Forty-six award-winning pieces of art from disabled artists across Georgia, including one from the Central Savannah River Area, will be on display April 4-28 at the Georgia Artists with Disabilities Inc.'s 30th annual statewide tour and exhibit at HealthSouth/Walton Rehabilitation Hospital, 1355 Independence Dr.

The entries in the 2014-15 exhibit include paintings, photographs, clay pottery, mosaics, textiles and other mediums considered fine art. The nine-city tour kicked off in Tallapoosa in September and ends in Carrollton in July.

“Georgia Artists with Disabilities continues to be an avenue that allows hundreds of disabled artists to achieve recognition and commercial opportunities for their unique pieces of art,” said Ann Brooks, GAWD chair. “We’re proud to be an advocate for the disabled in communities across Georgia and honored to put their art on display every year for the public to see and enjoy.”

The award-winning artist from the CSRA is Valton Murray of Mesena (art attached: "Studio 2"). Without any formal art training, Murray paints from childhood memories and has become a well-known Southeast folk artist. He has exhibited in many art shows, including successful one-artist shows. He wants to continue to learn so that he may share his art with others.

Judging the entries were:

• Jerushia Graham, a printmaker, fiber artist, art foundations instructor at the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur and printmaking/book arts instructor at Kennesaw State University, Southwest Arts Center and Abernathy Arts Center.

• Brian Hebert, who studied fine art at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., under Martin Peyton and Robert Cox. In 2001, he moved to Atlanta and started working at the Southwest Arts Center as arts program specialist/visual arts, where he has taught classes in drawing and painting, art media and other instructional programs.

• Jennifer Lobsenz, program manager at WonderRoot, an Atlanta-based arts and service organization, where she designs and executes ongoing and one-time programs. She earned master’s degrees in art history and modern history from the University of St. Andrews and culture and difference from Durham University and is particularly interested in increasing cultural awareness of various forms of difference and seeks to support creative expression, critical thinking and community dialogue as avenues to find meaning in contemporary society.   

For more information about the exhibit, call Vicki Greene at (706) 823-8584.