RGA Opens 23rd Juried Art Show

RIDGEFIELD — Sixty-one works of art will be on display at Ridgefield Guild of Artists’ 23rd Annual Juried Show, which opens at the Guild barn on Sunday, October 8, with an artist’s reception running from 3 to 5 pm. The show will then remain on view through November 3.

The annual juried show has been a fixture of the local art establishment since 1978. The show attracts both established and emerging artists due to the high caliber of its jurors (past jurors have included the world-renowned artist Paul Cadmus and art critic John Russell) and the generous awards. In addition to cash prizes, all first place winners exhibit in a group show at the guild barn early in the following year.

This year’s juror was Gail Stavitsky, PhD, chief curator of Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, N.J. Ms Savistsky selected from nearly 350 pieces submitted by artists throughout the region. Her selections ranged from highly abstract to minutely representational images. She noted that the number of pieces entered in the graphics category was surprisingly high, yet found excellent works to accept from each of nine categories.

Donald McNeill of Ridgefield earned the Best in Show distinction with an untitled photograph of footprints at the shore, which Ms Stavitsky praised for its minimalism. Mr McNeill also received first place in the black-and-white photography category for a second untitled print.

Also among the winners this year is D.M. Duffy of Newtown, taking first place for oil painting with a piece titled “A Florentine Morning.” First place winners in other categories included acrylics, Bobbi Eike Mullen of Weston; water mediums, Bernard Marks of Danbury; mixed media, Rosalie Tisch of Redding; graphics, Anne Gorrick of Wallkill, N.Y.; sculpture, Natasha Cohen of Salisbury; and color photography, Zita Mercurio of Wilton.

The Ridgefield Guild of Artists studio is located on Halpin Lane, off Prospect Ridge in Ridgefield. Gallery hours are Thursday to Sunday, 1 to 5 pm. For more information, call 203/438-8863.