Kevin Champeny “What Remains” featuring 35,000 hand cast polyurethane flowers on a panel will be on display at the Grand Gallery national juried exhibition “Beauty…it’s not pretty”. Photo courtesy Kevin Champeny
The art center’s first national juried art show, titled “Beauty … it’s not pretty,” will close out this year’s gallery season. Cultural Arts manager William Wilson said the exhibit’s works probe the question: When is the common, difficult, painful, ugly, discarded, dangerous, strange and unseen beautiful?
“It’s a timeless narrative,” Wilson said. “Every society across the planet struggles to define what beauty is. We try to define where unconventional beauty is in America”
Wilson said he’s considered an exhibit examining the nature of beauty for some time.
“As the Grand is now established as an important regional arts center, it was time to expand the profile of the programming,” Wilson said. “We need this in our history to secure ourselves as a regional arts center.”
To juror the show, Wilson invited artist Kris Kuksi select the work.
Kuksi is known internationally for his sculptures, drawings and paintings featuring exquisite detail that often delves into the macabre and mythological, according to Wilson. His works are found in private collections in the United States, Europe and Australia.
The Grand exhibit received 116 entries from across the country, and Kuksi selected 30 pieces for the show from 25 artists, including local artists Mark Knize, Susan Richardson, Abhilasha Natarajan and Patricia Ching.
Wilson said many of the featured artists submitted their work just because Kuksi was the juror for the show.
Among the nationally known artists are metal point artists Curtis Bartone and ceramics artist Thaddeus Erdahl. Kuksi also invited Ewelina Koszykowski into the exhibit as a special guest.
Wilson expects the show to make a bold statement about beauty via a variety of media, from sculpture and paintings to glass work, photography and digital art.
Wilson hopes the show will challenge visitors to think about their conceptions of what makes something beautiful.
“There are lots of viewpoints represented in the show how unconventional beauty is represented,” Wilson said.
The exhibit will be available for public viewing during normal gallery hours — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays — and one hour before all show times.
At a glance
WHAT: “Beauty … it’s not pretty,” gallery show opening reception
WHEN: Noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 16
WHERE: Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, 715 Central Ave.
COST: Free
WHAT: Gallery talk with juror Kris Kuksi
WHEN: 7 to 8:30 p.m. July 13
WHERE: Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, 715 Central Ave.
COST: Free
INFO: 831-6858 or www.atthegrand.org