Winners of Arts Council Member Show Exhibition Opens February 18 at JCC-Olean

The Cattaraugus County Arts Council (CCAC) and Jamestown Community College present an opening reception for the “Juror’s Choice: Member Show Winners” exhibition. The opening on February 18, 2011 will be held at the Center Gallery located on the second floor of the College Center, Cattaraugus County Campus, Olean, NY.  The reception begins at 6 p.m. and includes hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting. A brief introduction and talk begins at 6:30 p.m.

The exhibition will feature the four winners of the CCAC's Member Show, held in September at the JCC's Center Gallery in Olean, NY. Medis Kent of Findley Lake, NY was awarded Best of Show, Barbara Fox of Little Valley, NY was awarded Juror’s Choice First Place, Wanda Dean of Wellsville, NY received Juror’s Choice Second Place and Deb Eck of Jamestown, NY received Juror’s Choice Third Place.

CCAC Executive Director Anne Conroy-Baiter stated that the 2010 CCAC Member Show brought out some of the best talent to be seen in the region. "CCAC produces a member show biannually in order to honor both established and emerging artists. Taking part in professionally juried shows is an important part of any artist's professional development, and the member show in particular is a wonderful way for any artist to test the waters, gauge audience reactions, and sharpen presentation skills. The winners showcased in the Juror's Choice Show are of a standard to be emulated."

Cori Wolff, a juror for the Member Show and the Curator of the Buffalo Artist Studio stated that “Yu [Kanazawa] and I were extremely impressed by the high caliber of works submitted to the Cattaraugus County Arts Council Member Show.  The exhibition was a fine representation of the rich diversity of media (including painting, sculpture, drawings, mixed media, and textiles) and subject matters (ranging from technically innovative traditional landscapes to colorful abstracts to highly conceptual works), showcasing the broad and extensive talent of artists working in the Western New York region today.  For these reasons, the jurying process was particularly difficult, and I am honored to have participated.