The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
The 66th Annual Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition, made possible by First Financial Bank, opens July 10 and runs through Sept. 4 at the Swope Art Museum in downtown Terre Haute.
The public awards ceremony and opening reception will be 4 to 6 p.m. July 10. The awards will be presented at 4 p.m., followed by a party.
Guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and the opportunity to mingle with the artists. The opening reception is free as is admission to the galleries.
“This annual exhibition gives the museum the opportunity to showcase the amazing and diverse talent that exists here in our region. It is always a fantastic array of art, with something for everyone, and this year is no exception,” said Brian Lee Whisenhunt, executive director of the Swope.
One of the oldest juried exhibitions in Indiana, the annual Wabash Valley exhibition accepts up to three submissions, in any fine art medium, from artists living within a 150-mile radius of Terre Haute.
This year, 89 artists submitted 254 works of art for consideration. Selections for the exhibition are chosen by an impartial judge from outside the region working from digital images.
This year, the judge selected 53 works of art representing 50 artists from Indiana and Illinois. For accuracy, the judge selects juror’s awards in person after the works of art have been delivered to the museum. Sixteen sponsors donated juror’s awards and two sponsors selected purchase awards.
This year’s juror is Gregory Gilbert, associate professor and director of the art history program at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., and senior curator of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, where he is director of the National Center for Midwest Art and Design.
“The eclectic scope of artistic languages and media in this show suggests the presence of a local cultural environment that has encouraged and supported differing creative visions and sensibilities …,” said Gilbert.
The 66th Annual Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition Awards:
• Denise Rehm-Mott, Charleston, Ill. – Nature’s Grace, intaglio, Howard E. Wooden Memorial Award of Excellence
• Chad Gallion, Indianapolis – Night Swim, oil on canvas, Phyllis Dye Turner Award of Distinction
• Allyson May, Bloomington, Ind. – Cuneatus, ceramic, Alliance of the Swope Award of Distinction
• Christopher Wilke, Cynthia – Pantheon Reliquary, oak, maple, Barbara Vogel Award of Honor given by Mary Ann Carroll
• Abbigail Knowlton Israelson, Bloomington, Ind, – Strangled, watercolor, graphite, Alliance of the Swope Award of Honor
•n AJ Nafziger, Indianapolis – Polyphemus (Self-Portrait), oil on canvas, Sue Bentrup Award of Recognition
• Colby Julian, Paris, Ill. – Hast Du Einen Vogel?, intaglio, Cindy and Guille Cox Award of Recognition
• Dan Annarino, Lafayette – Brush with Fame, oil on canvas, Vernon B. Cristee Memorial Award of Recognition
•n David Erickson, West Terre Haute – Intransigence, relief print, Body Art Ink Tattoo Award of Recognition
• Rod Bradfield, Terre Haute – Front Range, acrylic on canvas, Emily and John Gedrick Award of Recognition
• Philip Dees, Terre Haute – Birth of a Winged Spirit, steel, paint, Jackie & Max Gibson Award of Recognition
• James Jordan Kellar, Bloomington, Ind. – Child with Mother, photograph, Laney & Lu Meis Award of Recognition
• Michael Tingley, Terre Haute – Crane’s Farm, mixed media, Arts Illiana Award of Recognition
• Ben Madeska, Terre Haute – Tuna Steak, oil on canvas, Barbara Vogel Award of Recognition
• Petra Nyendick, Terre Haute – Orbs, mixed media, Joan & David Zaun Award of Recognition
• Justin Schwab, Brazil – Reminiscences, silver gelatin print, Connie & Tom Francis Award of Merit
• Michael Lasater, South Bend – Visions Fugitive, video, Danette Angermeier Memorial Award of Merit
• Allyson May, Bloomington, Ind. – Cimmerian, ceramic, Nancy & Fred Nation Purchase Award
• Kristy Hughes, Charleston, Ill. – Girl’s Night In, intaglio, Candy & Rick Shagley Purchase Award
A People’s Choice Award, selected by visitor ballots and sponsored by the Alliance of the Swope, will be tallied and presented at the close of the exhibition. Visitors to the exhibition can vote once every time they visit the Museum.
