This year, we’d like to give an Honorable Mention to Sue Bradford, who you may recognize as one of the Crocker-Kingsley Award winners from earlier this year. Bradford’s piece Up in my Dress speaks to the current political moment in a way that manages to feel timeless despite its photographic representation of an immediately recognizable moment in recent history. The relevance of the piece could not be more timely, as this May marked a revival of the contentious debate over women’s rights to abortion when the Supreme Court agreed to take up a Mississippi case that essentially revisits Roe V. Wade. It also reminds us of the power of art to spark important conversations, to address difficult issues with a visual immediacy and room for consideration that is unlike our most common daily methods of media consumption.

But many of the pieces throughout the show do not delve into the difficult; they use imagery that is recognizable and, frankly, quite ordinary in a way that blessedly allows us to see the mundane in a novel way. You cannot help but admire the sheer amount of personality Kathryn Wronski has brought forth from a band of chickens in Five Chicks, or Linda Galusha’s inventive contrasts of texture that bring a subtle otherworldly magic to her landscape compositions.

There is truly something for everyone in this exhibition.

To all of our members: Thank you for your support this year. And if you are not a member yet, we encourage you to check out the work we do in the community, ask us about what opportunities we offer to members, or better yet, come out to an Artist 2 Artist Meetup to get to know the awesome community of members that awaits you.

Sincerely,

Brooke Abrames & MaryTess Mayall
Co-Directors,
Blue Line Arts