If you have not had the chance to stop by the ACWL-Nuveen to view the adult and youth Juried Exhibition 2021 you have until April 24th to see this impressively diverse and extensive show. Thanks to support from Laura Schultz and Shelby State Bank, both our exhibition and retail galleries are full of artwork made by talented regional artisans of all ages.
For the adult division of the Juried Exhibition 2021, Juror, Courtney Jackson, Curator of Education at the Muskegon Museum of Art, selected artwork for the show from artists’ digital online submissions. In determining the cash awards for both the adult and youth divisions, Ms. Jackson viewed the entries in-person after the artwork was installed. ACWL-Nuveen Director Erin Peyer interviewed Ms. Jackson after she determined the award winners in both divisions and took notes. Below are the winners and some of Ms. Jackson’s comments.
Juried Exhibition Winners
1st Place: Cara O'Brien, Tree Tops (mixed media) – very notable for Cara’s overall construction, great attention to detail and natural color palette. The unique fired organic ceramic tree shapes used as a base made it stand out.
2nd Place: Christy De Hoog-
Johnson, Happy Go Lucky (48" x 46" mixed media and collage) – It was an exciting piece to look at with the collage elements creating a peekaboo effect drawing the viewer into the painting. So many small intimate details and marks within the mustard-colored ground, pulling you visually around and through the work.
3rd Place: Timothy Norris, The Black Dirt and the Black Sky (mixed media) – The piece was dynamic because of the overall texture and intriguingly simple geometric forms used to convey the profoundness of space.
Other award winners in the adult Juried Exhibition 2021 include:
ACWL-Nuveen Award: Catherine McClung, Free Time - watercolor
Honorable Mention: Diana Schultz, Good Medicine #1 – mixed-media
Taylor Mazer, Fumes? – pen & ink
Laurel Geis, Systems: Animal Vegetable Mineral series I – mixed-media
Youth Exhibition Winners
K-2
1st Place: Greta Seaver, 1st Grade, Homeschool - Snow Capped Mountains – Loved how the young artist used gel pens to create a sparkly snowcapped mountain scene.
3-5
1st Place: Ella Evans, 5th Grade, Oehrli Elementary School - Sunset with Trees – There is a woodblock vibe to this artwork that also displays a strong color palette reminiscent of the painter Mark Rothko.
2nd Place: Elliot Seaver, Battle
3rd Place: Amelia Liskey, Feeling Good
Honorable Mention: Fiona Seaver, Friendly Forest
6-8
1st Place: Ashlynn Kafka, 8th Grade, Whitehall Middle School - Evenings – Beautiful and serene, the artist obviously took her time painting many layers and details. Felt like a Bob Ross painting.
2nd Place: Lilly Hopkins, Star
3rd Place: Sova Jones, Alien Fun
Honorable Mention: Annie Muller, Embracing Beauty
Greta Seaver Ella Evans Ashlynn Kafka
9-12
1st Place: Aiden Hacker, 11th Grade – Reeths-Puffer High School -Free Oil from CPI - Very reminiscent of Picasso’s cubist collage period. The artist has skillfully created a personal creative language using cardboard, paper, book pages and spray paint.
2nd Place: Kennedy Hynde,
Light Within the Darkness
3rd Place: August Hawley,
This Desert is Me
Honorable Mention: Kody Koeller,
Self-Portrait
Ellie Keessen, Liberation
Lea Siefert, Dancing on the Line Between Pain & Perfection
ACWL-Nuveen Awards
Audrey White, 12th Grade, Mona Shores High School, Bug Bites in the Summer
Axel Franzon, The Giant
Suknit Saini, Spirit
Teegan Day, The Girl with a Bun
The award winners in each category were celebrated during a small socially-distanced Facebook Live event on Saturday, March 20th – which can be accessed here. We really encourage you to view the exhibit before April 24th to experience all of the incredible artwork up close and in person - it is definitely worth the visit!
The ACWL-Nuveen is open Tuesday - Friday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. We are located at 106 E. Colby St. Whitehall, MI 49461
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