Viridian's 32nd Annual International Juried Exhibition : Statement from Heather Ferrell, Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Burlington City Arts

Heather Ferrell Juror Statement:

As the juror for Viridian’s 32nd Annual International Juried Exhibition, I was excited and somewhat daunted by the incredible response to the call for submissions. Due to the large number of exceptional works, there were difficult decisions to be made and much consideration. In my final selection, I chose to focus on artists whose work addressed a set of criteria that included quality of execution; whether the work embodied a relevant concept, issue, or emotional state; or imagery that somehow pushed the boundaries of craft or media in new directions.

Artists who made me curious to delve deeper and spend time with their work especially caught my attention. These artists challenged or upended notions of their media or expectations of the viewer, often using processes and materials in innovative ways. Thematically, works selected for the exhibition include an emphasis on abstraction, materiality, and evocative narrative. Some artists represented the relevance of traditional methods of making, while others interrogated the varied possibilities within their media or mode of representation as a means of inspiration.

I am very grateful to all the artists who submitted work to the competition, and to Viridian Artists for inviting me to jury. I am honored to have the opportunity to select from such a talented group of artists. The thirty exceptional works of art included in this exhibition represent the breadth, diversity, and thought-provoking trends in contemporary art today.

 

PRESS RELEASE: : “EXPRESSIONS 2”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                           Please List

 

 “EXPRESSIONS 2”

 RENEE BORKOW * RHONDA DONOVAN
STEFANIE EINS * DEB FLAGEL * KAT KING
KAZUO ISHIKAWA * VIRGINIA EVANS SMIT * CHRISTOPHER T. TERRY

 
    September 6 – October 1, 2022

                           Opening reception Thursday September 8, 6–8pm

Chelsea: Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present an exhibition of recent art by Renee Borkow, Rhonda Donovan, Stefanie Eins, Deb Flagel, Kat King, Kazuo Ishikawa, Virginia Evans Smit, and Christopher T. Terry. The show runs from September 6th through October 1st, 2022, with an opening reception Thursday, September 6th, 6–8pm.   

 
“EXPRESSIONS 2” is an exhibit gathering the art of 8 outstanding Viridian Artists not having a solo exhibit this season. For each, we are sharing a small selection of their works as an appetizer for the solo show some of them will have in 2023 or 2024.  All of these artists work differently, but there are connecting threads among them. Many incorporate found elements, but those who do, present them in totally different ways. Collage and construction are major components for all but the painter, but the composition of his paintings is a unique combination of reality and the still life. Both Stefanie Eins & Deb Flagel use stitching and sewing in the creation of the art, but the final results are unique. Though Christopher T. Terry and Kazuo Ishikawa both use the invisible and hidden as a beginning point for their art, Terry creates his images with paint while Ishikawa creates his by combining a variety of materials.

 
This series of collages by Renee Borkow is based on Greek mythology and the image of the Goddess, a woman at her prime who is both independent and smart. These are complex works, filled with the symbols of both feminism and femininity, not in opposition, but depicting the wide and complex range of female concerns, then and now.

 
Stefanie Eins who lives in Namibia, Southern Africa creates artworks she calls drawings that combine fragments of paper from old maps or teabags and African fabrics that she collages with elements of nature: leaves, feathers, seaweed. Her drawn line is often sewn, combining the bits she gathers into artworks which speak of her life there. Her works in this series are spontaneous reactions to moments, both experimental and playful.

 
The underlying theme of Deb Flagel’s art relates to containers and containment. How we view objects – from within, from without, and looking through – reveals societal context and perspective. Regarding the artwork, “Crosswalk Analysis” in this exhibit, the artist says “As I walk, sidewalks appear as tablets – human marks feel like text. Through photography, I observe patterns and content. My own experience becomes a narrative thread, weaving the seemingly unrelated into a story cloth.”

 
Kazuo Ishikawa finds himself always looking for hidden landscapes as he gathers together a variety of materials to create an artwork. To bring these elements to life, he makes the invisible visible to the viewer through juxtaposing the inconsistencies and complexities. Approaching his constructions from multi-dimensional perspectives, the works he creates possess complex spatial considerations that defy easy interpretations.

 
Chrisopher T. Terry’s subject matter is nearly always drawn from the objects and artifacts of everyday life which he frames, lights, and presents in a manner that focusses on what is hidden behind the everyday façade. These ordinary objects take on a new appearance as the artist creates and transforms them into a scene “both meditative and taut with expectation.” About his painting, “Silent Ceremony,” the artist says, “I present the still life as a secular altar where an ambiguous ritual takes place.”

 
Upon first seeing Rhonda Donovan’s “May I borrow a Cup of Sugar,” one might wonder how she came to give it that title, but as you look more carefully at her constructions of fragments of fabric, paper and other materials, you begin to see the stories that are hidden beneath the surface. And storytelling is what she is doing as she assembles her complex and extremely tactile compositions. Her inspiration arises from family encounters, the stories and memories that arise from everyday moments in life.

Kat King has been creating multiple interpretations of the Dragon in paintings, sculptures and mixed media works for a number of  years which involve both playful and sinister metaphorical narratives. Her early dragons were cast bronze, but more recently she has been creating fanciful dragon paintings over digital prints of which are from Ms. King's original photographic compositions. 

 
Virginia Evans Smit was a long time Viridian Artist, active until nearly the end of her life. Working primarily as a printmaker and combining various techniques in her mixed media works, she created a range of monoprints utilizing photographic transfers, lithography and relief printing as she pushed the envelope of her explorations. Calling them her visual poetry, she most often created images of the changing flora and plants of her garden in Barbados. There will be a private reception for her family and friends on Saturday, September 17.

 

We hope to see you at this wonderful exhibit of differing expressions.