Monday, June 30, 2008
This is the year of the takeover. For the fifth anniversary of Forum 35’s Art Melt Multi-Media Juried Art Competition the event outgrows Brunner Gallery and—thanks to construction of the One Eleven lofts—will utilize not only Brunner, but almost every square inch of the Shaw Center for the Arts, including the fourth floor terrace. New work from past winners will be on display, and the Lyceum Dean across Third Street will host part of the event—possibly arts and crafts vendors or hands-on workshops for children, says Chris Brooks, who co-chairs the event. Brooks says more than 700 pieces were submitted and roughly 70 will be on exhibit.
Heather Ryan Kelley won top prize last year with her piece, Lucky Strike.
“We love submissions from Baton Rouge, but we want it to be—and it has been—statewide,” Brooks says. “We want Art Melt to be the mecca for art events in Louisiana.”
The pieces are chosen by this year’s sole juror, Sean Ulmer, the curator of collections and exhibitions at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Iowa. Ulmer will name the top three pieces, and any he wishes to recognize as an honorable mention. First place wins $2,000, second wins $1,000 and third wins $500.
“The great thing for me is I get to see work that wouldn’t normally come across my desk,” Ulmer says. “I’ll be looking through everything in one sitting multiple times and picking out the ones that speak to me. It’s always a challenge to narrow things down, but that’s part of the fun.”
For those not chosen, Art Melt has partnered with local nonprofit Culture Candy for Art Melt Salon des Refuges, which will allow patrons to vote for the “best of the rest.”
Mixed-media artist Heather Ryan Kelley won top prize last year with her James Joyce-referencing maze-format artist book titled Lucky Strike. The McNeese State painting professor was surprised her piece won in an open exhibit with a touch of what she calls “lively inclusiveness.” “The fact that the piece is small and ephemeral makes its recognition especially significant,” she says. Kelley’s latest oil on canvas piece will be on display in the past winner’s gallery.
Art Melt is also loaded with live music, and performances by the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Sinfonietta, Of Moving Colors and Playmakers. artmelt.org
Comments
Posted by Sari on July 11, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This comment is not so much about Art Melt, but more about the disappointing preview party held last night (July 10). My husband and I have attended every preview party for the past three years and have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them until last night. We do what we can to support the arts, but are by no means wealthy. We paid $100 to attend last night's affair and were upset to find out that proceeds did not go to the Community Fund for the Arts, which has been the case in previous years. The money, instead, went to the Manship Theatre. I was under the impression they did not need money. Perhaps I am wrong. The other disappointing elements of the evening centered around the food and drink. In years past cocktails have been complimentary, but this year only beer. And, last year's spread of food was amazing. This year the food was practically non-existent. My husband and I attend the preview gala to enjoy good food, good drinks and to see the art in a relaxed setting. I know I can see the art for free tonight, but instead of fighting the crowds, I choose to shell out the money to attend the night before and be treated to a nice evening. That's what I expect when I'm shelling out $50 a ticket. And, I am not alone. I overheard several people discussing the obvious lack of food last night and having to shell out money for a cash bar on top of the hefty ticket price. I purposely did not make dinner last night fully expecting to eat at the event, but by the time it ended our group of friends were starving and went out to find a restaurant still serving at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night. So, we spent another $60 on dinner and even ran into another group of people from the event who were just as hungry as we are. I don't know if this is the proper forum for this rant, but I couldn't find a feedback section on the Art Melt website and I don't know who organized last night's affair, but compared to previous years it was seriously lacking. I will say that the art is amazing this year and had I known that the preview party was going to be such a dud I would have waited to see it tonight.
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