“In Berkeley,” by Michael Olszewski
Over 160 artists responded to a call for entries in the upcoming Members Show at the Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset. From this mix of emerging and accomplished artists, juror Sam Cady has chosen 62 strong finalists, each of whom will exhibit up to three pieces in the show that runs from June 4-25.
“The pleasure of looking through a large group of artworks by many people is in the surprises and revelations of visions and skills that might pop up in the next image,” said Cady, an artist best known for his shaped canvases and whose work has been exhibited widely throughout the world in galleries, museums, and corporate collections.
“There were many such pleasures in this group,” Cady said. “When one has absorbed thousands of images over a lifetime of looking, one is always on the lookout for freshness, individuality, richness, depth, and uniqueness. The artist might be completely self taught or the recipient of advanced education, but there needs to be an authentic connection with one’s subject, style and materials. In this show I found the range to be wide, with beautiful abstraction, strong sense of materials, and lovely or striking representations with many moods and ideas.”
The final selections for this show include paintings, sculpture, textiles, printmaking, and photography. The visitor will find a mix of talented artists with imagery ranging from typical Maine subject matter to more personal explorations of a theme or idea.
The Maine Art Gallery Members Show opens Saturday, June 4 with a reception from 4-7 p.m. The public is invited to enjoy the art along with music by singer/songwriter Jud Caswell.
The gallery, at 15 Warren St. in Wiscasset, is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, to Saturday, June 25.
The Maine Art Gallery is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the visual, fine and applied arts through exhibitions, lectures, demonstration and educational programs for children and adults since 1958. For more information, go to maineartgallerywiscasset.org or find the gallery on Facebook.
