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Annual Manatee County Schools K-12 Exhibit

ArtCenter Manatee Welcomes the Annual Manatee County School District K-12 Exhibit
March 22 – April 8, Opening Reception March 24, 5-7pm

ArtCenter Manatee once again joins with the School District of Manatee County to showcase the work of K-12 visual arts students.  In Manatee County, we’re fortunate to have a Board of Education that has made a continued commitment to teaching the visual arts in its elementary, middle and high schools. By partnering with ArtCenter Manatee, that commitment is furthered by giving these young artists a ‘voice’ – three museum-quality galleries – where their work can be professionally displayed and where the artists can receive positive recognition by a wider audience.

According to the National Arts in Education Association, learning to paint, create a website or design an energy-efficient home requires mastering skills which are often invisible to the naked eye, but are developed through a strong visual arts education. In Manatee County, we’re fortunate to have a Board of Education that has made a continued commitment to teaching the visual arts in its elementary, middle and high schools.

ArtCenter Manatee offers the gallery space and marketing to help these budding artists get their due. Winning entries will be determined by a juror who will select among the best in each of four grade ranges: K-2, 3-6, 5-8 and 9-12.

For many students, it will be their first experience in preparing their work for display. And certainly, for pricing their work with an eye to selling it. For most students it will also the first time they have ever been to an art gallery. The experience will give students real world experience in the process of preparing artwork for exhibit, and the lessons they learn will stay with them throughout their lives.

With the help of our community, and the many students who participate, it is sure to be even better that last year’s exhibit. The opening reception, will be on Thursday, March 24th from 5:00-7:00pm. Light, kid-appropriate snacks and beverages will be served. Exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

We hope you’ll join us for this celebration of art by our students. Who knows, the work of the next Picasso may be on display.

 

 

45th Annual Southern Watercolor Society Exhibit

Hide and Seek by Soon Warren

Hide and Seek by Soon Warren

On Display: Apr 12-May 13

The 45th Annual Juried Exhibition of the Southern Watercolor Society (SWS) is a must-see show. Selections (108) were made from a field of approximately 200 watercolor paintings representing artists from 19 southern states. The artists and their work present a compelling story of life, from portraits to street scenes and landscapes to abstracts.

Ken Call, the juror, has achieved signature status with AWS, NWS, MTWS, MOWS, IWS and has won numerous awards including 30 National and International Best in Shows, and his work has been featured in Watercolor Artist, American Artist Watercolor and most recently, the March issue of The Art of Watercolour.

Founded in 1975, the Southern Watercolor Society, a nonprofit corporation, formed to elevate the stature of watercolor and educate the public to the significance of watercolor as an important creative and permanent painting medium. They are dedicated to the highest aesthetic standards.

The 45st Annual Juried Exhibition will be on display in all three galleries of ArtCenter Manatee from April 12th through May 13th, a fitting venue for a beautiful show. The Opening Reception will be Thursday, April 14th from 5:00-7:00pm. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. The exhibit is sponsored by Bradenton Arts and Culture.

SWS Cash Awards
Best of Show $2,000 Soon Warren
Platinum $1,750 Chris Krupinski
Gold $1,500 Dean Mitchell
Silver $1,250 Pat Holscher
Bronze $1,000 Lynn Callahan
Georg Shook $500 Anne Abgott
Sapphire $450 Judy Nunno
Watercolor of Alabama $250 Michael Holter
Georgia Watercolor $250 Don Whitson
Potomac Valley WC $250 Matthew Bird
Virginia Watercolor $250 Z. Feng
SWS Merchandise Awards
Golden Colors $250 Beverly Yankwitt
Jack Richeson & Co #1 $150 Rebecca Mentz
Jack Richeson & Co #2 $150 Teresa Kirk
Jack Richeson & Co #3 $150 Alicia Farris
Airfloat $150 Xi Guo
Holbein  #1 $123 Kathy Simon-McDonald
Holbein  #2 $100 Tracy Hebert
Ampersand $100 Tuva Stephens
PH Martins #1 $100 Gwen Kodad
PH Martins #2 $100 Stacy Lund Levy
PH Martins #3 $100 Connie Tucker
PH Martins #4 $100 David Allen
PH Martins #5 $100 Sherry Allen
PH Martins #6 $90 David Hoque
PH Martins #7 $90 Lori Pitten Jenkins
PH Martins #8 $90 Susan Stuller
PH Martins #9 $90 Larry Hughes
Creative Catalyst $70 Janine Helton

American Watercolor Society 154th International Traveling Exhibit

Catnapping by Kim Johnson, AWS

American Watercolor Society 154th International Traveling Exhibition
Kellogg Gallery
February 8-March 18, 2022
$5 Admission

Opening Reception: February 10, 5:00-7:00
Masks Required. Refreshments served outside.

ArtCenter Manatee is honored to present the 154th Annual Traveling Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society International Exhibition featuring the work of 40 pre-eminent water media artists from around the world. Experience the world-class talent and enjoy this jewel in downtown Bradenton. $5 admission per person helps to cover the cost of bringing this prestigious exhibition to ArtCenter Manatee, one of only three venues in the country and the only in Florida.

The exhibit will also feature a slide show of the entries not included in the traveling exhibit for a more immersive art experience.

Also on display will be the Annuals Show by Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society (FSWS). The Opening Reception is free and open to the public. M-F-S 9-5, T-W-Th 9-6. Closed Sunday.

The American Watercolor Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious art societies in the world. Indeed, election to the Society as a Signature Member is one of the most sought-after honors in the painting world. AWS Membership comprises many of the greatest names in painting throughout the Society’s history and includes (to name drop a few) the American impressionist Childe Hassam, regionalists Edward Hopper and Charles Burchfield, plus virtually every member of the important “California School” of watercolorists, and everyone in between, up to and including the late Andrew Wyeth.

AWS’s annual Exhibition is one of the most revered watercolor exhibits in the world. More than 1,200 artists from throughout the United States and 27 foreign countries submit their work to a panel of jurors chosen from Signature Members of the AWS. Of these submissions, 150 paintings are selected for the exhibition. Forty paintings from the show are selected for the Traveling Exhibition, which tours museums and galleries across the country during the next year.

While inclusion in this exhibition is itself an honor, participants also compete for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals of Honor, and other awards and medals totaling more than $44,000 in prize money.

 

Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society (FSWS) 2022

Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society
Annual Show
Searle & Reid Hodges Galleries

On Display: Feb 8 – Mar 18, 2022

Opening Reception: February 10, 5:00-7:00
Masks Required. Refreshments served outside.

The Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society (FSWS) was formed in 1983 and has more than 200 members, many of whom have achieved statewide and national recognition for their work; it serves members who live along the Florida Gulf Coast. FSWS was formed in 1983 to foster the advancement of and promote excellence in the art of watercolor painting. Their intent is to inform and educate through exhibitions, lectures and painting demonstrations as to the best work currently being done in watercolor.

Frank Spino & Susanna Spann: Charisma of Color

On display January 4 – February 4

Frank Spino Artist Statement

God presents us with a magnificent, fascinating and diverse world. There is beauty in every prismatic ray of sunlight that shines through every drop of dew at sunrise.

Can I capture one fleeting moment of time? Can I suspend it forever inside a picture frame? That’s my quest.

Strong light, rich color and plastic form call me to paint. I feel a deep need to create dimension – to model 3D objects on 2D surfaces. This follows my first love – drawing. Though now I am able to model in color what once I could only capture in shades of grey.

My paintings are an attempt to depict what it is that stirs my soul so.

Susanna Spann Artist Statement

Music and dance have always been a big part of my life giving me much joy. For the past few years I have been including these images in my paintings.

All of the people in the Musician Series are musicians that I have had the pleasure of hearing and seeing perform either locally or on trips to New Orleans or Colorado.

The paintings from the Waterdancing Series are from the Gulf of Mexico, bayous, and bays around my home in Cortez, Florida. The movement of water and its currents reminds me of the rhythms of various dances.

ACM Member Show

Promise of Clouds, Member exhibit

Promise of Clouds by JoAnn Thomas, First Place

A member only, all media, juried exhibition
Searle & Reid Hodges Galleries
Jan 4 – Feb 4, 2022

Jan 6 Opening Reception: 5:00-7:00 MASKS REQUIRED – no exceptions.
Refreshments will be served outside and will not be allowed in the ArtCenter.

We’re delighted to feature the work of our very talented members in this annual, all media juried exhibit. Each member may enter up to 3 pieces. If you are not currently a member, an individual membership is available for $60 for one full year. Cash awards.

Juror: Jamie Tracy, Assistant Dean, Professor Humanities, Arts & Letters, State College of Florida

Juror Statement: The quality of work was impressive and diverse. I found myself appreciating the experience as a patron of the arts not as a juror. This made for an enjoyable first hour or so to my day. Themes began to reveal themselves to me. The number of abstract or non-representational paintings all appeared intentional and sensitive to color and composition. Figurative work had a balance between realism and stylized abstraction that was genuine and thoughtful. 3-dimensional work was expert craftsmanship at it’s best. Skill above all is on display in this exhibition.  

As I began to select work for the exhibition and subsequent award winners, I moved work around the rooms. I wanted to see how the digital submissions and new pieces looked together. I began building visual relationships between multiple groupings. That led me to the thought of who the artists are and how they are all connected. That link is Art Center Manatee. Art Center Manatee is a tremendous facility that has presented not only a member’s show but a group exhibition that is reflective of our community.  

On display in these galleries, is art and artists of different backgrounds that have come together through the passion of creation to demonstrate how dedication to your craft will lead to something extraordinary. 

Thank you for allowing me a glimpse into your community. 

Holiday Extravaganza

 

November 23-December 28, 2021, Searle Gallery. Opening Reception Dec 2, 4:30-6:30

We invite you to visit our galleries during the Holiday Extravaganza and view hundreds of handcrafted ornaments in clay, wood, glass, metal, basket weaving, glass, wire wrap, egg, fabric, and mosaic as well as holiday decor, including wreaths! The ornaments and decor are not included in the ArtFul Holidays Party & Sale on Dec 2, 4:30-6:30 & Dec 3 & 4, 9:00- 5:00 in the LiveArtFully Market.

Hours: MFS 9:00-5:00, TWTh 9:00-6:00. Closed Sunday.

Small But Mighty/Off the Wall

 

Reservations by Sheryl Unwin, scratchboard

An Open, All Media, Juried Show

On Display Nov 23-Dec 28
Reid Hodges Gallery

Opening Reception Dec 2, 4:30-6:30

An all media open juried show with a twist or two. The only requirement for entry into this exhibit is that all pieces must be 12” x 12” or smaller (framed or unframed). Another twist, buyers will be able to take their newly acquired artwork right off the wall and will not have to wait for the exhibit to end to retrieve their purchases!

Juror: Jason Stockman
Jason Stockman is a ceramic artist and Assistant Professor of Studio Art at State College of Florida. With the architecture program in High School ending, he took his first ceramics class, and like many others’ stories, it was love at first touch. After receiving his BFA from Adrian College, MI in 2007 he graduated in 2011 with his MFA in Ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Directly following graduate school, Jason continued in the academic world, becoming an Assistant Professor at a small liberal arts college in Ohio.  After four years it was time for a change, so he moved to Florida for a warmer lifestyle that allows those long walks on the beach.

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ArtCenter Manatee
209 9th St West
Bradenton, FL 34205

MFS 9-5, TWTh 9-6. Closed Sunday

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