Iconic Art: A Juried Exhibition

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — This weekend, the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center will host its first-ever juried art exhibition.

Iconic Art: A Juried Exhibition, features 33 works of art from 33 local artists and will be on display from August 8 until August 31.

“There’s a lot of drawings and paintings, in addition to some collage work and three-dimensional work. It’s a mixture of a lot of different practices, which I always think is wonderful to see,” said Dr. Kimberli Gant, Juror of the Art Exhibition.

Artists selected to participate in the exhibit have the chance to win cash prizes and receive incredible display opportunities. Dr. Gant is the McKinnon Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk. She will evaluate all of the work in-person and decide on the top three winners.

“I don’t want to say ‘ranking’ because it’s all great. None of the work is bad. My role as a curator is to determine what work speaks to myself as a viewer. I’ll also look at what work has really strong aesthetics and what work strong commentary in relation to the exhibition theme,” Gant added.

Gant encourages all community members to come out and support the show. She believes residents will get the best of both worlds — they have an opportunity to support local artists and try something new at the same time.

“I think there’s a perception that art is for a particular type of person. People may assume it’s only for wealthy individuals, but art is for everyone. I hope this exhibition encourages people to get out of their comfort zone a little bit and see they have creativity within themselves, just as much as the creators who are going to be on this wall,” said Grant.

For more information, visit downinggross.org.