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September 2005: Fall Riches at Art Center Sarasota
 Fall.
Northerners, like the migratory birds they are named for, plan their
descent on Florida. Nights dip below 80 degrees, and we locals notice the
subtle changes heralding autumn--including the ramping up of the season’s
social and cultural calendar. This year, a group show by Women
Contemporary Artists, a regional all-women professional arts group, kicks
off the 2005-2006 exhibition season at Art Center Sarasota.
The show, picked by juror Jonas Howard, consists of over 100 works in a
wide variety of mediums. Sculpture makes a strong showing with a number of
mixed-media and ceramic pieces. Two-dimensional works range from
photographs to watercolor, oil to collage. Stylistically the work reflects
the varying histories and influences of the 200-strong arts group.
“It is exciting and rewarding to see so much good work, in such a variety
of styles and mediums, but it makes a juror’s job more taxing.” Noted
Howard, who lives and paints in Sarasota. “I tried to find objective
reasons for eliminating a work, and conversely reasons for awarding prizes
– the most difficult part as many are deserving. In all cases I attempted
to use critical judgment rather than my own personal taste.” Howard was
Dean of Arts & Letters as well as Chair of the Fine Arts Department for 25
years at Indiana University SE.
 Exhibition
Winners.
First place went to Kim Northrop, for “Preludes and Nocturnes.” The
painting has a dark tonality, with jewel-like fragments of color, text and
images percolating out of dream-like spaces. The poetry in the piece—meant
to evoke myth-- references the voodoo character Baron Samedi.
Contemporary Realist Kathleen Piunti and Photographer Judy Kramer took 2nd
and 3rd place, with “Zito’s Bakery” and “Studio Door” respectively.
“Zito’s Bakery” shows Piunti’s flair for the play of light and shade to
define forms with muscular vitality. Kramer’s “Studio Door” shows her fine
eye for the forgotten.
Honorable Mentions went to Julie Trigg for “City Cats” with it’s inventive
use and black and white and expressive narrative, Jacqueline Cully for
“Summer,” a fiery abstract piece referencing the cryptic spaces of
modernism and Sandy Fricke for her evocative mixed-media sculpture
“Florida Series 2.”
The show continues through October 14th. The Art Center is located at 707
Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 AM to 4
PM. 365-3032.
Women Contemporary Artists is a strong regional organization of vibrant
professional women dynamically engaged in the visual fine arts. For more
information about WCA or the exhibiting artists visit the website at
www.womencontemporaryartists.com
Art Center Sarasota proudly presents the community with a broad spectrum
of workshops, exhibits, classes, and arts education programming in the
visual arts, led by respected and nationally known professionals, and
emphasizing the work of living artists. For more information on Art Center
Sarasota please visit the website at
http://www.artsarasota.org/
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