PRESS RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
Genevieve Antaky, 510/482-3553
gantaky@comcast.net
PUBLIC INFO: 510/652-6122 or
www.emeryarts.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EMERYVILLE CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS PRESENTS
24th ANNUAL EMERYVILLE ART EXHIBITION
OCTOBER 2 - 24, 2010
Opening Reception, 6-9pm, Friday, October 1, 2010
5815 Shellmound Way, Emeryville, CA

The 24th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, sponsored by Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc., featuring works of 94 artists and craftspeople - both established and emerging - who live or work in Emeryville, is on display October 2 through October 24, 2010, at 5815 Shellmound Way, Emeryville, CA. The show is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm; admission is free. Public Transportation: MacArthur BART station, Emery-Go-Round; West Oakland BART station, AC Transit Bus #31. For directions, log on to: www.emeryarts.org/directions.html or call 510/652-6122.

There will be a gala public reception with the artists in attendance on Friday, October 1 from 6 pm to 9 pm. A no-host bar will raise funds for the Emeryville Youth Art Program. Music will be provided by the David Berson Bay Moods Quartet.

The 24th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition celebrates the work of Emeryville artists and includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, textiles, ceramics, and glass works. This unique and inclusive community exhibition presents new discoveries each year. The sheer number and array of artists living or working in Emeryville illustrates the city's cultural vibrancy and provides an impressive creative pool that continues to create new and exciting works for the annual exhibition. The individual pieces demonstrate the diversity of Emeryville artists and show their engagement with a host of aesthetic, political, and social concerns. The collection of artwork for the 24th annual exhibition was selected by a panel of jurors including, Paul Tomidy, independent curator and visual artist; Mina Dresden, owner, Mina Dresden Gallery, San Francisco; and Steve Pon, Gallery Exhibitions Supervisor, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco. Tomidy returns for the fifteenth year to curate this exhibition. (Works on exhibition are for sale.)

The mission of the non-profit Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc. is to foster an appreciation for the arts and artists of Emeryville, and to promote the city as a culturally vital and progressive center for living and working. For more than twenty years the Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition has continued to support this mission by providing a free public venue, open to all, to experience the rich diversity of artistic expression of those who live and work within the city of Emeryville.

“The Celebration of the Arts is a door to the arts community that is an enduring part of Emeryville – its past, present, and very hopeful future,” states Sharon Wilchar, Exhibition Coordinator and Chair of the City of Emeryville’s Public Art Advisory Committee. “Every day hundreds of artists are working here. This juried exhibition is their yearly showcase.”

Contributing artists include Kirk Crippens, photography; Rae Dunn, ceramics; Ana Lisa Hedstrom, textiles; Teresa Kalnoskas, painting; Shawna Peterson, neon sculpture; Rik Ritchey, sculpture; Dean Santner, furniture; and Camille Seaman, photography.

Emeryville Art Exhibition juror Steve Pon, Gallery Exhibitions Supervisor, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, responded to his experience as juror by saying: “I was truly honored to be one of this year’s jurors for the Emeryville Annual Art Exhibition. As an arts professional and artist who has lived and worked in the Bay Area for many years, I have watched Emeryville grow and change into the unique and special city it is today. It is a place that nurtures and encourages creativity. This was very evident from viewing the wide range of work I saw from some of the artists living and working here.”

Paul Tomidy, juror and curator of the last fifteen annual exhibitions, states:
“This year about 25% of the artists are new to the exhibition which adds new energy to the mix of art shown. Craft, fashion, and furniture design as well as photography, sculpture, painting, and printmaking are included. There is a great range of sensibilities from contemplative reductive works to grand pulsating colorful pieces. Even artists who have participated before have new changes and new twists to their visions.”

For the fifth consecutive year, the Emeryville City Council has approved a Purchase Award Program in connection with the Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition. A selection panel will review the works in the exhibition and make a recommendation for the Purchase Award. With the approval of the City Council, the artwork selected will be purchased from the contributing artists and become part of the City’s permanent collection displayed at City Hall.

****************************

CALENDAR LISTING - ART EXHIBITS:
What:Emeryville Celebration of the Arts’ 24th Annual Art Exhibition
An exhibition of artwork created by established and emerging artists and craftspeople that live or work in Emeryville. The work includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, textiles, ceramics, and glass works.

When:The exhibit is open to the public
October 2 - 24, 2010
11am-6pm, Open Daily
Opening Reception: 6-9pm, Friday, October 1, 2010