National Art Encounter 2009
Juror's Statement
National Art Encounter 2009 was exhilarating to curate. I was immersed for several days in a virtual visual feast. The work ranged from the quirky to the sublime. Heroic and monumental art jostled with small, eccentric and playful (even diminutive) pieces. All of the work was strongly visual even though concepts involving memory, identify, nature, spirituality and politics informed each piece. Aesthetics and the role of the artist as interpreter and shaman dominated all.
The artistic community represented in the show submitted paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints as well as work incorporating collage, photographs and fiber in an amazing range of styles. Fascination with history of art - - a post modern concern - - was very evident. Work included old master as well as modern and contemporary techniques. Narrative and figuration along with abstraction displayed the talents of many of the artists. Sculpture too was very well represented in terms of vision. The variety of materials used and the difficulties of execution were very impressive. Jewelry, ceramics and fabrics were shown in all of their demanding skills and variation.
I am honored to have been involved with National Art Encounter 2009 and with so many creative and committed artists.
Dahlia Morgan
Director Emerita, Frost Art Museum at FIU
About the Juror
Exhibition Juror and Awards Judge: Dahlia Morgan, Art Historian and Director Emerita, Frost Art Museum at Florida International University, Miami, Florida
During her long career with Florida International University, Dahlia Morgan transformed a modest student gallery on the Miami campus into an internationally celebrated art museum. In 1980, after teaching for five years in the visual arts department she accepted the directorship of the university’s Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum (formerly the Art Museum at FIU).
As director and curator, Morgan instituted a lecture series, increased the frequency of exhibitions and developed numerous other programs including a student internship program. The Steven and Dorothea Green Critics’ Lecture Series was started by Morgan in 1981 and has now organized, hosted and presented over 100 lectures by internationally renowned artists, critics and scholars who include Pierre Rosenberg, former Director of the Louvre; Hilton Kramer, Art Critic; Helen Frankenthaler, American artist; and Michael Graves, architect and designer. In 1985 Morgan started the exhibition series “American Art Today,” which features a once yearly examination of a specific subject or concept in American Art. Morgan curated and organized over 200 exhibitions during her directorship.
The Frost Art Museum grew to achieve local, national and international recognition as one of South Florida’s key cultural institutions. In 1999 the museum received accreditation from the American Association of Museums and in 2001 became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. With the turn of the 21st Century the initiative to build a new facility took shape and in 2008, the new 46,000 square foot Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum opened to the public.
Morgan is a four time National Endowment for the Arts Grants Panelist and member of the Art Basel Miami, Host Committee. She is listed in “Who’s Who in American Art” and in “Who’s Who of American Women.”
The exhibition is installed throughout The von Liebig Art Center on the first and second floors. Exhibition generously sponsored by Physicians Regional Medical Center, Pine Ridge; Publix Super Markets Charities, Comcast and WGCU Public Media. Awards sponsored by: Physicians Regional Medical Center, Publix Super Markets Charities, TCA Graphics and Artisan Framers. A cooperative effort funded in part by the Collier County Tourist Development Tax.
The von Liebig Art Center • 585 Park Street • Naples, FL 34102 • 239.262.6517