As the time for the Members’ Summer Show drew near, we decided to open the gallery and have a physical show. We will not hold a virtual gallery show in the same way that we did for the shows that were NOT in person, but we will make a concerted effort to post all of the artwork between the website and social media posts if you are not up to visiting the gallery.
Please note: we are requiring that people observe social distancing recommendations and that you wear a mask while in the gallery.
If you see an artwork that you can’t live without, let us know! We also have a Take Art Home program where you pay 1/3 of the price up front and pay the rest over 6 months to make owning the art you love a little bit easier. Contact Kelsey here for more details!
Juror’s Statement
In a world that is contending with social distancing, turmoil, injustice, and reckoning, art making and art spaces like the Columbia Art League are proving to be increasingly essential. It’s important to create, to process and make sense of the world, to share our manifestations, and to entangle that with the conceptions of others. This exhibition truly demonstrates that and shows what the CAL has always been invested in: education, creation, and community.
I appreciate art that inspires and resonates and confronts; art that is beautiful and ugly and skilled and reckless. I am drawn to art that invites me to sit and contemplate. My award selections for this show demonstrate my appreciation for work in multiple media areas, work I am in awe of, and work that I feel compelled to sit with for a little while longer.
Craftsmanship and meaning are two main areas that I look to when considering and evaluating works of art. It is important to me as an artist, as an educator, and as a curator that work demonstrates intent and knowledge of materials and techniques. It is also imperative that work has meaning and invites the viewer to finish its story or carry on its questions and solutions out into the world. I ask where the work may fit in with current culture and how it may be informing and connecting us. The works that have placed in this exhibition were especially compelling to me in this regard.
1st place: Linda Hays’ “Valley Rise” is all at once strategic and warm, isolating and nostalgic. I found it especially prevalent given the past few months spent in quarantine. The stacked structures house us and keep us safe as we gain a newfound closeness with those who share our space and as the world outside has slowed to an abrupt halt.
2nd place: Renee Monroe’s work has great significance, especially given our current moment in history. While most of us have been socially distancing, we also recognize the importance of coming together for justice and equality. This image shows the power of community, the danger of silence, and the importance of showing up.
3rd place: The craftsmanship of Rich Koeppner’s piece is astonishing. Every component was conscientiously and meticulously cared for. This work demonstrates the embrace of still moments, which we all have had to learn to recalibrate ourselves to as of late.
I applaud all the artists in this show. Thank you for extending the invitation to sit with your work and for sharing it with the community.
-Bethanie Irons, Assistant Professor, William Woods University
You can read more about Bethanie on her website.
