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‘Elements of Renewal’ exhibit on display at Carnegie
Elements of Renewal
Larry Lew’s color photograph, “Spring Runoff,” won the grand prize in the Elements of Renewal juried exhibition now on display at the Carnegie Arts Center.

The story of Turlock’s Carnegie Arts Center is one of renewal and renaissance. From the ashes of fire in 2005, a new entity was born in 2011. In celebration of the 10th anniversary season, a juried exhibition featuring representations of the four elements: earth, water, air and fire opened this week.

For centuries, these four archetypal elements have been used to explain the nature of all matter. Many ancient cultures—Greece, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, Japan, Tibet—had similar understandings. These elements each carry unique properties and symbolic meanings. At some level, all may be seen to have a relationship to the concept of rebirth and growth:

· Earth is the physical matter, the terrestrial world and the changing seasons; this extends to representations of mother nature and fertility.

· Water is a source of life, and is often associated with the qualities of imagination and intuition; it can also be a purifier and the giver of new life.

· Air can represent wind and weather, as well as the breath and the spirit in all living things; to start anew we may “breathe life” into something.

· Fire is the element of passion and energy, but it is also included in myths of purification and rebirth – like the phoenix – where destruction and growth go hand-in-hand.

Artists from throughout California were invited to submit their work for this juried exhibition. Fifty works were selected by juror Dr. Hope Werness, Professor Emerita, CSU Stanislaus Art Department, author of “The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art and The Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art.” The exhibition covers a wide variety of media including painting, photography, glass, ceramics, fiber arts, prints, drawings and collage.

AWARDS

Grand Prize $500: Larry Lew, Spring Runoff, color photograph

Awards of Merit $250: Ann Bailey, Piecing it Back Together – California Wildfires, mixed media painting; Carolyn Lord, February Aqueduct, oil on linen

Honorable Mentions $50:

·         Sean Alcala, Elemental Crisis, kiln-formed glass

·         Linda Cararie-Marble, Rain Drop, color photograph

·         Scott Lundgren, Sunset Irrigation, color photograph

·         Cheryl Martin, Paradise Point, mixed media

·         Michael Souza, Ascend/Descend, pencil on paper

ARTISTS INCLUDED IN THE EXHIBITION:

Sean Alcala, Salida

Ann Bailey, Turlock

Anna Barber, Ripon

Linda Blackwell, Turlock

Linda Cararie-Marble, Oakdale

Tommi Lou Carosella, Modesto

Susan Conner, Altaville

Randy Crimmel, Modesto

Jennifer Fosgate, Merced

Barbara Gill, Modesto

Don Hall, Turlock

Carolyn Huff, Modesto

Kate Jackson, Merced

Alexander Kelley, Los Banos

Kristin Kessey, Ahwahnee

Carol LaMott, Denair

Jennifer Landau, San Francisco

Alice Lessard, Merced

Larry Lew, Modesto

Tanya Lin, San Francisco

Carolyn Lord, Livermore

Scott Lundgren, Turlock

Cheryl Martin, Turlock

Cathy McCrery-Cordle, Coarsegold

Annie Hopkins Milne, Los Angeles

Jessica Polly, Turlock

Alexander Quinones, Modesto

Tara Schendel, Turlock

Claudia Silva-Doo, Aptos

Michael Souza, Turlock

Henrietta Sparkman, Modesto

JC Strote, Lodi

Louise Sugiyama, Manteca

Leslie Thompson, Oakdale

Evan Young, Sonora