A piercing portrait of loss, a sensual wall of flowers, enigmatic dangling strips of gelatin and an image of a middle-aged couple on a beach that comes to life are among the 49 works in the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh’s 107th Annual Exhibition.
The show continues through Jan. 26 at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg.
Richard Harydzak’s oversized painting “Loss,” of a man clasping his head, epitomizes anguish and pain.
Cara Livorio pays homage to and challenges the tradition of still life painting in “Flourish,” part of her B(L)OOM! series featuring “un-still lives.” An explosion of color, form and texture, it was purchased by the museum’s Westmoreland Society for its collection.
Haylee Ebersole’s eight elongated, dehydrated and crystallized gelatin forms have fanciful as well as ominous quality. The title, “flow freely / downspouts,” invites interpretations of physical or emotional release.
Christopher Ruane raises the bar of his ongoing visual philosophical explorations via an overlay of media referred to as “augmented reality.” The couple in the painting “Greetings from the Columbus Villa” become animated when viewed through a tablet (museum provided), expanding the storytelling of a single digital image to poignant effect.
The show’s juror, Juana Williams, “went with this idea of curiosity,” said Madeline Gent, AAP’s executive director.
Ms. Williams, who is exhibitions curator for the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Mich., selected the works from more than 500 submissions. In her juror’s statement she writes of people’s innate ability to connect and find meaning in visual expression, and presents a variety of modes and media to feed that engagement.
“In each work, there is an interesting aspect that is not obviously understood, either visually, thematically or materially, encouraging the viewer to consider multiple perspectives,” she writes.
A diversity of voice contributes to the conversations.
Among those are longtime anchors of the local art community including fiber artist Louise Silk whose “Three Seraphim” comprise “mantles representing spiritual entities” and Ellen Chisdes Neuberg, proprietor of the former GalleriE CHIZ, with a large acrylic abstract, “Disturbing the Status Quo.”
Three woks are by artists born outside the U.S.: the painting “Candyman” by Colombian native Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer and mixed-media works “Crouching Woman Rocky Mountain” by Alejandro Jiminez Fiez, who was born in Ecuador, and “Amber Threads” by Tazim Jaffer, who spent his childhood in colonial Africa and has exhibited internationally for four decades.
Four installations were exhibited at the Seton Hill University Arts Center in Greensburg earlier in the show’s run. They were by Jason Boone, Terrence Boyd, Sarika Goulatia and Grant McFarland.
For the first time, the annual’s juror was brought in multiple times to meet with artists and “have more sustained conversations,” Ms. Gent said. It’s part of her plan to expand professional opportunities for artist members through exposure to a breadth of curatorial practice and network-building.
“I’m trying to formalize the time the jurors come and are in town. I really think it is important for artists to network and to get face time with these jurors.”
The AAP, which was established in 1910 and has more than 500 members, makes claim to being the oldest and largest visual arts group in the country and having the longest continuing survey exhibition of regional art.
Membership is open to any visual artist over the age of 18 who resides or maintains a studio within a 150-mile radius of Pittsburgh. The 2020 new members screening has opened and continues through Jan. 8 Jurors are affiliated with STABLE D.C., an artist studio program and exhibition space in Washington. Information: www.aapgh.org.
The Westmoreland is at 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. An inaugural seasonal display, “Winter Lights,” illuminates the grounds from 4:30 until 11:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. An artists talk will be given Jan. 16 by Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer, Nancy McNary-Smith and Katie Ott (free but registration requested). Information: https://thewestmoreland.org or 724-837-1500.
First Published: December 13, 2019, 1:00 p.m.