national small oil painting exhibition at wcfta
Posted on 08. Sep, 2010 by sharon in culture
words > WICHITA CENTER FOR THE ARTS
art > HEATHER RYAN KELLEY
The National Small Oil Painting Exhibition 2010 opens at The Wichita Center for the Arts (WCFTA) on Friday, September 10, 2010 and runs through Sunday, October 24, 2010.
The public is invited to attend an Opening Reception on Friday, September 10, 2010 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Complimentary light hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. Winners of this year’s competition will be announced and a total of $7,650 in cash and purchase awards will be presented. The National Small Oil Painting Exhibition 2010 is generously underwritten by the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.
The National Small Oil Painting Exhibition 2010 is a nationally juried show celebrating the trends and traditions of oil painting through works no larger than 18 by 24 inches. The intimate scale of these paintings increases their appeal and charm to public and to private collectors. There will be approximately 80 paintings on exhibit, selected from over 450 entries.
“We are honored to have Aaron Morgan Brown as this year’s juror,” said Jana Erwin Durfee, WCFTA’s Gallery Director. Brown received his BFA from the University of Kansas and his MFA from Syracuse University, graduating summa cum laude from both institutions and earned a coveted University Fellowship from Syracuse. He has received many awards over the years, including “Best in Shows” at the Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA, and the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS. He has also received prestigious grants from the Pollock – Krasner Foundation and the Franz and Virginia Bader Fund. Brown has participated in solo and group exhibitions internationally, including “Natural Geometry” at the Wallspace Gallery, Ottawa, Canada; “Constructed Dreaming” at the Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas; “Museology” at Limbo Fine Arts, San Diego, CA; and “Between Realities” at the Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA. His works are included in numerous private and public collections, including the Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, KS; the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, Roswell, NM; and the Sweetwater Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA. Brown’s paintings have also been featured in a number of international publications, such as New American Paintings, Harper’s Magazine, The Artist’s Magazine and International Artist Magazine. He is currently living and working in Pennsylvania.
The small oil exhibition was established in 1981 by two members of The Wichita Center for the Arts, Virginia Mastio and Pat Ehrke, whose goal was to stimulate interest and promote excellence in the medium of oil painting. The exhibition became a national competition in 1986 and has been a biennial show, alternating with the Wichita National All Media Craft Exhibition, since 1996.
Admission to WCFTA gallery exhibits and receptions is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
For additional information about the National Small Oil Painting Exhibition 2010 or The Wichita Center for the Arts, call (316) 634-2787 or visit www.wcfta.com.
