Opening Reception: Thursday, September 13^th, 6-8:30pm
Dates: September 13 – October 18, 2018
Exhibition Location: Tri-C’s Gallery East, 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Hills, OH 44122

The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) is proud to present NewNow 2018, Northeast Ohio’s premier biannual competitive art exhibition.  This years multi-media show was juried by Steven Matijcio, the curator of the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, one of the oldest contemporary art institutions in the United States.  The exhibition will be held in Tri-C’s beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. Gallery East, 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Hills, OH 44122 beginning with an opening reception on Thursday, September 13th, 6-8:30pm.

2018 marks the third incarnation for the NewNow, and this year’s exhibition was the most competitive to date, with a total of 55 works selected from nearly 550 entries made by 172 individual artists.

The NewNow is set apart from the throng of other regional juried art exhibitions, through its consistent use of a highly qualified, non-regional juror.  “The NewNow offers local artists a unique opportunity to get their work in front of fresh eyes and seeks to rise above the local art politics which can often lead to the same artists being selected for shows repeatedly.” explains AAWR Executive Director Mindy Tousley.

The results of Matijcio’s novel perspective are clear.  Matijcio clearly curated a show which pulled together what he sees as overarching themes, rather than just subjectively selecting the best works in different mediums. In his jurors statement he writes” …it is always a painful process of applying my subjective tastes to choose that which will be seen in a shared public context. As an antidote, I attempt to balance personal preferences with a broader hypothesis of work I believe will speak to an audience of many – communicating meanings that bridge a diversity of concerns, while remaining united in their urgency. I was especially struck this year by the dialogue that took place between structure and slippage; between the security we conventionally associate with mass and architectural solidity and a subversive blurring of all that a straight line stands for. This negotiation between a geometric reading of the world and one that slips repeatedly out of focus speaks for me to a larger allegory of what has been called the “post-truth” era; where fabrications and gaslighting proliferate, facts are debatable, and norms grow unmoored. And yet we know that such conditions have existed in many places over many eras of history, most often when a ruling class manipulates networks of information and fellow humans are twisted into “the other.” When artists try to make sense of cloudy conditions by amplifying the solidity of their representations, or conversely, they obscure mechanical exercises by softening the edges, this discourse swells. By stepping in and out of structure in a vexing, yet captivating manner, the artists selected for this year’s NewNow affirm that reality most often begins with our rendition of it.”

In addition to selecting the final work in the exhibition, Matijcio has chosen 3 works which will receive cash awards announced during the opening reception.  An additional award will be chosen by popular vote which will be cast during the opening reception ONLY. Voting will commence from 6:00 – 7:00pm and be announced by 7:30pm.

The exhibition will be one view from September 13th through October 18^th, 2018.  Gallery Hours: Monday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.  Reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Gallery East is located in the Education Building of Tri-C East and is most easily accessed by the campus’ Harvard Road Entrance.  Free parking is available in LOT H3.

Featured Image: Michael Weil, You Should See Hebrew Written in Chinese Ink with a Brush – 17-Mile Drive, Digital image capture

About the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve:  The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve is a unique archival facility and regional museum that preserves representative bodies of work created by Ohio visual artists and, through ongoing research, exhibition and educational programs, actively documents and promotes this cultural heritage for the benefit of the public.

AAWR would like to thank the Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ohio Art Dealers Association, the George Gund Foundation, the Bernice & David E. Davis Foundation, the William Bingham Foundation and the Zufall Foundation for their continuing support.