The Westport Arts Center is accepting artwork submissions for its annual juried group member’s exhibition, Perception Illusion MAGIC. After finding inspiration in love, food, and home over the past three years, the Westport Arts Center is calling artists to take inspiration from magic!
A work of art’s ability to transform perception is a powerful magic, moving us to reconsider the illusions in our daily realities. Artists are invited to submit work inspired by the alchemy of the aesthetic experience that moves the common objects and ordinary structures of our existence into the realm of the extraordinary. While providing a theme for the exhibition, the Arts Center always encourages artists to view the prompt as inspiration or point of departure, rather than set guidelines.
The themed member exhibitions have been consistently among the most surprising and diverting shows at the Arts Center. With over 200 entries per show, these juried shows provide a platform for local artists to engage and express themselves, exchange their ideas, and sell artwork. Through continued stimulation and growth of the local artist’s community the Westport Arts Center continues to generate a groundbreaking platform for Connecticut artists to exhibit their work.
“Moralists have always criticized art for its cavalier attitude to truth. But the true artist fools the mind, not just the eyes, which makes the mind think just a bit harder,” says Westport Arts Center Visual Arts Director Helen Klisser During. “The themed group exhibitions are always some of the most distinct shows at the Westport Arts Center. I have no doubt that our artist members will find new and creative ways to interpret the theme of magic.”
The Westport Arts Center has a tradition of inviting curators and directors from influential art institutions, including MASS MoCA, The Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Yale Art Gallery, to jury our annual members’ exhibitions. This year will be the first time the guest jurors come from the Chelsea art galleries in New York. “The powerhouse galleries, such as David Zwirner, Pace, and Gagosian represent the cutting edge of the art world, showcasing world class artists’ newest bodies of work,” says Klisser During. Jurors Elizabeth Koehn and Julia Mechtler hail from David Zwirner Gallery, NY. Prior to joining David Zwirner Gallery, Elizabeth spent three years working in Private Sales at Sotheby’s. Julia has a Masters in Visual Arts Administration from New York University and a BA in International Business from Oxford Brookes International Business School, Budapest.
Selected artists will be notified on Tuesday, November 4 at 5pm and their names will be posted on www.westportartscenter.org. Artists will be invited to discuss their work during Friday morning ArtCafés. The opening reception for Perception Illusion MAGIC will be held on November 21, 2014 at 6p.m. and the show will run till January 10, 2015. Perception Illusion MAGIC is sponsored by Susan Malloy.