For most of half a century, the Northern Juried Art Show has served as a great opportunity for people living north of the 53rd parallel to show off their creativity.
This year’s collection of artwork will be publicly displayed at the Thompson Regional Community Centre May 18–20, and will feature a vast collection of entries ranging from paintings to sculptures to photographs to mixed media displays.
Of course, this annual event will also feature a competitive element, where three jurors will provide critiques and decide which entries are worthy of a cash prize.
According to event chairperson Leigh Hall, who submitted her own paintings in the past, putting your work out there to be judged is definitely nerve-racking, but it will ultimately make you a better artist going forward.
“It’s a different feel, because you don’t know what’s going to come back,” she said. “But it’s nice to get other people’s views of what you’re doing and how you can change things to make it that much better.”
Throughout the Northern Juried Art Show’s 42-year history, Thompson has played host a total of 10 times, with the last local show taking place in 2014.
To local artist Jan Hall, who’s helped organize the last eight events and is responsible for painting two of Thompson’s famous wolf statues, she hopes that this upcoming show will shine a light on new, upcoming talent and help reignite the city’s art community.
“There’s been a lot of new artists coming out and entering and I hope to see a lot more, because they’re the ones who are going to learn the most,” she said, adding that “To me, it’s important, in the city, to realize that there are recreational opportunities other than sports.”
For all those looking to enter into this year’s competition, the deadline to submit your artwork is April 20.
To find out more information about the 2018 Northern Juried Art Show, please contact Leigh Hall at leigharts@hotmail.com.
