Announcing the Winners of the Central California Arts Showcase

On view at the Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock and Mistlin Gallery, Modesto

April 1 through May 8, 2015

A unique exhibition is opening April 1st at the two premier arts agencies in Stanislaus County: the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock and the Central California Art Association’s Mistlin Gallery in Modesto.

Anne Pinkowski
Strapped
neon and found objects BEST IN SHOW

This exhibition takes the place of each institution’s annual Spring Juried Art Show and, in the second annual cooperative effort, presents the area’s finest work in a variety of artistic media.  To see the show in its entirety, visitors must see the works on display at both galleries.

Working with a single panel of jurors, 129 works were accepted from the 375 entries. Curators from both galleries have divided the accepted works, hanging approximately half at the Mistlin Gallery and half at the Carnegie. The goal was to create the most meaningful viewing experience through comparison and juxtaposition of the works at each venue.

The exhibition is also unique in that the galleries have eliminated jurying by category. Rather than dividing entries by media or subject matter, the committee developing the showcase made it open to entries in all media with awards presented regardless of category. In addition to Best of Show, two Awards of Excellence, four Awards of Distinction, four Awards of Merit and six Honorable Mentions will be designated. Cash awards this year total $3,500, with the Best of Show sponsored by Mistlin Honda.

The judging panel selected Strapped, a neon and found object sculpture by Anne Pinkowski of San Leandro, as the Best of Show; it will be featured at the Carnegie Arts Center. A complete list of award winners is included below. Judges for the exhibition and awards were Karen Kienzle, Director, Palo Alto Arts Center; Dennis Lewis, Artist & Educator, Fresno; Ronda Schaer, Owner, RAS Galleries, Napa.

The exhibition includes pieces by 72 artists from throughout the greater Central California region, including Turlock, Modesto, Altaville, Ceres, Copperopolis, Coulterville, Cressey, Fairfax, Groveland, La Grange, Livermore, Mariposa, Merced, Oakdale, Oakland, Ripon, Sacramento, San Andreas, San Francisco, San Leandro, Tracy, Valley Springs, and Woodside.

A reception for the artists will take place on April 2, from 5-9 p.m. concurrently at both galleries. Awards will be presented in Modesto at 6 p.m. and in Turlock at 7:30 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. The Carnegie Arts Center will hold a free gallery talk on Sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. featuring several of the award-winning artists.

 Best of Show

Anne Pinkowski (San Leandro)

Strapped

Neon and found objects

2 Awards of Excellence

Frank Ayala (Merced)

Acoustic Blues

Oil on hardboard

Edward Chance (Sacramento)

Striped Shirt Mannequin

Oil and oil-based enamel on canvas 

4 Awards of Distinction 

Tyler Abshier (Modesto)

Maze and Martin Luther King

Oil on canvas

Dale Konow (La Grange)

Roll Top Desk

Mesquite wood, tooled leather, ebony and ivory

Larry Lew (Ceres)

Hollow Form

Carob wood with turquoise

Dan Petersen (Ripon)

High Sierra Slide

Watercolor

4 Awards of Merit

Don Hall

Self-portrait, Still Life, Landscape, Abstract Painting

Acrylic on canvas

Tom Rudholm (Modesto)

Standing Cabinet

Narra, poplar and ebony woods

Anthony Tomao (Modesto)

Pontiacs

Acrylic on canvas

James verDoorn (Merced)

Depth of Darkness

Digital composition

7 Honorable Mentions

Rita Barbano (Oakdale)

Ianomami

Acrylic on wood

David Dolan (Modesto)

Homochronos

Advertising and newspaper, woven and digitally enlarged, printed on transparent film

Chelsea Gilmore (Modesto)

Abandoned House in Corning

Oil on panel

Shirley Green (Woodside)

Balance

Watercolor

Carolyn Lord (Livermore)

Lemon Zest

Oil on panel

Mary Catherine Richardson (Oakland)

Single Drip

Glass

Eleanor Wood (Turlock)

Boundaries, Edges, Parallels

Watercolor, wax, oil bar and oil pastel on paper