Jurors for the 2014 “Long Island Biennial” shifted through 310 entries to select 56 artworks, creating a snapshot of art made on Long Island. Now on view at the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, N.Y., more juror choices were revealed during the Opening Reception with five works called out for an Award of Merit. The “Long Island Biennial” opened on August 16 and continues through November 30, 2014. A Meet the Biennial Artists event takes place on Friday, September 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This is the third edition of the open call biennial.
Open to all artwork mediums, this year’s edition falls heavy in painting and photography, which are represented in equal measures. Sculpture, mixed media, fine art ceramics. printmaking and a single drawing are also represented. The Biennial is an open call, meaning all artists living in Nassau and Suffolk Counties are free to apply. Jurors make their selections based on the artwork submitted. The museum has posted all submissions on a website with those selected repeated in a separate section. The dual presentation allows armchair viewers to see the show and, maybe, form their own opinions on the artworks that made the cut (and those that did not) into the exhibition.
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"Untitled" by Philippe Cheng, 2013. Photograph, 30 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the Artist. Received Award of Merit.
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Each artist has a single work presented in the show. Artists exhibiting include Christa Maiwald, Elaine Grove, Neill Slaughter, Dan Welden, Bill Shillalies, Neill Scholl, Anne Seelbach, Victoria Selbach, Terrence McManus, Sarah Jaffe Turnbull, Anna Jurinich, Sylvia Harnick, Alex Ferrone, Kathryn Gardner, Raymond Germann, Miranda Gatewood, Monica Banks, Edward Batcheller, Ennid Berger and others.
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"Rhythmic Pulse" by Lita Kelmenson, 2014. Wood (sugar pine), 25 x 9 x 8 inches. Courtesy of the Artist. Received Award of Merit.
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This year, the museum decided to forgo awarding a Best in Show in favor of five Award of Merits. The winners are Untitled, 2013, by Philippe Cheng (Bridgehampton); Rhythmic Pulse, 2014, by Lita Kelmenson (Jericho); Evening Cover, 2012, by Barron Krody (Stony Brook); Street Soul, 2014, by Victoria Sinacori (Farmingville) and Lady of Ecstasy,2013, by Megan Sirianni-Brand (Sea Cliff).
The jurors are Helen A. Harrison, Director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center (East Hampton, NY); Renato Danese, President of Danese Corey gallery (Chelsea, New York); and Dan Christoffel, an adjunct professor at LIU Post of Long Island University and artist-in-residence there (Brookville, NY).
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"Evening Cove" by Barron Krody, 2012. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the Artist. Received Award of Merit.
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Since inception, the “Long Island Biennial” has attracted a diverse group of artists who vie for the attention of art professionals and the opportunity to exhibit in the Long Island museum. This year’s submissions of 310 are an uptick from nearly 200 applications received for the last edition and around 250 received for the first edition, held in 2010. The Biennial was launched to coincide and help mark the Heckscher’s 90th Anniversary in 2010.
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"Street Soul" by Victoria Sinacori, 2014. Digital C-print mounted on acrylic, 26 x 40 inches. Courtesy of the Artist. Received Award of Merit.
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The open call format was selected as a way to take the pulse of art on Long Island and to receive a cross section of the type of art made at the time of the biennials, according to Heckscher Museum of Art Curator Lisa Chalif. These continue as important goals for the exhibition. So does the aim of bringing together art lovers and artists from far-flung art communities across Long Island. Participating or visiting the show allows for the possibility of connections and conversations about art and art making on Long Island, offered Chalif.
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"Lady of Ecstasy" by Megan Sirianni-Brand, 2013. Raku clay and firing, 18 x 8 x 6 inches. Courtesy of the Artist. Received Award of Merit.
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The "Long Island Biennial" also allows artists and visitors the chance to discover artists whose work they may want to get to know better.
“The Biennial gives a chance for people to meet artists they didn’t know,” said Kerrilyn Weiss, the curator assistant at the Heckscher. “The art world changes. There are new artists coming in and new up-and-coming ones. The Biennial can give people the chance to learn about someone they didn’t know about. This year’s show is a good mix of quality work. The youngest artist is 20 years old and it goes up from there.”
With Reporting by Jenna Weis
BASIC FACTS: “Long Island Biennial” is on view from August 16 to November 30, 2014 at The Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743. www.heckscher.org. To see art from the biennial, click here.
Programming Includes:
“Heckscher Family Hour” on Sunday, September 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. where families with children from four to eight years old receive a family-friend tour led by museum educator Tami Wood. Registration is recommended as space is limited. Free for members with a $5 activity fee per child. Non-members pay museum admission.
“Voices & Vision: Meet the Biennial Artists” takes place on Friday, September 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Featured artists discuss their work, creative process and what it means to be an artist. The fee is $10 for museum members and $15 for non-members.
Also on view is “Richard Gachot’s America”. The exhibition runs from August 16 to November 23, 2014. A Members Reception will be held on Saturday, September 20, from 5:30 to 7:3o p.m. www.heckscher.org.
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