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Colborne gallery opens juried show

By Charles Funnell for Northumberland Today

COLBORNE – Once again this year, the member artists of The Colborne Art Gallery are honoured to be opening up our beautiful Heritage Gallery to many special guest artists in our 6th Annual Juried Exhibition on Saturday, April 21st.

It is always a pleasure to see the diversity and creativity being offered by both emerging and established artists.

Celeste Scopelites Director of the Art Gallery of Peterborough, has taken on the challenge of choosing from among the 121 submissions received from 59 artists. Of these, 44 works from 44 artists have been selected for the show. She was extremely impressed with the strength of submissions and had to make chooses and decisions to create a strong exhibition, unfortunately there is only so much space in the gallery.

A broad range of media are represented by the chosen works, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, assemblage, sculpture, fibre art, jewellery. Artists who have submitted works represent a broad geographic range, from Strathroy, Ontario in the west, through Mississauga, Barrie, eastward to Picton, Sterling and Hudson, Quebec. But the majority of the entries came from enthusiastic artists in our own region of Northumberland County.

As an artists’ collective, The Colborne Art Gallery strives to generate enthusiasm for the arts in our local community. The Annual Juried Show has become an important facet in this outreach, providing an opportunity for budding and established artists to gain exposure by exhibiting their work in our gallery.

Applying to a juried show can be an unnerving experience that many artists undergo in their careers. It takes courage to submit one’s lovingly created artwork for scrutiny and potentially have it displayed for hundreds to see. Despite the possibility for disappointment of having work declined for a show, most artists find that it is a worthwhile process for their development.

We wish to applaud all of the applicants for taking a chance on submitting their work and we appreciate the support this has provided for the gallery.

In offering an annual juried show we wish to share our charming location and exceptional exhibition space. Perhaps this will be your first visit as you support a friend or family member who submitted to the show. Once you’ve visited we hope you’ll become a regular, joining our dedicated group of supporters who attend our lively opening receptions or stop by on a visit to Colborne.

Several awards will be presented at the opening reception, including Juror’s Choice (selected by Celeste Scopelites and sponsored by the members of The Colborne Art Gallery); Mayor’s Choice (selected by Mayor Marc Coombs and sponsored by Cramahe Township); three honourable mentions (sponsored by Ganaraska Art and Framing of Port Hope, Cree Organics of Colborne, and Sundance Gallery of Grafton). The opening reception and awards presentation with the artists present will be held on Saturday , April 21st from 2-4pm. Please join us to meet our guest artists and enjoy the welcoming atmosphere at The Colborne Art Gallery. Admission is free and the Gallery is fully accessible.

The 6th Annual Juried Exhibition will run from April 21st to June 3rd 2018.