sculptor and teacher who works primarily in steel, bronze, aluminum, and mixed media. She lights up when she finds rusty, naturally patinaed, forlorn, and neglected sculptural objects in scrap piles, nature, and industrial sites. Margaret was hired fulltime at Cuesta College in 2002 to teach sculpture, drawing, and 3-D Design. She has a passion for facilitating students’ individual expression by introducing students to traditional bronze casting and contemporary techniques. She delights in the classroom dynamic where tools are plentiful, ideas are exchanged, and a supportive environment leads to the vital process of making art.
Rev. Mark Sturgess
Rev. Mark SturgessPastor + Musician
Mark Sturgess’s gifts and passions for ministry include preaching, teaching and worship; coaching traditional congregations to spiritual health and vitality; post-modern biblical interpretation; and advocacy for full inclusion of LGBT Christians in the life the church. Mark is also an accomplished musician with a degree in Pipe Organ Performance from Northwestern University.
He has recently published essays in Connections: a Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship from Westminster John Knox Press, and reflections on the relationship of beauty and ministry in the Austin Seminary Faculty Journal, Insights. Mark also happily serves as household staff for his two cats: Buddy and Molly.
2024 AWARD WINNERS

BEST IN SHOW

Artwork by Jamie Dietze
Jamie Dietze
Ruby at Cayucos

Oil on canvas, 25 x 25 x 2 inches, NFS

SECOND PLACE

Artwork by Blaire Kilbey
Blaire Kilbey
Rising Above the Fray

Acrylic & Ink, 36 x 36 x 2 inches, $275.00

THIRD PLACE

Artwork by Randy Stromsoe
Artwork by Randy Stromsoe

Click on  images to see image details and price.

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Ethan Manuputy
Ethan Manuputy
Skateboard Deck 5

Wood, 32 x 8.5 inches, $100.00

MERIT AWARD

Photograph by Bob Canepa
Bob Canepa
Hwy 395 Roadside

Photograph, 12 x 18 x 2 inches, $275.00

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Susanna Lindsey
Artwork by Susanna Lindsey

Click on  images to see image details and price.

2024 SHOW
click on any image to launch the gallery
2023 AWARD WINNERS

BEST IN SHOW

Artwork by Larry LeBrane
Larry LeBrane
Largemouth Bassoon Off the Hook

Bassoon, fused glass, LED lights, bike chain, wire, paper maché, gold leaf, wood nylon mesh, vinyl tubing, acrylic paint, custom stand; 32 x 16 x 17 inches, $9,200

SECOND PLACE

Artwork by James Dietze
James Dietze
Pointillist Tree Drawing

Ink on Paper, 23 x 17 inches, $500

THIRD PLACE

Artwork by Melisa Beveridge
Melisa Beveridge
Buddha *SOLD*

Acrylic on Canvas, 20 x 16 x 0.5 inches, $500 *SOLD*

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Jim Trask
Jim Trask
Natural Palm Pod Vessel

Natural Palm Seedpod, 12 x 72 x 12 inches, $870

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Ariane Leiter
Ariane Leiter
Snow Fence (In Garden)

Clay/Bronze, 34 x 15 ft x 7 inches, $16,000

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Ken Christensen
Ken Christensen
Thank You Jesus

Oil, 26 x 30 x 2, $2,800

2022 AWARD WINNERS

BEST IN SHOW

Artwork by L. Tracy Paz
L. Tracy Paz
Variant Surge

Oil, 21 x 34 in. (53.3 x 86.4 cm)
$975

SECOND PLACE

Artwork by Sal Orlando
Sal Orlando
Turning Over a New Leaf

Stone sculpture, 5 x 9 x 25 in.
$7,200

THIRD PLACE

Artwork by Linda K. (Kathi) Battles
Linda K. (Kathi) Battles
Rise Up

Textile, 22 x 27 in. (55.9 x 68.6 cm)
$280

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Arleen Blake
Arleen Blake
Come Together

Acrylic on Wood, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)
$780

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Paula DeLay
Paula DeLay
Distant Dunes

Oil, 28.5 x 32.5 in. (72.4 x 82.6 cm)
$2,150

MERIT AWARD

Artwork by Jan French
Jan French
Desert View of the Riverbanks

Acrylic, 23 x 29 in. (58.4 x 73.7 cm)
Not for sale

Contact Us

We’d love to hear from you! Please use the form below to send us your feedback on this show or any questions. If you’re interested in purchasing an artwork for sale, please be sure to include both the title and the artists’s name in the body of your email message. We will connect you with the artist as soon as possible.