Tonight we had the opening reception for the Gimme Shelter exhibition, in which all participants were given a house shaped board (or downloadable template) to use as the starting point for an artwork that addressed the theme of home. We ended up with 92 artworks overall in a wide variety of media, including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics, glass, and even digital video. Artworks by adult/professional artists (69 pieces) were displayed all around the perimeter of the front room gallery, as shown above.
Unlike most of our exhibitions, this one also included a special section to display work by students ages 6 through 18. These 22 works were displayed on both sides of racks in the center of the room, above and below.
Plus we ended up with one house on the refreshment table in the back room.
Visitors started pouring through the front door as soon as the reception began, and over the course of the evening we easily reached triple digits in attendance. There was much admiration for the many creative approaches the artists took with both materials and the theme.
As people enjoyed the exhibition, they were entertained by the experimental jazz trio We Used to Cut the Grass (a trio that sometimes included a saw), and had the opportunity to vote for their favorite works in the exhibition.
At 7:30 pm, with 100% of the vote counted, the following prize winners were announced:
1st Place
Erin Gilliam
What's Your Fire?
mixed media
2nd Place
Eric Valosin
Untitled
digital video/acrylic
3rd Place
Elizabetta Roberts
Womb Improvement
mixed media
Student Award
John Clodfelter
The Studio
oil paint
Student Award
Hanifa Abdul Hamid
Untitled
mixed media
Student Award
Rebecca Schwartzstein
Untitled
mixed media
Proceeds from the Gimme Shelter exhibition will benefit the Affordable Housing Alliance and the BAC Housing Help Program. The show remains open during regular gallery hours through March 23, 2012. Admission is free.
