Artists With Disabilities Encouraged To Enter New Juried Exhibition

BRIDGEPORT — The Kennedy Center is partnering with Housatonic Museum of Art and The Barnum Festival to sponsor the first juried art show of its kind in the region, “Visions from the Heart – An Exhibition of Artists with Disabilities.”

The new exhibition, organized by three non-profit organizations, will be held in June and July at Housatonic Museum of Art.

“Our goals are to showcase the creativity and talent of artists with disabilities and to enable the general public to have opportunities to have more access to and appreciation of this wonderful art,” said Martin D. Schwartz, president and CEO of The Kennedy Center. “We also are organizing this major new event in celebration of our 55th anniversary.”

The Kennedy Center is a nationally accredited, non-profit, community-based rehabilitation organization that serves over 1,500 individuals with disabilities annually. The agency supports a well-recognized art therapy program, which includes talented artists with disabilities who have their art work featured in the “Unique Perspective” calendar.

This juried exhibition will showcase the art works of Connecticut and surrounding area artists with disabilities. First, second and third place cash prizes will be awarded to participating artists recognized for their exceptional artistic ability. In addition, three honorable mentions will be awarded.

The deadline for entry applications is May 8 and artists will be notified of their acceptance into the show in late May.  Two- and three-dimensional work will be accepted, but no works larger than 30 by 40 inches can be entered. The entry fee is $25 for three slides or photographs of artwork completed between 2001 and 2006.

Jurors for the exhibition are Margaret Bodell, who has owned and run galleries in New York City and Connecticut showcasing outsider and contemporary art for 20 years; Margaret P. Anderson, who has been a professional appraiser of fine art for over 25 years; and Kelly Futerer Gingras, the owner of Outsiders Art Gallery/Museum in Litchfield, the agent-owner of TheOutsidersArt.com and HandForgedArt.com, and a consultant and appraiser of outsider and visionary art.

The art exhibition will run from Friday, June 23 through Friday, July 28 at The Housatonic Museum of Art. 

For more information about art submissions and entry applications, call Lois Gerety at The Kennedy Center at 203-332-4535 extension 240.

Artists may visit any of the following websites to download an entry application: BarnumFestival.com, TheKennedyCenterInc.org or HousatonicMuseum.org.