29th annual Blackwell St. Juried Student Exhibit opened March 31st

Torrential rains and high winds didn’t prevent between 400-500 dedicated folks from attending the Opening Reception for the 29^th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show at the Atrium Gallery on the evening of Friday, March 31, 2017. There was palpable excitement as these young, talented artists came with their families, teachers and friends to see their works on display and to participate in the awards ceremony.

Here are some photos from the evening:

: Best in Show artist Zoe Paxos with her prizewinning graphite, Head of Hares

: Blackwell Street artist Elaine Provost, prime organizer of the exhibit

: Elaine Provost, Dr. Lynn Siebert with other Blackwell artists, Dave Gruol and Peggy Dressel

: happy crowds

: enthusiastic crowds looking at the artworks

: Morris Arts Executive Director Tom Werder at reception

: Prizewinning young artist Max Scheidl with his lost wax bronze, Cuffed

: more crowds looking at the art

: Enjoying the multiple levels of this exhibit

: Gathering at the award ceremony

: Zoe Paxos with family and friends

: Roy Provost and Dave Gruol enjoying the enthusiastic crowds

Embracing a wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography, etc.), the artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists from throughout Morris County.

L-R: Top- 2017 BEST IN SHOW, Zoe Paxos’ graphite on paper, Head of Hares (Roxbury); Valentina Giordano’s charcoal, Lost Boy (Madison); Jessica Murr’s white charcoal on black paper, Metal Flow (Mt. Olive);

L-R: Middle: Anthony McInnis, pastel, Really Really Bad (Butler); Lukas Scheidl’s ballpoint pen, Dali meets Bronzino (Mendham); Alexandra Leet’s acrylic on wood, Untitled (Butler);

L-R: Bottom: Dylan Pullara’s digital illustration, Dark & Light (Mt. Olive); Emily Grzesiowski’s stoneware, Slightly A Jar (Randolph); Haley Florio’s acrylic, Rachel (Butler).

A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprised the jury selecting approximately 300 wall-hung works and 100 sculptures from nearly 800 submissions by talented high school students from throughout the County. The show was then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family and students. There are multiple ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1^st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception includes an awards presentation (on the 5^th floor, in the Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Clockwise from upper left: Alicia Oh’s acrylic, Free Spirit (Montville Twp); Max Scheidl’s lost wax bronze, Cuffed (Mendham); Bella Pisano’s tissue paper and board, The Joker (Jefferson Twp); Shayna Canning’s acrylic, Enigma (Boonton); Alia Macarios’ soapstone Polar Bear (Mendham); and Coral Coad’s mixed media, Byzantine Coal (Mendham).

Evolving from the 1988 exhibit that featured approximately 90 pieces of art, to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Exhibit is unique in its democratic approach: there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County. Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

: Tiara Herpriyonggo’s oil, The So Called Veil of Freedom (Mt. Olive)

: Juliette Fredericks’ ballpoint pen, Generations (Mendham)

: Josie Gutowski’s watercolor, Navona (Mendham)

: Emily Higgins collage, Dolly (Randolph)

: Charlie Tringall’s watercolor and Pitt pen, Gone Fishing (Mendham)

: Kevin Kahwaty’s stoneware Tree Bark (Montville Twp)

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. The exhibit will run from March 31, 2017 through April 28, 2017. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org