MERCER CO. ARTISTS 2017 Exhibition Seeks Entries at MCCC

Calling local artists! Artists aged 18 or older who live, work, or attend school in Mercer County are invited to submit art for consideration for the "Mercer County Artists 2017" exhibition at The Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC).

Submission and jurying take place on Saturday, February 11, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The MCCC Gallery is located on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

Artists may enter up to two original works completed since February 2016 in any media except photography. Drop-off is between 9:30 am and noon. Works that are not accepted for the show should be picked up between 3:30 and 5 p.m.

The juror for the show is Philadelphia artist Douglas Witmer. A member and curator of the artist-run gallery Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Witmer's work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions internationally. In 2011 an exhibition spanning a decade of his work was mounted at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. Other recent venues include: MoMA PS1, Blank Space Art, and The Painting Center (all NYC), The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia), The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Gray Contemporary (Houston), Some Walls (Oakland), ParisCONCRET (France), Sydney Non-Objective (Australia), and Sol del Rio Arte Contemporanea (Guatemala City). Witmer's work is in the collections of The Woodmere Art Museum and The Fellowship of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, as well as numerous corporate and private collections internationally. Reflected in his paintings is his upbringing in the Mennonite culture of Lancaster County, Pa., with its deep connections to simplicity, peacemaking, and humility.

The exhibit opens to the public on Monday, Feb. 20 and runs through Thursday, March 23. (The Gallery will be closed during Spring Break, the week of March 13 to 19.) An opening reception takes place Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. Representatives from the college, the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and the West Windsor Arts Council will be on hand to announce more than $1,500 in prizes, including the "Blick Best in Show" award, plus multiple Purchase Awards from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Artwork selected for Purchase Awards will become part of the county's Permanent Collection. For more information and a full prospectus, visit www.mccc.edu/gallery or call 609-570-3589.

Pictured: From left are the 2016 Best In Show winner Janis Purcell with her wood and mixed media sculpture "Diva," Arlene Milgram, another featured artist, and Kelsey Theatre Artistic Director Kitty Getlik.