The results are in! The winner's list at Guild Hall's Artists Members Exhibition was announced at a ceremony on May 2, 2015, held directly before the public opening. The group exhibition is a popular one for the Hamptons art community. Any artist-member of Guild Hall is able to submit an artwork for inclusion in the show.
One of the big draws is the professional jurors who consider the work. Always an art professional and typically pulled from the New York City art scene, this year's judge was Marla Prather, a curator in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art.
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Left column: artwork by Janet L. Culbertson, Isabel A. Gamerov and Ronald Lewis. Middle row: Philippe Cheng, Darlene Charneco and Audrey Harris. Right row: Roz Dimon, Gavin Zeigler, Rose Ann Albanese. Photo by Pat Rogers.
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Awarded Top Honors was Pamela B. Topham for "Northwest Harbor, Early Light". The woven artwork is a layered tapestry weaving silk and wool. The artwork is typical of Topham's fabric art that meshes landscape traditions with abstraction. Topham is a long-time Hamptons residence whose work is easily recognizable.
The Top Honors win also means her art will be the subject of a solo show in the museum's Spiga Gallery.
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"Northwest Harbor, Early Light" by Pamela B Topham. Layered tapestry, silk and wool, 15 x 24 inches. Top Honors Winner. Photo by Pat Rogers.
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In addition to Top Honors, eight awards are bestowed plus Honorable Mentions. The 2015 Winners are Bastienne Schmidt (Best Abstract); Allan Ryan (Best Representational Work); Robin Du Plessis (Best Photograph); Corinne Soikin Strauss (Best Work on Paper); Shelia Haskin-Loebel (Best Sculpture); Amy Wickersham (Best Mixed Media); William J. Tansey (Catherine and Theo Hios Best Landscape Award); and Sage Elesser (Best New Artist).
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"Yale Bulldog" by Allan Ryan. Mixed media, watercolor, 18 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 3/4 inches. Best Representational Work Winner. Photo by Pat Rogers.
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Honorable Mentions were awarded to Bo B. Parsons, Joyce Kubat, Christopher Kohan, Monica Banks, Stephan Kelemen, Sara Douglas, Rick Gold, Sharon van Liempt, Michael Longacre, Eva Iacono, Jonathan Morse, Daniela Roman, Kathryn Szoka and Valerie Zeman.
Visit our Slideshow to see the winner artworks in the 2015 Artists Members Exhibition:
View Slideshow.
The 77th Guild Hall Artists Members Exhibition is the oldest non-jured museum exhibition on Long Island and one of the few non-juried exhibitions still offered. It is also one of the more beloved exhibition traditions on the East End. Another is The Parrish's "Artists Choose Artists" biennial.
The Opening Reception of Guild Hall Artist's Member Exhibition traditionally draws a crowd. This year was no exception as guests spilled onto the front brick courtyard, filled the museum's entrance foyer and flocked around artworks, searching for the winners and to see the art on view and who submitted.
Even after winning Top Honors, many artists continue to participate and to see the show, even if their art isn't among those on the walls. Past Top Honor winners with work in the 2015 show include Darius Yektai, Christa Maiwald, Frank Wimberley and Stephanie Brody-Lederman. Plenty of past category winners and honor mentions are among this year's artist submissions.
Artist with work held in Guild Hall's permanent collection are well-represented in the art installed. They include Jeff Muhs, Philippe Cheng, Eric Dever, Joe Pintauro, Ruth Nasca, Carolyn Conrad, Christa Maiwald, Frank Wimberley, Daniel P. Pollera and more.
The mix of established artists with emerging or even brand new makes for a show worth wondering over. The installation design is by Guild Hall Museum Director and Chief Curator Christina M. Strassfield. Year after year, her studied eye results in every piece positioned in the best possible light with complimentary visual neighbors.
Best New Artist winner Sage Elesser was surprised and pleased with his award. Sage Elesser is a graduating senior at Ross School and is considering art school offers from School of Visual Arts and Pratt, he said. He was urged to submit his art to the Artists Members Exhibition and decided to do so as the submission cutoff date drew near.
Best Sculputure Award winner Sheila Haskin-Loebel was also surprised at her win but for another reason. Her artwork makes use of a gourd, doll's head and limbs, spiked collars, studs and more. The use of gourds is a relatively new direction in her work, Haskin-Loebel explained. She decided to submit the piece in hopes of receiving feedback. This is the first time the sculpture has been exhibited.
"I wasn't sure if the judge would consider it craft, because of the materials," she said. "It's not but you never know what people will think."
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BASIC FACTS: Guild Hall's 2015 Artists Members Exhibition is presented from May 2 to June 6, 2015 at Guild Hall Museum, 158 Main Street, East Hampton, New York 11937. www.guildhall.org.
Exhibition programming includes a Meet the Winners Event on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. On Monday, June 1, 2015 from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Guild Hall Museum Director and Chief Curator Christina Mossaides Strassfield leds a Director's Choice on Museum Monday. (Guild Hall Executive Director Ruth Appelhof presented her selections during her Museum Monday on May 11).
Hamptons Art Hub is a proud media sponsor for the 2015 Guild Hall Artists Members Exhibition.
To see winning artworks from the 2015 exhibition, view our slideshow:
View Slideshow.
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