Curator’s Clipboard: Michigan’s Visual Artists Shine at Studio 23!
MI Artists All-State Juried Exhibition 2020 is open!
I look at the curation of an exhibition as a timeline that evolves from the blending of the history of an organization with the input of fresh opportunities that become relevant with the times. In the past, Studio 23 has hosted All-Area exhibitions. We continue that with our 50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay held on the odd numbered years and now we’ve expanded the All-Area concept to include MI Artists All-State Exhibition as a biennial event held on the even numbered years. By inviting artists from across the state to enter, we created an exhibition environment that brings attention not only to our very talented artists here in Mid-Michigan and beyond but also to introduce our viewing audience to the trends in Michigan art today.
Gallery hours to view MI Artists All-State are Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Masks are required and number of visitors in the galleries are limited to ten. Appointments are available for up to ten guests by calling me at 989-894-2323 extension 14 or by email at curator.studio23@gmail.com.
Timothy Norris was the juror for this year’s exhibition. I’ve posted his bio here showing in a previous blog post. Today I’m posting his follow-up juror’s statement preceded by this quote from Norris, “I selected work from over 280 images from artists across the state. During this trying time, it is very important to support our Michigan artists.”
Juror’s Statement
As I’ve always told my college students, the most effective art is that which displays an appropriate and interesting match of form to content. This “recipe” holds true for any stylistic choice made by the artist, whether representational, abstract, or nonrepresentational. Form involves how the artist goes about making the artwork—choices of technique, medium, and the use of certain visual elements as organized by certain design principles. Content is what the artist wishes to say in the work. Therefore, content is communicated through form. How well the artist matches form to content results in the judgments we can make between those works that are ineffective, mediocre, or excellent. Of course, all this sounds neat and tidy on paper or in theory, but in practice we may disagree as to what constitutes an effective match. I rely on my 40 years of experience as an artist and teacher along with my knowledge of art history.
My selections for award winners represent what I consider to be the most skillful matches of form to content among the submissions. These pieces display exceptional techniques and powerful compositions that convey intriguing messages.
Congratulations to all of the artists. It’s been a challenging year for all of us, and I wish you the best in your artistic pursuits. Thank you to Valerie Allen for asking me to be this year’s juror and for all of her hard work in putting the competition together. Thanks also to the staff members and volunteers who labored on their respective components of the show.
Tim Norris
Award Winners selected by Juror Timothy Norris
Best of Show $1000
Artist Douglas Malone of Royal Oak, Michigan
Cormorbidity Charcoal and Pencil
Award of Merit $100
Artist Ilene Curts-Thayer of Mason, Michigan
Whirl Oil on Canvas
Award of Merit $100
Artist Bruce Thayer of Mason, Michigan
What Matters Collagraph and Intaglio Print
Honorable Mentions
As we pivot to more online experiences for our audience, there is now a slide-show style online gallery you can view here that includes each piece of art in the exhibition plus you can read the names of all the artists included in this exhibition. Art collectors can browse the images at their convenience. For more information or questions please email me at curator.studio23@gmail.com.
Thank you to our current list of 50 Art Advocates of the Great Lakes Bay Region. We appreciate your support!
Valerie Allen & Armin Mersmann
Katharine Atkinson
Cynthia Bancroft
Leeds and Margaret Bird
Larry Butcher
Alma Cooke
Olive Cupal
Dr. Rajesh and Sarah Dandamudi
Mitzi Dimitroff
N. J. Drummond
Wanda Dziwura
Laura Ebel
Carol Fowler
Delores Furland
Marty & Marsha Gottesman
Joanne Grabinski
Rosemary Kavanagh
Ed & Kathy Langenburg
Debra LaRocque
Ray Lore
LeBourdais Orthodontics
Karen M. MacArthur
Keith & Barbara Markstrom
John McCormick & Nancy Vader-McCormick
Jean McCue
David and Ruth Ann Mikolajczak
Sheri Moore
Christopher and Susan Moss
Jennifer Paradise
Steven and Connie Parkhurst
Nancy J. Philo
Paul Revard and Fran Santoro
Bob and Jane Rogers
Paul Rowley
Shelia Stamiris
Tim and Jan Tobin
Julie Tyslicky
Silas Warren
Lynn Weaver and Bruce Weiss
Janice Wegner and Rich Polena
Tara Welch
Jett and Shelley Whitehead
Shaye Wilcox
Amy Wurdock
Lois Zurvalec
Follow this link to become a 50 Art Advocate today! Thank you!
Important dates to remember for Studio 23’s exhibition season are:
MI Artists All-State Juried Exhibition Final Day for Viewing: Saturday, November 14, 2020, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Please note that artists will begin retrieving their artwork starting at 1:00pm.
Public Reception for Rosemary Kavanagh, Bay City Family Tree Solo Exhibit: Saturday, November 28, 2020, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Kavanagh is featured artist for this year’s Black & White Affair, December 11, 2020.
Kind regards,
Val
Valerie Allen, curator
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