14th Annual Barbara Luton Art Show Offers the Best in Community Art

Shaker Library celebrated art and artists at its Gallery-Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony for its 14th Annual Barbara Luton Art Competition last Sunday afternoon at the Main Library on Van Aken Boulevard.

Now in its fourteenth year, the contest was named for former director Barbara Luton, under whose aegis the renovation of Moreland School to the Shaker Library took place. 

This year’s competition was juried by Dan Whitely, chair of the Shaker Heights High School Art Department and an artist himself, and Kris Walter, an art teacher at Shaker Heights High School. They selected 47 pieces of artwork.

According to the jurors, “This exhibit represents a diverse body of high quality artwork. The art submissions continue to be elevated by the artists who submit their work. The pieces together are a wonderful visual representation of community art and they seem to flow together. It was exciting to see the range of styles and refreshing to see the experience of the different artists. We elected to display representative works from oil, watercolor, pastel, collage, photography, drawing and prints. Viewers are likely to agree that the over-all quality and technical mastery in each category are high and a lively and exciting exhibit of different styles is the result.”

Artists who received the designation of Honorable Mention are: Cheryl E. Weinstein for her digital photograph, Horseshoe Lake: Green Green; Michael D. Prunty for his watercolor, Early Light in the Flats; Jane Petschek for her etching, Red Dox x Rio Grande, and Carol Johnson for her silver gelatin print, The Accordion Player.

Cash prizes are awarded for First, Second, and Third places, and the Best of Show artist receives a purchase award. Third Place went to Patricia Schroeder for her collage, Material Girl; Second Place went to James Quarles took for his silk screen, Candi, and Keaf Holliday took First Place for his charcoal, Morgan. Michael D. Prunty received the Best of Show for his watercolor, Along the Cuyahoga. This piece has been purchased by the library and will be on display for the community to enjoy.

Artists juried into this year's show include, David Brichford, Fabiana Olivier, Amy Lewandowski, Horace Reese, John Hoytt, Lynne Griffin, Elise Newman, Jacqueline Kahane Freedman, Mike Guyot, Lynn Katz Danzig, Michael Cole, George Kocar, Nikki Evans, Robin Tyree, Michael Wagner, Ruta Marino, John Martin, Dicc Klann, Anna Hsu, Alexandra Brin, Boni Suzanne Gelfand, Mike McEnroe, and Lois Davis.

Pablo Picasso, once said that painting is just another way of keeping a diary and this year’s competition adds the fourteenth page in Shaker Library’s art diary. The art gallery is an extension of the library and through it, the library exposes the community to local art and creates opportunities for local artists. The art show will be on display through April 19 and the art is available for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library foundation.