Local Artist on Display at Art Gallery

Monday, 20 July 2015 07:15

The Woodstock Art Gallery is showing off some of our local talent in an exhibition called Visual Elements: Annual Juried Exhibition

WOODSTOCK - An exhibition that predates the Woodstock Art Gallery is prepared to go on display to celebrate its 57th year.

Visual Elements: Annual Juried Exhibition gathers pieces from artists living in and around Oxford County to give them a platform to show their impressive talents. Curator of the Woodstock Art Gallery, Mary Reid says putting an exhibit like this together takes a lot of work. "We had about 121 submissions from just a little over 70 artists. Our jurors this year are Natalka Husar, she is a professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design; our other juror was Ted Fullerton - he is also a painter and a print maker. It took about a full day to actually go through the process. It is a very difficult to try to pull together an exhibition from a jury."

Reid says local artists are a wonderful resource. "They are a key stake holder. I think it is important particularly to give them not only the credit that they are due, but also to highlight the talent that takes place. We not only want to show what the best is in the province and in the country, but certainly what is very best in our own back yard. This exhibition is an excellent opportunity to really see a range of work by a number of artists within our own county."

21 pieces of work from the local artists will be on display in the Woodstock Art Gallery, and for those whose art wasn't selected Reid does not want you to give up. "It is a very diverse group, it really does kind of hang together in this wonderful cohesive event. I want to thank all of the artists that did submit. It was a difficult process for some people that weren't selected, but at the same time it is an opportunity for your work to get there and to be seen by practicing professionals."

A reception will be held on Wednesday beginning at 5 p.m. to celebrate the local artists' accomplishments.