The Central California Art Showcase, featuring the creations of local artists, has opened at the Carnegie Art Center in Turlock and the Central California Art Association’s Mistlin Gallery in Modesto.
The juried exhibition, now in its fourth year, is a unique collaboration between the region’s two premier visual arts galleries celebrating regional artistic excellence. For this show both galleries will be exhibiting works selected by a single panel of judges.
“We think this creates an exciting opportunity for all Central California artists,” said Carnegie Director Lisa McDermott. “The main goal of this collaboration is to highlight the importance of the arts across our entire region.”
“By sharing this exhibition between our two venues, we attract more artists to two galleries in Downtown Modesto and Downtown Turlock”, says Marianne Ward, chair of the Mistlin Gallery’s exhibition committee. “Each year we see new artists entering their work and being successful.”
The exhibition includes pieces by 101 artists from throughout the Central California region, including Altaville, Atwater, Big Oak Flat, Ceres, Citrus Heights, Discovery Bay, Fairfax, Fremont, Fresno, Hilmar, La Grange, Merced, Modesto, Murphys, Oakdale, Palo Alto, Ripon, Sacramento, San Jose, Tracy, Turlock, Waterford and Woodside.
A total of 162 works were accepted from the 436 entries. Curators from both galleries divide the accepted works, exhibiting half at the Mistlin Gallery and half at the Carnegie. The goal is to create the most meaningful viewing experience through comparison and juxtaposition of the works at each venue.
The judges for the 2017 Central California Art Showcase were Merced sculptor Cheryl Barnett, Fresno painter Dean Dallin, and San Jose photographer G. Dan Mitchell.
The winners for the 2017 Central California Art Showcase are:
Ø Best of Show:
Dean Chance (Sacramento), Mascot, graphite and gesso on paper
Ø Awards of Excellence:
Thomas Molletta (Oakdale), Impact, steel, copper and glass
Alex Walker (Modesto), Celestial Simulacrum, oil on canvas
Ø Awards of Distinction:
Abhilasha Natarajan (Tracy), Facing Norma, cast glass
Delbert Park (Tracy), The Cottages, oil on canvas
Dan Petersen (Ripon), Destination Emerald Bay, watercolor
Brian Swander (Modesto), Cocktails, oil on panel
Ø Awards of Merit:
Anna Barber (Ripon), Zebra Illusions, digital photograph
Steve Bauman (Modesto), Contemporary Tray, poplar wood and dyes
Stephanie Disch (Turlock), Rhinocerotidae (inspired by Ulisse Aldrovandi, 1522-1605), encaustic and oil on panel
William Harris (Modesto), Waiting, photograph
Ø Honorable Mention Awards:
Rita Barbano (Oakdale), Pink Doll, mixed media
Timothy Brown, Jr. (Turlock), Moth Duchess, mixed media
Don Hall (Turlock), Self-portrait after Bosch, acrylic on canvas
William Harris (Modesto), Yee-Ha, photograph
Sally Ruddy (Waterford), Rising Moon, oil on canvas
Richard Serros (Modesto), Stardust, oil on canvas
A reception for the artists will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday concurrently at both galleries. Awards will be presented in Modesto at 6:15 p.m. and in Turlock at 7:30 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.
