2nd Annual Artistic Visions Challenge Art Show Starts This Weekend In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — The Fairfield Arts Commission will host the second annual Artistic Visions Challenge Art Show from March 15 through April 10 at the Fairfield Public Library Main Branch. Artwork created by participants in the townwide juried competition will be on display during the library’s regular operating hours.

The Artistic Visions Challenge is open to artists who live, work or attend school in Fairfield and is divided into two age groups: ages 10–19 and ages 20 and older. A first-place prize of $1,000 will be awarded in each category.

This year’s theme asks artists to create work that reflects on the nation’s 250th anniversary. The theme was introduced at a Dec. 4 kickoff event. Participants were asked to create pieces that interpret connections between the country’s past and present. Submissions must also include at least one collaborative element involving someone from the other age group and incorporate “America’s 250th” along with at least one hidden reference, or “Easter egg,” related to Fairfield.

Artists were required to register for the competition by Feb. 11. The commission said it received 43 registrations from student and adult artists.

"We are absolutely thrilled with the response from the Fairfield arts community," said commissioner Sam Goldstein, who along with Fairfield Public Schools District Art Department Coordinator Michele Hermsen, oversees the Challenge. "The Artistic Visions Challenge was envisioned as a
way to not only build a connection between our youth and the art community, but also to stimulate, foster, and encourage critical thinking and originality in all participants."

Added Hermsen, "The arts play a vital role in fostering creativity, connection, and cultural vitality in every community. We are so appreciative of the support received
to date and look forward to the leaders of our town continuing to recognize their importance and to keep the arts a priority in Fairfield."

Participants will submit an artist statement describing their work and the process used to create it, along with a digital image of the artwork.

The commission said the exhibition received financial support from the Fairfield University Center for Arts & Minds and ongoing support from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Office of the Arts. Community partners that hosted events during the challenge include the Fairfield Theatre Company, the Fairfield Museum and History Center and the Fairfield Public Library.

More information is available on the Fairfield Arts Commission website at fairfieldct.org/artchallenge.