Winners for All Aboard! 2025
Southern Arts Society is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the historic Southern Railway Station that is their home with a special art competition. Artists were asked to create art that speaks to the history and power of moving by rail. From 1925 to the present day the railway moved people, packages, mail, livestock, cars, coal and more around the country, opening the vast regions of the US in a way never seen before. One hundred years later, we still rely on the rails to move and connect our country.
Artists from around the region submitted over forty works of art to be judged for cash prizes. Participating artists are Linda Alexander, Dee Basnett, Kristin Blank, Jeffrey J. Bowers, Ellen Devenny, Janet Dyer, Darlene Godfrey, Anne Harkness, Timmy Hord, Dennis Huntley, Kimberlye Joyce, Carolyn Kemp, Robert ‘Robin’ Klar, Emma Kay Lewis, Kathleen Marie Pope, Bertie McClain, Janie McVay, Martha Moore, Alex Pietersen, Patricia Pietersen, Jerry Pruitt, Rebecca Rowe, Jill R. Shuford, Taylor Stump, Lucy Warlick, and Natylie Zolo.
Ashley Lathe, an artist and educator, in Charlotte, NC was asked to judge the artwork and select the awards. Lathe graduated with a BFA from East Carolina University, and an MFA from Maryland Institute of Art. He is a full-time instructor at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C., and previously taught at UNC-Charlotte and other community colleges in the state.
Lathe’s artwork has expanded over the years, encompassing mixed media, printmaking, oil painting, and lastly, watercolors. His work has been highlighted in multiple publications including New American Paintings, as well as several galleries and museums, including the North Carolina Museum of Art. Lathe has also been a several-time resident of the McColl Center for Visual Arts, in Charlotte, N.C. Most recently he participated as guest instructor for Airy Knoll Project.
Lathe was tasked with selecting first, second and third place prizes, along with 3 merit awards. In the end, he chose an additional award of merit totaling 4 altogether. Winners were announced at a public reception, Saturday September 20, 2025.
Lathe made overall comments on viewing the exhibition. “I am an American. Therefore, it is almost my patriotic and civic duty to love trains. And I do.”
“As a child I would play with my father’s electric train set. As a young adult I treated train tracks as an alternative walking path that gave me insights into familiar places in a new way. Today, living in an urban environment, I find train tracks to be a quiet, private respite from an otherwise busy, loud, and often cramped environment. I have too many memories from these experiences to share here.”
“Today, I would argue that just the idea of trains carries a diaspora of ideas and emotions, from the sentimental and mythological to the practical underpinnings of our economy. It was with great joy to see this same diaspora in the Southern Arts Society All Aboard! exhibition through a diaspora of approaches; painting, photography, 3D printing, embroidery, illustration, gestural, and more.”
“Hopefully it is obvious that taking the responsibility of judging an excellent exhibition of creative choices like this requires the burden of subjectivity. I was moved by every individual work I witnessed. So much talent is provided in one space, and every work moved me in different ways. At the end of the day, here are the works that inspired me the most.”
The exhibition All Aboard! at Southern Arts Society in Kings Mountain continues through November 1, 2025.
First Place – $500
Jeffrey J. Bowers, Sunrise Southbound, acrylic
“There are rather obvious references here to the history of travel, from the earlier days of rail to the contemporary automobile. What struck me about this particular piece was more Edward Hopper-esque; a blink-and-miss-it moment that, upon reflection, captures something deeper and more meaningful. His economy with his medium feels spontaneous while his subject reminds us that there is beauty especially when we are not looking for it.”
Second Place – $400
Ellen Devenny, Boxcar 314, photography
“Personification. Boxcar 314 is the bulldog, the prize fighter past his prime that just wants one more bout in the ring. Past the end of the road (or in this case at the end of the rail), he still believes in himself despite the world having moved on and forgotten.”
Third Place – $300
Carolyn Kemp, On Track, watercolor
“Beautiful in its simplicity, it takes the details and presents them in an abstract, Piet Mondrian way. The rusted rail against the mirrored rail at the train track version of a crossroads; what is and what was given so simply and poetically.”
Merit Award – $100
Kimberlye Joyce, Inspiration, Depot watercolor
“Train rails are steel mirrors that reflect the world above them, tying earth to sky.”
Merit Award – $100
Patricia Pietersen, Out In Front, Photography
“Shimmer, text, and wear presented in geometric glory harkening a past and, perhaps, a forgotten future.”
Merit Award – $100
Jerry Pruitt, Tagged, Photography
“This is the reality of today’s trains, mobile showcases of amazing street art.”
Merit Award – $100
Taylor Stump, Railway Valley, alcohol marker, pen
“This stunning rendition reminded me of the detail that pen, and ink can provide in the style of Charles Addams and many more.”