The Salina Art Center presents the inaugural Salina Biennial Exhibition: Contemporary Art from the Mountain Plains States Feb. 21 through May 20, 2018 in the main galleries and Warehouse in downtown Salina. The official opening reception will take place Friday, March 9 from 6-8pm at Salina Art Center.
The first in a new series of biennial regional exhibitions of contemporary art, the Salina Biennial features recent work by visual artists from Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Hundreds of works in all media were considered. Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia, selected the works to be included in the exhibition. In addition to the artists selected by the juror, several artists are invited to participate in the exhibition as teaching artists and guest speakers throughout the exhibition run.
After a behind the scenes look, SAC Board member Karen Black remarked, “when you come to this exhibition you will see contemporary art, let’s be clear about that. It is art that is relevant to today. You won’t see any of the Old Masters or things you recognize. You will see challenging things and be provoked into thinking about those challenging things.”
SAC celebrates its fortieth anniversary in 2018. The first exhibition in 1979, was a juried exhibition of Kansas based artists. That annual event grew into a regional exhibition over twenty three years before coming to an end in 2003.
“Reviving the juried regional exhibition is our response to a growing chorus of artists desirous of the opportunities and experiences the forum affords. The collection is testament to a vital and robust visual arts culture at work in the nation’s middle third,” Bill North Executive Director, Salina Art Center.
For a complete checklist of artists selected to participate in the Salina Biennial and more information about programming featuring many of the artists, visit www.SalinaArtCenter.org or follow us on social media. on Display
