FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

25th Annual International Juried Show at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit

18 January 2011, 18.30 Announced last week, “The Marylou Hillyer International Juried Show, at the the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, showcases works from around the globe and provides artists with greater exposure and the opportunity to meet a curator from one of the world’s best known art museums. The exhibition is named in memory of Marylou Hillyer, a long-time supporter and dedicated member of the Art Center, who for many years oversaw and directed the International Juried Show. The show is open to artists in all media from across the country and abroad. This year the Art Center received 560 submissions, including 198 from New Jersey-based artists. Among the 20 foreign countries represented among the submissions were Singapore and the United Kingdom. Overall, 109 pieces of art were selected for the final Juried Show.”

Source; curatedmag.com

As one might expect, an open call for submissions from artists all over the world results in a wide sampling of the breadth of contemporary art techniques, from such traditional methods as encaustic painting and graphite drawing to the latest digital approaches to video and photography. The personal, psychological, historical, and philosophical are themes that have been filtered through the lenses of abstraction and narrative, fantasy and realism, humor and profundity in this eclectic selection of artworks. Examples of painting, drawing, and printmaking range from evocative abstractions that appear to be inspired by natural and organic sources as well as by pure imagination, insightful portraits of intriguing personas, and instances of realism, which may either take the form of precise renderings or more gestural impressions. The selected sculptural works, which represent a variety of practices from ceramics and metal to fiber and assemblage, tend to display a whimsical approach to materials, though often embedded with social and personal messages. The large number of photographic works submitted reflects the increasing relevance of this medium as a creative means of personal expression. The works on view include abstract or near abstract photos as well as those that depict particular narratives or representations of our surroundings, each work offering new perspectives on our environment. Overall, the selections for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey’s 25th International Juried Show suggest the multitude of creative approaches at work today.

Joan Young
associate Curator of Contemporary Art
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Source; flickr.com

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