Opening the Horizons

Exciting things are happening at the Arts Center! The Tidewater Arts Alliance is the oldest visual artist’s organization in Hampton Roads. The annual exhibition is hosted by various arts centers and galleries in the Tidewater area and we warmly welcome it to The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center.

 We are pleased to present three different exhibitions featuring artworks by Tidewater Arts Alliance members.

Lesley Hildreth: Cobwebs and Curios

This show features drawings, paintings and ceramic sculpture by Lesley Hildreth. She is one of the top award winners during the 2014-2015 series of three juried exhibitions and one Member’s exhibition held annually.

Tidewater Arts Alliance Recent Award Winners

A small group show that spotlights recent Tidewater Arts Alliance award recipients including Yvonne Wilson Boone, Mike Brewer, Susan Burgoyne, Doug Clarke, Ivy Garrenton, Dianne Hottenstein, Mark Miltz, Meera Rao, Jim Whalen and Jenny Windsor. Each of these artists will each be showing two works in a variety of art media.

Tidewater Arts Alliance Open Horizons Juried Exhibition

This is a juried exhibition open to both Tidewater Arts Alliance members and non-members.      

Meet the Juror

Mark Lewis, Art Conservator at the Chrysler Museum of Art.  On jurying, Mark Lewis says, “Art is subjective. In artworks, I am drawn to visionary creativity, talent, and relentless persistence. I appreciate traditional craftsmanship and a mastery of materials.  In my job as a conservator, I look at great artwork all day, every day and that has trained my eyes to evaluate and judge; but in the end it all comes back to subjective taste”. As the juror, Lewis believes that every piece selected to be in this exhibition has real merit and that each art-work earned its place here.

“I don’t view art as a competition; it’s more like a feast. I chose these works because they all appealed to my tastes. It was difficult to select the works I judged to be the most outstanding, because everything on view is a meaningful glimpse into how these artists view the world and feel about it.”

The artwork that had the largest impact on Lewis was those that incorporated a creative vision, keen observations and mastery of traditional technical skills. He chose 82 artworks by 45 artists, selected from 140 entries by 45 artists to be in the exhibition and the awards.

Congratulations to all of the participants in this year’s 

Tidewater Arts Alliance: Open Horizons Juried Exhibition!

Award

First Place – and the Fat Lady Finally Sang, Ceramic by Lesley Hildreth

Second Place – Ashlyn, Ceramic by Mike Brewer

Third Place – Burning Barrel, Bogue Inlet, Acrylic by Ed Obermeyer

Special Award

Prodigal Clown, Clay and Underglaze by John Tobin

Mechanicsville Landscape, Acrylic by Joann Sybil Lawson

Honorable Mention

Misty Path of Dartmoor, Oil by Shirley Lu

From My Father, Photograph by Dave Chance