Past: Wild Things

Friday, June 5 from 5 to 9 p.m., the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri will host a reception for Wild Things, a national juried exhibition with an animal theme that will be on display until June 27, 2015. To coincide with the exhibit opening, First Friday with the Arts will also host Pets Night Out, a pet- friendly art walk on Friday, June 5th.

Ruth Ann Reese will serve as the juror for the Wild Things exhibition. Reese is known for her surreal anthropomorphic porcelain sculptures. At present, she is a studio artist living in St. Louis, MO and the founder of Reese Gallery, where she curates exhibitions of other emerging and mid-career artists.

In a recent Let’s Talk Arts interview with Dr. Joni Hand, Reese said of the exhibition, “Hopefully, by seeing this exhibit, more people will be bold and create art which gives meaning and context to their own lives.” Reese continues, “With exhibitions like this, people can take the next step and collect an art object... Perhaps they will grow a curiosity about artwork - not simply for being decorative - but because every object carries meaning and knowledge.”

The exhibition will feature artwork from 31 artists working in 14 states, including New Jersey, Maine, and California. Selected artwork encompasses a variety of media including ceramics, painting, sculpture and photography. 10% of sales from the exhibition will benefit a local animal agency.

The piece selected to be the “Best of Show” winner, and the recipient of the $500 cash prize, will be unveiled at the reception on Friday evening. Second place and third place will also be named during the 6:00 p.m. ceremony.

Exhibition sponsors include: Busch Pet Products & Care, The Bank of Missouri, Capaha Bank, Elite Travel and Cruises Inc., LaCroix Pet Hospital, Petco, and Skyview Animal Clinic.

The Visual Arts Cooperative will also feature new works on display in the Jean A. Chapman Gallery of the Arts Council.