Paramount Theatre Lobby Gallery

Many Changes this Year! And it’s gonna be good!

Visual Arts Minnesota will present its 13th Annual Essential Art Exhibition & Celebration, which will be the only adult juried art show presented by the organization during this upcoming year.

This annual exhibit has been a great opportunity to exhibit 1-2 pieces of art from top artists from throughout Minnesota. This year, Visual Arts Minnesota would like to see it as not a competition, as in year’s past, but as a celebration of excellence in the visual arts!

The exhibition will run from January 7 – February 14, 2012, with an art reception on Friday, January 11, from 6:30 – 8:30pm. The reception will feature a performance by local performing artists, as well as a presentation by the juror, with an award ceremony.

Christopher Atkins is coordinator of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, a unique curatorial program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts dedicated to exhibiting Minnesota artists. He has been an adjunct lecturer at College of Visual Arts, Minneapolis College of Art & Design, and Macalester College where he taught courses on museum studies and contemporary art. He has curated and juried numerous independent exhibitions and co-developed “MCAD@MIA”, an annual site-specific collaboration with MCAD students.
He holds MRes & MA degrees in Visual Cultures from Goldsmiths College, University of London and a B.A., History of Art from the College of Wooster.

The juror for the exhibition is curator and arts writer, Christopher Atkins, of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ program Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program. We have used him as a presenter in previous programs, but would love to have his input on artists from greater Minnesota (since that is the primary artist pool that we attract.)

The artwork accepted into the exhibit will be primarily 2D and 3D work, featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture and ceramics. Artists from throughout Minnesota will be invited to submit, and approximately 35 pieces will be featured.

By having a reception in the Paramount Theatre, we will be able to discuss the art exhibit winners, in a large scale. The presentation will be a large scale slide show allowing for the audience of artists and supporters, to see and understand the point of view of the juror (which is always subject to opinion and discourse.)

This form is a response to come and celebrate during the Essential Art Celebration, January 11, 2013!  (not for registering your work)

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Central MN Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.