A juried exhibition to celebrate Galesburg Civic Art Center’s opening after Covid-19 calling for local business to close during quarantine. As noted on the prospectus, “Juried by Christopher Reno who studied painting, drawing and printmaking at Knox College, the New York Studio School, Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop, Flatbed Press in Austin,Texas and the MFA program of the University of Iowa. He is currently the Gallery Director and University Curator at St.Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and the Co-Director of the Quad Cities Veterans Art Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to providing therapeutic access to art for veterans, active military and their families.
“As an artist myself, I approach juried exhibitions with empathy, patience and generosity. Like everyone else I’ve been rejected or overlooked dozens (if not hundreds!) of times and I understand how much each submission means to artists that take the time to submit their work. My goal is to understand each artist’s intentions and make judgements according to both formal invention and conceptual depth.
In all honesty I’m a sucker for poetic surprise and/or a sense of humor, but I pride myself on working with an open mind and avoiding the typical art dichotomies.”
—Chris Reno
Best of Show: Cycling Emotions, acrylic paint – Madelyn Turner (Galesburg, IL)
3 Dimensional Award: Connections, ceramic – Chris Dokolasa (Galesburg, IL)
Painting Award: 2019, acrylic – John Nelson (Quincy, IL)
Mixed Media Award: Incorrect Memories, acrylic, pencil, and sand on gesso board – Amina El Moudden (Galesburg, IL)
Photography Award: Impressionistic Lupines, New Zealand 2019, digital photography – Michael Godsil (Galesburg, IL)
Works on Paper Award: Tickseed + Blanket Flower, watercolor & ink – Julie D. Nelson (Quincy, IL)
Fiber Award: Can’t Buy Me Love, leather, acrylic – Carolyn Seeger (Galesburg, IL)
Linda Lytle Memorial Award: Arched Pump, steel – Matt Moyer (Columbia, MO)
Cycling Emotions, Best of Show, 30x40”, acrylic paint.
Click on this image to view my virtual artist talk!
“Cycling Emotions is a painting that delves into my own subconscious mind. I wanted to implement surrealistic elements to open up opportunities of exploration into emotions. In doing this, my intent is to create a tangible representation of what these emotions conjure into our lives and how they affect our physical state of being. By visualizing my subconscious and the processing of emotions, my goal is to challenge societal norms about mental health while also engaging the viewer in this dialog. For example, this piece in particular I discovered that I primarily revolve around three emotions that often effect my choices and feel them intensely. These can be seen as flaw, but I wanted to paint them together to show that while the emotions may be drastically different, they work in unison almost like a machine and one cannot be felt without the other. Much like if we never experience sadness, we would never know what true happiness is. They need each other. I encourage the viewers to find their own interpretation of the work and to explore the world that is not usually seen but felt.
-Madelyn Turner”
