Hutchinson Center for the Arts has created a juried exhibit to bring together and celebrate the extraordinary and diverse talent of visual artists residing throughout the 18-county SMAC region. The exhibit will run from June 1 – July 8, 2016 and will offer cash awards for Best of Show, Best 2-D, Best 3-D, and Honorable Mention.

When she started as Executive Director for Hutchinson Center for the Arts in May 2015, Lisa Bergh was “thrilled to have the chance to play with the beautiful, large and very adaptable venue” at the Center. As an artist herself, Bergh believes “opportunities for artists to socialize and network with peers is critically important for continued creative and professional development. SMAC covers an incredibly large region, and a dynamic range of artistic voices make this region home. What better way to bring together the artists, but through an exhibit?”

The exhibit will also help “audiences understand and appreciate the value arts bring to day to day life,” says Bergh, through “sharing with audiences the incredible population of artists making a life as artists throughout the SMAC region.”

This year’s juror will be artist and educator Michon Weeks, who received her MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and her BA from Iowa State University, Ames. Weeks has taught art at Southwest Minnesota State University, The College of St. Benedict/ St. John’s University, and currently serves as visiting Assistant Professor at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She has exhibited in such venues as the Rochester Art Center, the Plains Museum of Art, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, the Phipps Center for the Arts, and the Waterloo Museum of Art. She has been awarded an Arts Legacy Grant from Forecast Public Art, the Artist Assistance Fellowship from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and Career Grants from SMAC.

The exhibit is open to all artists 18 and older residing in any of the eighteen SMAC counties. A non-refundable entry fee of $10 entitles each artist to enter up to three pieces of original art for consideration. The entry deadline is March 17, 2016. A prospectus and online entry form are available at www.hutchinsonarts.org/artist-opportunities/.

 

HCA’S SMAC-REGION JURIED EXHIBIT DATES

• Entry Submission Deadline: March 17, 2016, 11:59 pm
• Artists Notified of Juror Selections for inclusion into exhibit: April 1-10, 2016
• Drop Off/Shipping Deadline of selected works: May 18-20, 2016, during regular Center Hours
• Installation Period: May 27-31, 2016
• Opening Reception & Announcement of Winners/Award Ceremony: June 4, 2016, 4:00 –7:00 pm
• Exhibition Closes: July 8, 2016
• Return/Pick up of Work: July 11-12, 2016 all work being returned/shipped will be packed and shipped back the week of July 11, 2016

 

This activity is made possible in a part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the SW Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.