Last 3 Days in Hinckley!

This year’s IMAGE art show, presented by the East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) again spotlights the creative talent of artists of the region. In its 34th year, the IMAGE show is open to all adult artists who reside in Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine Counties.

This is the first in-person IMAGE show at ECRAC’s new location in Hinckley after last year’s online only IMAGE Show, it is great to be able to present art in the new gallery. The space is welcoming and perfect for viewing art in a variety of mediums. While all 114 works of art that were submitted are available for viewing on the ECRAC website, there are 20 works of art on view in the gallery representing 10 awards of Excellence and 10 awards of Merit as selected by this year’s judges- Mary Bruno of Bruno Press and Ginger Shulick Porcella of Franconia Sculpture Park. The judges reviewed all entries online and selected the Excellence and Merit award winners, which then were delivered to Hinckley to be exhibited in person.

This year’s show curator was Bethany Whitehead, an independent arts administrator, who has been involved with the IMAGE art show in the past. She took in all the entries and then installed the art in a way that the viewer should not even question the location or flow of the works. The curator’s role should be one that the viewer doesn’t even acknowledge!

The exhibition has a wide range of artistic styles and mediums. From Anita Gislason’s beautiful 3D work Summer Bouquet made with pyrography and gourds, to innovative and playful found object assemblage sculptures by both MaryAnn Carlson and Gary Carlson, to an intricate mosaic of a fox by Cathie Hendren, plus paintings, drawings, and photographs. There is something for everyone in this gallery. The smallest work this year is Claire Fix’s Balloon unicorn painting at just 6”x6” and the largest is Jim Larson’s massive painting After Beckmann’s Woman with an impactful presence of 72”x42”. Big, small, and everything in between makes this a rich and textural exhibition. 

The Best in Show award from the judges went to Victoria Kosel for her inspiring and unique hand-woven archival inkjet print. This substantial photograph is distinctive in its weaving of images, creating a woven photograph with depth and intrigue. This is a good example of the joy of seeing artwork in person- the scale and details of this work cannot be understood when viewing online.

If you can make it to see the exhibition in person, you will benefit from the opportunity to see these works up close and in all their detail and splendor. The last three days the gallery will be open are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm from August 4 to August 6, 2021.

Be sure to vote for your favorite online;

you can help determine the People’s Choice Award!

& if you are an artist in IMAGE this year don’t forget to vote for the

first ever Artist’s Choice Award! 

p.s. the website has videos of the in-person show, Judges and Curator comments, and a commissioned video arts proclamation, too.