Valley River Arts Guild at the MAC, Murphy Art Center
  • ~ About Us ~
  • ~ Adult Classes ~
  • ~ Youth Classes ~
  • ~ Murphy Art Walk ~
  • ~ The Murphy Art Xplosion ~
  • ~ SMArt Tour: Smoky Mountain Art Studio Tour ~
  • ~ Legacy Support: Living and Lasting ~
  • ~ Our Impact in the Community ~
World's Largest

Ever-Changing

Outdoor ​Art Gallery
~Recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts~

The MAX Project:  Murphy Art Xplosion
Small Mountain Town with a Big Heart and Big Art!

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Imagine entering a

small rural Smoky

Mountain town and

discovering

big Art panels

all over the downtown

​ buildings!
 
The creative concept of

the Valley River Arts

Guild is to showcase

5'x3' framed

canvas art,


as an Outdoor Art Gallery,

on the outside brick facades of the old historic walls

and fences of The MAC, Murphy Art Center,

and throughout downtown Murphy, North Carolina,

to be enjoyed 24/7, 

in an outdoor setting.

The Valley River Arts Guild created The MAX Project:

Murphy Art Xplosion.

We have designed a beautiful logo

​and have begun hanging an ever-changing gallery of art

outdoors at the Murphy Art Center and 12 locations

​throughout downtown Murphy.

Start your Art Trail walk from The MAC,

Murphy Art Center, located at 12 Peachtree Street,

on the Square, downtown Murphy. Continue down

each street to discover all of the 51 gorgeous outdoor

canvas panels which change with each seasonal theme.






Enjoy a slide show of the most recent installation for the MAX Project: Murphy Art Xplosion,
all over the downtown historic buildings! This show will be on display 24/7 through the month of October! Don't miss it!

​61 works of art, 13 locations, 49 artists featured!



Enjoy the Everything About Trees images from the recent show in
the Murphy Art Xplosion outdoor art gallery in downtown Murphy, NC!

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Presenting our 31 Top Features in the Murphy Art Xplosion show, Appalachian Creatures Big and Small! These 31 artworks were awarded a Top Feature by the Valley River Arts Guild through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each exhibit of The MAX Project is available for viewing 24/7 throughout downtown Murphy in 13 locations.

Please enjoy the slideshow of our recent MAX Project show, Anything Water- Appalachian Themed artworks. This show debuted on First Friday Art Walk on September 1st, 2023, and was available for viewing 24/7 in the downtown Murphy Outdoor Art Gallery of The Murphy Art Xplosion through the end of November,2023.  Each of the 34 images in this slideshow received a Top Feature, courtesy of the grant awarded to the Valley River Arts Guild by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Please enjoy the slideshow shown below, showcasing the Top 35 Features of the Anything Goes - Appalachian Inspired artworks, that debuted at the First Friday Art Walk on May 5th,2023 and was available for viewing through the end of August,2023.

As this project grows with our plans and dreams of more

than 70 art panels, we invite the public to enjoy a variety

of shows, including a Senior's (50+) Art Show, and Juried

Art Shows that will highlight the talented artists of the

area.  Featured art will include canvas prints of

paintings, photography, digital art, and mixed media

artworks by well-known as well as emerging Hidden Gem

artists from the region. The artworks in The MAX Project

will change seasonally and will showcase a new show for

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

all over downtown.

Follow the Art Trail starting at The MAC,

Murphy Art Center, to discover

each new artwork and celebrate art

in our Murphy Art Xplosion Outdoor Art Gallery!


​Come to Murphy and celebrate our rich cultural heritage

​ through the arts of our area

both inside The MAC and outside around downtown!
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"Misty Mountain Morning Meadow" by Elly Hobgood
Winner of 2022 Silver Show

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"A Smoky Mountain Morning in October" by David Hilton
Third Place of 2022 Silver Show

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"Autumn Reflections of Santeetlah Lake" by Kelly Kennon

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"Stanley Creek" by Georgia Bucci

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"Trees" by Kathy Borchelt
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"Still Standing" by Joyce Clair
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"Autumn's Final Glow" by Marie Spaeder Haas
Second Place of 2022 Silver Show

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"Leaves Rotating" by Rich Franco

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"Cali on a Chilly Morning" by Tammy Pierson
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"Walkway to Heaven" by Theron Clore
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"Elk, Oconoluftee, Cherokee" by David Hilton
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"Great Smoky Mountain RR" by Jim Allsopp
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"Calms My Soul" by Jan Kornegay Dappan
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"Solitude" by Kimberley Packard
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"Poppies" by Kathy Borchelt
"Zinnia Whimsy" by Keith Burgess
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"Smoky Mountains Black Bear" by David Hilton
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"Golden Sunflowers Red Barn" by Debra Vanderlaan
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"Pink Green Raindrops" by Bill Schmid
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"White Egret" by Doris Bogataj
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"Little Boat in a Big River" by Marie Spaeder Haas
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"Upper Turtletown Creek Falls" by Dave Vanderlaan
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"Fred the Flirt" by Barbara Keyes
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"Dance" by Cynthia Pollett
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"When You Were Mine" by Andrea Kindl
"Spiritual Harvest - Levi Chapel" by Jan Kornegay Dappen
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"Autumn Classic" by Mike Nerney
"Folk School in the Fog" by Steven Inglima
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"Winter Grazing" by Ellie Hobgood
"Cypress at Jack Rabbit" by Jim Allsopp
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"Hard Rows to Hoe" by Don Millsaps
"Big Boy" by Bill Belian
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The MAX Project, Murphy Art Xplosion, is produced by the artist member volunteers of the Valley River Arts Guild, located at The MAC, Murphy Art Center, 12 Peachtree Street, on the Square, downtown Murphy, NC 28906.

The MAX Project is supported in part by grants from
the Tourist Development Authority of Cherokee County,
​the Cannon Foundation of North Carolina, and the National Endowment for the Arts.




Valley River Arts Guild operates as a
501(c)3 non-profit arts organization
for Western North Carolina and
​North Georgia in Murphy North Carolina.
© 2022 Valley River Arts Guild, All Rights Reserved
The MAC, Murphy Art Center
™

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  • ~ About Us ~
  • ~ Adult Classes ~
  • ~ Youth Classes ~
  • ~ Murphy Art Walk ~
  • ~ The Murphy Art Xplosion ~
  • ~ SMArt Tour: Smoky Mountain Art Studio Tour ~
  • ~ Legacy Support: Living and Lasting ~
  • ~ Our Impact in the Community ~