Artist Reception: Friday, February 15, 2008 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm at ARTSWorcester’s Aurora Gallery 660 Main Street, Worcester, MA. This event is free and open to the public and will feature refreshments. Daniel Burke of The Orange Ocean will perform.
Fourth Annual Colleges of Worcester Consortium Show is a juried group exhibition culled from among emerging student artists of the Worcester Consortium and includes works in painting, photography, works on paper, mixed media, and sculpture. This exhibition, which began in 2005, highlights the wealth of artistic talent that exists within the local college community. Institutions participating include Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Atlantic Union College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester State College. College participation is coordinated by Catherine Wilcox-Titus, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Art History at Worcester State College. The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Colleges of Worcester Consortium and is free and open to the public.
Works for the show were chosen by juror Katherine French, director of the Danforth Museum of Art. French has curated numerous exhibitions exploring Boston Expressionism, including Jack Levine: Political Discourse and Hyman Bloom: A Spiritual Embrace. In February of 2007, she received an award for curatorial excellence for Joan Snyder, A Painting Survey, 1969-2005 from the New England chapter of the International Association of Art Critics.
Ms. French’s statement: This year's ARTSWorcester competition is remarkable for the overall high quality of the work in all mediums. However, photography was particularly strong, with perhaps the largest number of submissions, and a collection of arresting images. First prize winner Melissa Bickley of Clark University presents an oddly innocent picture of a child dressed up as a Stegosaurus for Halloween. Sprawled out on the driveway in front of his house, while contemplating spilled candy, the child presents the viewer with a story that is somehow unclear, but deeply compelling. Second prize winner David Pitcher shows us a collection of images taken inside deserted buildings, complex descriptions of space that convey the memory of a human presence. And third prize winner Sarah Lawler has explored strange juxtapositions in photo montage--combinations of surreal images that end up describing a dream. The same confidence and strength was found in the areas of painting, drawing and printmaking. Seah Chickering-Burchesky, who received an Honorable Mention for painting, presents us with a painterly rendition of a piece of meat--giving a nod both to Soutine and the idea of sustainable agriculture (New Zealand Angus Beef Ribeye Steak (No Antibiotics) II). And beneath much of the work was a quirky, good humored sensibility--particularly in Teresa Cooper, who received Honorable Mention for her mixed media portrait entitled Dad.
Prizes awarded are:
Gallery hours: Tuesdays and Saturdays 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Extended hours are available by appointment. Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday. Free and open to the public.
Address: 660 Main Street, Worcester, MA
Information: (508) 755-5142 or www.artsworcester.org or email to:info@artsworcester.org For more information on the Colleges of Worcester Consortium visit the Consortium’s website at www.cowc.org.
At the ARTSWorcester Quinsigamond Community College Gallery: Currently through April 4, 2008 will be Figurative Language, exhibition of Monotype Prints by Kathy Murray. At the ARTSWorcester Quinsigamond Community College Diversity Gallery: Currently through March 7, 2008 will be In the Round, exhibition of Mixed media works by Nicole Brathwaite-Hunt.