EXHIBITIONISTA: 37th Annual Northern National Art Competition

I am thrilled to show, “Hopes and Fears and…” in this exhibition at the  Nicolet College Art Gallery !

24.5 x 16.25″, textile samples, linen thread

The 37th Northern National Art Competition will be held in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, from June 13 – July 27, 2024, at the Nicolet College Art Gallery. Began in 1987, this show is a cooperative venture between Nicolet College Arts & Enrichment and the Northern Arts Council (NAC). The Northern National Art Competition strives to showcase a cross section of contemporary art in a variety of two-dimensional mediums. Each year, hundreds of artists nationwide submit work to be considered for inclusion in this exhibition, and the art is always both visually exciting and intellectually stimulating.

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CURATORIAL STATEMENT

Many people wonder what goes on in the selection process of a juror for an art competition. I suspect that most of the work to which a juror responds resonates with that person for a variety of reasons, and yet we are all programmed with certain pre-dispositions.

The numerous entries for the Northern National competition represented a huge range of work with about two-thirds being representational. My eye moved toward work in diverse media, work that had texture, and anything that found a way to address current environmental or global concerns with a certain indirectness.

I like to get a sense of both the pleasure and struggle in an art-making process. When an artist seems to reach, experiment, and allow their work to be less buttoned-up or seamlessly complete, it becomes infused with energy. Drawing, painting, and photography have dominated our realm for a long time. There is still much to be explored in these areas. But in the past decade or less, textiles and fiber art have fully entered into the contemporary art world, bringing a freshness of exploration and a reevaluation of histories. We can now look to craft traditions around the world and contemplate how they inspired later art movements, or how the domestic work and pastimes of women actually parallel the fine arts world more closely than we had previously allowed. We are in a time of diversification in the art world, where artists of color, women, and LBGTQ artists are addressing important issues of identity, cultural oppression, and the occlusions of history. And while this is going in, it is prying open ways of seeing the world and providing access to more means of expression to discuss pertinent issues.

The art world has never been better or more confused than it is now. We are called upon to think more broadly. If you are a landscape artist making beautiful watercolor paintings of rivers and fields, can you push your thinking? Can you ask yourself hard questions? Why am I making this? What does it mean? More importantly, what does it mean now, in the context of this era?

If you are a photographer seeking beauty in the sky or national parks, is there a way to address both the beauty and the dire needs of land conservancy and resource protection? Not all art needs to be political. But it should have a tug. It should nudge the viewer toward curiosity and wonder.”
Debra Brehmer

View the show!