EVERETT — Gale Johansen was having a difficult time choosing.
The day before the opening of the Schack Art Center’s 21st Juried Art Show last week, Johansen wandered around the Schack with great intent. As one of two jurors, the Snohomish artist had a heavy assignment.
Johansen, the Schack’s 2017 artist of the year, was tasked with judging 150 works of art by 121 Northwest artists.
The biennial juried show attracted more than 600 entries, so at least Johansen didn’t have to wade through all of it. Johansen toured the show on both floors at least twice, sat several times to go over her notes and finally submitted her choices.
The other juror is Everett artist Chris Hopkins, who shares the 2018 artist of the year title with his wife Jan. Their show “Americans Interned: A Family’s Story of Social Injustice” about Japanese Americans on the West Coast during World War 11 will be displayed June 14 through Sept. 1 in the main gallery, along with a retrospective of their other works upstairs in the loft gallery.
Expertly curated by the Schack’s Carie Collver and beautifully hung by Josey Wise, the juried show is an eclectic and inspiring exhibition in a wide variety of media — wild abstracts, delightful sculptures and striking landscapes. Wise has laid out sections — walls of mostly red, blue, green, and black and white works.
“I was so inspired by the diverse styles and high quality of the art submitted for the show,” Johansen said. “Josey has a great eye.”
At the opening March 8, Rick Holst was awarded the grand prize for his U.S. map, a work titled “Avoca.” Holst said the map is covered with small, precisely painted circles cut using a potters wheel. The circles were then attached to pins/springs and mounted to form complex, 3-D patterns. Also in the show by Holst is a series of blue heads and a red head with similar circles growing from the tops.
Karen Graber’s mixed-media “Two-Faced Woman” was a favorite of Johansen’s (“I wish I could buy that one,” she said.) It earned the first-place prize in the two-dimensional category.
Second place went to Wayne Rutledge for his black and white detailed photo portrait of “Jim,” and third place was awarded to Bill Ray for his photo “Dazzling New Day” of a sunrise and long cloud over Mount Shuksan.
Russ Riddle’s “Tree of Harmony” won first place in the three-dimenional category, with Terri Shinn’s fiber sculpture titled “Tundra” earning the second prize. Taking third place was Maria Wickwire’s “And When at Last I Find You” — a sculpture with two busts contected by glittering wires.
Be sure also to see Bruce Morrow’s oil painting “Magpie Rodeo,” Tom Gross Shader’s oil painting “Farmstand,” Mike O’Day’s funny sculpture “Last Caw,” James Snitily’s two-textured ceramic vessels, Rhonda Dickson’s colored pencil drawing of “Wildberries,” and Kathleen Faulkner’s oil pastel “Southbound.”
“It’s a must-see exhibit,” Johansen said.
If you go
The Schack Art Center’s 21st Juried Art Show is on view through April 14 at the center, 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett. For a list of all the participating artists, go to www.schack.org/exhibits/21st-juried-art-show.
The center is open free of charge 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Also on display is a Youth Art Month exhibit of students’ works.
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