On the evening of January 19, Cline House Gallery held an opening reception for their first juried art show, bringing together a large crowd despite heavy snowfall. The 2023 Best in Show Prize was awarded to Ben Benedict of Akwesasne, who submitted a black walnut sculpture “Defying Gravity”.
“This is the first time that we have hosted a juried show at the Cline House Gallery, and we were overwhelmed by the number of artists who submitted work for consideration. We know this is in part thanks to the generous sponsorship by Desjardins Financial of the Best in Show Prize ($1000.00) and we are grateful for their support of the visual arts in our community,” said Emily MacLeod, Visual Arts Coordinator.
Three Jurors’s Choice prizes were also awarded at the reception, to Frank Mulvey of Montreal, Francois Desjardins of Alexandria, and Roger Mattiuz of Ingleside.
Jurors included artists Laurie Sponagle, Leslie Corbay and Sean George.
Most artists included in the show are from the SD&G area, with some from Kingston, Montreal, and Ottawa.
“The number of artists and the distance they traveled to deliver work for this show is an indication of the limited number of opportunities for artists to enter work in non-commercial galleries in this region,” added MacLeod, “A juried show offers exposure and accreditation to artists who are looking to develop their artist CV (resume).”
The 2023 Annual Juried Show is on display at Cline House Gallery until February 25th. The gallery is open Thursday to Saturday, 10-4.
