South Arkansas Arts Center announces 2017 juried art competition
EL DORADO — The South Arkansas Arts Center invites the public to view the 2017 Juried Art Competition, which will hang in the Price and Merkle Galleries July 7-28. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
From over 200 entries
from around the country, juror Dylan Turk from Crystal Bridges selected a total of 69 works created by 47 artists to be on display in the Merkle and Price Galleries. The awards reception will be from 6 until 7:30 p.m. on Friday in the Merkle Gallery. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Juried Art Competition, sponsored by Smackover State Bank, is SAAC’s annual competition juried by nationally and internationally recognized art professionals and is open to all artists across the nation age 18 and up who work in two- dimensional and three-dimensional fine arts media, including photography
and computer generated work.
The People’s Choice Award will be voted upon by patrons during the exhibition. One piece from the competition will be purchased for SAAC’s permanent art collection. The Annual Purchase Award is made possible through an endowment from the family of Wilma Riley
in memory of her commitment to the arts, her community and SAAC.
This is the first year that 23 works were selected from Arkansas artists to be included in the competition.
SAAC members Kelly Campbell and Angela Blann of El Dorado, Judy Falkoff of Magnolia, Ann Trimble of Los Angeles, and Emily Wood of
Little Rock were selected to be included in the competition.
Turk is currently employed by Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville as a curatorial assistant. He studied art history in the J. William Fulbright College of
Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas and also studied abroad in Spain, Italy and Morocco.
He holds a bachelor of fine arts in art history, criticism and conservation from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Turk has curated many exhibits for Crystal Bridges including “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman Wilson House,” “Building Crystal Bridges” and “Shaking Hands & Kissing Babies.”
He was also involved in the re-installation of the Early Modern Galleries at Crystal Bridges and he worked as curatorial assistant on the Focus Show on Georgia O’Keeffe. He also does some writing and collaborating on
publications for Crystal Bridges and has had two books published: “Art in Architecture: The Architecture of Crystal Bridges” and “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman Wilson House,” as well as many articles for art publications.
“I’m super interested in bridging connection points between artistic institutions across the country. We all have to support each other in the arts. All art institutions need to stay in touch and share info. That’s one reason I’m so excited to come to south Arkansas to work with the SAAC. Competition is a good idea for artists. It helps to expand their audience,” Turk said.
Artists selected for the competition are as follows:
Corinne Barber, Bellingham, Washington; Bill Barksdale, Cotter; Sandy Barksdale, Cotter; Judith Beale,
Jacksonville; Angela Blann, El Dorado; Win Bruhl, Little Rock; Kelly Campbell, El Dorado; Susan Chambers, Little Rock; Becky Christenson, Rogers; Sheila Cotton, Little Rock; Dana Crossan, Media, Pennsylvania; Deanna Douglas, Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Hugh Dunnahoe, Hot Springs National Park; Judy Falkoff, Magnolia; Laura Fanning, Little Rock; Patrick Fleming, Roland; Robert Fogel, Haughton, Louisiana; Kit Gilbert, Ruston, Louisiana; Sharon Harper, Springfield, Missouri; Susie Henley, Little Rock; David Holsted, Harrison; Michael Hower, Enola, Pennsylvania; Ken Hubbell, Little Rock; Ahrong Kim, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Scott Lauer, Johnstown, Colorado; Kellie Lehr, Fayetteville; Paul
Lorenz, Paducah, Kentucky; Sigrid Lorfing, Russellville; Daniella Napolitano, Little Rock; Ellen Parker, Fayetteville; Alexa Pearce, Little Rock; David Rackley, Russellville; Brian Reed, Ivydale, West Virginia; Maureen Rousseau, Hot Springs Village; Nataliya Scheib, Houston; Elinore Schnurr, Long Island City, New York; Barbara Simcoe, Omaha, Nebraska; Mary Ann Stafford, Maumelle; R Gregory Summers, Overland Park, Kansas; Ann Trimble, Los Angeles; Helen Uger, Philadelphia; Lorrie Williamson, Jupiter, Florida; Emily Wood, Little Rock; and John Wooldridge, Maumelle.
For more information about the Juried Art Competition, call the SAAC office at 870-8625474 or visit the website at www.saac-arts.org. SAAC is located at 110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado.