Summer is officially underway...and so is SUMMER SOLSTICE, the show, which opened last Thursday evening to acclaim, enthusiastic crowds and continuing sales! Please visit in person and also look for us to feature works from the show in our posts over the next seven weeks. We'll start at the top, as critiqued by OUR JURY. The five members of our panel — IRVING XCHEL CHAN GOMEZ, JON LAIDACKER, NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD, KAREN RODEWALD and JODY SWEITZER — elevated eight of our artists with their JURY CITATIONS. In this lofty company, HOLLY WYNN took BEST OF SHOW for her captivating take on iconic imagery, speaking both to climate change and to the artist in every season. “Living in a place with four seasons does affect my creative process,” says Holly, “particularly in the winter, when bouts of seasonal depression make it hard to put my energy and care into my art. This piece captures the isolation and loneliness that come in and leave me feeling uninspired and unsure what to do.” Please lift your glasses to Holly and her heralded colleagues:
BEST OF SHOW: Holly Wynn’s “My Own Little Iceberg” (PICTURED HERE)
SOLSTICE AWARD (from Druid Society of Dirty Frank’s): Joseph Eggleston’s “Samsara”
ULTIMATE JERSEY VIBE: Asya Livshits’ “Ocean City”
MOST SUBMERSIVE: Maryanne Buschini’s “Floating”
MOST NOSTALGIC: David Helwer’s “Gathering Eggs”
MOST SUSTAINABLE: Jennifer Barrile’s “Salem Harbor”
BIGGEST REALITY CHECK: Robin Brownfield’s “Say Goodbye”
MOST PROMISING DEBUT: Som-Mai Nguyen’s “Flood 2”
