(PHOTOS) 27th Annual Members’ Juried Art Exhibition Opens

Thursday evening, the was standing room only. Artists, friends, family and local art enthusiasts packed the Margaret Foss Gallery for the opening of the 27th annual Members’ Juried Art Exhibition. 

This year, 267 works were submitted by more than 100 artists. The substantial submission pool was narrowed down to 140 pieces for display at the show.

For the 127 works not selected, judge Brian Lewis, a painting teacher and painter in his own right, rejected the word “rejected.” 

“It’s never easy being rejected from a show, and I don’t even like to use the term rejected because it’s not an accurate term. It’s just a process of taking a large amount of entries and finding room for ones that we can choose,” Lewis said.

Judge Donovan Palmquist, a ceramicist and kiln builder, said one of the more difficult aspects of judging this show was the amount of good work he and Lewis were presented with. 

“A high percentage of it was really quality work, really impressive,” Palmquist said. 

Awards of Excellence were given to Nancy E. Acker, Kathy Jorgenson and Michael Bedard; Awards of Merit were given to Luann Rosenthal-Erickson, Julia Timm and Margie Grinnell; the Betsy Bryant Pottery Award was given to Robbie Spencer and the Crosstown Camera Club Photography Award was given to Lorelee Wederstrom. 

This year’s Peer Award Honoree is Jean Adams, painter and longtime supporter of Edina Art Center. Michael Frey, the Center’s assistant to the director, honored Adams at the show’s opening.  

“Jean has been a longtime supporter of the arts, and in fact she was on the advisory board before the Art Center came into existence. That was back in 1976. Jean has been painting for over 50 years and is just a longtime supporter of the arts and a great person to work with,” Frey said.  

You can see the works for yourself this month at the Edina Art Center. The Members’ Juried Art Exhibition runs through October 26.