Artists Honored for 2023 ‘Pine Bluff Art League Annual Exhibition’

/

The artists honored at a reception Aug. 24 for the 2023 “Pine Bluff Art League Annual Exhibition” were Claudia Spainhour (second from left), Melissa Abernathy, Gerry DeLongchamp, Rhonda F. Holderfield, Dell Gorman and Julia Barrett. Juror Yelena Petroukhina (right) presented the awards and ASC Curator of Collections & Exhibitions Kevin Haynie (left) was also on hand for remarks. The show is on view at The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas through Oct. 28.

Juried Show at The Arts & Science Center on View Through Oct. 28

Local artists were honored during an awards reception for the 2023 Pine Bluff Art League Annual Exhibition as the show opened Thursday, Aug. 24, at The Arts & Science Center.

The awards are:

  • Best in Show: Melissa Abernathy, Reflection on Theo Barrs Bridge, photograph

  • First Place: Gerry DeLongchamp, Eloise, graphite on paper

  • Second Place: Rhonda F. Holderfield, Delta Sky, oil on canvas

  • Third Place: Dell Gorman, Jungle Jim, acrylic on tissue paper

  • Honorable Mention: Julia Barrett, Windblown, acrylic on canvas

  • Honorable Mention: Claudia Spainhour, Monument Park, pastel

Melissa Abernathy received Best in Show honors for her photograph Reflection on Theo Barrs Bridge during the Aug. 24 reception for the 2023 Pine Bluff Art League Annual Exhibition, at The Arts & Science Center.

The Pine Bluff Art League members represented in this show of 34 works are: Melissa Abernathy, Julia Barrett, Vickie Coleman, Amanda Curry, Gerry DeLongchamp, Linda DeMint, Dell Gorman, Gail Greenstreet, Rhonda F. Holderfield, Jenny Holley, Paul Owens, Grey Reed, Kay Reed, Claudia Spainhour, and Margie Spharler. Many of the works are available for purchase.

MORE INFORMATION & PHOTOS HERE

Artist Yelena Petroukhina, juror for this year’s show, presented the awards.

“One thing I love is the group of artists organizing and working together. I think that’s so great,” Petroukhina said. “Art can be kind of a lonely thing if you’re doing it by yourself, so I love that they are putting the effort into making this happen.”

She continued, “I love the great variety of the styles and mediums, the unique visions. It’s really exciting to see local artists putting themselves out there in this show.”

Regarding some of her criteria for selecting the pieces in the exhibition, she said, “Some of the pieces really stood out as a unique vision that the person was exploring. Some of the use of materials – I like the experimental quality of some of the pieces. I could tell some of the artists took a chance creating something outside what they normally make. I also like the handling of the materials and the technical aspects of it. A lot of the members really have the mastery of watercolors or pastels or painting, and that was good to see.”

ASC exhibited Petroukhina’s solo show Defining Home of ceramics and mixed-media pieces in 2021. Her work has been featured in ASC’s 2023 and 2021 Irene Rosenzweig Biennial Juried Exhibitions. Petroukhina earned her Master of Arts degree in ceramics from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and her Bachelor of Science in Education degree in arts education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She is an art teacher at Horace Mann Magnet Middle School in Little Rock.

Kevin Haynie, ASC’s curator of collections and exhibitions, made remarks before the awards presentation. “We worked hard to sort and place these works and I wanted to share that I can really get a sense of the passion and dedication you have to your craft,” he said. “While it’s never easy to assemble various artists, mediums, and styles into one cohesive showing, it definitely was exciting to parse through the selections and to see the pairings take shape. In this year’s collection, we have still life works, abstractions, landscapes, figurative works, and portraits, and in each one, you can see the hand of the artist at play.”

He continued, “Individually, you can feel that each artist had a separate intent and purpose, but when together you gain a sense of community through the various works. Although I may not yet know you well, I can sense how you each influence your fellow Art League members and it makes your work that much more vibrant.”

The exhibition will remain on view in the International Paper Gallery at ASC’s home building, 701 S. Main St., through Oct. 28. It is sponsored by Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel Co. The reception was sponsored by M.K. Distributors.

The Pine Bluff Art League hosts monthly meetings from 2-4 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Services Center, 211 W. Third St. The next meeting is Sunday, Sept. 10, because of Labor Day weekend. The public is invited to attend. For more information about the league, visit the group’s website, pbal.org, or contact PBAL’s Vickie Coleman at 870-540-9975.