2015 is here and the Belmar Arts Council is back open for business. As in recent years, we started the new year with a member salon exhibition. All current members could pay the fee and place one or two pieces in the show, which has the title and theme "You Are What You Eat." We had 23 member artists decide to participate, providing 31 food themed artworks that fill our front gallery. As usual, there is incredible diversity in the represented mediums- painting, collage, photography, mixed media, fibers, pastels, ink drawing, printmaking, and found objects/trash.
Because this is a Salon style show, as part of the opening reception each artist was invited to speak for a few minutes about their piece- the story behind it, process, etc. They could also take questions if any came their way.
Art about food is fairly common- it's part of our daily lives- but many of the artists were able to discuss personal and cultural connections to the subjects of their pieces. If nothing else, food subjects can provide means to explore color, shape, texture, pattern, and other formal artistic issues, plus maybe provide a snack when you're done.
We are estimating that we had a little over 100 people in attendance, which is more than we would typically expect for a winter show with 23 artists, but part of this show was that the participants were asked to bring food related to that depicted in their artworks. Spam, Mac & Cheese, and Tomato Soup can be seen in both the art above, and the food table below. Put out free food and people will show up.
Meanwhile, the back room is displaying favorite works from some long time members, part of a nice atmosphere enjoyed by many after the Salon portion of the evening was over.
The You Are What You Eat exhibition will remain on display through February 27, 2015. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 5 pm, and admission is free.
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