The Albany Area Arts Council (AAAC) will open the 23rd Annual Southwest Georgia Regional Fine Art Exhibit and Sale with an Opening Reception on Thursday, June 1, 2023, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Albany Area Arts Council Carnegie Library Gallery, located at 215 N. Jackson Street, Albany, Georgia. Awards announcement will take place at 7 p.m. tomorrow evening and a Saturday Open House will also be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

An annual event held by AAAC, this exhibition provides a platform for local and regional artists to support their own artistic endeavors, while promoting and preserving the culture of the arts in Albany and the region. The largest art exhibition and sale in the area that is largely sponsored by our annual Empty Bowls event, this premier event provides a stage to talented local artists, showcasing an expansive regional collection to humanity. This year’s exhibition features 60 artists and 115 works of art.

Artwork entered into the competition is jurored for cash prizes, with categories including

painting/drawing, photography/digital art, and sculpture/ceramics. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place winners, as well as honorable mention in each of the three categories, along with one award for Best In Show. The Opening Reception tomorrow evening will begin at 6 p.m., with the awards presentation at 7 p.m. The event is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to come and enjoy this celebration of our local arts culture.

The juror for this year’s exhibition is Monika Meler, Art and Design Department Head at Valdosta State University. Meler earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and continued her studies at Purdue University, where she earned a master of arts degree, followed with a master’s degree in Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. While at Tyler, Meler spent a year studying in Rome, Italy.

Meler has exhibited her work extensively in group, juried, and solo exhibitions. She has completed residencies at Zygote Press in Cleveland, Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, Emmanuel College in Boston, Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Connecticut, Frans Masereel Center in Belgium, Cork Printmakers in Ireland, and Women’s Studio Workshop in New York. Solo exhibitions include Yours, Mine, and Ours at Wabash College in Indiana, The Color of Distance and Desire at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts, The Center That Cannot Hold at FrontierSpace in Montana, and The Distance Between at the Limerick Printmakers Gallery in Ireland.

The exhibition, in its entirety, will remain on display in the Carnegie Library Gallery June 5, 2023 through July 13, 2023 during The AAAC’s Gallery hours, which are 12 Noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with other viewing times available by appointment. Admission to the art show and sale is free.

For additional information about this exhibit or AAAC, visit albanyartscouncil.org, or call 229.439.ARTS (2787).