Showcasing the wealth of visual art in Kentucky, "The Bluegrass Biennial: A Kentucky Juried Exhibition" will be on exhibit through Aug. 27 at Morehead State University’s Claypool-Young Art Gallery.
A closing reception and juror’s talk will be held Wednesday, Aug. 27, from 5-7 p.m.
Andrea Fisher, director of the Morlan Gallery at Transylvania University, was the exhibition juror. Fisher selected 50 works out of the more than 150 submitted for consideration.
Inspired by both the quality and quantity of visual art created in the state, the exhibition seeks to display the range of artistic production from across the Commonwealth. The strength of the exhibition truly rests in its diversity, from the types of artists included which run from self-taught to graduates of Master of Fine Art programs, to the range of artwork media and style on display.
The four artwork awards selected by Fisher for aesthetic excellence include:
Best in Show Award: Dobree Adams, Frankfort; MUSUBI (Engaging the Power of Creativity), 2012; Fiber, 76 x 24;"
Merit Award: Steve Armstrong, Lexington; Heartland, 2011; Carved and painted wood, 39 x 36 x 24;”
Merit Award: Cecily Howell, Morehead; Failed Marriage, 2013; Monoprint, 22 x 28;”
Merit Award: Barry Motes, Prospect; Water & Spirit, 2012; Oil on canvas, 24 x 30.”
The 36 accepted artists include: Adams, Armstrong, Howell, Motes, Philis Alvic, Lexington; David Bartlett, Morehead; Rita Cameron, Louisville; Stacey R. Chinn, Lexington; Michael G. Crouse, Paducah; Pat DaRif, Louisville; Brad Devlin, Louisville; Constance Grayson, Nicholasville; Elizabeth Foley, Lexington; Bruce Frank, Georgetown; Tyler Griese, Park Hills; Nathan Hendrickson, Louisville; Deborah Levine, Lousiville; Christine Levitt, Lexington; Kathleen Loomis, Louisville; Larry May, Clay City;
Michael McCardwell, Shelbyville; Mike McCarthy, Louisville; Jonathan McFadden, Lexington; Ann W. Olson, Elliott County; Carol Peachee, Lexington; Wendell C. Perry, Lexington; Marti Plager, Louisville; Joe Sartor, Morehead; Barrett Shaw, Louisville; Melissa Shelton, Lexington; Joshua B. Smith, Lexington; Margaret Park Smith, Lexington; Sarah Cobb Spradlin, Paris; Cathy Vigor, Lexington; Russell Weedman, Williamsburg; and Joanne Weis, Lexington.
The event is sponsored by the art gallery, MSU’s Department of Art and Design and Arts and Humanities Council.
Scheduled for the summer of 2016, the next Bluegrass Biennial will again invite a juror from Kentucky to curate an exhibition representing the contemporary spirit of art in the Commonwealth.
The Claypool-Young art gallery, an educational resource of the art and design department and the University, features contemporary art for the Morehead State University community and its service region. The gallery, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment, is free and open to the public. Parking is available on Main Street and across campus after 5 p.m.
Additional information is available by calling Jennifer Reis, gallery director, at 606-783-5446.