Press release
In its first exhibit of the new year, the Arts Council for Wyoming County member artists, were invited to submit work based on the 2016 theme Small World. Categories in the annual Local Color exhibit includes: best of show; presidents choice; people’s choice; and a special one time award for watercolor.
The exhibit opened on Jan. 8, at which time the public was invited to cast votes for the People's Choice award. The votes have been counted and the top prize goes to Gary Baxter, of Silver Springs, for his submission of Fish Bowl and Cabinet.
"Tijs Goldschmidt, the author of “Darwin’s Dream-pond” (which has to do with Lake Victoria), said that ‘it only took one man with a bucket to totally disrupt the ecosystems of the largest tropical lake in the world’,” Baxter said. “I wish that by making images of fish on bowls I could convince all of us that fish are as important as unlimited electricity, and therefore surrender our buckets, but I know that’s not going to happen.
“I started etching fish into ceramic form 25 years or so ago, about the time I started fishing for bass in the inlets of Silver Lake. Now the bass are gone because the water in the inlets is almost gone. The vegetation has grown so dense that one could almost walk on what little water remains. The reliquary in this exhibit helps me remember something precious that I’ve seen disappear in my lifetime.”
Other top winners include:
• Kathryn Rice Cummings, of Pennsylvania (formerly of Perry), won Best of Show;
• Carol Nickol, of Nunda, won President's Choice; and
• Karen Pankow, of Castile, won the Special Watercolor award in honor of Susan Knapp. Other People's Choice winners include: Ryan McDanel, of Perry, and David Dean, of Bolivar, who tied for Second Place; and Phil Hewitt, of Delevan, who took Third Place.
Members were also invited to submit pieces for the Around the Small World exhibit in the Members Gallery. The more than 60 pieces of art and crafts represent original and collected work from around the globe. Only original artwork was included in the juried competition.
A closing awards reception will be held at the Arts Council of Wyoming County, Main Street, Perry, at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26.
For more information call (585) 237-3517.