Juried Art Exhibition shows variety of styles

There still is time to take in the range of creativity that is the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's Regional Juried Art Exhibition. The show, which ends Jan. 31, may be viewed at 32 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

"The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's Regional Juried Art Exhibition was developed to provide a forum to demonstrate the diversity of this region and the artists who live here," according to the Arts Council's website.

This year's exhibit was in keeping with that mission, as artists from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee submitted original work to be judged by printmakers Hannah and Blake Sanders of Orange Barrel Industries. The jurors looked for three themes in the artwork: "work that references the landscape," art "that employ[s] fiber arts and other 'crafts'" and "pieces that challenge, 'what is art?' and, 'what should it look like?'"

"Overall, we received 129 entries and, of these entries, 28 pieces were selected for display in our gallery," Murielle Gaither, Arts Council executive director, said in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

"Many of the artists used more traditional media in their pieces such as watercolor, oil, pastel, ceramic, and photography, but there are also many artists who showcased much more experimental media. One piece in particular names tobacco spit as a material used in the artist's production of the silk-screen print," Gaither said.

Charles Clary

"I really have to hand it to the jurors, Blake and Hannah Sanders, for jurying the show. They have such a great energy. ... Many of the artists they selected have an ironic sense of humor that intrinsically comes through their artwork, making this show extra engaging and a true pleasure to experience," Gaither said.

Winners were selected in the categories of best in the show, second place, three jurors awards and the people's choice award.

Charles Clary of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the Best in the Show honors with "Metastic radimafungle gestation Movement #2," which is "hand-cut paper and acrylic on distressed drywall."

Of his work, Clary said, "By layering paper, I am able to build intriguing land formations that mimic viral colonies and concentric sound waves. These strange landmasses contaminate and infect the surfaces they inhabit, transforming the space into something suitable for their gestation."

Second place went to Gregory Scott Cook of Murray, Kentucky, for "Nothin' Not Working," a "silk-screen print -- handmade inks from pencil shavings, construction chalk and tobacco spit."

Katherine Miller and Larry Rhodes, both of Cape Girardeau, and Sean P. Morrissey of Fayetteville, Arkansas, won Jurors Awards. Miller's work, called "Living Proof," is a "mixed-media print sculpture." Rhodes entered photography, which he calls "Tower Rock Levee." Morrissey submitted a "screen print," entitled "Pile #5 (Moulding)."

The People's Choice Award went to Suzanne Thompson of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for "Trust but Verify."

The next installment of the regional juried exhibit is planned for December through January 2016, with the show's prospectus available in July.

For more information about the arts council and to view other works from the juried exhibit, visit capearts.org.

Pertinent address: 32 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau