The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM) announces its third annual “Far & Wide National” exhibition, on view in the Main Gallery from Friday, June 4 through Sunday, July 18. This timely presentation is organized around the concept of Art Brut, a theme associated with a distancing from the mainstream. The exhibition comprises work by 25 artists, selected through a national call and juried by Nicelle Beauchene and Franklin Parrasch, co-founders of Parts & Labor in Beacon.
“Far & Wide National” attracted 196 entries from artists across the nation and includes work in a range of media. For this year’s iteration, the jurors focused on the theme of Art Brut, a French term translating to “raw art,” describing works made outside the academic tradition of artmaking. Also referred to as Outsider Art, this movement was created by Jean Dubuffet to focus on the raw expression of a vision or emotions. For this exhibition, the jurors sought works that incorporate a unique use of materiality and modes of expression, as well as works outside the conventional dictates of the art world.
In a time of a global pandemic, the selection on view is fitting in its exploration of work that accentuates isolation and originates from solitude. All 25 works on view emphasize a singularity of style.
Exhibiting artists include Grace Troxell, Andrea Santos, Irit Rosenberg, Bela Shayevich, Jill Ziccardi, Julia Whitney Barnes, Charlie Smith, Ann Cofta, Daniel Schroeder, Stacy Bogdonoff, Mary Nash, Alaina Enslen, Jason Mones, Shawn Powell, Hayden Maltese, Yura Adams, Barbara Smith, Colleen Smiley, Claire Watson, Susan Berger, Julia Muench, Carmen Li, Jacinta Bunnell, Alyssa McClenaghan and Rosalie Smith.
The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum is located at 28 Tinker Street in Woodstock. Gallery hours are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. For general information, call (845) 679-2940 or visit www.woodstockart.org.
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