2010 Members' Show Opens in Main Gallery at Arts Center

On Friday evening, June 18, a sense of anticipation must have filled the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey as the 2010 Members' Show reception was held to kick off the exhibit.

That evening the show's judges, Evonne M. Davis and Emma Wilcox of Gallery Aferro in Newark, announced their decisions for the winners of more than 20 awards.

Nearly 200 artworks of various media are currently displayed at the show in the center's Main Gallery and will remain on public exhibit until July 16. Many of the pieces are also available for purchase from the artists.

The Members' Show at the Arts Center is an annual event open to center members who are interested in exhibiting their work in a professional setting. The first 200 applicants who submit a completed application to the Arts Center are automatically accepted to have their work showcased in the gallery.

Katherine Murdock, Exhibitions Coordinator at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, described the process that she and her director, Mari D'Alessandro, underwent to prepare for the show:

"When the judges come, we get all the pieces and then we separate the pieces out into categories for the awards. Once the judges assign the awards…Mari and I start grouping images that seem to make sense with one another. Landscape, portraits, photography."

The creations currently on display in the gallery range from vibrant oil paintings, collage, and sculpture, to black and white photography, hand-crafted jewelry, and ceramics, among many other art forms.

Show restrictions state that two-dimensional pieces must measure less than 30 x 30 inches and three-dimensional works cannot exceed 5 feet in any direction, or weigh more than 100 pounds.

Gallery visitors will notice gold award stars designating the works which have been selected by the judges as outstanding within their categories. Viewers can find out more about the awards by consulting the "Members' Show 2010 Award Winners" handout, available at the gallery entrance.

Award categories included photography, watercolor, ceramics, sculpture, portraiture, pastel, innovative expressions and/or media, and best in show. Four works were honored with merit awards, and eight others were given honorable mention.

Judges Davis and Wilcox awarded a total of $1,900 in prize money, according to the Art Center's press release regarding the Members' Show. All winners, not including honorable mentions, received monetary prizes.

Not only is the annual Members' Show a unique opportunity for members of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey to display their work publicly, but it also provides a chance for visitors to familiarize themselves with some of the local talent.

"Most of (the artists) are from New Jersey," explained Murdock. She went on to confirm that while there are some artists who submit work they have created while taking classes at the Arts Center, members are free to offer any original work to be in the show.

Gallery hours are Monday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.