Awards were presented during the opening reception for “Expressions 2010,” a juried all-media exhibit at the Rowayton Arts Center through March 21. Best In Show winner Dan Sharkey, center, is joined by first prizes winners (from left) Wendy Pieper, Agata Lipnicka, Janet Beres, Mary Morant, Deborah Rauh and Ron Arnold
Cash awards totaling $2,900 were presented at the opening of “Expressions 2010,” a juried all-media exhibit at the Rowayton Arts Center Gallery at 145 Rowayton Avenue. An oil painting by Dan Sharkey of West Redding was judged Best in Show.
Other award winners by category are: Acrylic: first – Ron Arnold, second – Sholeh Janati (both of Westport), third – Gerald Guarino (Normandy Beach, NJ); Mixed Media: first -- Janet Beres, second – Richard Ventre (both of Norwalk); Oil: first – Mary Morant (Darien), second – Stuart Ferrell (Rowayton), third – Janine Brown (Fairfield), honorable mention – Carey Dunne (New York City); Pastel: first -- Agata Lipnicka (Ansonia), second – Julie Hopkins (Ridgefield), third – John Lawson (Bridgeport); Photography: first Tom Kretsch (Westport), second – Ben Larrabee (Darien), third – Jackie Liljegren (Norwalk), honorable mention – Robert Sachs (Rowayton); Sculpture: first -- Deborah Rauh (Westport); Watercolor: first -- Wendy Pieper, second -- Sandra Aldrich (both of Westport).
The exhibit continues through Sunday, March 21 and is on display from 12:00-5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free. The juror was award-winning artist Joseph Fucigna, director of the Studio Art Program at Norwalk Community College (NCC). Fucigna, who selected 41 works from 116 entries by RAC members and non-members and chose the prize winners, said, “What I look for in a work of art is the artist’s intention. Have they achieved what they set out to do? If they have, it succeeds as a work of art, and is a worthy piece.”
In addition to the award winners, other Connecticut artists selected for the exhibition are: Darien -- Britt Bair, Madeleine Mueller: New Canaan -- Marianne Rothballer; Norwalk – Irwin Block, Gillian Marshall, Ron Taylor; Rowayton -- Joel Flora, Andrea Letters, Barbara Murphy, Rick Pank, Marilyn Parker; Stamford – Nancy Douglass, Mari Gyorgyey, Pamela Riley-Abear, Nadiya Romanyuk; Westport -- Jo Ann Davidson, Dan Long; and Wilton – Ron Gulick, Ruth Ipe.
Founded in 1960, the Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to exhibit the work of creative people in the area, offer classes for artists of all levels, serve as a community cultural center and create an environment for the exchange of arts-related ideas. Located in the heart of Rowayton on the scenic banks of the Five Mile River, RAC offers classes for adults and children throughout the year. For information call 203-866-2744
