Exhibitions

2021-2022
Welcome to Our 84th Season!

Herrig Center for the Arts is Manatee County's premier visual arts center featuring the artwork of many talented local, state and national artists. Exhibitions change monthly in the three galleries and the public is always welcome to the opening receptions, once COVID concerns are resolved, to preview the artwork and meet the artists. Exhibits are free and open to the public excepting one national show - there is a nominal charge to cover shipping and insurance. Our hours are MFS 9-5, TWTh 9-6. Closed Sunday.

Art Opening Receptions
During COVID, our receptions are virtual with only the winning artists in attendance. We'll let you know when we can go live again! We miss you!

Exhibition Schedule and Requirements

WCA Members Spring Exhibition

April 25 – May 19
Kellogg Gallery
Opening Reception April 27, 5:00-7:00

Women Contemporary Artists is a regional organization of more than 100 creative women actively engaged in the visual fine arts. WCA’s mission is to provide visibility, support and inspiration to women artists. Founded in 1984, they are based in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

Juror: Danny Olda, critic and curator

Award	First	Last	Title	Medium
1st	Janice	Newman	Morning Mist	Acrylic
2nd	Judy	Kramer	Kaleidoscope Façade	Photography
3rd	Susan	Turconi	The Couple	Akua Ink
Merit	Alice	Harrison	Garden Of The Sea	Acrylic
Merit	Judy	Lyons Scnheider	The Mighty Oak	Callograph & Collage
Merit	Betty	Gerich	I’ve Got Your Back	Watercolor
Merit	Marsha	Ouimette	She, Her, They, Them	Clay
Merit	Jana	Millstone	Weave A Cloth Of Now	Mixed Media

Juror’s Statement
It was a privilege and pleasure working with this exhibition. I’m grateful that I was unrushed and allowed to spend as much time with each piece as it demanded – the experience was a delight. However, the sheer density of high-quality artwork submitted for this exhibition made judging italso very challenging. While a cursory glance makes clear that each artist in the exhibition takes their work very seriously, a deliberate pause with each piece reveals more.

For example, Morning Mist by Janice Newman depicts a colorful forest mist snaking through a clump of bare trees. The scene is set quietly but with a bold color palette. With efficient brushwork Newman adds visual depth to the scene that transmutes into a conceptual depth, a reservoir of the unknown just ahead. The scene vacillates between feeling serene and unsettling. I found the scene and painting moving, as if I had happened serendipitously upon the landscape on a morning run.

Judy Kramer’s photograph Kaleidoscopic Facade is another such example. The photograph rewards a slow look with an abundance of textures that seem to unfurl the longer your eyes travel the piece. These textures are paired with a near perfect compositional structure that is not the product of a painter’s careful hand and intent, but somehow searched out and found existing wild in the real world. The piece is split in half and further into thirds, the patterns of tiles setting a steady visual rhythm that sends each viewer’s gaze up, across, and diagonally back down to begin again.

Finally, The Couple by Susan Turconi depicts two minimally detailed bodies beside each other, seperated by a cloudy bruise-colored negative space. The vertiginous height of the shoulders that figurative painting stands on is exceeded only by the claustrophobic weight of its own history. That Turconi’s treatment of these two bodies feels so timeless – as classical as it is contemporary – underscores how deft her skill is. The understated size and rendering of the figures requires a haiku-like efficiency of expression that Turconi delivers on.

These, of course, are only three pieces in this exhibition. I suppose, then, what I hope to
communicate is this: take your time with this exhibition. Give each work of art a thoughtful look and the exhibition will certainly return the favor.

Pick up is May 20 9:00-Noon

Animals & More! Exhibit

Animals & More Exhibit
An open, all media, juried exhibit
April 25-May 19
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 27, 5:00-7:00pm

Online entry by April 14, 4:00pm
In-person entry April 22, 9:00-Noon

Pick up May 20, 9:00-Noon

And join us for free family fun on April 29 from 10-3 for Art & Animals & You!

awards

Thank you to Herrig Center for the Arts for inviting me to juror “Animals & More”. Herrig Center for the Arts never fails to draw artists with a strong mastery of skills and imagination. When choosing awards I chose first those that addressed the theme, my next criteria were skill and mastery of the media chosen as well as an imaginative view of presenting the theme. It was a very challenging process due to the excellence of the pieces. All work showed the beauty of the animals that the artists chose to portray and our relationship to them. If your work was not included please do not be discouraged. This was a competitive show to jury. Continue to create!
Being an animal artist myself, I was moved by the work and excited to see how our animal friends were depicted by the talented artists.

Juror: Evelyn McCorrister-Peters

“As a painter I derive inspiration from the environment. By depicting its value to others we can continue to cherish what is left of our diverse ecosystems. As an artist I have the opportunity to record these remaining places in a manner distinctive to my experience. This process advances the artistic language of my work as well as expands the conversation and consideration for the wild among my viewers.”

Evelyn is originally from New Jersey and Delaware, and has now lived in the Sarasota/Manatee county area of Florida for over 25 years. She received a Bachelors Degree from the University of Delaware and has also attended The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Ringling College of Art and Design.

In 1984 Evelyn began exploring the world, visiting 48 of the 50 states as a scenic artist with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus. She now focuses on the educational and conservation efforts of the family business Squalus Inc who is partnering with the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature to establish a critical care center for Manatees. Evelyn’s travels throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico and Canada along with a year residency in Japan have shown a wide diversity of life and given her the opportunity to share experiences through art.

Evelyn’s work is represented by Art Uptown Gallery in Sarasota, Florida and held in private collections throughout the US, Canada, Australia, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Evelyn has received residencies and fellowships from Weir Farm National Historic Site, Zion National Park, Jentel Foundation, Dorland Mountain Arts Colony and The Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. She is a member of the Petticoat Painters, one of the oldest, continuously exhibiting women’s art groups in the United States. Evelyn serves on the governing board of Myakka River State Park with a dedication to bring artists and nature together.

Evelyn shares her 12-acre home Barking Dog Ranch, with her husband Philip, their Boxer Hank, visiting horses, sharks, sea lions and now manatees. Her life is a menagerie of the people, places and happenings of a distinctive south Florida experience.

Exhibit Schedule & Requirements

Online entry is no longer available. In-person entry is April 22, 9:00-Noon at Herrig Center for the Arts.

Annual Manatee County Schools K-12 Exhibit

Yairiel G-L Grades K-2, Elina O Grades 3-5, Finn D Grades 6-8, Max R Grades 9-12

Herrig Center for the Arts Welcomes the Annual Manatee County Schools K-12 Exhibit
April 4-April 21, Opening Reception Wednesday April 5, 5-7pm

Herrig Center for the Arts joins with the School District of Manatee County to showcase the work of K-12 visual arts students. In Manatee County, we’re fortunate to have a school system committed to teaching the visual arts in its elementary, middle and high schools. By partnering with Herrig Center for the Arts, that commitment is furthered by giving these young artists a ‘voice’ – three museum-quality galleries – where their work can be professionally displayed and where the artists can receive positive recognition by a wider audience.

According to the National Arts in Education Association, learning to paint, create a website or design an energy-efficient home requires mastering skills which are often invisible to the naked eye, but are developed through a strong visual arts education.

For many students, it will be their first experience in preparing their work for display. And certainly, for pricing their work with an eye to selling it. For most students it will also the first time they have ever been to an art gallery. The experience will give students real world experience in the process of preparing artwork for exhibit, and the lessons they learn will stay with them throughout their lives.

Awards donated by Carolann Garofola in memory of Ralph Garafola.

Jurors: Carolann Garafola and Tim Cunninghan

International Watercolor Society Florida USA

International Watercolor Society Florida USA
February 28-March 31, 2023
$5 Admission

Opening Reception March 2, 5:00-7:00

Herrig Center for the Arts invites you to attend the second biennial exhibition of the International Watercolor Society Florida USA. This prestigious exhibit features 25 watercolors from artists in 11 countries. From the colorful abstract work of award-winning German Artist Christine Berlinson Esser to the lively painting of Italy’s Maximo Damico who captures the mood and energy of the city in his plein aire painting, this exhibit is a wonderful guided tour of diverse watercolor from around the world.

The International Watercolor Society (IWS) has chapters in over 110 countries, and gathers together one of the largest and most diverse groups of watercolor artists and art lovers alike. IWS provides a unique platform for the continual development of the art of watercolor. In addition to the exchange of ideas between artists, it advocates and supports the next generation of artists with events and exhibitions This is the second biennial exhibition of the Florida USA Chapter which was formed in 2020 by Herrig Center for the Arts.

IWS Images: From the IWS and ACM Logos, In the Middle of Prague by Maximo Damico, Italy, Flower Game by Christine Berlinson Esser, Germany, Mouve by Boonkwang Noncharoen, Bangkok, Flag Girl In Waiting by Donna Morrison, USA, Antique House by Dilesh Hazare, India.

About the International Watercolor Society
The International Watercolor Society (IWS) is a non-profit organization which was established in January 2012 with the objective of promoting the world’s oldest and most deeply rooted painting technique; the art of watercolor. IWS was founded by Mr. Atanur Dogan. Their goal is to promote peace by the use of art; the common language of all the people of the world. Their activities involve bringing watercolor artists and art-lovers together.

Herrig Center for the Arts has partnered with the International Watercolor Society (IWS) to create a Florida Chapter, one of only five branches in the United States. We are part of their worldwide network of over 100 branches, galleries, and education centers.

Ray Lawler: Tales of a Traveler

Ray Lawler Portrait of a Traveler

Nov 1-Nov 28
Opening Reception Thursday, Nov 3, 5:00-7:00

Artist Statement
I was born in Connecticut during the Second World War. Other than visiting relatives in Long Island I never left the state until I joined the Navy in 1963. That experience turned me into a traveller want-to-be. Fortunately, after getting 2 academic degrees, I satiated my ambition to be. I have lived, worked, or travelled in more than 84 countries around the globe. And, I got paid for most of it.
I currently live in Florida, with two cats and Wonder Woman. I have been, at various times a logistics consultant, photojournalist, sculptor, writer, and currently an award-winning artist.

I am primarily a self-taught. At 3 years old I was the happy recipient of a box of Crayola’s from my grandpa. My first work of art reached about 3 feet high and extended along all 4 walls of my bedroom. My mother was furious and was going to give me a good whooping. Grandpa came in just in time and yelled. “Don’t touch that boy. I guess I should have given him some paper too.” About 3 weeks later I was probably the youngest kid in my neighborhood with his own drafting table. I started painting by numbers at 5 and completed a free hand painting of Saint Thaddeus at 7. Why? Because he had a huge beard that was easy to draw and paint. At 13 I completed a detailed pencil drawing of the “Ben Hur” chariot race after viewing the movie 10 times. (It was ultimately stolen off my mother’s wall some 25 years later by an intruder.) Subsequently, I illustrated both my high-school class year book and my squadron cruise book during the Vietnam War.

Color Outside the Lines

The Plan by Carla Rudolph

An open, all media, juried exhibit
On display October 11-October 28
All Galleries

Pick-up Oct 29

Award Winners

1st Place	The Plan by Carla Rudolph
2nd Place	Reservations by Elaine Anagnos
3rd Place	Lancaster County Barns by Victoria Wortley
Best in 3d	Seahorses by Nancy Dubin
Merit	Crossing the road Will Change Your Life by Jean Cormier
Honorable Mention	Patio Flower Garden by Marjorie Crawford
Honorable Mention	Taos Teal by Elise Manieri
Honorable Mention	Morning Comes Karen de Leon Stuart

Juror: Janet Mishner ARTIST STATEMENT
“On and Off the Grid” is a series initially inspired by the perimeters of isolation necessitated by the pandemic and the nature of human need for connection, two conflicting ideas. As the pandemic continues, my interest in grids that represent boundaries and my enjoyment of obliterating them in some way with lines, mark making and shapes, I have continued this series and renamed it from its original “Connection v Isolation.”

I am enjoying this self-imposed “rule” followed by playful subversion. Sometime in my childhood, I enjoyed the mischievousness of doing something “bad” while no one was looking. The grid still represents the boundary (parental limits) while the obliteration is the chance to ignore or rebel against them sometimes. As my mentor, Gladys Goldstein said many times, “Just have fun!”

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